 Table Of Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1: What Is The Cause Of A Yeast Infection?
Chapter 2: Candida Yeast Infection Symptoms
Chapter 3: Babies and Thrush: Natural Remedies For Thrush That Provide Fast Relief
Chapter 4: Candida: Foods That Hurt You
Chapter 5: Candida: Foods That Help You
Chapter 6: Yeast Die-Off, or, The Healing Process
Chapter 7: The Yeast Infection Remedy System: Easy Steps To Treat Yeast
Chapter 8: Cure Yeast Infections With Healing Candida Recipes
Beverages
Breakfast
Salads
Soups
Dips and Appetizers
Main Dishes
Desserts
Chapter 9: Topical Treatments For Candida: Yeast Infection Remedies With Quick Relief
Chapter 10: Yeast Infection Cream, Oil, and Herbal Recipes: Treat Candida of The Skin, Scalp, Nails, Mouth and Genital Candida
Summary
Introduction
Even as I hear the sentence it sounds kind of crazy-- how can I turn to you and say that I'm excited to tell you about yeast infections? Yet, the fact of the matter is I amexcited to tell you about yeast infections and the reason is not because yeast, in itself, is an exciting organism. I love this topic is because I enjoy empowering people when it comes to learning about yeast’s impact on overall health, and how restoring balance in your body can change your life.
It seems like common knowledge these days to talk about bacteria and viruses as the main cause of recurring illnesses. Many of us have been vaccinated for diseases as children, before we travel, or even after stepping on a rusty nail.
Vaccinations such as the polio vaccine have been celebrated in human history for improving societal health. For over one hundred years, polio was a dreaded viral disease that caused spinal disorders, paralysis, and death for thousands of people. Then, in the 1950’s, polio vaccines were created and drastically reduced the number of cases with each passing year.
Antibiotics have been used for decades--since the early 1940’s--when Penicillin was first manufactured and distributed as a drug. This miracle drug has been used for staving off everything from sneezing, coughing, bronchitis, and many other bacterial infections.
However, common knowledge seems to stop when it comes to treating yeast overgrowth. Many of us have heard of yeast as something that makes a woman uncomfortable. People sometimes complain about their lover, saying that they caught a yeast infection from him or her.
Other women experience and understand the discomfort of yeast in the form of under breast yeast infections. These infections can last for extended periods of time. I have had communication with women who suffered from under-breast yeast infections foryears.
New mothers may also experience the heartbreak of thrush as their little infant fusses and cries because of an oral candida infection. This can come from, or spread to, the mother’s breasts: in turn, both mothers and babies suffer.
For some, it is also surprising to know that yeast can spread into the tissue of the body causing lung, digestive, and kidney malfunction. Systemic yeast infections can even disrupt function of the heart and brain.
Briefly, here is my experience with yeast, and how learning about it has changed my life…
When I was young I was on a tennis team and as the summer progressed my health actually seemed to decline. My lungs felt like they were filling up with water each time I ran. At times, when I spoke, I found it difficult to get to the end of the sentence without taking a breath in the middle of it.
Sure, I could tell that I was contributing to my heath, because I could run further and further the more I worked out. Yet each day I was more and more exhausted, feeling the pressure it took to breathe through my lungs. Not only that, but my inability to breathe was hurting my game compared to years before.
I tried to ignore it, but over time, the sensation of water in my lungs seemed to gradually get worse. My healthy habit of exercising declined to the point where I would do mostly walking, gardening, and simple, gentle exercise.
Then, a few years later I started to have chronic soreness in my back. The pain pierced my lower back, through me, so that I could feel the ache mirroring on the front of my body. For a short time, I thought it was simply dehydration--after all I was busy working hard and often would forget to take break for a drink water.
Unfortunately, when I started drinking more water, my symptoms did not get any better. In fact over the course of a few years, it seemed like my health was getting worse. I didn’t just have back pain, my digestion was all out of whack too: it seemed like the water and food I consumed would pass through in less than an hour.
On top of that, my concentration was completely off. My thoughts would seem jumbled, and my ability to communicate verbally would share the same cloudiness as my mind. For someone who was active in public speaking and accustomed to communicating easily, this was a nightmare. At times, I would feel intoxicated, even though I hadn’t had a drink for days or weeks.
I started to consider over-the-counter painkillers as part of everyday life. I had to focus on abstaining from alcohol, because I knew the temptation was there to use alcohol as a “natural” painkiller. What’s more, over the course of several years, the pain became regularly present in other parts of my body. More and more days would begin with pain: my body was so stiff. Sometimes that stiffness would last for hours, other times, it might last all day -- aching in my joints and into my muscles.
I tried to convince myself that it was just part of getting a little bit older. However, when I started to experience chest pains a few times per month I knew my body wasn’t just aging. I was in my 30’s: too young to have chest pains.
