It is estimated that between 25 – 50% of women carry some type yeast in the vaginal area. Not all types of yeast cause vaginitis or the inflammation of the vagina. The specific yeast candida, is usually the culprit in a vaginal yeast infection. Bad new is yeast is present on different areas of our skin, specifically areas that are prone to moisture like our mouth and genitals, and yes gentleman if you are reading this you too can get a yeast infection. That’s right, there is such thing as a male yeast infection, it is just way less common.

What causes a yeast infection?

Simply put, yeast infections are cause by a change in the levels of yeast in the vagina or the introduction of new yeast to the vaginal area. Now we stated there are levels of yeast to be found in most women, how ever typically we have healthy bacteria that help keep the yeast in check, and that is why we are not all running around with constant yeast infections. This means that certain antibiotics can cause yeast infections by eradicating the bacteria present in the vaginal cavity, causing the yeast to multiply and cause irritation on the vaginal walls.

Other causes of yeast infections include, taking oral contraceptives, the use of douches, chemotherapy and even pregnancy. Contrary to popular belief, a yeast infection is not a sexually transmitted disease (STD), now as we stated earlier the introduction of new yeast can cause a yeast infection, so even protected sex with a new partner can trigger a yeast infection. You should be aware that because men can get a yeast infection, it is actually possible to pass the infection back and forth between you and your partner, so you both should take steps to eradicate the infection should one of you show symptoms.

How do you know if have a yeast infection?

Oh you will know. The symptoms of a yeast infection include -

• pain or irritation during intercourse
• soreness of the vagina
• pain during urination
• vaginal discharge (note: it will be thick and white, any other color you should consult your doctor)

While yeast infections are common, if you are getting them more than 4 times a year it could be signs of another underlying problem.

How should I treat a yeast infection?

Vaginal yeast infections can usually be treated by over the counter anti fungal creams.

These are applied directly to the vaginal walls. Although there are oral tablets that can be taken in place of topical solutions, most doctors would reccomend against because the side effect can include severe head aches and nausea.

How can I prevent yeast infections?

Due to the constantly changing nature of our bodies and environment it is almost impossible to actually completely prevent yeast infections from ever happening. However simple hygiene can drastically reduce the chances of introducing new yeast, and the washing of hands before any sexual activity is highly recommended. Also ensuring the hygiene of any new sexual partners can also reduce the changes of triggering a yeast infection, but infections can still be likely as your body adjusts.

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EGCG – Epigallocatechin Gallate

Epa-who? Its okay you don’t need to know how to pronounce it, you just need to now where to find it and what it does. EGCG has been shown to treat various froms of cancer, including brain, prostate and cervical cancer. EGCG has also been used recently studied for its ability to slow and help protect again autoimmune diseases along with being a strong antioxidant. EGCG is a flav0noid that help protect against cellular damage and even heal or repair cell damage. You can find an abundance of EGCG in green teas, just be sure not to make the water too hot. Infusing in overheated water can cause the tea to lose all its anti aging effects.

Research has shown that frequent (green) tea drinkers actually haves cells that are a younger biological age than non tea drinkers. The DNA sequences that shorten with age (telomers) actually remained longer amongst tea drinkers.

Omega – 3′s

Essential fatty acids in foods like salmon and flax seed support the heart, brain and joints. We all know the benefits from DHA and EPA found in fish oil and flax seed oil, and should be taking one of these supplements already. However, recent studies have shown that omega 3′s are actually able to fight dementia and prevent cellular damage as well as other fish oil benefits.

Resveratrol

An antioxidant produced plants in response to fungal or bacteria attacks. (talk about a natural cure!) Resveratrol has been a hot item in the scientific community lately, already proven an excellent anti-inflammatory. Resveratrol also has been shown to fight cancer, lower blood sugar and provide various other heart healthy benefits. Recent research has shown resveratrol to actually prolong the life span of cells, studies have been done on fish to confirm resveratrol’s life span extending abilities. Grape skins have a high concentration of resveratrol, so yes you can gain the benefits by either drink wine (ya!) or taking a supplements.

