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by Rebecca Gurney, MD
updated by Stephanie Hanson, MD March 2005
Candida albicans is a yeast that naturally
occurs in moist areas such as skin, digestive tract and mucus membranes.
Typically its population is kept in check by bacteria living in the same area,
however after antibiotic use or immune suppression its numbers may rise.
Familiar forms of candida overgrowth may include vaginal yeast
infections, intertrigo or oral thrush. In severely immune suppressed individuals, such as AIDS
or cancer patients the yeast may invade the entire body causing a rare and
serious condition known as
systemic
candidiasis. In the alternative medicine world, systemic candidiasis
has come to have an entirely different meaning. Also known as yeast
syndrome, chronic candida, or yeast hypersensitivity; systemic candidiasis is a
loose term describing a collection of symptoms
proposed to be related to candida overgrowth.
THERE IS NO SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE TO
SUPPORT THE EXISTENCE OF CHRONIC YEAST SYNDROME OR YEAST HYPERSENSITIVITY, AND
IT IS NOT A VALID DIAGNOSIS IN THE WORLD OF CONVENTIONAL MEDICINE.
Despite the lack of evidence for this
condition, some doctors and alternative
medicine practitioners will treat people for
chronic yeast syndrome.
This web site contains a compilation of information from a variety of sources about the
condition known as chronic yeast syndrome, a critical overview of the condition
as well as proposed diagnosis and treatment.
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