Category Archives: Yeast Infection In Men

Penile Balinitis

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Penile Balanitis is a very common complaint, which mostly affects boys under four years old and uncircumcised men who have a tight foreskin. The condition is indicated when the head of the penis (the glans) becomes red, sore and inflamed, sometimes with raised areas of plaque, which can often affect the foreskin because of the thick lumpy discharge that is caught underneath it.

Although, genital herpes, Chlamydia and syphilis also list penile balanitis as a symptom, it is most often the result of a yeast infection; an allergy to washing detergents; a bacterial infection due to a build up of debris under the foreskin; or a skin complaint like psoriasis.

In most cases, prevention is easily achieved through improved personal hygiene and the glans should be carefully washed in warm water every day, ensuring that the foreskin is gently pulled back to facilitate removal of any smegma which has collected underneath. The foreskin should then be returned to its original position as leaving it pulled back can result in it becoming trapped beneath the glans (paraphimosis). If the penile balanitis is due to an allergy to soap or if there is inflammation present, an emollient or aqueous cream can be substituted for soap as this does not interfere with the balance of the skin’s natural Ph levels.

If the penile balanitis becomes painful or weeps, visit to your healthcare professional immediately as it may be necessary to see whether a bacterial or yeast infection is the culprit; either of these will require a different topical cream to alleviate the discomfort. Repeat yeast infections could indicate a systemic Candida infection elsewhere in the body and it might be necessary to address the patient’s diet as relying on medication on a regular basis can make the problem worse in the long-term.

Zoon’s Balanitis is a rare type of benign penile dermatosis which affects older uncircumcised males with a reddish brown rash on the glans, characterised by distinctive pin point cayenne pepper type dots.

For sufferers where the foreskin is really tight (phimosis) and it is impossible to clean properly, circumcision used to be the surgical response but, these days, a dorsal relieving incision known as a preputioplasty is more often used. This is a small operation where a vertical cut is made through the tight ring that is limiting the movement of the foreskin and then stitched together horizontally. It takes 2-3 weeks for this to heal, but full retraction of the foreskin should then be possible.

For more information on penile balanitis and zoon balanitis, go to: http://www.sipep.org/zoons-balanitis.

During Ovulation, Females May Be More Susceptible To Infection

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Main Category: Sexual Health / STDs
Also Included In: Women’s Health / Gynecology;  HIV / AIDS;  Cervical Cancer / HPV Vaccine
Article Date: 04 Jan 2012 – 2:00 PST

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New research published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology suggests that high levels of estradiol present prior to ovulation decreases immune system effectiveness resulting in growth and promotion of infection

A new research report in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology suggests that a woman’s ovarian cycle plays an important role in her susceptibility to infection. Specifically, researchers from Spain and Austria found that women are most susceptible to infection, such as Candida albicans or other sexually transmitted diseases, during ovulation than at any other time during the reproductive cycle. This natural “dip” in immunity may be to allow spermatozoa to survive the threat of an immune response so it may fertilize an egg successfully.

“This could be an explanation why during ovulation females have more risk of being infected with sexual transmitted diseases like HIV or HPV,” said Miguel Relloso, Ph.D., a researcher involved in the work from the Laboratorio de Inmunobiología Molecular at the Hospital Gregorio Marañón and Complutense University in Madrid, Spain.

Using mice, Relloso and colleagues found that the sex hormone, estradiol, increased susceptibility to systemic candidiasis (fungal infection). To monitor the effect of estradiol treatment on infection, researchers used in vivo and ex vivo fungal infection models. Ovariectomized mice were treated with estradiol and subsequently pulsed with C. albicans. Estradiol-treated mice were more

Read more: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/239880.php

Global Update: New H.I.V. Cases and AIDS Deaths Plummet in British Columbia

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“We’re particularly pleased to see that our treatment-as-prevention strategy has taken off big-time,” said Dr. Julio S. G. Montaner, director of the British Columbia Center for Excellence in H.I.V./AIDS. His center was a pioneer in the strategy, which involves searching aggressively for people at risk of H.I.V. infection, talking them into being tested and putting those who are infected on antiretroviral drugs immediately, which lowers by 96 percent the chances that they will infect others.

In Vancouver, where he works, AIDS is concentrated in two largely separate groups: gay men and drug addicts. To reach the addicts, the city opened a center where they can inject under a nurse’s supervision without fear of arrest; the nurses also offer medical care, including tests.

Testing is increasing, and syphilis rates are holding steady, Dr. Montaner said, so the drop in new cases is not a result of fewer tests or greater condom use.

AIDS cases remain steady in Canada’s other provinces, except for those in the Prairies region, where they tripled, mostly among Indian addicts in Saskatchewan, which has no safe-injection center.

