Why fibromyalgia and yeast infections seem to always go together

Many women who suffer from fibromyalgia and yeast infections can’t decide if the medication for one is causing the other, or if the other is a natural precursor to a flareup.

It very well could be a case of both. As we discover more and more about fibromyalgia, and learn more about managing yeast infections – it is becoming apparent that the treatment for either one can help prevent occurrence of the other.

What is fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia is a chronic physical condition that has a cluster of symptoms, and it can lead to psychological distress too. Many people who suffer from it experience pain in the major joints – including the neck, spine and hips, pain when the areas are pressed, stiffness in the morning, sleep disturbances, brain fog and confusion, depression, and recurrent yeast infection.

Who is at risk?

Fibromyalgia can develop in anyone, man or woman, 18 years of age and older. There are also instances when children have developed the disease too. It is not known what causes fibromyalgia, but there does appear to be a connection between having someone in your immediate family who has it, suffering severe physical trauma – such as a car accident, or major illness episodes that suppress the immune system.

What is a yeast infection?

A yeast infection occurs when the healthy bacteria that usually keep the natural yeast in the body in check disappears or is disabled in some way and the yeast then overgrows. This can disrupt the Ph balance in the body and cause several problems such as itching, swelling and even muscle pain and stiffness. Most people associate yeast infections with vaginal yeast infections, but that is only one type.

Men and women can both get yeast infections in equal proportions. They are generally treated by introducing elements to suppress the yeast growth while allowing the healthy bacteria to grow again. Many probiotic supplements are aimed at promoting the healthy growth of bacteria in the intestine that helps to prevent yeast infections which are much more common in the digestive tract than in the reproductive organs too.

 fibromyalgia and yeast infections

Does one cause the other, or is a yeast infection a symptom?

Yeast infections are caused by an imbalance between healthy bacteria in the digestive and reproductive system and yeast. Fibromyalgia has no known specific cause, but is considered to be a disorder of the immune system – which is why it has such an array of symptoms in its clusters. Not everyone who has continuous o recurring yeast infections will have fibromyalgia.

Almost all people with fibromyalgia will have yeast infections at some time. It is thought the yeast infections may be a symptom of fibromyalgia as it is a result of an imbalance in how the immune system is working. Yeast infections can also be a side effect of some of the medications used to treat fibromyalgia too.

How to manage treatment of fibromyalgia while preventing yeast infections?

Part of the standard treatment for fibromyalgia is medication for pain and inflammation. Unfortunately, some of this medication can cause yeast infections. If you are on an antibiotic for your fibro, then it will kill healthy bacteria too. That will allow yeast to overgrow in the body. The same is true if you are on a medication to control the IBS that is sometimes part of the cluster of symptoms for fibromyalgia, it can increase the amount of yeast in the body as well.

What if I am not on antibiotics?

If you aren’t on a course of antibiotics for your fibromyalgia, and you still have recurring or prevalent yeast infection then you have to look for other aggravating causes. Fibromyalgia is pervasive. It can be what is disrupting the balance in your body and leading to an increased susceptibility to infections. The best way to handle this is to look at your diet and exercise habits.

Diet and lifestyle are the key

With both fibromyalgia and yeast infections diet and exercise play key roles in controlling flareups and reducing the impact of symptoms on your life. Getting into new habits with the way you eat and how you move isn’t easy when you are suffering inflammation and infection. You should approach it in stages.

First get the pain and infection under control enough to allow you to begin making changes. Once you start making the changes you will find that your pain and other related symptoms will become better too. The key to managing fibromyalgia is to use the treatments and prevention methods in tandem. There isn’t any known cure, but there is a cluster of methods that used together can return you to a much fuller enjoyment of life.

Watch the additives

Here is a surprise for you, eating well isn’t as simple as making sure you are eating a balanced diet, you have to really watch what is in your food. While we all know to avoid MSG, sugars and nitrates; now we know that there is a connection between fibromyalgia and food additives too.

These same food additives can also aggravate yeast infections by disrupting the balance between yeast in the body and healthy bacteria. You should use caution when trying natural supplements that promise to treat yeast and make sure your general doctor and alternative treatment doctor are together on what each is prescribing to avoid any interactions.

Be honest with your doctor so they know what to consider when prescribing

Yeast infections are something we still believe only happen to women “down there,” and we don’t often mention them to our general physicians. Yeast is present throughout the body and men can have a yeast infection too. If you are really seeking to gain relief from your fibromyalgia and yeast infections, you need to get comfortable talking honestly about all of your symptoms with your doctor. If, for some reason, you feel like that is not a conversation you can have – you need to get a new doctor you are comfortable being open with about your health issues.

Further reading

THE YEAST INFECTION HOMEPAGE: https://www.msu.edu/~eisthen/yeast

Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue & the Yeast Connection: http://fibrocoalition.org/blog/?p=40