re candida yeast bloom fact or fiction in article rhb cf hsdndev harvard edu rind enterprise bih harvard edu david rind writes in article apr vms ocom okstate edu banschbach vms ocom okstate edu writes are in a different class the big question seems to be is it reasonable to use them in patients with gi distress or sinus problems that could be due to candida blooms following the use of broad spectrum antibiotics i guess i m still not clear on what the term candida bloom means but certainly it is well known that thrush superficial candidal infections on mucous membranes can occur after antibiotic use this has nothing to do with systemic yeast syndrome the quack diagnosis that has been being discussed found in the sinus mucus membranes than is candida women have been known for a very long time to suffer from candida blooms in the vagina and a women is lucky to find a physician who is willing to treat the cause and not give give her advise to use the otc anti fungal creams lucky how since a recent article randomized controlled trial of oral yogurt on reducing vaginal candidiasis i ve mentioned to a number of patients with frequent vaginal yeast infections that they could try eating ounces of yogurt daily it turns out most would rather just use anti fungal creams when they get yeast infections yogurt dangerous if this were a standard part of medical practice as gordon r says it is then the incidence of gi distress and vaginal yeast infections should decline again this just isn t what the systemic yeast syndrome is about and has nothing to do with the quack therapies that were being discussed there is some evidence that attempts to reinoculate the gi tract with bacteria after antibiotic therapy don t seem to be very helpful in reducing diarrhea but i don t think anyone would view this as a quack therapy david rind yogurt contains lactobacillus acidophilus and l bulgaricus l acidophilus is the major bacteria in the vaginal tract and is primarily responsible for keeping the vaginal tract acidic and yeast free most of the commercial yogurt sold in the u s has a very low l acidophilus and l bulgaricus count neither of these bacteria are obligate anaerobes with are much more important in dealing with the diarrhea problem gordon r has told me through e mail that he gives his patients l acidophilus and several different obligate anaerobes which set up shop in the colon but he hasn t told me which ones yet the lactobacillus genera are mostly facultative anaerobes and will set up shop where they have access to oxygen if given a chance mouth anus sinus cavity and vagina having these good bacteria around will greatly decrease the chance of candida blooms in the anal region or the vagina i have not proposed a systemic action for candida blooms i know that others swear that all kinds of symptoms arise from the evil yeast blooms in the body i m not ready to buy that yet i do believe that complications at specific sites vagina anal and maybe lower colon sinus and mouth can result from antibiotic use which removes the competing bacteria from these sites and thus lets candida grow unchecked restoring the right bacterial balance is the best way in my opinion to get rid of the problem anti fungals a low carbohydrate diet and vitamin a supplementation may all help to minimize the local irritation until the good bacteria can take over control of the food supply again and lower the ph to basically starve the candida out marty b
