If it was the title of this article that grabbed your attention, then probably your first question is, "What does massage therapy have to do with chronic yeast infections?"

You deserve an answer.

As a massage therapist, I look at health and healing through a holistic lens. When I touch the person on my table, I know that I'm touching a whole being that includes body, mind and spirit. All true healing must address all three aspects.

I have been a chronic yeast infection sufferer for the past year and a half. Its horrible! It can literally make your life miserable!

Since I tend toward going the "natural" route when it comes to health and healing, I first tried adding a probiotic to my daily routine. Did it help? A little, at first. Then the result was like a plateau, it didn't get any worse but it didn't really get any better, either. I stopped taking the probiotic. The infection got much worse, quickly and with a vengeance!

So then I tried some of the newest anti-Candida herbal remedies. You know, those that are supposed to kill off the yeast overgrowth without any symptoms of "die-off." Yeah, right. They all made me so sick and put me in such stomach pain that I missed days of work. No work, no pay, not good!

Next up, the over the counter treatment creams, those with various antifungal agents. I first tried the 3-day variety. "Wow," I thought, "only 3 days and I'm done with this stuff!" Nope. Well then, maybe the 7-day regimen. I may need the bigger guns, here. It worked! The infection was completely gone after the 7 days and stayed gone … for a whole week. So, I tried a second 7-day round. This time it came back within days. If I thought the first time (after I stopped taking the probiotics) the infection came back with a vengeance, this time it was brutal!

I was desperate to find a cure! I went online, I researched, I read articles, and everything I could get my hands on, until I finally figured out why everything I had tried just didn't work or only helped temporarily. In many ways, I had been trying to put the horse before the cart and I wasn't really getting anywhere.

I learned (and it was one of those "duh" moments, for me) that curing chronic yeast infections requires a holistic approach, one that addresses all three aspects of healing. Why hadn't I figured this out before?

In future articles, I'll go more in-depth about the steps I've taken to cure my chronic yeast infection. I'll discuss aspects like:

• The acid/alkaline connection to curing yeast overgrowth
• The basic supplementation you need
• Water and yeast infection
• Internal cleansing
• How hormone imbalances play a role in chronic yeast infections and more.