Tag: Yeast Infections

What You Must Know About Yeast Infections in the Ears

What You Must Know About Yeast Infections in the Ears

What Causes this Infection?

A yeast infection in the ear can be very painful. We all have small amounts of yeast in our bodies at any given time. However, too much yeast leads to an infection that can become a major irritant. The ears are the perfect place for a yeast infection to form, because the yeast grows well in damp areas. The Eustachian tubes can support yeast infections at their openings; as anyone who has had an ear infection knows, this will be highly unpleasant.

Yeast and bacteria usually work in harmony with each other within the human body. The good type of bacteria that you have in ordinary circumstances kills yeast, keeping the yeast population under control. This system can get out of whack if you take antibiotics. Often, a person takes antibiotics to kill bacteria that are causing an infection in the sinuses or elsewhere. Unfortunately, the antibiotics kill the good bacteria, as well. This leaves a wide open door for the yeast to multiply and cause a raging yeast infection.

What Are the Symptoms?

If you suspect a yeast infection in either your ears or your childs ears, you must look for the right symptoms. Ear infections vary widely as to cause, so be sure that you know what you are treating before you start administering medication.

A yeast infection in the ear will cause an itchy feeling inside the ear and on any outside surface that is affected by the condition. There will most likely be a lingering soreness. Yeast infections often cause a white discharge, and the ears are not immune from this side effect. Some have said that the discharge is similar in appearance to the cotton you will find on the end of a swab.

If your child is too young to tell you what is wrong, you may notice him or her tugging at the ear. Often, children have difficulty sleeping when they have ear infections. Redness is a symptom that adults and children share. Children may cry or show other signs of distress, such as crankiness.

Yeast infections can also cause shooting pains in the affected ears.

How Can it Be Treated?

You should see a doctor to confirm that you or your child are indeed suffering from a yeast infection of the ear and not another type of ear infection. It is wise to seek medical help as soon as you suspect a yeast-based ear infection, as the condition can be quite painful if left untreated. Sometimes, a yeast infection can hitch a ride in the bloodstream and cause infections in other areas of the body.

Sometimes, it is hard for doctors to diagnose the ear infection correctly. This is due to the similarity of symptoms between a yeast infection and other ear infections. In most cases, children can get over an ear infection without having to take antibiotics. As already discussed, these medications can actually make a yeast infection worse.

What Risks Are Associated with an Untreated Yeast Infection?

Can My Yeast Infection Go Away Without Treatment?

A yeast infection can clear up eventually, but even so, the waiting time is extended and accompanied by all the usual pain. Most of the time, a yeast infection will cease when a womans period begins, because the blood causes much of the yeast to die.

Can I Become Infertile from an Untreated Yeast Infection?

No, the yeast infection has nothing to do with fertility. It is a fungal infection that affects tissues, but has no impact on the reproductive system. You cannot get cervical cancer from a yeast infection, either. These ideas are completely false, so dont spend any time worrying about them.

What Will Happen If I Leave My Yeast Infection Untreated?

You will have a much longer and more painful experience than if you had treated the infection. There are not very many occurrences of serious health issues arising from an untreated yeast infection. Some women who have repeated yeast infections suffer from this condition due to a pre-existing medical problem that is causing the infections to take place. If you have yeast infections very often (three times or more in one year), you would be wise to set an appointment with your doctor. It may be that just a few simple changes or a medication can help your life return to normal.

In some cases, an untreated yeast infection can lead to a blood condition known as sepsis, in which the blood is contaminated with bacteria. The bacteria then travel throughout the entire body; in effect, this is a form of blood poisoning. Although yeast infections rarely every lead to this disease, you should at least consider the possibility when deciding whether or not to treat your infection. Its really not worth the risk, especially when treatment is so simple and inexpensive. If you are unable to afford prescription medications, there are plenty of natural remedies that are proven to help fight the yeast infection.

If you find that you develop yeast infections three times or more each year, you may have a problem known as vulvovaginal candidiasis. This simply means that you are prone to have yeast infections and will probably continue to have them unless you seek medical assistance. Your doctor or a gynecologist can help you treat these recurring yeast infections.

So Should I Treat My Yeast Infection?

Yes, of course! There is no reason to let the yeast infection run its course, although it will likely die naturally during your next period. You have a choice between mainstream medicine, which will consist of prescription or over-the-counter medicines, and natural medicine, which will likely call for home remedies. Either way is effective. If you choose to make use of home remedies, make sure you do your research first. Some folk remedies are perfectly safe if they are applied in the correct manner, but can be quite hazardous if the user is unaware of the right way to use them.

Tests and Examinations for Adolescent Girls

Adolescence is the time when girls face many changes as they not only become physically mature, but sexually, too. In order to maintain good health, they need to consult gynecologist, adolescent medicine physician and obstetrician. Adolescents who are sexually active need to get some test done like pelvic examination, Pap test and test for checking sexually transmitted diseases. This helps the early determination of conditions that can affect reproductive, gynecological and sexual health.

