Overview on Yeast Infection

Yeast infection or Candidiasis is becoming a very common disease nowadays. This is because people are so busy with their schedules and rely on what fast food restaurants have to offer. Preparing healthy meals for themselves and their family have become next to impossible. Unhealthy eating habits would eventually lead to unhealthy bodies. Over production of yeast in the body is because of high consumption of sugar. Yeast loves sugar, they thrive on sugar.

Other causes of yeast infection are:

• Too much antibiotics
• Birth control pills
• Tight clothing (it traps moisture)
• Condoms (because its lubricant contain nonoxynol-9)
• Unhealthy diet
• Weakened Immune system

To know whether if there is an overgrowth of yeast fungi in your body, you may experience any of the following.

Symptoms of Vaginal yeast infection:

• Redness and sore in the affected area
• Severe itchiness
• White vaginal discharge which looks like a cottage cheese
• Pain during sexual intercourse

Symptoms of Oral yeast infection or thrush:

• White patches in the tongue or mouth area
• Difficulty in swallowing
• Soreness in the throat area

Symptoms of Digestive tract yeast infection:

• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Constipation
• Bloating
• Flatulence

There are several ways on how to treat yeast infection. Some would use over the counter medicines such as topical ointments to lessen the soreness and itchiness. Medical professionals would also recommend the person with yeast infection to follow a certain diet. When a person is on a Candida diet there are several foods to avoid such as:

• Alcoholic beverages
• Cheese
• Chocolates
• Refined sugar
• Mushrooms
• Carbonated drinks
• Nuts
• Yeast containing foods such as breads and pastries.

The Candida diet would last between 4-6 weeks. However, there are those people who decide to stick with the diet even after the yeast infection has been cured. It is also a best way to lose weight and get your body back into its normal health condition.

Yeast-free Diet: What's for breakfast?

Taken literally, a yeast-free diet means any food that doesn't contain any yeast. Everyone has yeast inside their body and they only do harm when the factors that keep them in safe numbers are disturbed. A yeast-free diet simply promotes a well-balanced body.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. How you start your day affects how it is going to turn out. Without breakfast, you're off to a bad start. But then, what's there to eat when youre on a yeast-free diet?

Most likely, you've been given or have already read a list of food that you need to avoid. But really, all you need is look at what you can eat.

Fortunately, you can continue to enjoy your sunny-side up. Eggs are yeast-free and a lot of recipes can be made with it. But you might miss the toasted bread that usually comes along with it. There are only a few bread products out there that are not yeast-friendly, and they don't come with the taste you might have gotten used to.

Oatmeal is also good. While there's a certain debate because of its starch and gluten (if not gluten-free) content, its benefits on cleansing the intestinal tract has also a very desirable effect. Many will testify that they have gone through diets for candidiasis control with oat meals just fine.

Fruit juices aren't alright as they contain concentrated amounts of sugar. On the other hand, you can add fresh fruits with low sugar and a fair amount of fiber on your diet, such as apples, avocadoes, and melon. A little later on the diet or when you don't have a severe yeast outgrowth, you can add oranges, pineapples and the likes. They are acidic fruits that encourage alkalinity which makes an unsuitable environment for yeasts to grow on to.

It's also not too early for a slice of chicken with your favorite vegetable. If you're on a much restricted diet, a moderate meal, instead of a light one could keep your cravings on a low when lunch time comes.

Growing Orchids at Home

Orchids can be found almost everywhere. It can easily grow on land, tree canopy, and even in water. Orchids are of prime choice by most garden lovers and home bodies that serve as part of their landscape garden attraction, for its irresistible, enthralling bloom. However, keeping them as garden plants is not as easy as it may sound.

Most people would say that growing orchids indoors is only for those with green thumbs, but, I beg to disagree. Here are some tips on how to make your first time orchid planting be a success.

Knowledge. The best way to grow your orchids is to be equipped with right information as to type of specie you decided to deal with, giving a special consideration that each flower differs from the other. Hence, its needs could be addressed according to its variety.

Air and Humidity. Place the orchid in a spot where it could get enough air that it needs to keep its leaves well ventilated. Thus, air keeps fungus and bacteria away from destroying the leaves. Placing orchid pots on a saucer with ornamental pebbles with just about an inch of water will definitely keep the air around the plant well humidified and healthy.