Last week, Science magazine named the treatment-as-prevention strategy, with the clinical trial of 1,763 couples on four continents that proved it worked, as its 2011 “Breakthrough of the Year.”

Dr. Montaner

Read more: http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=548e93e083692f866f6288d5cae8a958

Can Masturbation Cause Thrush In Men

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A question that comes up again and again in my search terms for this site is can masturbation cause thrush?

And the answer is, yes it can – if you don’t observe proper hygiene afterwards.

can masturbation cause thrush-in-menAn old myth goes that one hundred men were interviewed about whether they masturbated, or not. It is said that eighty five per cent admitted that they did, and the other fifteen were liars. Listen, it’s yours, so you do what you want with it, but take care of it because it’s delicate and it doesn’t take much rough usage to cause cracks or cuts on the foreskin. Men with a foreskin need to pay more attention to their personal hygiene. It should be retracted and the whole area cleaned at least once every day, for health reasons as well as standard personal grooming. Whether you have a sexual partner, masturbate, or neither, you should pay attention to the inside surface of the foreskin. It is possible that even men who do not pursue personal or partnered sexual relief will still experience erection during sleep, so all men with an intact foreskin should examine it.

Can Masturbation Cause Thrush In Men

Making love frequently with a partner, re-establishing sexual contact after a period of abstinence, dry masturbation, using saliva as a lubricant, or simple nocturnal erections can all cause fissures in the internal surface of the foreskin. They usually take the form of purple parallel lines radiating outwards from the head of the penis to the external rim of the inside of the foreskin. They can be actual surface cracks, or sub-dermal splits. You’ll know if they are actual splits as they sting quite severely. The sub-dermal fissures only hurt when the foreskin is retracted when dry. If they are surface cracks, clean it often – but without soap or other wash products as they only make it worse. Just use warm water, and if swelling or infection set in, see a doctor immediately.

They can be caused by fungal growth from thrush, even if you are not in contact with a sexual partner. Heavy or prolonged courses of antibiotics, or excessive use of oral steroids for conditions such as asthma can create oral thrush quite easily, and using saliva as a masturbatory lubricant will often transfer the condition to the penis. You will usually have a persistent itch around the foreskin as a first sign, and the inside of the foreskin where it’s attached to the head of the penis (the Glans) will be bright pink or red even if there are no fissures present. You can confirm the presence of thrush in your system by looking at the inside of your throat in a mirror. If you have white patches on either side of the throat walls, strange patterns in the skin of the surface of the tongue, or what looks like small pieces of chewed white nuts stuck in the folds of the throat lining, you need to see a doctor for an antifungal treatment.

However, you should also address the possibility that this manifestation in both mouth and penis could stem from a systemic Candida infection that started elsewhere in the body and investigate an anti-Candida diet if the problem recurs.

Just using saliva as a lubricant in masturbation, or not washing the whole area with the foreskin drawn back after ejaculation whether saliva has been used or not can also cause irritation, even without a fungal infection. This is due to enzyme action. Enzymes are contained within saliva as a part of your digestive process. They are also present in sperm. The sperm is like a tadpole torpedo carrying a payload of DNA to the egg. On contact, the sperm breaks open its warhead, and releases enzymes to eat a hole in the surface of the egg to allow it to deliver its payload. If saliva or sperm is left around the head of the penis after either masturbation or partner sex, and trapped underneath a foreskin, the enzymes will tend to begin to act on the surface of the Glans, and the internal surface of the foreskin.

The Glans is pretty resilient, as is evident from the way it becomes desensitized after circumcision, but the internal skin of the foreskin is as delicate as any other skin kept moist. The enzyme action can cause it to thin and lose some of its elastic structure. This in turn will cause it to tighten, and can encourage tearing when stretching it back over the Glans without care.

Fissures can appear even without sexual activity. Most men experience erections in their sleep at some point during the night, even if unaware of them. The foreskin and Glans having been rubbed on the sheets with movement during sleep will be absolutely dry. This can cause the foreskin to stretch violently, and the sub-dermal fissures can easily result.

Whether sub-dermal, or open on the surface, a good hygiene routine will ensure that at worst the condition is a mild and temporary affliction. If there is any sign of oozing, severe redness and inflammation or severe pain, don’t mess around, consult a doctor immediately. There’s no need for embarrassment, yours is unlikely to be the first they’ve ever seen.

As I said at the beginning, it’s yours, you only get one, look after it.

Infant Formula Investigated in Baby Death

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Infant Formula Investigated in Baby Death

Dec. 22, 2011 — A Lebanon, Mo. infant has died of cronobacter infection.

Previous infant deaths from cronobacter have been linked to powdered baby formula. The Missouri child had been fed Enfamil Newborn purchased at a local Walmart store.

