1. My left nipple is really sore. What is the cause of it?
Many reasons could lead to a sore nipple. A shallow or incorrect latch for mothers who breastfeed, sore nipples can also occur before one is about to get their period. It can also occur due to infections or breast cancer and other diseases. Before jumping into any conclusions, you will want to examine the root of this cause. For example, many women who are about to get their period or who are on their period, will have sore nipples the first couple of days. If you are pregnant, you may have sore nipples due to the body producing more estrogen. High levels of estrogen along with progesterone can cause nipples to become sore and very sensitive.
If you are a breastfeeding mother, your nipples may be sore if your baby has a shallow or incorrect latch. To avoid any nipple pain or soreness, you will want to ensure that the baby has the perfect latch (latches can be hindered by tongue or lip ties). Sore nipples in a breastfeeding mother can also be due to nipple thrush. Nipple thrush is the yeast infection of the breast by candida albican. It can occur in the nipples or the breast tissues. Symptoms include nipple or breast pain. There is also a burning and itching feeling. Pain and itching can be from mild to severe. It usually is a stabbing or a shooting pain, radiating throughout the breast. Signs of a nipple thrush include nipples looking pink, reddening of the areola, dryness or flakiness of the nipple area. Nipple damage can occur as a result. Nipple thrush can be treated with antifungal treatments. You will want to treat both yourself and the baby. In many cases, if the mother is dealing with thrush of the nipple, the baby is most likely dealing with oral thrush. Please note that the thrush usually occurs on both breasts. If you feel sore nipple on one side only, it may be worth getting checked by your general practitioner.
2. I feel so itchy as though little bugs are sprawling all over me. I don’t have a skin condition and its driving me nuts. Why am I so itchy?
Itchiness of the skin can be caused by dry skin or some underlying medical condition. Here we will discuss itchiness as a symptom of having yeast infection. This itchiness can be found anywhere such as around the groin, vagina, neck, ears, anus or all over the body. Itchiness caused by yeast infection is usually due to an overgrowth of candida in the body. Candida can reside on the skin surface, especially on the margins of the mucous membranes of the skin. Those areas are moist, dark and warm – best environment for a yeast infection to thrive. For example, some people find they feel particularly itchy in the armpit area or under the breast or in the folds of the skin.
Some experts believe that candida can mutate its shape into a spore form. Once in this form, it can grab into the skin and latch into it through hooks called rhizoids. When this happens, the person feels itchy. The longer the yeast infection has been there, the more severe the itching will be. Another reason for the itchiness could be that your immune system has released the chemical, histamine which will try to attack the yeast causing inflammation as a response along with itchiness, redness, heat.
If the itch is unbearable, look into getting tested for candida. If not treated, the itch can affect you psychologically and physically. Furthermore, if the itchiness becomes chronic, it will be harder to get rid of. Chronic itching can cause you to scratch the surface too often or too aggressively leading to other unwanted infections. You can take the candida quiz here to see if you have it and if so, at what levels.
3. I was told that I have seborrheic dermatitis, which could have been caused by a unhealth gut health. Can you explain how?
Seborrheic dermatitis (SD) commonly affects the scalp, some areas of the face and the chest. On the face, it can be found around the nose, or around the ears. It can also be found around one’s eyebrows. Wintertime is treacherous for those who deal with SD as the dry season can further exacerbate the condition. There is not much itching with this condition, as commonly found in eczema. It can be found in pink patches on the face or in yellow patches on the scalp.
As mentioned above, SD affects fatty glands and sebaceous parts of the body such as the chest, face, neck, etc.
In a recent study, it was shown through clinical and experimental evidence that there is a link between intestinal candidiasis and SB. In subjects who had a high quantity of candida and were dealing with SB, through oral therapy (nystatin), there was a long-lasting regression in their SB. Studies show that emotional stress and depression can also cause skin conditions such as SD. Stress is a culprit for many diseases, and skin conditions are no exceptions. Cortisol is one of the key hormones involved in increasing inflammatory conditions or decreasing inflammatory conditions. You must have noticed with people who have SD or eczema that when they are particularly stressed or anxious, their conditions will be more noticeable. SD can also be caused by systemic infections other than candida, such as Lyme disease, or some viral parasitic infection. You doctor can be diagnosed it by looking at the condition of your scalp or skin.
4. I get easily constipated no matter what I eat. How can I get better?
Constipation happens when there is a change in our bowel function. It makes it hard to pass a motion. Constipation does not necessarily mean not having a bowel movement for days. It could also mean irregular bowel movements. Someone who has their bowels all over the place is dealing with constipation as well. Eric Bakker puts it well: Their bowel will be all over the show. That can be constipation. So difficulty in passing a motion at a regular time, every day, is constipation. So don’t kid yourself.
Before you can start worrying about possible medical reasons for your constipation, look into your lifestyle. Have you recently change anything in your life? Your diet? Are you eating irregularly at different times of the day every day? Do you get enough sleep? Once you can link your bowel problems to changes in life or stresses, you can work towards making appropriate lifestyle and diet upgrades to fix the issues.
You would start worrying about your constipation once you have bad breath, or when you are constantly tired, when your joints are cracking, when you are easily irritable, etc. A constipation situation which does not get better with changes to lifestyle usually means deeper gut health problems. Not getting on top of your constipation will be harmful in the long term.
References:
1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2380126/
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBNzqC7rch8
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2533189
