Tag: Yeast Infection

The Benefits of A Home Yeast Infection Kit

Can I Test Myself for a Yeast Infection?

Not everyone is able or willing to go see a doctor when they suspect a yeast infection; for these women, a yeast infection kit can be used at home with highly accurate results. If you think you have this kind of infection, a kit can save you both gas money and a possibly unnecessary doctor bill.

Why Test At Home?

The price of getting tested for a yeast infection begins when you get in the car and drive over to your doctors office. Todays gas prices are high enough to make a home test kit economical even if you spent money on nothing but gas. The costs continue to climb when you have your doctors visit and are charged for the physicians time. Your next cost occurs when the swab test is sent to the lab to be analyzed or studied under a microscope.

All these costs can be cut out if you buy a yeast infection test kit. You will have all the time you need to take the test on your own. Just performing the test in your home will save you the stress of a doctors visit. Many women willingly buy a home test kit just so they can administer the test in the privacy of their own bathroom.

Why Do I Need to Test At All?

Yeast infections come with a number of symptoms that are similar to symptoms of several STDs that are known to be serious diseases. These matching symptoms include redness, irritation, a burning sensation when urinating, and a thick white discharge. If you have never suffered a yeast infection before, you must find out for sure that it is, in fact, the cause of your symptoms. Do not risk your future health on a guess; some STDs with copycat symptoms have been known to cause infertility and other serious health problems.

You should also hold off on treating the infection until you know that it is a yeast infection and not something else, such as a viral or bacterial infection. Many of the medications that are used to treat bacterial infections will only make a yeast infection worse. If other medicines are used in the wrong way, they can cause future yeast infections to actually be harder to stop.

How Does a Test Kit Work?

Your yeast infection kit is very simple. You will have to draw blood in some way; one of the easiest and least painful ways to get blood is to prick one of your fingers. Place the blood on the provided lab paper strip and send the strip to the designated lab. In a couple of days, you will be informed of the results. The test is intended to measure the amounts of two antibodies in the blood. The amount of antibodies will be higher than average if you have a yeast infection.

If you believe you have a yeast infection, save yourself a bit of money and buy a yeast infection kit.

Symptoms of a Yeast Infection

What To Expect From a Yeast Infection

It is vital to know the symptoms of a yeast infection; most people will develop this condition at least once in their life. No matter where the yeast infection is located, the area will be red and inflamed. Pus may be present, especially if the infection is found in the mouth. The rash on the skin may have similarly affected patches of skin close by; these are called satellite lesions. The yeast infection rash often appears to have a lacy border.

Ear infections that are caused by improperly high amounts of yeast will lead to sharp pains in the affected ears, swelling of the ears, and possibly a whitish discharge that resembles cotton. If the webbed skin between your toes and fingers is dry, red, and itchy, it may be a symptom of a yeast infection caused by excessive sweating. Oral yeast infections often cause wide-ranging symptoms, from a flat, red rash topped with a milky white coating to pain when eating or drinking. Do not attempt to clean off the white areas; even when this is done gently, it is likely to cause bleeding.

Vaginal yeast infections may cause a burning sensation during urination. Often, it causes intercourse to be either uncomfortable or actually painful. Often, the typical redness and swelling will extend to the entire area surrounding the vagina. A thick discharge from the vagina is another telling symptom of this type of yeast infection. It will probably not have a bad odor, but it may be a different color than that of the womans normal discharge. The vaginal area will be itchy and irritated, and will be dry. In some cases, the yeast infection may make a woman feel the urge to urinate more often than she would in a normal situation.

When You Should See a Doctor

You should make time to visit a doctor as soon as you can after identifying the condition as a yeast infection. This is to confirm that you have only a yeast infection and not a more serious medical issue. Some STDs are known to have symptoms that mimic those of a yeast infection. Without treatment, these copycat diseases have been known to cause severe and lifelong health problems, including infertility.

Your doctor will be able to help you decide what medication should work best for your yeast infection. If you were to treat yourself for a yeast infection when you actually had some other type of malady, you could easily cause problems for yourself down the road. Yeast infections can become resistant to certain drugs if the drugs are used when they are not needed.

For children, you should visit the doctor at your first opportunity. Again, this is partly due to a need for guidance on which medication to use. If a child has been avoiding drinking due to the pain of an oral infection, he or she may be dehydrated and need further treatment.

In Summary

Knowledge of yeast infection symptoms is key to successful treatment; familiarize yourself with these indicators so you can keep yourself and your loved ones healthy.

Proven Diet Techniques to Prevent and Treat Yeast Infections

What Role Does Food Play In My Yeast Infection?

