What is a Yeast Infection?

The term yeast "infection" can be a little misleading. The word infection is usually used when there is an overgrowth of bacteria in the body. With yeast infections, however, there is also an overgrowth although instead of bacteria like a typical infection a yeast infection is an overgrowth of the naturally occurring yeast in the body.

Every person has a certain amount of yeast naturally in their bodies and normally it just plugs along doing its think and not causing any problems. However, when the conditions in the body are right the yeast can begin to grow out of control until it leads to a yeast infection. The most common type of yeast infection is the vaginal yeast infection. Although they are more often diagnosed in women, men can also get yeast infections, and they can be transmitted between partners during intercourse.

If the yeast infection is not treated or if the immune system is not functioning as well as it should be the yeast can continue to grow unchecked and can lead to a systemic yeast infection. In this case rather than the yeast overgrowth being confined to one part of the body it affect the entire body and can lead to some nasty symptoms.

Symptoms of vaginal yeast infections usually consist of intense itching, discharge, painful urination and pain during intercourse. Systemic yeast infections have a wide variety of symptoms that are often vague and difficult to pinpoint. Some common symptoms of systemic yeast overgrowth include fatigue, bloating, gas and abdominal cramps, diarrhea, constipation, difficulty losing weight, insulin resistance, anxiety, mood swings, memory loss, chronic fatigue, "brain-fog", depression, insomnia, hives, eczema, profuse sweating, psoriasis, nail fungus, moderate to severe PMS symptoms, thyroid disorders, pancreatic disorders, extreme fatigue, muscle weakness and cramping, tingling or numbness in your fingers, feet and toes and sugar and carb cravings. If you have a yeast overgrowth in your body you may experience only some of these symptoms or you may experience them all.

Yeast infections can usually be treated at home successfully, although you should be certain that you have a yeast infection and not a vaginal infection or other illness before you attempt to treat it yourself.

Over the counter yeast infection creams are not always affective in treating yeast infections and can leave some resistant yeast behind. With the less resistant yeast out of the way that leaves plenty of room for the resistant yeast to grow and thrive. Than, the next time that you get a yeast infection and attempt to use a cream to treat it there will be even more resistant yeast than the first time around and the cream will be even less effective. Because of this overusing OTC yeast infection creams can lead to chronic, recurring yeast infections that become quite difficult to treat.

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