Schiller test is conducted where the iodine solution is used to cover the cervix. In colposcopy, colposcope is used to check the cervix and the vagina. Cancer is checked by biopsy. In this a small quantity of cervical tissue is removed and a pathologist checks the tissue for abnormal cells.

The most important test is the Pap test or a pap smear. The cells from the mouth of the womb or the cervix are collected to check for cancer, abnormal cells, infection or inflammation. The detection of abnormalities shows signs of cancer. Therefore it is recommended that every female must take Pap test regularly to check out for invasive cancers in the early stages itself. And if invasive cancer is detected, it can be successfully treated in the early stages. Apart from detecting invasive cancer, other changes, such as cancer cells or dysplasia and inflammation, of the vagina and cervix can also be determined. Inflammation can be caused by pregnancy, abortion, miscarriage, hormones, trichomoniasis infections, viruses, bacteria, yeast infections, and other medication.

The repetition Pap test will be suggested by the gynecologist. When a girl becomes sexually active, she will have to test for cervical cancer after three years of becoming active because it usually takes many years for the significant development of cancer or abnormality. Usually there are some cervical cell changes and transient human papilloma virus infections or HPV infections which are very common. Therefore, a Pap test for cervical cancer is recommended every three years. But women who are under thirty years are at a higher risk of getting HPV infections of higher risk. It would be more feasible if every individual takes advice from her doctor about when she can begin screening, the frequency of the test to be taken, and when she can discontinue the tests.

In a Pap test, if abnormal cells are determined, usually more tests are recommended to detect abnormalities which will require treatment. Abnormal Pap test will be handled differently for adolescents when compared to adults. Usually the low grade cervical lesions will not require any treatment and will go away on their own. That is the reason why the Pap test is repeated after a gap of six to twelve months, after the original Pap test which identifies abnormalities. But this repetition will vary from individual to individual depending on her health status and kind of abnormalities found.

A replacement of the Pap test is thinprep test. It involves new technique for testing cells from the cervix for abnormalities. But the cost of getting a thinprep test done is double the cost of getting Pap test done. The advantage of getting a thinprep test is that it requires to be re-done less number of times and detects lesions in initial stages itself. The cervical cells, instead of getting smeared on a slide, are introduced into a liquid vial. After the filtration of the liquid, the cells from the cervix are examined by being placed on the slide.

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Magnifying Acid Reflux

Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), the medical term for Acid Reflux is defined as the product of abnormal reflux of gastric contents into the esophagus thus, creating a mucosal damage, likewise known as the chronic symptom.

This disease strikes adult primarily, while infants and children can also be affected. Normally spurred by eating certain foods, if not pregnancy, or taking a sleep right after eating a heavy meal, a large number of persons suffer from acid reflux at one time or another.

Heartburn or acid indigestion is another name that refers to acid reflux. Heartburn, the major symptom of Acid Reflux in the esophagus, is described to cause a burning uneasiness at the back of the sternum.

The symptoms may come as coughing, voice transformation, hoarseness, constant ear ache, or sinusitis. The complications brought upon by acid reflux may lead to esophageal ulcers or worse this can lead to esophageal cancer.

However, constant heartburn sensations do not necessarily mean that one has captured GERD already. The risk occurs when heartburn happened more than once a week, this occasion could possibly lead in developing GERD.

The usual cause of GERD is the increase in acidity or gastric acid production in the body, obesity, pregnancy, or tight-fitting apparels, these all can add to the problem. The yeast infections are also thought to be one of the causes of GERD-like symptoms.

An added ironical cause of the GERD is the insufficient production of stomach acid in the body. The explanation says that the valve, the hollow organ with a flap that insure the one-way course of fluid through the organ, once emptied triggers acidity in the intestines. If the valve fails to open, the contents of the stomach will be blended into the esophagus, and then irritation occurs.

Meanwhile, there are already several treatments for GERD today, one of which is the balance and healthy eating habits. Now if proper diet fails to work, one can shift to medication therapy or surgery as suggested by the doctors. Below are the lists of several selections of Acid Reflux treatment:

Proper Diet: the natural way to cure Acid Reflux is through change in their eating habits. A good number of people affected by GERD found success in following this method. Avoid the food ingredients which can intensify heart burn such as caffeine, soft drinks, and smoking. Avoid eating two hours before sleeping; likewise, avoid lying down after taking meal. These are the regular suggested change in lifestyle.

Another easy way to treat GERD is to elevate the head of the bed. The pharmacologic therapy, the combination of prevention of food two hours before sleeping and the rise of the head of the bed, there is a great chance for a patient to gain a 95 percent relief. The rise of the head of the bed is suggested to range for only 6 to 8 inches or 20 cm. Using this method the backflow of gastric fluids will be hampered.

Drug Treatment: Drugs reduce the secretion of the gastric acid, for instance and famotidine and omeprazole lessen the secretion of gastric acid and the Antacids counteract the acid.

Surgical treatment: the Nissen fundoplication, the standard surgical treatment for Acid Reflux, the medication process will only cover a short period of time. The function of this is to support the sphincter, a spherical bond of muscles that opens and closes to let the food or waste to pass, as well as stop Acid Reflux, and of course restore the hiatal hernia.