Thrush Disease

Candida albicans, Fungi, Mitosporic fungi, Mycosis, Oral thrush, Yeast

Root Cause of Disease

Normally, your immune system works to repel harmful invading organisms, such as viruses, bacteria and fungi, while maintaining a balance between “good” and “bad” microbes that normally inhabit your body. But sometimes these protective mechanisms fail, increasing the number of candida fungus and allowing an oral thrush infection to take hold.

The most common type of candida fungus is Candida albicans. Several factors, such as a weakened immune system, can increase your risk of oral thrush.

Symptoms

Thrush isn’t a slow-and-steady type of infection. Instead, it develops quickly. Here are common symptoms:

• Cottage-cheese-like lesions Creamy white, slightly raised sores often appear on the tongue or inner cheeks, but they can also develop on the roof of the mouth, gums, tonsils, or the back of the throat.
• Sore mouth
• Loss of taste
• Cottony feeling in the mouth
• Painful swallowing
• Cracked and red corners of the mouth
• Bleeding lesions This can occur when the sores are scraped during toothbrushing.
• Fussiness and irritability These are symptoms associated with infants with thrush.

Types of thrush

• Pseudomembranous form. This is the more common form. It appears as white patches on your mouth, tongue, or back of your throat.

• Atrophic form. This is the less common form. It is usually found in older adults. It typically appears as red patches underneath upper dentures.

Causes

Small amounts of candida fungus are in your mouth, digestive tract, and skin. It’s supposed to be there, and it’s usually kept under control by the other bacteria in your body. But sometimes, certain illnesses or medications — like corticosteroids or antibiotics — can disturb the balance. This can cause the fungus to grow out of control. That’s when you get thrush.

Stress can cause it. So can a number of medical conditions, like:

• Uncontrolled diabetes
• HIV infection
• Cancer

If you smoke or wear dentures that don’t fit right might, you’re also more likely to get thrush. And babies can pass the infection to their mothers while breastfeeding.

Home Remedies to treat Thrush

Remedy – 1: Salt water

Salt has antiseptic, cleansing, and soothing properties. This makes it a common home remedy for many oral problems.

Rinsing your mouth with salt water could help relieve symptoms of oral thrush.

Benefits of Salt Water Mouth Rinse are

• Soothe mouth sores
• For pain relief after tooth extraction
• Reduce discomfort from a sore throat and tongue

Procedure:

1. Dissolve 1/2 teaspoon salt in 1 cup warm water.
2. Swish the solution throughout your mouth.
3. Spit out the salt solution.

Remedy – 2: Yogurt

Materials: Yogurt

Procedure:

1. Eat yogurt a couple times daily at the first sign of oral thrush.
2. Choose unsweetened varieties of yogurt since Candida thrives on sugar.
3. If you don’t like yogurt, you can get the same benefits by taking a daily probiotic supplement.

Product link: Yogurt

Remedy – 3: Apple cider vinegar

Materials: Apple cider vinegar

People with dentures have a higher risk of oral thrush. Dentures that don’t fit properly or that aren’t cleaned well provide the ideal environment for Candida to thrive. This may cause a condition similar to thrush called denture stomatitis.

Apple cider vinegar has antifungal properties against Candida and may be a good alternative treatment option for people with denture stomatitis.

Benefits of drinking apple cider vinegar:

• High in healthful substances.
• Can help kill harmful bacteria.
• May help lower blood sugar levels and manage diabetes.
• May aid weight loss.
• May boost skin health.

Procedure:

1. Add 1 teaspoon raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar to 1 cup water.
2. Swish the rinse throughout your mouth for at least 15 seconds.
3. Spit out the mixture.

Product link: Apple cider Vinegar

Remedy – 4: Tea tree oil

Materials: Tea tree oil

This is also a very effective home remedy for oral thrush. Tea tree oil has powerful antifungal properties which can help you to control the growth of yeast, and also they will give you a quick recovery. There are some studies in which is found that the antifungal effects of tea tree oil and its components on Candida Albicans are very effective.

Procedure:

In one cup of warm water, you should add four to five drops of tea tree oil. You should use this natural treatment to gargle for a couple of minutes. You should use this natural cure two times per day until you have noticed that the infection has improved.

Don’t ingest tea tree oil because it can cause you side effects.

Product link: Tea Tree Oil

Remedy – 5: Aloe Vera

Materials: Aloe vera

This natural cure has amino acids, enzymes, and vitamins that can help you to inhibit the growth of candida. Aloe Vera has antifungal, anti-irritating, and anti-inflammatory properties, which can help you to treat and control vaginal thrush.

Also, there was one study in which it found that Aloe Vera fresh leaves plant extract can help you to reduce the growth and germ tube formation of Candida albicans.

Procedure:

You should prepare Aloe vera juice by blending two tablespoons of Aloe Vera gel and one cup of orange juice, or you can add one cup of plain water. You should drink this Aloe Vera juice once per day for a period of a few days. Also, you can extract the gel from an Aloe Vera leaf, and you should apply it on the affected area a few times per day until the infection clears. Before you use Aloe Vera leaves, you should be sure that you have washed them very well. Also, you should not drink Aloe Vera juice in excess amounts because it can cause you gastrointestinal discomfort.

Other Remedies

Lemon juice

Lemon juice is thought to have antiseptic and antifungal abilities that help it fight against the fungus that causes thrush.

Procedure:

1. Add the juice of half a lemon to 1 cup warm or cool water.
2. Drink the mixture, or use it as a mouth rinse.

Baking soda

Rinsing your mouth with baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) may help treat oral thrush.

In a 2009 study, researchers looked at the effectiveness of sodium bicarbonate as a disinfectant of Candida albicans adhered to acrylic resin. The test was meant to simulate the daily disinfecting of dentures.

Procedure:

1. Dissolve 1/2 teaspoon baking soda in 1 cup warm water.
2. Swish the rinse throughout your mouth.
3. Spit out the rinse.

Preventions

These measures may help reduce your risk of developing candida infections:

• Rinse your mouth: If you need to use a corticosteroid inhaler, be sure to rinse your mouth with water or brush your teeth after taking your medication.
• Brush your teeth at least twice a day and floss daily or as often as your dentist recommends.
• Check your dentures: Remove your dentures at night. Make sure dentures fit properly and don’t cause irritation. Clean your dentures daily. Ask your dentist for the best way to clean your type of denture.
• See your dentist regularly, especially if you have diabetes or wear dentures. Ask your dentist how often you need to be seen.
• Watch what you eat: Try limiting the number of sugar-containing foods you eat. These may encourage the growth of candida.
• Maintain good blood sugar control if you have diabetes: Well-controlled blood sugar can reduce the amount of sugar in your saliva, discouraging the growth of candida.

When to consult a doctor?

If you develop signs or symptoms of thrush — such as soreness, bleeding or raised white areas inside your mouth — schedule an appointment with a healthcare provider.

If you’ve already taken antifungals for thrush but your symptoms return, call your provider right away. It could indicate a more serious infection.

Related posts:

Oral Thrush Vaginal Candidiasis Invasive Candidiasis Papule Disease