What causes yeast infections?

Yeast infection is the commonest in women and mostly affects the vagina. Normally, some amount of yeast and beneficial bacteria are always present in the vaginal area. In yeast infection, the proportion of yeast overtakes that of bacteria through multiplication or via some external source. The increased quantity of yeast (known as, Candida albicans) attacks the lining of the organ, causing swelling, irritation, and a thick discharge from vagina.

What causes yeast infections?

A host of combined or single factors account for yeast infections. Lets look:

Immunity

Like in other conditions, a weakened immune system enhances the possibility of developing yeast infection. Reduced immunity could be due to improper diet, excess physical strain, or external factors, such as the influence of certain medicines, e.g., prednisone.

Hormone Replacement Therapy

Either adopted to reduce menopausal symptoms or as contraceptives, hormones taken as supplements can promote yeast infection.

Medication

Certain strong medicines, particularly the antibiotics, taken to fight lung & throat infections, urinary tract infection (UTI), some skin disorders, either wipe out, or greatly reduce the amount of useful bacteria from the vagina also. These bacteria regulate the pH balance by keeping the vaginal area mildly acidic, which is not conducive for the growth of yeast, Candida. As the antibiotics act towards reducing the bacteria, the safe pH balance of the vagina is disturbed too in the process. The yeast gets the opportunity to thrive and starts affecting the surrounding tissues. Although, antibiotics rank among the lead causes of yeast infection, their prolonged usage aggravates the infectious situation.

Diabetes

Diabetes considerably raises the blood sugar level, providing sustenance to Candida, which feeds on various forms of sugar.

Pregnancy

And associated hormonal changes are responsible for the yeast infection.

Hot and humid weather

Such conditions are ideal for the growth of yeast, especially when coupled with tight and closely woven fabric.

Injury

If the internal vaginal tissues are injured, for instance, in the case of chemotherapy, the possibility of developing yeast infection rises. If any other, external or internal, injury confines you to bed or wheelchair, be extra cautious, as yeast thrives in moist and warm atmosphere.

Toiletries and other products

Products such as certain perfumes, anti-bacterial soaps, bath salts, scented sanitary napkins, certain detergent bases, etc. may also prove instrumental in disturbing the vaginal yeast-bacteria balance. Certain spermicidal, such as, nonoxynol-9, can also create bacterial imbalance.

Personal hygiene

Carelessness in the terms of cleanliness and the upkeep of inner wear can cost dearly, as improperly washed fabric may retain the yeast.

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Wedding Dress Purchase Doesn't Have To Stress You Out

Was this the year when Mr. Right asked you to marry him. Some women have waited for that to come along, from the time they realized the difference between boys and girls. When the excitement of the moment and the initial glow wears off, the job of planning for the perfect wedding day begins. The questions roll around in your mind. How much can I spend, and how will we pay for it? We need to pick a date, buy a wedding dress, decide who will be in the wedding party, and more details then one person can hope to keep straight.

The modern bride-to-be in America has a major task ahead of her when preparing for the big day. Each year the price of a wedding seems to grow by leaps and bounds. The burden of paying for a wedding can be a real challenge for a new couple just starting their life together. You can always downsize the wedding, and cut back on the guest list, but on this most special of occasions you want all your family and friends to witness and share in your joy.

In the last couple of years some internet online stores offer payment options that can help ease the stress of paying for your wedding purchases. There are online wedding dress retailers that offer 90 days same as cash credit. This means you can get your wedding dress, tiara, veil, and accessories, without having to put out an immediate payment. You have 90 days to pay the amount off without being charged any interest. This can be a major burden lifted from a bride's shoulders. When everyone wants their money up front, your most important item, your wedding dress, can be the easiest to care for.

