Yeast infection is really a bothersome condition since it is very irritating and itchy, although the discharges have no foul odor but the fact that there are discharges makes it very disturbing. Good thing that acute or and mild yeast infection can be managed at home. Since Candida albicans, the agent that causes the infection is a fungi then the main ingredient for the yeast infection cure should be anti-fungal. But before taking the home remedies it is still the best to consult the physician for proper diagnosis and treatment of the infection. Improper treatment or diagnosis won’t cure the problem and may cause delay in treatment that can be dangerous. Although minor yeast infection is not really that alarming, but if the infection spreads through the blood stream and becomes systemic then the infection is quite serious already. Several organs can be infected and affected as well, signs and symptoms may differ from person to person and depending on the site or organ affected, but local yeast infection can be managed very easily and most of the time using home remedies only.

The product for the infection that can be bought just over the counter have these ingredients: butoconazole nitrate (Femstat 3), clotrimazole (Gyne-Lotrimin and others), miconazole (Monistat 7 and others), and tioconazole (Vagistat). These are antifungal drugs that act as fungal cell wall catalyst. It breaks down the fungal call wall and kills the fungi. But before taking drugs make sure that you pay a visit to the physician, having the infection may be embarrassing for some because the common misconception is that it can only be transmitted sexually but it is actually not since people can be infected thru various ways. Another popular yeast infection cure is the home remedies.

Yogurt – soak the tampon in the yogurt and insert it into the vagina for at least two times a day until the symptoms are gone, but try to continue doing it for another 3 – 4 days.

Tea Tree Oil – the use of tea tree oil diluted with an olive or sweet almond oil is said to be effective in treating yeast infections. It’s observed that it decreases itchiness and vaginal discomfort. It is also used for infected men.

Garlic – garlic paste is used to treat yeast infection to other areas in the body not including the vagina, garlic is not used for vaginal yeast infection.

Cold Coconut Oil and Cinnamon Oil – these oils are widely known for its anti fungal properties and kills yeast. Apply the affected part 2 -3 times a day.

The very important reason why you need to familiarize yourself with the yeast infection causes is for you to be able to recognize its symptoms right away and treat it as early as you can with just over the counter treatments before the infection becomes worse and you needed stronger drugs just to stop it from recurring.  Although women are mostly the victim of this fungal infection, it does affect both genders and in different age groups.  There are a number of yeast infection causes you need to know about.

FUNGUS is the leading cause of yeast infection in women.  Candida Albicans is the specific name of the fungus found in yeast.  It is introduced in small amounts in a woman’s vagina and becomes harmful when it rapidly multiplies itself to become an infection.

IMMUNE SYSTEM, when it becomes lowered, is what causes the yeast fungus to rapidly grow in numbers.  You are lowering your immune system by not getting enough sleep, too much stress or if you are working yourself in overdrive.

HORMONES, when it changes towards the end of a woman’s menstrual period, can become one of the yeast infection causes. Pregnancy or taking birth control pills can also place a woman at risk of yeast infection.  Pregnant women, most of all, can undergo through recurring infections.

ANTIBIOTICS are most probably the primary cause of recurring yeast infection on females. This occurs when taking particular types of antibiotics or using it on a lengthy period.  However, there are just some females who still develop yeast infection regardless of what type of antibiotics they are administered under or how many days or weeks they take it.  So far there had been no known prevention of an antibiotic-induced candidiasis, but there are a lot of treatments available once it starts.

SEX can be a so-called travel agent when passing the infection from one partner to another.

DIABETES or having an elevated level of blood sugar can trigger the yeast to grow.  The so-called diabetes mellitus which becomes uncontrolled when one has diabetes causes the infection to develop

You might notice that I often mention women as an example but it doesn’t mean that men are immune to yeast infection either.  The difference being is that men may not get obvious symptoms like women do once they develop candidiasis.  Only twelve to fifteen percent of them will manifest symptoms like itching and rash in the penile area after a sexual intercourse with a partner that is already infected with candidiasis.

Most yeast infection in men is widely misunderstood. Men may go through his life never knowing that he is already carrying the infection with him with no disturbances or irritation whatsoever, depending on the severity. Since it is very difficult to detect male yeast infection it is usually diagnosed late or when it creates other problems with their health. Most of the time when a woman is diagnosed with a yeast infection it vital for the physician to assess also the partner and give him the same medications even if the male is not experiencing anything unusual or disturbances or it will just defeat its purpose of treating the woman since he will just transmit back the infection to her or vice versa. It is really important to seek professional advice on how to manage the infection. Home remedied are not bad but there is a likely chance that it can’t cure the disease only alleviate the signs and symptoms.

The male will also jeopardize his own health if no treatment is given. Male yeast infection shows signs and disturbances most of the time when it is already into the system, and when systemic already occurs It will be very difficult to treat it already. There is also a threat if the male is infected from a woman positive with yeast infection and the yeast settles in the prostrate and may cause prostrate and may cause different prostatic problem. These are the signs of male yeast infection depending on location:

• Penile yeast infection – penis may feel tender and is swollen with bright red color. Some patchy rash may be present. Discharges and dysuria or painful urination is rare. There is also an itchy sensation. Chronic penile infection may manifest pain during sexual intercourse and presence of white patches on the skin.

• Oral yeast infection – thrush may be present on the oral cavity, dysphagia difficulty or painful swallowing, halitosis or foul smelling breath, and bleeding gums. If not treated it may spread further down the throat and can cause other problems.
• Skin Yeast Infection- redness and itchy sensation can be felt. The skin may look like it is having a rash.
• Systemic Yeast Infection- it is the condition where the yeast has already invaded the blood stream and it circulating to all parts of the body. Signs may vary from person to person and depending on the organ involved.

