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Candida is a fungal infection, which has become more common than ever. There are a number of reasons for this increase in recent times. Firstly, people are living for longer and generally speaking older people's immune systems weaken over time and this increases the risk of the contracting some of the infections candida causes.

Also, through the increased use of antibiotics, which are beneficial in treating many illnesses and conditions, there has been an increase in the amount of cases of candida being diagnosed. Candida symptoms are known to increase after a person has under gone a course of antibiotic treatment.

As a side effect of taking antibiotics, candida is often an unexpected complication. Antibiotics usually kill off both the good and the bad bacteria in the body. So, the good bacterium, which would normally suppress the fungi, which causes candida, is no longer present to protect our bodies.

In most case candida commonly infects a person's skin and it gets its name from the white color of the organisms which are found in the culture, and is often referred to medically as either candidiasis, candidosis or moniliasis.

In order for Candida to survive it relies on a living host. It can normally be found inhabiting the human digestive tract, and it has been shown to be present in infants and the very young. It can live in the gut and the digestive tract without any adverse effect to the host for years, and the normal immune response of the body can normally keep a natural balance.

However, should our immune system be compromised then candida can kick into overdrive and cause a multitude of unwanted problems. The main type of candidiasis is Candida Albicans, which can cause oral thrush, vulvovaginal candidiasis, balantis and intertrigo, are four of the more common forms of infections candida causes.

Below are 4 candida infections that are most common and we highlight the complications that they can cause if the infection is left unchecked and untreated.

- Oral thrush - the main cause of this particular form of candida, which normally can co-exist in harmony in the mouth, is due to a sudden change in the chemistry of a person's oral cavity. Unfortunately if this change does occur then the candida in the hosts mouth can take precedence over the other micro-organisms that are present. This imbalance allows candida yeast to thrive and grow.

- Vulvovaginal candidiasis is caused by an overgrowth of candia which lives on the skin around the vaginal opening. Normally, the candia yeast lives in balance and is harmless, however, again, if a person's immune system become comprised, or they have just recently taken a course of antibiotics it may allow the conditions to become favourable for candida overgrowth. An overgrowth of candida can then cause the infection to invade the vagina, which is when the symptoms of a candida infection will normally be noticed.

Although usually the main complication of any form of candida infection is the unpleasantness of the infection symptoms, there are other much more serious complications that can arise if it is not treated effectively.

If the infection passes in to the bloodstream then you may find that it can affect the kidneys, heart, lungs, eyes and other major organs of the body. This in turn can cause high fevers, chills, anaemia and in some cases a rash or a person may even go into shock.

There are a number of natural ways to relieve the infections candida causes, which are covered in our free newsletter.