Water. Too much or too little is bad for watering such sensitive orchids, as both could kill your plant. Watering orchids once a week would be enough. Also, use clay pots instead of plastic containers to avoid drowning the plant.

Temperature. A temperature of about 75 degree Fahrenheit to 85 degree Fahrenheit during daytime and a minimum of 59 degree Fahrenheit at night would be just as perfect for propagating your orchids.

Soil. Sphagnum moss, wooden chips, or shredded coconuts are proven to be effective in keeping the soil moist all the time.

Caring for orchids entails a great deal of dedication and sensitivity to its needs for growth and survival. Just like pampering a baby, it needs constant touch, comfort and attention from its mother. Not only it gives us an attractive ambiance, it also gives us a motivation to become more productive in aiding Mother Nature in advocating a dirt free atmosphere.

Honeybee Diseases

American Foulbrood

AFB is the most harmful bacterial bee brood disease for its infectious nature. It affects larvae up to three days old where it produces more spores within its digestive tract. The larva dies after it is capped and the spore remains to infect the cell. Bees nature to clean up will spread it more throughout the hive, contaminating honey that is fed to growing larvae. These spores can live up to 40 years.

Infected cells will appear sunken. Upon closer inspection by poking with a small stick inside the cell, one can find a brown, sticky substance clinging at the end.

European Foulbrood

EFB bacterium is less infectious than AFB. It doesn't form spores and kills the infected larva before it is capped. Symptoms include dead or dying larvae that can appear dried out, or melted like AFB.

Chalkbrood

It is a fungal disease that affects 3-4 days old larva. It grows within the gut, while starving the larva of its own nutrients. It later consumes the rest of the larva, causing it to dry and appear like a chalk.

Stonebrood

It is a fungal disease that causes the mummification of a brood. The larva ingests the spores where it hatches inside and grows quickly. It causes the larva to turn black and become stone-like hard after its death. The spores continue to grow and out of the covering where it can continue to spread through out the hive.

Nosema

It is a disease caused by a microbe called Nosema apis that infects the intestinal tract of adult bees. It is not fatal, but may cause a condition called dysentery that can lead to the collapse of the colony.

Black Queen Cell Virus

A virus that causes the queen cell and the larva turn black while killing it. Little is known about the virus but it is often associated with Nosema.

Chronic Bee Paralysis

This virus only affects adult bees. After infection, it causes the bee to become shiny because of the loss of hair. They are disoriented from the colony and attacked by fellow bees. The virus is spread by contact.

Managing Queen Honeybees

There are times when the bee colony might not be performing well. Weak workers, tendency to swarm, slow production of honey, etc. Environmental factors aside, it is common practice to replace the queen to deduce problems of the colony.

Raising Queens

Queen rearing is practiced by hardcore beekeepers as it offers many benefits. One is that it is cheaper than buying a new one. You may need more as your replacement might be rejected by the colony. Second, you can also replace the queen routinely every year. A young queen is less likely to induce a swarm. Lastly, you can also sell them for quite a price to make up for the tedious task.

Queen Marking

It's hard to see where the queen is within the hive. You may prefer to mark her with a certain color on her back (thorax). They are easy to spot so it's easier to know when a colony becomes queen-less. Any color can be chosen but there's a standard utilized by professional beekeepers to mark the year it was born. Each color corresponds to one year, which is the last digit of the current year.

Model car paint is normally used to mark queen bees with no harm done.

White - 1 or 6

Yellow - 2 or 7

Red - 3 or 8

Green 4 or 9

Blue - 5 or 0

Replacing Queens

You'd want to replace a queen that is weak or becoming old before they are naturally superseded. Since the queen only usually makes queen cells when swarming, sometimes they die without producing a replacement. The colony is then forced to make an emergency queen by feeding existing larva with royal jelly. What would have been a worker bee would then emerge as a queen. Unfortunately, they are not as productive as a queen produced from queen cells.

Introducing a new queen isn't quite simple. There are no widely accepted methods so most of the time it is just a matter of trial and error. Knowing the behavior of your colony is the key to a successful replacement.