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A Yeast Infection Article
Uncommon And Uncomfortable: Yeast Infection In The Mouth



The term "yeast infection" is most mostly associated with a common women's condition, a candida vaginal yeast infection. The candida family of yeast takes hold inside the vagina, a warm, damp environment, and goes into "overdrive." Candida fungus is always present in the vagina; in the infectious stage, the fungus exists in over-abundance and causes itching, burning and irritation of the vagina.

A yeast infection in the mouth is also associated with this same fungus family, candida albicans. This fungus normally inhabits the mucous membranes like the vagina, eyes and mouth. It's a "cousin" to herpes and shingles; interesting because candida is a fungus, and herpes and shingles are viruses.

What Is A Yeast Infection In The Mouth?

This is a condition called "Thrush" or in the vernacular, "Trench Mouth." Thrush is fairly rare; only in the past 10-15 years was it clearly defined medically. Two decades ago, the type of yeast infection in the mouth derived from an unknown cause; physicians merely treated the overt symptoms of Thrush without really knowing what caused it.

Thrush is a painful, uncomfortable condition. It is also very unsightly, causing embarrassment to the sufferer. The symptoms of this yeast infection of the mouth are easily recognized as creamy-white, curd-like patches on the tongue, inside the lips and on the inside walls of the mouth. Thrush lesions can range in size from a fingernail to a half-dollar. The lesions can also extend down into the throat where they be unseen, but are certainly felt by the sufferer.

Before the cause of this yeast infection of the mouth was known, physicians often tried to debride (scrape) the white patches of fungus from the affected areas of the mouth. This left the patient with red, raw, and bleeding lesions that were horribly painful. But physicians did know that Thrush, if left untreated, could spread and cause damage to other body organs. This yeast infection of the mouth is thus much more dangerous than vaginal candida fungal infections.

Today, medical research has specifically identified the causes of Thrush. This yeast infection of the mouth is most often caused by extensive medicinal use of antibiotics and steroids. This form of candida is treated in a number of effective ways. Nystatin is a liquid anti-fungal medication that is swished in the mouth 3-4 times per day. For the pain caused by Thrush, an oral liquid, lidocaine, can also be swished in the mouth up to six times a day to relieve the discomfort of the yeast infection of the mouth

As a further candida-killer, Clotrimazole is an oral anti-fungal pill taken three times a day. Sometimes the medication Famvir, usually used to treat shingles, is also effective.

We know much more about yeast infections of the mouth because Thrush is often a "condition of opportunity" in AIDS patients. But don't be confused: a person with Thrush is NOT necessarily an AIDS patient! A weakened immune system, present in AIDS, is also present in many other conditions such as lupus and fibromyalgia.

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