• Candida intestinal symptoms- gas pains and cramping are common, also watery stool may be present, constipation, and heart burn.

The widely misunderstood and a much overlooked disease of today is yeast infection in men. A large number of men will go through life without understanding their risk of developing such infection since it is also highly difficult to identify that it can just occur for a long period of time without being noticed until it starts to create other problems in a man’s health.

Most of the times when a woman informs her partner that she has yeast infection, chances are, he’s got it to.  A lot of doctors would then prescribe anti-fungal treatments not only on his female patient but to her partner too, so to eliminate the risk of them cycling the infection back and forth.

The causes of yeast infection in men are all similar to any other fungus infection.  The presence of yeast fungi in our body is being balanced by the good bacteria that we also carry.  This makes the fungi harmless, however, once the ratio becomes unbalanced, it will cause the fungi to overgrow and spread across other parts of our body.  The most common causes for this imbalance to happen are sex, alcohol, antibiotics, peanuts, corn and wheat products, barley, beer, and a weakened immune system.  You might wonder how can antibiotic cause yeast infection.  Let’s take the discovery of Penicillin as an example.  As Dr. Fleming was running an experiment with molds from a wheat product, he added some of the molds to a dish of live bacteria.  What happened next is that the mold completely eradicated the bacteria.  In our system, it’s the bacteria that are keeping the yeast fungi at bay, making it harmless, but the presence of antibiotics in our body will fight with the fungi against our good bacteria.

So when can you tell if you might have the infection already?  Here are the most common yeast infection in men symptoms you will encounter: digestive problems, constipation, bloating, frequent intestinal gas, bad breath, indigestion, sexual dysfunction, very loose stools, frequent diarrhea, memory loss, dry itchy flaky skin, irritability and mood swings, prostate problems, athlete’s feet, and lack of energy or fatigue.  You can also develop cravings for chips, pasta, sweets, etc.

If you don’t have any of these symptoms but would very much like to make sure if you are not infected yet, there is a simple test you can perform.  Leave a glass of water on your nightstand when you go to bed in the evening.  By the time you wake up in the morning and before you even get out of bed, spit into the glass of water twice.  Observe the glass of water closely for the next fifteen minutes.  If your spit just kind of dissipates in the water, then you don’t have yeast infection.

Candida Albicans is the fungus responsible in creating yeast infections.  Its overgrowth is what triggers the infection to develop.  Although it commonly develops in the mouth and on the genitals, it’s not impossible to have one in the intestines either.  An intestinal infection comes with a lot of symptoms and they include the following:

• Intestinal cramps
• Memory loss
• Low immunity
• Itching bowels
• Heartburn
• Acidity
• Lethargy
• Fatigue
• Depression
• Mood swings
• Fogginess
• Urinary infections
• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Low tolerance on alcohol
• Skin infections

As soon as you notice a problem on your intestinal tract, it is better to start taking action right away.  Don’t leave it unattended for too long, otherwise it will become a recurring problem.  Worst case scenario is that the infection can enter your bloodstream, making it a systemic infection that can undoubtedly attack your other organs.  Treating an intestinal yeast infection is not as easy as a vaginal infection wherein there are plenty of suppositories and creams to choose from.  What you can do on your end is to avoid sugary foods and compensate the good bacteria that you’ve lost by eating live and plain probiotic yogurt or taking probiotic supplements.

Thrush is a common term used for an oral yeast infection. It mostly affects a lot of younger children and even newborns.  The same bacteria that cause diaper rash and vaginal yeast infection are the very same thing that causes a person to develop thrush.

Moms who breastfeed can actually get yeast infection on their nipples or breast if their baby has thrush.  This can cause pain while a mother breastfeeds.  In this case, both mom and her baby need to seek treatment from their doctor.

Always carefully clean any items that go into your baby’s mouth to lessen the chances of them getting thrush but there are times that no matter how much you sterilize a child’s pacifiers, toys and bottles, they’d still get the infection because Candida Albicans that causes yeast infection is almost everywhere.

When your baby gets thrush over and over again, make sure that it isn’t because of an overused bottle or pacifier.  Once the baby’s infection is cured, it might be a very good idea to get rid of those old bottles and pacifiers and buy a new set.

If your infant’s thrush doesn’t easily go away and annoyingly keeps coming back, it might be because of an immune system problem.  This might really be the case if your infant is not gaining any weight or has other medical problems.

Thrush or oral yeast infection might be common in men but they can also get other types of yeast infections that are equivalent to a woman’s vaginal yeast infection, too.  A penile yeast infection grows on a tip of a man’s penis and men develop such infections almost for the same reasons that women do.  It is just the likelihood that is different.  Below is the list of the most common penile yeast infection causes.

• Antibiotics.  A prolonged antibiotic use can cause penile yeast infection because it can eventually eradicate some of the standard contingent creatures that reside in a man’s crotch that help in preventing the overgrowth of yeast to happen.

• Sexual Transmission.  An unprotected sex with a yeast-infected woman or partner can result in transferring her infection to you.  Once you get infected, you also become capable of transferring back the infection to her.  Until both of you are sure that you are already infection-free, you are better off refraining from vaginal intercourse.

• Diabetes.  When a man has diabetes, his urine becomes a yummy food for yeasts due to the elevated sugar in it.  You definitely need to go see a doctor in order to address this particular issue and cure the infection right away.