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Dear Carol, I know you field a lot of Q's on the bedevilment of Yeast. Here's another Q for you, plus some comments. I seem to be suffering from Candidiasis-- ongoing yeast infection for the past 3 months. Also additional symptoms of body rash (hives with white centers which manifest with heat, spectacular in the shower), acne, and incredibly itchy skin (usually at night). I have no health care and the clinic docs I've seen are HOPELESS. The doc this morning was of the opinion that women get chronic yeast infections because they refuse to douche and wipe from 'back to front.' He told me Monistat and a good cleansing would clear it right up. Thanks doc... Here's the real deal: Antibiotics don't help, and unbelievably good hygiene doesn't help either. I don't have HIV or diabetes (both probable causes of Candidiasis). My boyfriend does not have a yeast problem, no itch, so we are not playing, "ping pong." He is, in my entire life history, my only sexual partner. You are the only health professional I have encountered who seems both incredibly aware and very compassionate in response to those struggling with this dreadful disorder. It is driving me crazy that I cannot find the root of the problem. Do you have any suggestions or resources, for me? Is there anything I've overlooked? In closing, thank you for your column. You are a fountain of wisdom and efficacious kindness. --Oakland Dear Oakland, Oh, you are too kind. And just to clarify: I'm not a health professional, except in the most holistic sense: that is, I specialize in sexuality and the way it affects and is important to general wellbeing, which often includes physical health. Having said that, it's obvious that the health professionals you've seen are way behind the times. Douching is rarely recommended to help get yeast under control. Cleanliness makes a difference, but I have a feeling that doctor was laboring under the influence of too many Summer's Eve ads. Since I'm not an MD, I am not the best person to ask about systemic yeast; if your constellation of symptoms are even all yeast-related (and it is quite possible they are not), their variety might point at a systemic and not local problem. However, I may be able to point in the direction of a few more resources and some general information about yeast that it's possible no doctor bothered to tell you. First: As you may recall from our discussion of Candida last fall, yeast really *is* a yeast, not much removed from the kind bakers use. It is a fungus, and it lives with us all the time; it's a regular and benign hitchhiker in the vagina. Only when the growth of yeast gets out of control do we have what is generally called a "yeast infection," complete with itching and discharge and that telltale yeasty smell. Antibiotics will not cure a yeast infection, because Candida is not a bacterium -- in fact, a course of antibiotics may upset the typical "bug balance" of the vagina enough to provoke a yeast infection where none was present before. (Many a woman has been treated for something itchy and bacterial, only to wind up with something itchy and fungal.) Natural health providers (and a fair number of allopathic docs) recommend recolonizing the vagina with acidophilus culture after a course of antibiotics. Your letter implies that you have taken antibiotics, and so you might want to try the acidophilus route -- I suggest you discuss this with your next (hopefully much better informed) health care practitioner. In Dr. Christiane Northrup's book _Women's Body, Women's Wisdom_ there is an interesting discussion of the emotional and psychological implications of chronic yeast infections and other forms of vaginitis in which she suggests that these problems can be a way in which the body signals distress, especially in the context of sexual difficulties. Of course, any woman who's battled a big yeast visitation knows that it can *cause* sexual difficulties; intercourse tends to be uncomfortable, at best. If you *have* been having unprotected intercourse since starting to deal with the yeastie beasties, it is conceivable that you and your partner *are* ping-ponging yeast even though he has no symptoms (some guys do not show symptoms; some women are simply more sensitive to yeast imbalance than other people, and you may be one of these women), but I would be surprised to hear that the non-vaginal symptoms are a result of this. *If* these symptoms are caused by yeast at all (and as I said, I'm not positive they are), you might benefit from eliminating or drastically cutting down on sugar and refined carbohydrates in your diet. Yeasties like sugar, and if they are overgrown in the first place, feeding a sweet tooth can really help them take over. Also, if you are using a vaginal lubricant with glycerine, switch to something without that ingredient. Glycerine is a form of sugar which many women can use with no ill effects, but if you have a yeast problem, you should avoid it. Northrup also notes that some women with chronic vaginal yeast have been "suspected to have a condition known as intestinal dysbiosis, or an imbalance of bacteria in the bowel that is often accompanied by an overgrowth of yeast." In this case the proximity of vaginal and anus may result in vaginal reinfection even after treatment -- even if you're doing what the nice doctor said and wiping properly. Speaking of doctors, talk to women's clinics, not general clinic doctors. The Berkeley Free Clinic might be able to help or to refer; they are at (510) 548-2570. Planned Parenthood offices sometimes provide gynecological care; call (800) 967-7526. And Highland has a women's clinic; call (510) 437-4800. Finally, this resource is from Northrup's book; I'd recommend you give them a call. Best of luck. Candida Research
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