Though most doctors will say that there’s no such thing as a chronic yeast infection, too many people would beg to differ.  Every person, it seems, reacts differently to imbalance within the body, and yeast, though harmless in small numbers, tends to multiply if given the opportunity.

It’s no surprise given the toxic world we maneuver around in every day.  Our delicate bodies are becoming more and more sensitive to foods, dry goods and the environment.  We gravitate toward processed foods because they’re easy, and we live in urban areas riddled with air, water and ground pollution.  Even if you live in the country or the mountains, you may not escape many of these culprits. 

Everything from food to wash detergent, clothes to toys likely contains chemically processed dyes, and many of these products are manufactured overseas, with less stringent guidelines and restrictions than are seen in the United States.   

Chronic yeast infection symptoms are vast, so it’s no wonder this condition is hard to diagnose.  You may recognize some of these as triggers to your own inflictions:  feeling sick after exposure to damp or moldy environments, perfume, tobacco or chemicals; full-body aches after eating sweets, breads and alcohol; chronic headache, depression, memory loss, PMS, skin rashes, irritability, fatigue, sleep disorders, sexual dysfunction, muscle/joint pain, and unbelievably, the list goes on. 

Recurrent reproductive, gastrointestinal, and fungal infections are signs as well.   

Yeast, or the fungus Candida, normally lives within a body’s digestive tract, and about one-third of women carry this fungus in their vaginas.  It proliferates when the body becomes unbalanced in some way; anything from too much stress, lack of sleep, a poor diet, taking birth control pills or steroid medicines can contribute, but antibiotic use and a weakened immune system are probably the most common causes of this imbalance.

Chronic yeast syndrome has also been linked to a number of other conditions such as: Crohn`s disease, scleroderma, myasthenia gravis, eczema, lupus, psoriasis, multiple sclerosis, sinusitis, rheumatoid arthritis, acne, asthma, and chronic hives. 

If you have been suffering from any of these symptoms, it could be that you have a chronic yeast infection, but you may want to see a doctor to rule out other serious illnesses.  Since there’s no conventional medicine to prescribe, here are some suggestions to control, manage and hopefully cure your symptoms.  This should, in turn, help to balance your body of the excess yeast:

* Try controlling chemicals in your environment: avoid cigarette or environmental smoke; keep insecticides in the garage; buy natural fibers; air-dry clean clothes; avoid odorous toxic substances in house; use an air purifier and drink bottled water.

* Monitor your diet to reflect more vitamins and eliminate yeast from your daily menu: sweets, breads and alcohol are main ones to avoid.  Give your body time to shed these “toxins” with daily exercise as well.