Health Question:
Can something suppressing my immune system be inhibiting my ability to fight off yeast?

 

Question:
I am glad to find a website that I feel I can trust. I have been struggling with chronic yeast for about 5 years. I have realized through all of my research and doctor/alternative heath care visits that something suppressing my immune system may be inhibiting my ability to fight off yeast. I would like to know if anyone has any ideas about what undetectable reproductive track infections or VD infections might cause a yeast infection. If you could help me I'd really appreciate it. Thank You, J.

Response:
Hi, J--

You are correct to be concerned about a yeast condition that has plagued you for so many years. Chronic yeast infection does tell us something about our general health. It's one of the best early warning signs of poor health. Find an experienced progressive holistic women's health care practitioner who will take the time to do the necessary detective work to locate the underlying problems.

Yeast infections are actually yeast overgrowth. Yeast is with us all the time. Yeast becomes opportunistic under very specific conditions. Firstly, yeast thrives on SUGARS, all kinds of sugars. Wine and any other kinds of alcohol drives up the sugars levels as well. Yeast also gets more prevalent when we are in stressful situations at home or at work.

If you are on the BIRTH CONTROL PILL OR ANY OTHER ESTROGEN RELATED DRUG- it's known to upset our sugar metabolism--thus encourage the yeast to overgrow. ANTIBIOTICS also encourages yeast to thrive. Since I don't know your particular situation, you can see how important it is for you to find someone who is trained to understand these kinds of connections and can help you. On the outside chance that you have an usual health/medical condition unrelated to any of the above, the doc needs to be looking here, too. A health/medical condition often messes up the sugar metabolism as well, setting a domino effect in motion.

We can be exposed to more yeast from sex partners, however a healthy immune system can help prevent overgrowth here as well. A favorite home remedy that seems to relieve discomfort is a really good quality plain-unsweetened-yogurt applied to the vagina. Eating the yogurt is also a good idea, because we can also have higher than normal colonies of yeast within the body at the same time.

Locate a doc who is experienced and will take the time to help you figure out what's causing the yeast for such a long period of time. Yeast is an early warning sign of other health problems the body is suffering with and well-worth taking seriously, as you are doing.

Lorraine Rothman, MS Health Educator

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