Vitamin C & E

Vitamin C and Vitamin E are excellent antioxidants, and are great at absorbing free radicals preventing cell damage. Combine that with their ability to fight inflammation, these two vitamins can extend the life of a cell, making them a great round up to todays anti aging treatments.

Anti Aging Nutrition

I bet you had no idea you could slow aging with out the use of expensive anti aging creams, and get the majority of the benefits just by eating healthy. The best part is, after you drink your iced green tea with your salmon dinner, you get to top off your anti aging regiment by have a glass of red wine! The single biggest thing you can do is eat foods that have plenty of antioxidants, preventing cell damage will go a long long way in slowing the signs of aging on your skin and in your body.

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What is Fish Oil?

Simply put, fish oil is just that. It is the oil extracted from various types of fish. If you take a quick trip down to your local Whole Foods you will see that fish oil can come from a variety of fish. We are talking everything from from salmon oil to cod to even shark! Fish oil has been known to have many benefits as well as a few side effects, which in case you haven’t been paying attention is the topic of today’s discussion.

What are the benefits of fish oil?

Fish oils are probably most commonly know for their high concentration of Omega 3. Omega 3 belongs to a group of fatty acids often referred to as good fats. The benefits of Omega are almost to numerous to write about. They have been known to provide nourishment to the brain, kidney, heart, liver and eye. Omega 3′s also provide increase immunity, aide in the smooth digestion of food, and happen to be on of many natural anti aging products. Another little fun fact you can throw in the face of anyone who fancies themselves  health know it all. . . Fish DO NOT produce Omega 3′s, that’s right. They actually consume them from eating micro-algae. The fish who like to eat other fish absorb the Omega 3′s from the fish they eat.

Fish oil has also been known to help lubricate your joints preventing your cartilage from wearing down and preventing or delaying arthritis. Recently fish oil has also been the talk in the psychological community for its mood stabilizing properties and its use as a potential treatment for bipolar disorder. The Omega3 in fish oil has also been known to prevent heart disease, treat cancer and protect the brain from Alzheimer disease. Fish oil really seems to be the end all cure all for just about everything. However, there are a few things to watch out for.

Are there fish oil side effects?

The caution you need to take with fish oil is not different than the same precaution you need to take when eating fish. Certain fish are known to contain high levels of mercury and PCB. (PCB is used in coolant, if you need to know why this is bad, you should stop reading) This means certain fish oils are also going to have a high concentration of all those fun things. Fish oil extracted from livers (cod liver oil) tends to have a higher concentration of those nasty things, specifically because a fish liver (just like ours) is used to cleanse all the chemicals a fish digests. It would be like using the liver of a 10 year alcoholic. In other words, not good!

Recently there has been a lawsuit against several commercial fish oil manufacturers for the high levels of PCB in their fish oil. There are a few things you can do to stay away from the dangers of fish oil pills. First, stay away from fish liver oils. Second, please buy your supplements from places like Pharmaca or Whole Foods, they tend to sell products with much higher standards than you would in say a gas station. Third, like everything don’t take more than the daily recommended dosage.

I almost forgot one important thing, especially given the theme of our site. Fish oil can oxidize releasing free radicals into your body, so I definitely recommend you take them with antioxidants. These antioxidants can be in either pill form (Vitamin C and E) or you can take liquid fish oil with a smoothie that had plenty of acai berries and blue berries.

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You can say this about body cleansing . .

“The process is not always pretty, but the results are always beautiful”

Colonic

A colonic, simply put is the flushing of water into your colon to remove waste and feces that normal bowel movements do not pass. That is it! Yes you can buy $100 kits that will give you the best colonic ever, but honestly all you technically need is a beer bong and an open mind. . Sorry there is my sense of humor shining through again. For the record, I do recommend you get a kit for this, just don’t spend over a $100. Pictured is the minimum that you need, and you should only be spending about $20 – $25 on the product. The part most people won’t tell you is that performing a colonic can cause ‘discomfort’.

