>OK everyone!!
>I'm going to play devil's advocate here and ask why thrush in the
>breast is so incredibly hard to get rid of.
>We spend a lot of time telling mothers how many anti-infective agents
>human milk has in it, and how it kills off all sorts of germs and
>protects babies from infection. So how come that candida can get such
>a foothold, and be so hard to get rid of???

Here is my humble (and not so scientific) opinion.

Human milk does have anti infective agents but these are anti-viral and
selectively anti-bacterial, not anti-fungal. We do know that freezing human
milk doesn't destroy the yeast, not does letting human milk with all those
"yummy" anti-infective agents sit at room temperature destroy yeast.

Breastmilk doesn't kill *all* bacteria, just the harmful ones.  It wouldn't
be healthful for breastmilk to be a broad-spectrum antibiotic, as we need a
lot of bacteria in order to assimilate nutritients from our food. Likewise,
it would be unhealthful if it destroyed yeast, as yeast is an integral part
of the healthy gut.

Also, I don't call it yeast "infection" but yeast ovegrowth.  The vaginal
itching and dermal itching of yeast overgrowth can cause irritation to the
mucous membrane or skin and an infection can insue, but the yeast itself
isn't infective (I think).  This is the reason that anti-biotics don't kill
yeast.

I remember a great debate within the year on Lactnet about what can and
cannot travel "up" the duct work of the breast.  I it my opinion that there
is transmission of yeast into the ducts of the breast from an excessive
overgrowth of it on the nipples.  Just as E-coli can travel from the vulva
into the urinary track, as we have been discussing recently, so yeast can
enter the ducts of the breast.(IMO)

The rampant incidences of yeast overgrowth in the breastfeeding mother is
reflective of the same increases in the non-breastfeeding population.  The
major cause is the reckless use of antibiotics, coupled with diets that are
under-nourishing and over-sugared, both of which encourage an imbalance and
an overgrowth of yeast. This overgrowth of yeast in "otherwise healthy young
women" is not something that human milk is programmed to deal with.

Based on my theories, I have been asking some moms who have had antibiotics
at delivery (like who hasn't?) if they will take acidophilus and garlic and
limit sugar in the first two weeks after delivery. We've had good results.

Fiona, I'm glad you asked the question.  Hopefully it will bring out some
good theories.

Patricia Gima, IBCLC
Milwaukee
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