One evening I stood up in my home and I could feel my heart pounding powerfully in my chest. I had a strong craving for orange juice and I went over to the refrigerator and consumed almost half a gallon of it. As I went to sit down on the sofa, I didn't quite make it. I collapsed onto the floor, blacking out, and came to-- what I would assume-- a few moments later. I was so afraid of what just happened, that I took a taxi to the emergency room.
After several hours of waiting and blood tests a nurse came back and told me that I might have an over-active thyroid and that I should see a doctor about it. My potassium levels were dangerously low, causing my heart to palpitate. She said that if the potassium levels had been much lower I could have been at risk for heart attack, because the heart needs potassium to function properly. I received a powerful dose of potassium in the ER, and they sent me home.
Later that week, I had an appointment with a general practitioner who reviewed my low potassium level, and discovered my high calcium levels. Over the course of several years she sent me numerous specialists all of whom could not pinpoint my health issue. I had my thyroid tested, my heart tested, my kidneys tested, I was even tested for breast cancer.
I moved to another state and the testing started all over again. I tried exercising, bought a rowing machine, and took up yoga. Even when I could twist myself into a pretzel, I still couldn’t get the pain to go away in my back and joints. My lungs, by this point, always had the sensation of water in them. I would get frequent headaches, some of them lasting for over a week.
There were times where I had “good days," my joints would only hurt for an hour or so in the morning, and my mental clarity seemed about par with what I remembered from my public speaking and college career. I kept potassium tablets handy to aid my heart when I started to experience palpitations. Other days I would stay in bed, limping slowly across the floor when I needed to accomplish something, as pain saturating my body.
Over the course of fifteen years I researched off and on to see what could possibly be wrong with me. I understood why doctors kept sending me to kidney and thyroid specialists, after all, low potassium and high calcium can relate to metabolic and kidney disorders. Still, the tests proved inconclusive.
I think what made my systemic yeast infection so difficult to diagnose is that the symptoms were so pervasive throughout my body. I had so much going on that it was hard to know where it all started. The body is a framework of organs, all interacting, and all relying on each other.
The discovery of why I had been feeling ill for so long came completely by accident. I was researching possible remedies for colitis in an effort to generate an herbal tea for a family member, when I discovered that many of the symptoms associated with the disease are similar to a parasitic infection. Sure enough, after experimenting with several teas, I came across a combination that seemed to help with colitis.
I wondered what other harmful microorganisms were out there and what symptoms were associated with them. To my amazement, when I started to examine yeast, there it was in black and white. Low potassium, high calcium levels, fluctuating pH in the blood, lungs feeling like they have liquid in them, digestive organs not functioning properly, kidneys hurting, joints and muscles hurting, chest pains, clouded concentration, and naturally, depression. It was all right there.
As I continued researching, I could not believe the profound impact a systemic yeast infection could have on the body. I learned that this type of infection usually starts in the digestive system or lungs, and moves into other parts of the body, causing them to malfunction one by one.
On top of the symptoms I have described here, yeast can be a contributing factor to infertility. Mood disorders including irritability, anxiety, or depression, as well as various rashes that occur on the skin can also be caused by candida, or yeast. Some people experience chronic constipation, migraines, diarrhea, and digestive ulcers.
Today my symptoms are gone, and my life has completely changed. The best part is, I achieved this level of health completely naturally through diet, exercise, and herbal supplements. I can breathe, I’m not in pain, my concentration has improved, and I can even keep up with my mother-in-law when we go on hikes: all these little things add up to a whole new life experience.
I have the sincerest hope that the tips and tricks shared in this book help you as much as they have helped me. I also want to spread the word: I know that I'm not the only person out there who has suffering for a long time due to a systemic yeast infection. If you are one of them, I truly hope this book reaches you and gives you some of the answers you've been looking for about your health. For those of you who may have a vaginal yeast infection, oral thrush, or candida growth on your skin, this book is for you, too. I have a lot of topical recipes you can try--and believe me--I was no stranger to these infections, either.
Keep in mind that home remedies should be pursued under the care of a physician. Please consult a health care practitioner before using this or any other form of alternative medicine. Some herbal remedies or foods can conflict with prescription medication. Others may not bode well for people with particular health conditions or allergies. As you read the sections discussing essential oils, remember never to ingest them, and only to use them topically. Food grade oils are available on the market and should never be substituted with an essential oil.
Lastly, I apologize if my writing is not perfect. I am an ordinary woman trying to spread the word about yeast and it’s impact on health. That said, I have researched yeast for years, so please read on; the tips in this book just might change your life.
Now, enough with the stories and disclaimers, let’s get on to the juicy stuff. Thanks for reading: I wish you the best of health!