Parasites

While the term ‘paratsites’ can refer to any number of things including leeches. Typically in the world of body cleanse and when people refer to parasite cleanse they are talking about intestinal parasites, also known simply known as worms. The best way to prevent the contraction of parasite is to avoid undercooked meat, avoid unclean water and avoid skin to skin contact with any on who may have parasites.

Toxins

Toxins in the world of health and cleansing can refer to any number of things that we take into our bodies.  From free radicals from processed food to cigarette smoke to car exhaust. Toxins is really just referring to any unnatural substance, unfortunately the life style we typically all live exposes to a large amount of toxins on a daily basis. The are unavoidable. The can reduce your exposure to them by eating organic and natural foods, not exposing yourself to second hand smoke and limiting your intake of alcohol. Ultimately you will be exposed to and ingest toxins in most of your daily interactions, so while this is a huge buzz word right now, just know that almost any legitimate cleanse you  decide to use will rid your body of toxins, you don’t need a special ‘Toxin Cleanse’ to do so. Cleansing yourself of toxins is important, as the damage caused to cells may require the use of anti aging products.

Okay so that is it for this edition of Body Cleanse Jargon and Nonsense, again you can email suggestions or leave them in comments (i love comments!) about any other topics or buzzwords you want me to ‘expose’

Thanks for reading.

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We have all seen those commercials and advertisements about whole body cleanses or detox diets and asked, do I really need that? If you have asked yourself that question, the answer is probably yes. Doing a whole body cleanse or going on a detox diet can have some pleasantly surprising side effects, including better skin without the use of anti aging products. The hardest part of detoxifying your body is staying committed to the process to cleanse your body.

If you find yourself relating to any of these symptoms it’s time to consider doing a cleanse.

• You find yourself feeling constantly tired, even after getting a good night’s rest.
• You find it hard to concentrate at work.
• You recently have had an acne break outs or skin irritation
• You are suffering from constant headaches or frequent migraines
• You are suffering from bad breathe, despite good dental hygiene
• You commonly have unpleasant or painful bowel movements

If two or more of the above symptoms describe you then it is time for you to consider a whole body cleanse or detox diet. I really want to point out something important you everyone reading, I can not emphasize this enough. Do NOT do a detox diet or body cleanse strictly for weight loss. Yes, weight loss is a nice ‘side effect’ or changing your diet during a detox, however, almost all the weight comes back after you come off of your cleanse. Weight loss requires a life style change not just a diet change.

So we have decided we are suffering from a few of the symptoms listed above, and we have agreed we are not going to do a cleanse for weight loss, but to detoxify our body. The next step is probably the most important, even more important than deciding what type of cleanse to do, you must be ready to make a real commitment to seeing the cleanse through and stick to it every day. If you are ready to make that commitment then you are ready to choose the best cleanse for your body.

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3. Yeast Infection Treatment

Antioxidants
In short, antioxidants prevent the oxidizing of molecules on a cellular level. This process oxidation produces free radicals (another buzz word!). These free radicals attach themselves to other cells and can actually set off a chain reaction of sorts that can cause damage to your cells. Antioxidants will bond to these free radicals and prevent them from damaging cell. Acai berries, blue berries and pomegranate juice have some of the highest levels of antioxidants, consuming these daily can prevent cell damage and are natural anti aging agents.

Free Radicals
Free radicals are simply the name given to unstable molecules produced by a chemical reaction. These molecules are unstable and can easily bond with and alter other molecules. Free radicals don’t just occur in your body, these unstable molecules are the primary causes of combustion and other violent chemical reactions. These are produced in your body when our bodies try to break down unnatural products such as preservatives, food coloring and other nasty things we Americans eat on a daily basis.

Diet Detox
Diet detox refers to body cleanses that require you to (often drastically) alter your diet. I recommend every does their research before doing a whole body detox diet, or any whole body cleanse for that matter. The idea behind these is the by replacing solid foods with a nutritious liquid diet you will be able to rid your body of toxins by flushing them out. These can be very effective, however you cannot neglect your nutritional needs and just fast hoping to cleanse your body. You will need to provide your body with adequate nutrition from the juice blends or smoothies, you often see a lot of detox diets asking you drink vegetable broth for this reason. While there are some critics, the master cleanse is the most popular of these, often being referred to as the lemonade diet.

