One more question

[medhelp333]

Dr. Pho,

Thank you for answering my question about yeast earlier today. The reason I asked is because a couple of years ago I had some beer on an empty stomach and immediately after that got a stomach ache. Since then I get these irritations time to time and react to certain foods. For example if I eat sweets a tea with higher level of caffeine, wine or beer - I may get upset stomach, churning / gurgling, bloating, gasses, burping. I also seem to have dry mouth for about half a year now.

Do you think that might imply that I have yeast infection? I started reading about this on the internet and yeast infection symptoms match.

I told my general physician about this a while ago and he implied that it might be IBS. But I also had yeast infection a couple of months ago on my penis which, I have read, might imply that may have yeast infection in intestine.

What do you think?

Thank you very much.

[marymagdeline]

When a woman gets a vaginal yeast infection, it is because there is an imbalance her intestinal flora (too much yeast, too little good flora).  Woman always says that when they take antibiotics, they get a vaginal yeast infection.  Well, they didn't put the antibiotic in their vagina!  They swallowed it.  And it killed her good bacteria as well as the bad bacteria it was meant to kill.  If you had a yeast infection on your penis, you must have a bowel imbalance in your gut.  There is a really good probiotic on the market called, Primal Defense Ultra, by Garden of Life.  Get the capsules.  There is no other probiotic like this on the market.  Also, there was an artical in Prevention Magazine recently that said that Maitake mushrooms are a great, natural, rememdy for yeast infections.  Get the brand, Myco Medicinals.  And also get a book on Candid.  Dr. William G Crook. has written some that are easy to understand.  Also, when you start taking these products you may feel like your getting a cold or the flu.  This is called the "die off" effect.  It means the candida is dieing off as your killing it.  DO NOT stop taking these 2 products when this happens or the yeast will grow stronger and more resistant.  Keep taking these two prodcuts until you feel well again.  Do this while you avoid foods that feed yeast.  Give yourself a whole year.  And you'll beat this.

[Kevin Pho, MD]

There's no way to know whether a yeast infection is present without obtaining a stool test, or looking at the upper GI tract and colon with an endoscopy.

That being siad, your symptoms can be consistent with a variety of GI disorders, including IBS.  

I would pursue an upper endoscopy - which can evaluate for GERD, inflammation or ulcers.  A colonoscopy can look at the lower GI tract, and exclude inflammatory bowel disease.

If the tests remain negative, irritably bowel syndrome can be a considered, an treatment for this condition optimized.

This answer is not intended as and does not substitute for medical advice - the information presented is for patient education only. Please see your personal physician for further evaluation of your individual case.

Kevin Pho, M.D.
www.kevinmd.com
www.twitter.com/kevinmd