Chapter 1
What Is The Cause Of A Yeast Infection?
A type of fungus, called candida, causes yeast infections. A helpful analogy for understanding yeast is to think of producing a loaf of bread. I know this is kind of gross but for the sake of a useful analogy, let’s run with it. Please note that candida is not the same kind of yeast found in bread, this analogy demonstrates general yeast behavior and characteristics.
In baking an ordinary loaf of bread, the most important factor in making the bread behave the way you would like is to understand how the yeast reacts with other ingredients and conditions. The key ingredients in bread, when it comes to influencing yeast, are sugar and flour. Most of the time, the flour used in bread has a high level of gluten. When bread rises, it is due to the reproduction of yeast. Yeast consumes sugar and gluten, creating a by-product: carbon dioxide. This by-product is what causes the bread to rise, as small air bubbles disperse throughout the dough. If the dough is left in a warm, moist environment, the yeast will continue to reproduce, and the bread will rise.
When yeast experiences ideal temperatures between 90 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit, it grows rapidly. Since the human body is about 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit, it naturally provides a great environment for yeast, in terms of temperature. As we all know, the body is comprised mostly of water, which makes it a moist environment for yeast to grow. When yeast is exposed to high levels of gluten and sugar, the likelihood that yeast will thrive and grow in the human body increases.
Understanding what causes a yeast infection and how yeast behaves in general are key components to understanding how to prevent one going forward. On the most basic level, naturally occurring bacteria and yeast in the body can be influenced into a state of imbalance. This imbalance can be due to a variety of causes, allowing the yeast to take over and beneficial bacteria to be in short supply. So, how does the imbalance between yeast and healthy bacteria in the body occur?
Antibiotics.
Each year countless people are prescribed antibiotics to cure sinus infections, bronchitis, and other similar illnesses. Whereas antibiotics are a wonder-cure for these nasty infections, they can also upset the balance in the body between healthy bacteria and yeast, leading to yeast infections. Part of the reason is because antibiotics do not simply target harmful bacteria they target all bacteria, even the good ones.
Antibiotics are also found in certain foods. Animals treated with antibiotics pass the antibiotics into the milk they produce, crops treated with manure from these animals can cause antibiotics to be present in fruits and vegetables, and of course, antibiotics can be found in the actual meat of the animal.
Immune System Fluctuations.
Fluctuations in the immune system can also cause an imbalance in the body between bacteria and yeast, leading to yeast infections. Some of the most common causes of shifting immune system function are:
-Diseases such as diabetes, cancer, HIV, or even having the common cold.
-Consumption habits such as consuming alcohol, smoking, or exposure to unknown toxins from the environment.
-Dietary habits, such as a lack of vitamins that assist in maintaining a healthy immune system.
-Emotional and psychological factors such as stress, depression, lack of exercise, or lack of sleep.
Hormonal Fluctuations.
Birth control pills can be a culprit for bringing about yeast infections. A shift in estrogen levels in the body can lead to immune system fluctuations that in turn can lead to yeast infections.
Some women can actually predict when they are about to get a yeast infection based on their menstrual cycle – many women I have spoken with seem to notice a pattern the week before their period. This is due to the influence of estrogen on the immune system. Similarly, pregnant women are more likely to get yeast infections due to changing hormone levels leading to immune system function.
For men, shifts in testosterone levels can have an influence on immune system function, increasing the odds of a candida overgrowth. It is not uncommon for both men and women to have yeast growing within the digestive system, in the lungs, or on the skin.
Nonoxynol-9.
It has been debated, but some people describe an allergic-type reaction to Nonoxynol-9, most commonly found on condoms and in spermicide. A common argument is that the product has antibacterial properties leading to an imbalance between helpful bacteria and yeast, in turn causing a candida overgrowth. Even more argue that this chemical can cause vulnerability in vaginal walls making the vagina more prone to yeast infections. Some people seem to have no reaction at all to Nonoxynol-9.
In the interest of staying on topic, we will not get too far into the debate. Just be aware that if you are using this product frequently and are experiencing continued issues with yeast infections, you may want to try switching your contraception method to condoms, etc. that do not contain Nonoxynol-9.
Intercourse.
Those suffering from a yeast infection can pass the infection to their sexual partner. Technically, it is not considered a “sexually transmitted disease” because yeast occurs naturally in and on the body. Nonetheless, the infection can be passed back and forth between sexual partners, prolonging the infection.
Moist, warm environments.
Believe it or not, the surface on which you sit can influence your chances of getting a yeast infection. Any time a part of your body is warm and moist for an extended period of time, the risk of getting a candida infection rises. So, if you sit a lot in a warm, moist environment, your chances of getting a yeast overgrowth are much greater.
For this reason... |
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