What Exactly Is a Candida Infection?

Candida yeast overgrowth is the cause of a wide variety of health problems in the human body today. Many people don't realize it, but uncontrolled candida yeast growth can cause gassiness, stomach bloating, irritable bowel syndrome, cold sores, oral thrush, vaginal infections, penile fungus, skin problems such as eczema, athlete's feet, some types of arthritis, and many other health issues, conditions, and problems.

When someone has a problem in their body which is caused by candida yeast, it's often simply referred to as a yeast infection. Unfortunately, too many people think that yeast infections are limited to women only, and affect the vagina only. This is simply not the case.

Everyone has millions of bacteria living in their body at all times. Some of these bacteria are considered "good" and are often referred to as friendly flora. Other bacteria, however, are "bad," and these can cause a wide variety of health problems when they're not controlled.

In a healthy human body, the friendly flora keeps the bad bacteria from being able to grow and flourish. So things stay balanced and under control. When that balance is upset, one of the first types of bacteria that is easily able to thrive and multiply in a variety of places in our body is the Candida albicans--which is the bacteria that causes candida infections.

There are a wide variety of reasons the health level of the body can become unbalanced. Sometimes it happens simply because of poor nutrition. When the body is unable to get the proper amount of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients it needs, it can become more susceptible to various infections, virusus, and problems. Unfortunately though, one of the biggest causes of candida yeast infections and fungal growth these days is due to the use of broad spectrum prescription antibiotics.

Prescription antibiotics have been in widespread use for several decades, but they have become used for more and more purposes over the years. In fact, antibiotics are now routinely fed to farm animals under the guise of making our food more safe for us to eat. The widespread use of these medications, however, has caused most bacteria to become completely immune to them.

It has now become quite common for a yeast related infection to develop elsewhere in the body when someone takes prescription antibiotics. Women routinely get vaginal yeast infections, and small children get oral thrush or recurring ear infections.

The prevalence of degenerative diseases in our society which weaken the body's immune system are also causing widespread yeast infection related problems too. Someone who has diabetes, for instance, is more prone to developing yeast infections, as are people who take steroids, immune supressing drugs, and even birth control pills or synthetic estrogen.

Essentially, the combination of our lifestyle choices and medical treatments we use for various illnesses and conditions are all serving to create a melting pot of additional problems and health conditions--many of which can be directly traced to an overgrowth of candida yeast in our bodies.

Note: Maintaining the natural balance within your body of good flora prevents onsets of yeast infactions. If you'd like to learn more about this balance, check out Yeast Infection No More, a comprehensive how-to book on naturally curing yeast infections. - Editors