Walmart has pulled that lot of Enfamil from its shelves, pending the results of tests to see whether the product was contaminated. The investigation is also looking into other sources of infection.

Christopher Perille, a spokesman for Enfamil maker Mead Johnson Nutrition, says all lots of Enfamil are tested for cronobacter and other contaminants.

The investigation into the death of the Lebanon, Mo., infant is looking at whether Enfamil Newborn might have been the source of the child’s infection.

“Every batch of our product that goes out the door is tested for cronobacter before it goes out the door,” Perille tells WebMD. “We are sharing all our information with authorities so they can track down the source.”

Perille says Mead Johnson already has checked its records, which confirm that the Enfamil lot in question tested negative for cronobacter.

Cronobacter sakazakii, previously known as Enterobacter sakazakii, is found in the environment. It’s often detected in plant material, such as wheat, rice, herbs, and spices. It’s also been detected in powdered infant formula.

It’s rare for a child to be infected with cronobacter. But it’s a terrible infection. Up to 80% of cases are fatal. Meningitis and intestine-destroying gut infections with cronobacter have been traced to powdered infant formula.

The Missouri family bought 12.5-ounce cans of Enfamil Newborn from a local Walmart. Out of “an abundance of caution,” Walmart has

Read more: http://www.webmd.com/parenting/baby/news/20111222/infant-formula-investigated-in-baby-death?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Thrush In Men

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thrush-in-menMany people believe that yeast infections are a woman’s problem but thrush in men is far more common than is universally realised.

Up to 75% of humans will be afflicted with one of the many types of this irritation during their lifetime, whether it be in the form of nappy rash, the white coating on the cheeks and tongue of oral thrush, an itchy weeping sweat rash in a skin fold, or a slight soreness around the tip of the penis which men ignore and can then pass on to their female partners during sex, only to have it passed back to them a few weeks later in a vicious circle of re-infection.

Symptoms of Thrush In Men

There are several symptoms of thrush or yeast infection in men:

penile balanitis – where the penis becomes sore and red (from the Greek meaning inflammation of the acorn);

cuts on the foreskin – a regular problem which occurs in this delicate tissue if saliva or sperm is left around the head of the penis or trapped under the foreskin after either masturbation or intercourse.  These substances contain enzymes which can cause a reaction in the elastic structure of that  sensitive skin making it tighten which, in turn can encourage tearing if it is stretched back over the Glans with less than proper care.

genital or regular psoriasis – these patches of angry inflamed skin can occur anywhere on the body.

bad breath and a filmy white coating on the inside of the mouth.

a sweat rash in a fold of skin in the groin, arm pit or between folds of flesh in the overweight.

Whilst these are often treated individually, they can actually be part of a much larger problem.

Many people carry yeast in and on their bodies without even knowing. It is a natural organism, known as candida albicans, and is normally found in the digestive tract, vagina, mouth, skin and bloodstream. Its very short lifespan can be measured in hours or, at most, days and, providing you do not keep feeding it with the sugary substances it loves, the body’s natural eco-system keeps its numbers under control.

Causes of Thrush In Men

A form of symbient, its major function is to act as a third line of defence to keep the body’s blood sugar levels down to avoid diabetes, blindness or death. Whilst the body usually achieves this through stimulating the production of insulin in the pancreas and androgens from the adrenal glands, the failure of these defences triggers the proliferation of the Candida population to soak up any excess glucose.

Long term proliferation is only possible when sugary food is regularly available, as can occur when blood sugar levels are always raised due to insulin resistance – usually because too much fat has been consumed.

For some people, the yeast can proliferate and leech into the bloodstream infesting other parts of the body and releasing toxins which, in addition to the usual symptoms of thrush, can also be responsible for causing cystitis, sinus problems, constipation, diarrhea, restless sleep, bloating, lack of energy, mood swings, cravings for sweet food, food allergies and many more.

Many health professionals persist in handing out prescriptions that treat only the symptoms and this can result in a return of the infections in ever more virulent forms that become resistant to even the strongest drugs.

Repeated doses of antibiotics are a well-known trigger, along with a diet that contains large quantities of yeast, fungus, sugar and refined, processed produce. The physiological effects of stress also make a large contribution towards providing an environment which encourages candida overgrowth.

If you search the internet, you will discover all sorts of natural ‘cures’ for thrush in men, but so many of these serve only to replicate the problems with the pharmaceutical method in that they treat the symptoms of thrush in men, not the root cause.

At the end of the day, you need to make a lifestyle choice and properly address the issues behind your susceptibility to a yeast infection.

Thrush in men can be controlled if you take responsibility for your health and start investigating the causes to identify what makes things worse for you personally.

thrush in men