What is mouth thrush? Simply put, mouth thrush is an out-of-control yeast overgrowth in the mouth. The yeast cells have gained a foothold and invaded the tissues of this most sensitive part of your body, leading to painful patches and lesions. Characterized by creamy white growths, oral thrush can become chronic and difficult to treat.

Mouth thrush is most common in babies, children, older adults and those with a compromised immune system. It's very important if you have mouth thrush in conjunction with a serious health problem that you seek the counsel of a health care practitioner, as in some rare cases the yeast infection can become serious.

For babies, children and otherwise healthy adults, oral thrush is more of a painful annoyance, though it's very important to treat the thrush properly. When your body chemistry is such that the yeast can grow out-of-control in your mouth, it's likely that other areas of your body, such as your digestive tract and even your blood, may be affected by yeast as well. This type of low level, chronic yeast infection can lead to or exacerbate all kinds of health problems, including asthma, allergies, chronic fatigue, irritable bowel syndrome, migraine headaches, and autoimmune disorders, to name a few.

For oral thrush in infants, when the mother is breastfeeding it's extremely important to treat both the mother and child to avoid continuing to pass the thrush back and forth. For everyone with mouth thrush, it's crucial to correct the underlying immune and body imbalance that allowed the yeast to take hold and grow parasitically.

Western medicine treats mouth thrush with antifungal drugs, such as Nystatin and Diflucan. While these are fairly effective at controlling the yeast temporarily, the yeast is still present and these drugs do nothing to stop the yeast from simply growing back once you stop taking them. This can create a vicious cycle. Additionally, many anti-fungal drugs are highly toxic and risk serious side effects.

This has led many sufferers of oral thrush (and mothers seeking to cure infant thrush) to choose natural, alternative remedies instead. However, the fact is that while most natural remedies have fewer side effects, they still don't stop the yeast from growing back.

Therefore, the only solution to truly cure mouth thrush is to kill the thrush naturally, without side effects and to correct the underlying imbalance simultaneously. This approach is extremely effective and prevents a more chronic, systemic yeast infection from developing, while simultaneously offering immediate relief for symptoms of mouth thrush.