You may be puzzled by the connection between yeast infections and food. Simply put, what goes into your body must come out. If you eat a lot of sugary foods, the excess sugar will exit through the urine. Yeast, a normally beneficent fungus, can explode when fed a lot of sugar. Although everyone has some yeast, it must be kept in check. Once the yeast fungus is allowed to grow unhindered, it will most likely cause a yeast infection.

What Foods Should I Avoid?

Any foods that feed the yeast should be cut out of your diet. This means you should not eat any sweets; avoid the sweeteners used in most prepackaged foods as well as fruit. All grains are off-limits if you are following a strict version of this idea, even the whole grains we usually consider healthy. White bread, pies, pastas, tortillas, and sourdough are only some of the bread items you may have to do without. Do not eat anything with yeast in it. Mushrooms carry yeast, so avoid them.

Do not indulge in foods based on dairy. Cheese, milk, and flavored yogurt should be on your dont eat list. It is best to drink only water; you should definitely avoid alcoholic beverages, coffee, fruit juices (for the sugar content), and carbonated drinks. You should not eat sauerkraut because of its high amounts of vinegar, and all tomato sauces are best avoided. Do not eat anything that is high in vinegar. Avoid legumes, such as beans, and potatoes; these starchy foods turn into more sugar, which will only feed the yeast infection.

Is There Anything Left to Eat?

Now that the restrictions are out of the way, lets look at some of the foods that can help your yeast infection go away for good. Most dark green vegetables are good for you and can be eaten as you fight the yeast infection. Green beans, spinach, arugula, and brussel sprouts can all be enjoyed safely.

Garlic actually fights back against the yeast infection. You can eat it raw, incorporate it into a recipe, or even use it as a suppository. If it is placed in the vagina, it can act as a natural yeast-killer. Seaweed also keeps the yeast population from expanding. While seaweed can be eaten (and enjoyed) raw, you may prefer to use it as an ingredient is a recipe, such as soup. Most raw nuts are allowed, although peanuts are not a good choice. You may want to drink herbal teas or freshly squeezed lemonade to add a bit of variety to your mealtime.

If you want to dress up a salad, you can toss it with olive oil or an apple cider vinegar that remains unpasteurized. You should definitely eat plenty of yogurt; it contains acidophilus, a good bacteria that will help kill off the excess yeast.

By eating the right foods, your yeast infection can be eradicated.

A Proven Remedy for Yeast Infections

Yeast Infections Are Not Impossible to Kill

There is a remedy for yeast infections, which is great news for the 3 out of 4 women who will develop one eventually. There are several different types of remedies that you can easily use at home. Natural remedies are generally less expensive and just as effective as prescription drugs, and they rarely carry the same types of side affects.

Using Boric Acid

Boric acid can be used to help treat yeast infections. This is due to its antiseptic and antifungal qualities. Because a yeast infection is basically a fungus run amok, this makes boric acid a perfect tool for restoring the balance of your system. Boric acid has been shown to be just as useful as a prescription strength drug in killing off the yeast infection. This remedy is usually taken as a vaginal suppository, which means it is placed directly in the vagina rather than being taken by mouth and traveling through the bloodstream.

You can find boric acid at compounding companies that deal in natural remedies. Do be careful when using boric acid; it is known to be toxic if taken by mouth. Keep it away from open wounds or cuts, and use it only as directed. In some cases, boric acid appears to cause the vaginal area to burn or become irritated.

What Are Probiotics, and Do They Work?

Probiotics are a very good remedy for yeast infections. They are simply live bacteria that will naturally kill off the excess yeast and restore the balance of your body. The most popular and useful of the probiotics is Lactobacillus. Several forms of this nice bacterium can be used to treat yeast infections naturally.

If you want to use Lactobacilli to treat your yeast infection, you have the option of using it as an oral supplement or as a vaginal suppository. Acidophilus, a member of the Lactobacilli family, is the key ingredient that makes yogurt work! With this in mind, it makes sense to eat plenty of yogurt when battling a raging yeast infection.

Tea Tree Oil and Other Treatment Options

This oil is taken from the tea tree and has apparently helped with yeast infections. However, tea tree oil is too strong to use without first diluting it a good deal. There is some debate about the safety and value of tea tree oil when used in this fashion.

Garlic cloves are well-known warriors in the fight against yeast infections. They can even be used as suppositories, provided the cloves are first wrapped in something soft and porous before being inserted. If you need immediate relief, try using yogurt as a topical cream. Simply soak a tampon in unflavored yogurt that contains active cultures and insert it as usual. If you dont wish to use a tampon, you can simply wipe the yogurt on with a finger. According to folk wisdom, honey can be used in much the same way and can provide relief on contact.

Conclusion

As you can see there are several ways to treat reoccurring yeast infections. However, if the problem continues, you should see your Doctor, to be evaluated for possible other health problems which may contribute to the yeast infections. A proven remedy for yeast infections need not be complicated nor expensive.