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If you are looking to cleanse your body on the cheap I would have to recommend the master cleanse, also known as the lemonade diet. The components required to do the master cleanse are easy to come by and be found at ALL grocery stores, you do not need to go to a health food store such as whole foods to get the required materials. You have an added benefit of not eating solid foods the duration of the cleanse! Though I do not recommend starving yourselves as a way to save money, you will be surprised how much money you spend on food on a daily basis.

The items you need to cleanse your body for 10 days (recommended duration of the master cleanse)

• 100% Pure Grade ‘B’ Maple Syrup (the grade B is VERY important, also recommend going organic for the cleanse)
• Lemons freshly squeezed or natural lemon juice (I know the master cleanse manual specifically says not to use lemon juice, but it was written a long time ago and you can a good quality natural and organic squeezed lemon juice in most grocery stores.
• Water (I recommend you get distilled water)
• Cayenne pepper
• Sea salt or tea with senna leaf (again I would recommend that latter, as drinking the tea is much more pleasant and relaxing than drinking a cup full of warm salt water)

The total cost to do the master cleanse for 10 days

• 100% Pure Grade ‘B’  Organic Maple Syrup 32oz  approx $26.00  (prices vary a bit depending on the selection in your area, more than enough for 10 days)
• 100% Pure Lemon Juice 16 oz approx $6.00 (might need two for 10 days)
• Organic Cayenne Pepper 3 oz approx $3.00 (more than enough for 10 days)
• Water Distilled 128 oz $0.99 (need six for 10 days)
• Senna Leaf tea 16 bags $3.99 (depends on how often you want to drink the tea, if drinking 2 – 3 times a day you will need two boxes)
• Decaffeinated Peppermint Tea 16 bags $3.99 (this is not part of the master cleanse but I needed to give myself a treat at night before bed! plus green tea is an antioxidant and and better than most anti aging products)

The total cost is $58.91, which comes to $5.89 a day, which I guarantee is way less than you spend on a food per day. Your cost will be a little higher if you want to squeeze your own lemon juice to account for the juice squeezer and fresh lemons and a little cheaper if you go with the salt water rinse instead of the tea.

If you think this is the cleanse for you, I recommend you get a book about the master cleanse they can usually be found online for about $10.00.

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Target specific cleanses do just what the name implies; they target specific parts of our body. The most common ones are liver cleanse, kidney cleanse and the colon cleanse. These typically are done to correct specific symptoms and some of them are not for the faint of heart, like the liver flush. I have never personally done a target specific cleanse, but as I learn more I will write about the on my blog here.

The most popular type of cleanse (next to the master cleanse) is the herbal supplement body cleanse. These are generally the easiest cleanses as they allow you to continue with your normal diet. This doesn’t mean that you can eat whatever you want and still gain the benefits of a body cleanse! These generally come in capsule form and focus on milk thistle and adding fiber to help clean out your system.  Milk thistle focuses on detoxifying your liver and can actually aide in the repairing of damage done to you liver. The fiber adds bulk to your stool to help with the passing of toxins and other unwanted material.

Fasting cleanses typically involve removing solid foods completely for your diet for a set amount of time. There are a few different programs often called detox diets, with various juice recipes to help in the removal of toxins from your body.

The most famous of these is the master cleanse or the lemonade diet. The master cleanse had been around for more than forty years. This involves mixing lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper into a concoction that some refer to as spicy lemonade. While popular most who start this diet rarely commit to the recommended length of time, which is 10 days. This is why (like I have talked about before) it is very important to  fully commit to cleansing your body before you start.

The last type of cleanse isn’t really a cleanse at all and I recommend you stay away from. These are weight loss cleanses that often have you on a supplement that speeds up your metabolism in an unnatural way. Remember the primary focus of a cleanse is not weight loss, the focus if a cleanse is to detoxify your body.

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