I know, the bigger the word, the scarier it sounds right?

Candidiasis.

Actually, you'll be relieved to hear that it is not as malignant as it sounds - whew!.

Have you heard of or even had thrush, vaginitis, jock itch, nappy rash, an itchy bum, infected nails, ringworm, or developed deep cracks in the corners of your mouth or in the folds of your skin ? Let's be honest here - who hasn't?

Then you have had a run in with a group of fungi called Candida.

Now before you go rushing off to have a bath, these guys are living all over our bodies everyday. Most of the time they are in balance with their environment and we all live together quite peacefully.

In fact when things are in balance, these fungi are actually very helpful to us.

Sometimes though, the environment becomes a little unbalanced (changes in temperature, clothing, hormones, diet...that sort of stuff) and the fungi start to increase in number. They may even attempt a take over which leads to various infections.

The ones mentioned are very common - in fact most of us will succumb to at least one of these at some point in our lives.

Now, the official term for this infection is Candidiasis -you may have heard it called a yeast infection. Same thing.

Candidiasis can affect every part of the body both inside and out - literally from your head to your toes - even in your mouth and esophagus through the gastrointestinal tract and the bladder.

Many alternative medicine theorists also believe that in rare cases it can even infiltrate the bloodstream and become systemic - causing all sorts of havoc with the body's endocrine, muscular, immune, digestive, respiratory and nervous systems leading to everything from asthma and PMS to Multiple Sclerosis and some forms of cancer.

But don't jump off the balcony just yet because most form of candidiasis are easily treated using a combination of topical, nutritional and lifestyle adjustments.