The Yoga rules

By Cathy Taylor

Yeast infections are painful and uncomfortable and nobody wants them, but statistics tell us that during our lifetime, 75% of all women are likely to have at least one yeast infection and up to 45 percent have two or more.

In fact, vaginal yeast infections are the second most common cause of cases of abnormal vaginal discharge in the United States (the first is bacterial vaginosis). Yeast infections also happen quite often during pregnancy.

Common symptoms include itching, bad breath, bloating, dizziness, fatigue, vaginal discharge, insomnia, anxiety and a sore throat - among others.

But forget the facts - You want to know what Yoga do to prevent yeast infections from happening - right?

There is recent research with interesting data regarding the use of yoga principles as being beneficial to victims of yeast infection in their quest for regaining health.

Yeast infections are caused by Candida fungi, a microbe that is generally found in warm and humid pace places of the body including the mouth, throat, intestine and genitals. If our friendly probiotics in our body keep the candida in check, we won't get an infection.

If, on the other hand, Candida evolves into a fungal form and grows in the intestine before penetrating into the blood stream, yeast infections can occur in several different parts of the body.

Here's how yoga can help you get back your good health quicker:

1. Helps Your Immune System - Yoga help strengthen your immune system making it more difficult for a yeast infection to occur in the first place. Taking antibiotics of any kind can promote infections, so you want to be sure to do hatha yoga postures to relax and maintain your general health.

2. Relieves Stress - Yoga helps relieve stress from the body and as a result, also from the mind. People report that doing yoga instead of falling victim to bad habits such as overeating, helps them control cravings for sugar, caffeine, alcohol, refined carbohydrates etc., things that can promote the growth of yeast.

3. Balances Blood Sugar - Uninterrupted levels of stress, and the effect it has on your body, can also affect blood sugar levels which can conspire to stimulate Candida overgrowth.

4. Eliminates Toxins - Toxins that collect in the blood and the intestine put a heavy load on the liver and debilitate the normal defense processes in the body's fight against Candida. If you choose to do Yoga while you have a yeast infection, reports show that you will probably recover more quickly due to your body releasing toxic material faster and more effectively.

5. Balances Hormone Levels - Changes in levels of estrogen and progesterone, which happens primarily during peri-menopause and menopause, as well as the anxiety this mid-life change causes can trigger a yeast infection, and yoga has been known to create a sense of peace that can bring you back into balance.

Yoga is one of the oldest practices in the spiritual universe. It includes physical postures and deep breathing as well as deep relaxation for your body, and also meditation which can calm the mind and emotions.

Someone with a yeast infection would benefit from all of these practices just by significantly lowering their levels of physical and mental stress which in turn boosts the immune system.

Yoga practitioners also recommend fasting as a method of helping the body rid itself of toxins. A juice fast, for example, can unclog the digestive system and allow it to function properly again as well as eliminate toxins in the blood circulatory system. All of these things will help you fight off, or clear up, a yeast infection.

The yogi's diet is also very important including the need for balanced food and harmonious eating. In the fight against Candida infection these dietary habits and proper food plans can enhance digestion and therefore help you prevent yeast infections as well as recover quicker.

Yogis are also known to deal with physical imbalances, or dis-ease, with alternative methods of healing including herbs and essential oils such as aromatherapy.

Remember these tips:

- Do not douche. Douching disrupts the balance of normal bacteria in the vagina.

- Use safeguard soap on the vaginal area to keep it dry; yeast prefers a moist environment in which to grow.

- Wear loose cotton underpants without dye (white) that provide plenty of ventilation, such as yoga clothes.

- Do not use scented soap, deodorant, bath oil, bubble baths or feminine hygiene sprays.

- Avoid antibiotics as much as possible. If you do have to take them, be sure to take some Probiotics after your course of medication is complete.

- Avoid eating too much sugar and try to have foods that contain live cultures such as lactobacillus acidophilus (like yogurt).

- If you get a vaginal yeast infection, over-the-counter (OTC) creams typically cure 80 to 90% percent of them within a few days. Try Monistat, Vagistat, Terazol or Gyne-Lotrimin.

- Practice yoga daily.

If the infection doesn't clear up in about 5 days, or seems to get worse, see your doctor. It might be time for oral drugs such as Diflucan, Sporanox, Nystatin and Nizoral.