The program is managed through a trusted and secure partner PayPal. With everything else to care for while planning your wedding you don't need to worry about online fraud. That is why the top online bridal gown stores use PayPal to ensure their clients purchases are secure and simple to deal with. It's easy to use this option of purchasing your gown online at the bridal store. When you checkout, select the PayPal option and it will take you to a secure page to enter your information. If you don't already have an account, you can get one at the same time. All of your sensitive personal information is secure and away from hackers.

The option to pay later is just one reason to buy a wedding dress online. Some take checks, and have gift certificates that could be used as a shower present for purchases at the store. Bridal online stores offer a wide variety of the latest styles and fashions. Online retailers are able to sell direct to consumers, which is a significantly lower cost than in typical mall stores. The added benefit to you is that you can get that gown you have been dreaming of, that will have heads turning and not break the bank.

To sum it all up, quality products, low prices, and no payments for 90 days, just might mean that buying a wedding dress could be the best part of planning your wedding.

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How to Make a Protein Shake

Proteins are the basic building blocks of any living being. Proteins are made up of essential and non essential amino acids, both of which are equally important in building up the muscles and cells in a body.

There are many people who go for regular work outs. It becomes very essential in these kinds of people to have a proper amount of protein in their diet. Regular gym goers and people who regularly work out generally tend to go for protein supplements like energy bars or protein shakes.

The main advantages for going for a protein shake is to recover faster from the tiredness of work out, to maintain lean muscle due to consumption of proteins like whey protein which are low in fat and carbohydrates but rich source of proteins. It also helps in acting as a meal replacement therapy, in the sense that if you regularly take protein shakes in your meal you can easily skip that one time meal since the protein shake itself provides you with enough and more calories required for that particular time of the day.

There are different ways to make a protein shake, but the below mentioned will be the best and easiest way to make a shake for your balanced meal. The blender must be off when the milk is poured into the jar. The whey protein powder must be added to the milk and the milk and protein must be blended in the jar for about 15-20 seconds.

Once the milk and the protein powder are blended, the blender must be turned off and any fruit of your choice must be added. The fruits added may be bananas, raspberries, strawberries etc that would give a good and refreshing flavor to the shake.

The ingredients must then be blended nicely in the jar in medium speed or a greater speed so that all of them get mixed thoroughly and the fruits are completely bended with the milk. A tablespoon of virgin coconut oil can be used to give a coconut flavor to the shake. Coconut oil increases the metabolic rate and tends to help in achieving weight loss at a faster rate. It also helps in reducing certain risks associated with cancer and other cardiovascular risks.

Flaxseed oil can also be used in the shake due to different roles of flaxseed in daily diet. Flax seeds are rich in omega three fatty acids and hence play major role in reducing cholesterol, blood pressure and arthritis.

The shake is now ready to drink with a wonderful flavor of your choice. The shake must be had after 15-20 of your workout since it is in this time that the body requires protein to a maximum extent.

The protein shakes must usually be made with simple but strong flavors to mask the taste of the protein as such. The flavors can include fruity flavors like bananas, raspberries, strawberries etc or flavors like chocolate, vanilla, honey nut and crunch or roasted almonds.

The protein shakes prepared can be for various purposes. It can be used by some to gain weight or by some to lose weight. People who go for protein shakes for gaining weight tend to use 2% or whole milk with extra protein powder in the recipe mentioned since that would help in gaining weight.

People who are on a diet to lose weight tend to use skim milk in the recipe since that helps in building lean muscle.

People who are allergic to dairy products can use soy milk. Soy milk is also an alternative for people who tend to go on a low carbohydrate and cholesterol free protein shakes.

Care must be taken that the fruits used and the milk used must be fresh ones, since if not they might harm your body. Natural fruits or nuts whatever used must also be rich in protein since that would increase the energy you get from your shake. It is always better to go for natural flavors rather than using artificial or synthetic flavors since they may cause harm to the body at a later stage in life because of the synthetic chemicals used for flavoring.

Thus by using all the natural ingredients available in your fridge all the time, a great protein shake that would boost your body can be made.

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