subject: How to Prevent Candida and Yeast Infections [print this page] Many people are not familiar with the name Candida, but everyone has heard of what it causes: yeast infections. Candida is a fungal yeast type and Candida albicans is the specific yeast that is causes yeast infections and thrush in women, men, and children.
The term Candida is used to indicate the name of the yeast and often to refer to a yeast overgrowth. Also commonly used is the term candidiasis which can be used interchangeably with yeast infection, although candidiasis is generally used to refer to a broader yeast overgrowth in the body.
Candida is naturally occurring in the human body and usually is kept in balance by beneficial bacteria (or flora) in the digestive system. However, under certain circumstances Candida can grow to dangerous levels and cause numerous health problems. This is seen frequently in people with weakened immune systems. The incidence of yeast infections and Candida continue to rise in the United States and that can be attributed to two primary factors.
The first of these factors is the rise in the use, and many would argue overuse, of antibiotics. Antibiotics are prescribed for a wide range of illnesses and for good reason, but there is a downside, too. The side effect of using certain types of antibiotics is that in addition to killing the bad bacteria, they can also wipe out the beneficial bacteria that people need to have in their digestive systems. It is the beneficial bacteria that keep some organisms such as Candida down at healthy levels in our bodies. When the bacteria are no longer there, the Candida can quickly rise to unhealthy levels and the problems begin.
There are many situations in which taking antibiotics are both necessary and good, but people should consider trying to get their levels of beneficial bacteria back up as soon as the medication is done. One safe and easy way to do this is with probiotics or acidophilus supplements found at most health food stores. These supplements are inexpensive and are a great help in getting the body back into balance as quickly as possible.
The other primary reason the Candida is such a problem these days is our diet. Candida thrives on food with lots of refined sugars, heavily processed foods, simple carbohydrates, dairy, and alcohol. That list of foods unfortunately describes the bulk of the diet for too many people in the Western world today. As long as those foods continue to be the bulk of a person's calories, it will be nearly impossible to get rid of Candida. Even if Candida were not an issue, it is better to eat less processed foods and sugars anyway.
Fortunately, much research is being done on how to take care of existing Candida infections and keep them from returning. For any solution to work it needs to look at the entire process. Get rid of the infection, eliminate the root causes, and make the necessary changes to keep it from returning.
