Author: Eric Bakker

Good day, Eric Bakker, naturopath, author of Candida Crusher with another frequently asked question.

What is the difference between a yeast infection and an STD?

An STD is a sexually transmitted disease. Well, there are quite a few differences between both of these problems. An STD is generally a disease transmitted between two people through sexual contact: oral sex, anal sex, straight sex, whatever sex you want to call it. Sometimes in rare cases, STDs can be transferred through needle sharing, although in more rare situations.

Yeast infections can be sexually transmitted. Don’t ever doubt that. But everybody will contain in their bodies, in the digestive system, females in the vaginal area they will have yeast to some degree. And it’s when these yeast get out of hand that you’re going to get an infection. Particularly, when they proliferate or if they’re exacerbated through antibiotic use, which is a very common cause of yeast infections, is taking antibiotics.

So there is a difference between a yeast infection and an STD, but STDs are not yeast infections, generally, in terms of only being transmitted sexually, where sexually transmitted diseases are transmitted sexually like Chlamydia and Gonorrhea and Syphilis. These diseases are transmitted through the sexual route.

You can read a lot more about the different types of STDs in my book. In fact, I’ve drawn you a big diagram showing you all the different sexually transmitted diseases, the discharge, the irritation, whether they itch, what odors they have, and I’ve compared those with a yeast infection to give you a good comparison.

A very common thing that many women have is bacterial vaginosis, which they confuse for a yeast infection. So it’s good for you to know the difference between a yeast infection and Chlamydia, for example, or Gonorrhea because these diseases do resurface from time and time again.

Is there a difference? Yes, there is a difference between them both. But a yeast infection can be transmitted sexually, but is not a sexually transmitted disease per se.

So I hope that answers your question. Thank you.

Good day there, Eric Bakker, naturopath, author of Candida Crusher with another question I get asked from time to time.

Can I get a yeast infection from dirty gym equipment?

I’ve been getting a few of these “dirty” questions lately. Can I get an infection from a dirty towel? Can I get an infection from a dirty toilet seat or dirty gym equipment or dirty Jacuzzis or dirty whatever?

I think it’s important for you to look at the fact that you need to understand it’s not about catching illness from something. It’s about building up your resistance so you don’t become susceptible to different diseases. There are always paranoid people that walk around not touching handles of doors, not willing to walk around airports or public places in fear of disease. So fear is not a good thing. People that have got strong, powerful, vibrant immune systems don’t usually get sick. It’s the weak people, the susceptible people that get sick.

I often draw a line on a piece of paper when I get a new patient in and explain that we’ve got susceptibility on one side and we’ve got resistance on the other. So when this seesaw becomes tipped, for example, once resistance increases susceptibility drops. And once susceptibility increases resistance drops. And the little triangle here in the middle, the fulcrum, I write the word “stress” on that triangle. And we’ve also got things that push the triangle one way or the other. So stress, for example, not sleeping enough, smoking and drinking alcohol, arguing with people or being angry, these are all what I call health busters. And these things decrease your resistance by increasing your susceptibility. They reduce your immune system’s power.

Health builders, on the other hand, are things you do to nourish and build health. Eating good foods, getting enough sleep, being at peace with yourself and other people, exercising, drinking pure water, breathing nice and slowly and deeply, meditating, relaxing; these are all health building events that are going to increase your resistance. So I think these are important concepts which I’d rather you look at than living in a constant fear of catching some kind of disease. It’s not a good thing.

Medicine’s full of fear. We’re told if we don’t get injections and vaccines all the time or take drugs, we’re going to get sick. So I tend to call this the sick building business. I can’t see why they call it the health care business. So you need to think carefully about those concepts. Taking drugs is not the answer to getting better. The answer’s in your hand by increasing your resistance and decreasing your susceptibility.

So don’t live in fear of catching disease. All right? So I hope that answers your question. What was your question again? Can I get an infection from dirty gym equipment?

You potentially could but you wouldn’t exercise on equipment that’s dirty that you would have a concern about anyway. And remember; don’t live in the fear factor. It’s not a good way to live when it comes to your health.

You can read a lot more in my book, Candida Crusher, about these concepts. So get yourself a copy and have a look there. In the seventh chapter, particularly, there’s a good section on that point I’m trying to make.

Thank you.

Hi there, Eric Bakker again, with another frequently asked question on yeast infection.

This one is does yeast infection cause a lack of appetite?

I have to think about this one. Appetite can change. It can depend a lot on many factors. It can depend a lot on your stress levels, how you feel emotionally. It can occur as a consequence of a liver problem. You could have an issue with your stomach, with your pancreas, or your intestines. There could be many reasons why you have a lack of appetite. I would say yeast infections would be indirectly linked to lack of appetite, but it certainly could be a possibility that appetite could be affected by yeast infections.

A question I would ask you if you were a patient would be how long have you had this lack of appetite for? What events occurred prior to the lack of appetite? Have your bowel motions been altered at all? Have you had any stressful events leading up to the lack of appetite? So to answer your question, I’d probably ask you questions because there are many reasons why you could have a lack of appetite. It’s not fair to point a finger purely at a yeast infection when it comes to a lack of appetite. There can be many particular causes of lack of appetite.

So to answer that question, does a yeast infection cause a lack of appetite? It may, but I don’t really think it’s directly linked to Candida. It may occur as a secondary consequence. And I’m sure that if I asked you if there were any other problems going on with your digestive system, you would probably say “yes, I have constipation or I have gas or bloating,” all these issues.

So I hope that answers your question in a roundabout way. Thank you.