Women and men alike commonly experience yeast infections. And while a conventional doctor may prescribe medicine to clear up the infection, a holistic doctor will go deeper and identify the root cause of that infection. Then, they help their patients clear the current infection while preventing repeat occurrences. Here’s how it works.
Are you tired of constantly fighting Candida infections? Contact us at Premier Health and Holistic Medicine for better chronic yeast infection treatment.
What Is Candida?
Candida is a fungus, and when it inhabits the body and grows too much and too quickly, it becomes Candidiasis, a yeast infection. The infection will likely return – even after antibiotic treatment – if the same conditions are still present in the body.
The most commonly-discussed yeast infections are vaginal infections in women. However, yeast infections can also happen in men as penile yeast infections. In addition, you may have a yeast infection in your gut and not even realize it. Yeast infections can reside in your intestines and spread from there to other areas of your digestive tract, such as your mouth and throat, or even occur on your skin.
Types of Candida Yeast Infections
There are several types of Candida yeast infections. The most common one is the fungal infection called Candida albicans, which can often occur without obvious signs. Other types of Candida include Candida glabrata and Candid Parapsilosis.
Here are several types of Candida yeast infections:
- Vaginal candidiasis and penile candidiasis – Yeast infections of the vagina or penis.
- Invasive candidiasis – This infection can get into your organs or bloodstream and begin to have detrimental effects on your kidneys, brain, heart, and throughout your body. It can cause severe infection and typically travels quickly within hospitals
- Candida Auris – a type of Candida infection that is resistant to multiple drugs that have been used to treat it.
- Oral Candidiasis or Thrush – Candida infections of the mouth and throat.
Candida and Lyme Disease
What is the connection between Candida and Lyme disease? Lyme disease is often treated with antibiotics. These medicines can disrupt the natural flora in the gut, causing a vulnerability to Candida overgrowth. Once the Candida begins to grow rapidly, the stage is set for a yeast infection to develop.
Yet, before you are even treated for Lyme disease, your immune system is affected by the tick-borne disease. The changes in immunity can allow the fungus to grow more readily, and chronic yeast infections might happen even if you are never treated for Lyme disease.
At Premier Health and Holistic Medicine, we treat many conditions that are related to Lyme disease. It is one of our specialties. In fact, our own Dr. Robin Ridinger, a double-board-certified physician, has extensive experience and understanding of chronic conditions, including both Lyme disease and chronic yeast infections.
Do I Have a Yeast Infection?
Could you recognize when you need chronic yeast infection treatment? Maybe so, and maybe not. Many women are all too familiar with the signs of vaginal yeast infections. However, other yeast infections may be harder to identify, and many men have never been aware of having these problems unless they contracted the infection from their sexual partner.
Signs of Yeast Infections
Here are some signs of yeast infections that you might notice.
- Chronic fatigue
- Headache
- Itching, such as rectal itching or vaginal itching with vaginal yeast infections
- Rash
- Constipation or diarrhea
- Abdominal pain
- Gas or bloating
- White coating on the tongue
- Bad breath
- Vaginal discharge or burning
- Anxiety and depression
- Sinus problems
You may also experience other symptoms that are not obviously related to the yeast infection. For example, you may crave sugary or high-carbohydrate foods. Because Candida infections are sometimes so difficult for lay people to recognize, your holistic doctor can give you a checkup and tests, if needed, to determine if you do have a yeast infection in your body. By looking at your full-body overall picture, your doctor can determine if Candida is the cause of these symptoms.
Finding the Root Causes of the Infection
Although Candida may be causing your symptoms, there is also some root cause that allows Candida’s growth to overwhelm your body’s natural defenses. Fortunately, Dr. Ridinger is an expert in discovering the underlying causes of a wide variety of health conditions.
Here are a few examples of the root causes Dr. Ridinger might find for your yeast infections.
- Poorly regulated blood sugar
- Antibiotic use
- Steroid use
- Immune imbalances
- Heavy metals in your system
- Immune system imbalances
- Gut inflammation
- Poor diet
Yeast infections may also be affected or caused by lifestyle choices or medical problems in your past. Once we find the cause behind the yeast infection, we can treat it effectively and prevent a recurrence.
Holistic Chronic Yeast Infection Treatment and Prevention
In holistic medicine, chronic yeast infection treatment primarily focuses on correcting imbalances in your body’s systems. We work to restore balance in your digestive system, skin, and in the case of vaginal yeast infections, in your vaginal flora. Also, we may offer you topical treatments and nutritional guidelines — and can also prescribe medications or herbal formulas.
Chronic yeast infection treatments include:
- Special diets
- Bioidentical hormones
- Supplements
- Herbal treatments
- Improving digestive function
- Regulating blood sugar
- Topical treatments
Candidiasis prevention involves making sure your body’s systems stay healthy. Your holistic doctor can accomplish this by supplying nutritional counseling and information on lifestyle modifications.
Premier Health and Holistic Medicine
Premier Health and Holistic Medicine can provide all the help you need with chronic yeast infection treatment. We identify the yeast infection, then dive deeper to discover the root causes of your condition. Finally, we formulate a treatment plan and supply you with the tools, medicine, and guidelines you need to get past the infection and prevent reinfections later on.
It’s all about restoring balance to your bodily systems so that they function as they should to keep your body free of the overgrowth of Candidiasis.
Dr. Ridinger takes a personalized approach to treating yeast infections and other physical conditions that disrupt the balance in your body. With nutritional testing, we can determine nutrients you are oversupplied with or lacking. We check you for food sensitivities and can even run tests on genetic issues that may be behind the imbalances.
What’s more, if your candida infection is related to Lyme disease, you can benefit from seeing Dr. Ridinger, who has been a long-time expert in vector-borne illnesses and how they relate to conditions such as chronic yeast infections.
At Premier, you get the expertise of a holistic doctor who is board certified in both Holistic Medicine and Family Medicine and has over 25 years of experience. We care about you and want to facilitate your health by restoring balance in your body.
Located in Leesburg, Virginia, we serve clients throughout the area, offering expert holistic care designed not only to relieve symptoms but also to help you achieve a higher level of overall health.
Are you seeking relief from chronic yeast infections? Set up an appointment at Premier Health and Holistic Medicine to start easing your condition now.
