Stopping Thrush Dead In Its Tracks!

What is Thrush?

Thrush is another name for Candida, which is a yeast infection.

If you ask any woman about yeast infections they will know exactly what you are talking about and possibly live with on a day to day basis. Some women will know about it because they are experiencing vaginal candida infections and some from oral thrush infections.

The problem seems to start in the body when there is an overgrowth of yeast which potentially could affect many locations in the body, in both men and women. These locations can include the:

Vagina

Skin

Mouth

Gut

Feet

Toenail

Both sexes are affected but maybe more so for women.

Candida or Thrush infections can vary in both discomfort and severity. However, one common ingredient for its survival is moist warm conditions. Our bodies have lactobacillus bacteria present, these healthy good bacteria normally keep these invasive fungi in check by secreting lactic acid. Yes, it is because of this lactic acid that our body can stop yeast growing, lactobacillus bacteria are found in your oral cavity i.e. mouth, digestive tract, and vaginal wall. The prevalence of thrush infections may be an indicator that your immune system is low but there are other reasons which may contribute to its prevalence.

What contributes to Yeast Infections?

1 Antibiotic use.

2 Other medicines like Aspirin, Cortisone and Antacids are linked to yeast overgrowth.

3 High sugar diets.

4 Wearing tight fitting non absorbent underwear.

5 Using talcs or perfumes in the vaginal area because they alter your vaginal microbiome.

6 Diabetes due to of high blood sugar.

7 Stress.

8 Oral contraceptives.

9 Sugary sodas.

10 Processed foods.

One factor that I would like to focus on is the potential sugar link.

High sugar diets can give rise to a population explosion of candida in the gut because yeast loves sugar! High levels of these nasty yeasts can create unhealthy conditions in the gut and allow the yeasts to produce lots of mycotoxins that are not only toxic to our body but also the protective bacteria that live in our gut which is your immune system!
People who consume a lot of high sugar treats may suffer from regular bouts of infection because of their diets.

What foods can contribute to Candida Infections?

Breads.

Scones.

Breakfast cereals.

High sugar yoghurts.

Processed foods with hidden sugars.

Starchy vegetables like potatoes.

Grains that contain gluten, wheat or barley.

High sugar fruits like ripe bananas which are laden with sugar.

While excess eating of any of the above, may result in the laying down of a carbohydrate roll around our waist or thighs, you may be unaware of the most negative effect these diets have on our gut flora, known as a healthy microbiome. Unhealthy diets are bad because they kill the balance of good bacteria that are directly linked to a healthy functioning immune system.
These changes in your gut flora allow the candida to cause digestive issues and leaky gut, allowing the transport of these yeast infections directly into the blood and thus to other parts of our body and predisposing us to future ill health all because of bad choices in food.

What are the Symptoms of a Yeast Infection?

Symptoms can present anywhere in the body in a multitude of ways like:

Bloating.

Brain Fog.

Flatulence.

Indigestion.

Craving for sugar.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Vaginal discharge.

White prominent coating on tongue.

Athletes foot.

Fungal Toenail.

Does Sugar Suppress your Immune System?

In basic terms, yes, sugar does suppress your immune system. This constant consumption of sugar that society has grown so accustomed to is reducing our wealth and destroying our health!

I often wonder if these prominent health issues so many suffer with is due to sugar suppressing our immune systems or candida overgrowth, perhaps both!

How do you Prevent Candida Overgrowth?

1 Avoiding sugar and processed foods at all costs.

2 Reduce your stress levels.

3 Keep alcohol to a minimum, especially alcohol high in sugar, like white wines or cocktails. Red wine has a much lower sugar content.

4 Wear loose fitting, cotton, breathable underwear.

5 Only take antibiotics when absolutely necessary as they completely wipe out your gut microbiome.

6 Do not use Aspirin, Cortisone or Antacids frequently.

Research tells us that eating fruits and vegetables allows our brains to make intelligent decisions about what food choices we make.
The good news is that contrary to what many believe, the trick to eating right is not learning to resist temptation but making healthy eating choices the easiest possible option. Which goes a long way in preventing thrush.

If you are interested in a lifestyle consultation about Thrush/Yeast/Candida you can contact Ed, your Lifestyle Pharmacist. @https://lifestylepharmacist.ie/lifestyle-consultation/

Edward O’Reilly

Lifestyle Pharmacist 

087 205 1039

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes