If Seoul becomes the center of world peace, it would almost automatically be the place where good human beings from all over the world will congregate, for the simple reason that all those who are good essentially love one another and believe in harmony, peace and prosperity, not only for their kith and kin but also for all humans living in each and every corner of mother earth. This would give Seoul a unique distinction of being the repository of good human beings and would cast an irresistible spell to people living elsewhere to make a trip to Seoul and experience this new phenomenon first hand. As a side thought it must also be mentioned that since South Korea is still technically at war with North, the concept of international peace would immediately ring a bell not only in every Korean citizen but also all peace loving people across the globe. That would most certainly result in a constant flood of tourists which would allow the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) to reach its ambitious target of attracting ten million foreign tourists without breaking a sweat.

As anyone having the slightest idea about the economic impact a booming tourism sector can have on the overall economy of a country would admit, if Seoul can indeed project itself as the center for world peace, South Korean economy would receive a boost that no amount economic planning or foreign assistance has ever been able to generate in its entire checkered history.

If these economic benefits do not seem enough of a reason for declaring Seoul as the center for world peace, just pause awhile and ponder on the social benefits that can be derived from such a declaration.

Parts of Seoul, especially those parts that house ancient palaces and museums, can be closed off to the daily hustle and bustle of urban life and a Peace Plaza  be constructed. Tourists from all over the world can come to Seoul and stay in a luxury hotel at the Seoul World Peace Plaza, visit the Gwanghwamun World Peace Square, walk through the Namdaemun World Peace Gate, and then stroll along the Cheonggye World Peace Stream.

If sections of this world peace complex are auctioned to individuals and groups who would be responsible for maintenance and upkeep of their sections, Seoul would undoubtedly become the cleanest place on earth. But what would be the motivation of these volunteers, you might argue. Well, the only and perhaps the strongest motivation would be a realization that they, along with numerous other global citizens, have become an inseparable part of a global movement for universal peace. As they would saunter along the banks of the sparkling Cheonggye World Peace Stream, they would surely feel a sense of elation and an oneness with the rest of humankind while browsing through the names of all those that have joined them in maintaining that part of the stream in the name of world peace.

Land and buildings happens to be the most valuable item on the asset side of almost each and every corporate balance sheet and this is true irrespective of the nature and size of any particular business. Thus, it makes immense economic sense for business managers to utilize the most valuable asset in the most efficient manner so as to generate maximum possible returns as it can influence the bottom-line not only immediately but also significantly. For a proper evaluation of strategies that are adopted by business houses as they manage corporate real estate, it is necessary to briefly review the relevant economic theories as this will provide the necessary theoretical basis for passing an informed judgment.

As large amounts of value are locked in land and buildings, it is imperative that the issue be studied from three separate perspectives – business, capital market and financial – as all these different perspectives when taken together would provide a proper and balanced approach to any researcher that is trying to identify the logic that drives corporate houses to take decisions that they take when dealing with real estate at their disposal.

There will also be another rider. All the theories that would be discussed in this study will relate to those corporate houses that use the corporate real estate as a means of production and not as a stock in trade. To put it simpler terms, this study will assume that business houses do not deal in real estate but are in a different line of business and utilize the real estate under their control to further their production and distribution capacities in their chosen line of operation. In particular, the focus of this study would be more on huge retail chains that spread across continents. The reason for focusing on such global retailers is that for such businesses reaching retail customer is essential for survival and the more point-of-purchase they have at their disposal the better are they poised to improve their turnover levels. Thus, these businesses provide a very unique scenario where their survival depends on fast turnover which can only be achieved through maintenance of high value retail stores that more often than not cause large outflows in the form of interest and remind of lost opportunities in the form of notional rent that these retailers could have earned had they let out these prime business properties on rent or lease instead of utilizing these for internal use. This concept gets a fuller treatment by scholars in this field as they examine it from the point of internal rent which will be discussed in greater detail later in this paper.

Importance of Real Estate as a corporate investment option

It has been observed all over the world that corporate entities have always given real estate a special place in their balance sheets. As for example, firms in USA have on an average maintained 25% of corporate assets in the form of real estate. (Rodriguez and Sirmans 1996). The firms of UK have gone one step ahead of their US counterparts as almost 40% of their assets are held in the form of real estate. This is true for all types of firms, especially those involved in retail markets.

Another remarkable issue is that the real estate holdings of firms that deal in real estate are almost at par with those that do not deal in real estate as their main line of business. This only goes to prove that corporate entities, irrespective of their area of operation, tend to view real estate as the most viable and lucrative investment option. This could be because land never depreciates and, as an economy increase in size and activity, value of land can only appreciate. It needs no special training to understand, therefore, why business houses consider investing in land and buildings as a prudent economic decision. It should further be pointed out that the entire capital of most industrial firms in UK consists of real estate. This is very significant considering the fact that it has been the tradition among most UK and European firms to own their corporate headquarters as it possibly sent a signal of economic soundness among stakeholders and the more grandiose the headquarter, the greater has been the perceived goodwill. (Laposa and Charlton 2001)

This same trend has been observed among large companies in Asia where firms in Singapore own at least 40% of their assets in the form of real estate. The basic notion that ownership of corporate headquarters signifies greater economic muscle, that is so very common among European and UK companies, is also prevalent among Asian companies as most corporate giants prefer to own their headquarters. One must not overlook the amount of capital that gets locked in owning such massive headquarters and such ownership must be of some considerable value to these companies as they would have otherwise taken the apparently far cheaper option of leasing their headquarters. The fact that these companies still prefer to own their headquarters leads one to conclude that often such benefits cannot be quantified in monetary terms as there might be a substantial boost in their market standings and goodwill if they own their corporate headquarters. Such an increase in goodwill and consequent elevation in market standings often translate into higher turnover, greater consumer loyalty and preferential treatment by investors in money markets. As these are genuinely substantial benefits, especially to retail giants that operate in acutely competitive markets, most of these giants prefer to not only own their headquarters but also most of their retail outlets. (Liow 1999)

There are, of course, other more tangible reasons as to why companies prefer to invest in real estate. The most obvious benefit is, as mentioned earlier, value of land on its own appreciates over time and no investor would let go an opportunity of owning such an asset that increases in value without any form of additional investment or expenditure on the part of the owner. Moreover, real estate happens to be a ready source of funds as a prime commercial property can be disposed of without much hassle if the company is in sudden need of liquidity. Real estate also in its own way reflects the trajectory of capital growth as a firm that exhibits steady increases in real estate ownership quite obviously also enjoys equally steady increases in corporate efficiency, profit generation and profitability. (Brennan 1990)

Corporate real estate ownership thus has many dimensions and the issue needs to be analyzed from various perspectives, especially as large volumes of capital are involved in ownership and disposal decisions.

Business perspective of corporate ownership of real estate

This notion of managing and owning real estate assumes that management of real estate, like management of all other assets, has to be done in such a way that it increases overall corporate profitability and efficiency. Thus, efficiency of management of real estate will be measured with respect to how such management augments the core competence of the firm and helps in providing a competitive edge to the firm’s operations. In a sense, business perspective of measuring efficiency of managing real estate centers on the basic notion that an asset needs to be utilized to the fullest extent by a business firm in order to remain competitive and profitable. This is perhaps most relevant to firms that operate in retail sector where consumer loyalty is extremely fickle and competition is extreme.

The basic measure of real estate utilization is occupancy costs that have a direct impact on the overall cost structure of a company especially companies involved in retailing. There is a strong relation between floor productivity and overall profitability of a retailer and sometimes return per square feet of shelf space is also considered a suitable unit of measurement of efficient management of corporate real estate. Return per square feet of shelf space is measured by calculating the sales volume generated by merchandise stacked in each shelf and the larger the sales the better is the management of the shelf space. In a sense this approach is not radically different from the conventional approach of measuring economic efficiency. The only difference is that instead of directly measuring the turnover with monetary investment, shelf space is compared to the return it generates. This is a better way of measuring efficiency in managing real estate as it helps the store manager to immediately zero in on more profitable ways of managing the available shelf space probably by more accurately analyzing and correctly forecasting future consumer demand and stacking the shelves accordingly. (Gibson and Barkham 2001)

The other measure of gauging operational efficiency of real estate is through application of notional rent on all self occupied properties. It is an accepted fact that all business entities do a rent-or-buy analysis while buying a property, but once the purchase is completed, such analysis is relegated to the background and available space is generally regarded as an a free resource. This usually leads to uneconomic utilization of such a costly resource.

If notional rent is applied on internal usage of real estate, the benefits are manifold. Assuming each unit operates as a profit center, application of notional rent will automatically encourage more efficient usage of retail space as any wastage will attract a notional rent without any corresponding return. Thus, each profit center manager will actively cut down on any avoidable usage of space, more so, if their bonuses depend on the extent of cost reduction they are able to achieve.

This cost conscious approach to usage of retail space will lead to increase in overall profitability of the company that would finally lead to possible increase in dividends and consequent satisfaction of investors which in turn would go a long way towards generating goodwill of the business as a whole. It has been observed that such a system of charging notional rents is not so popular among businesses in UK and United States and whatever little practical implementation of this concept that has been done is mainly in retail sector where large multinational retail chains have on a few occasions used the concept of notional rent to create an increased state of cost awareness among departmental managers. (Nelson, Potter and Wilde 2000)

There is another school of thought that attaches a lot of importance on the geographical location of the property as retail business depends on how convenient it is for the consumers to approach the point of sale. Thus, many retailers end up having high levels of real estate holdings simply because they put up their retail outlets at all points they feel would be strategically convenient for customers to troop in. In a sense thus, retail giants have to, whether they wish to or not, invest large amounts of money in corporate real estate to ensure continued dominance in their chosen sectors. (Brounen and Eichholtz 2004)

However, some economists argue against this notion as they highlight the continued emergence of e-commerce as a viable market place. (Andersen and Rosen 2000) Though this is true to a certain extent, a virtual market place can however be more efficient in sectors dealing with high technology products where both the customers and suppliers are highly informed and are more interested in the technical specifications and characteristics of the products rather than their physical appearance. In retail sector where customers prefer to physically touch and feel the products before they make a purchase, virtual markets can never become a substitute of real retail outlets. Thus, the necessity of maintaining as many retail outlets as possible continues to be high on the agenda of retail chain owners.

However, one must discount the fact that internet has permeated every sphere of our existence and with further development of technology it might quite be possible that virtual markets will soon overtake real markets in generation of retail sales revenue. Giant retailers are aware of such a possibility and are preparing themselves to shift their overdependence on ownership of real estate to outsourcing and leasing occupancy in accordance to their changing requirements. It is perhaps needless to emphasize that such a flexible approach will allow these retailers to free huge amounts of capital that they might use to further develop their businesses in manners and ways they deem fit. It would also make them more flexible as regards their line of business and make these companies more financially stable with larger levels of liquidity.

Capital market perspective of corporate ownership of real estate

Corporate managers across the entire cross-section of commercial world are under tremendous pressure to continually increase shareholders’ wealth and, real estate, being a substantial part of asset portfolio of most retailers, has a serious impact on how efficiently managers are able to actually increase the net worth of shareholders. There are basically two ways in which real estate affects the valuation of a firm.

The first and more obvious way is by influencing occupancy cost which happens to be one of the most important constituents of the total cost of operation of retailers. Now, profit is the excess of revenue over cost and, if a substantial component of the total cost, i.e. occupancy cost, can be controlled, profit would, through simple arithmetic, increase. Occupancy cost, however, depends almost entirely on efficient management of corporate real estate. Thus the profitability and attractiveness of a corporation (especially those engaged in retail chains) depends to large extent on how efficiently the real estate owned by it is managed.

Owned real estate also affects the valuation of a firm in another way. Presence of high proportion of real estate among the asset portfolio also implies the requirement of a comparatively higher volume debt to finance the operations of a business. Now, presence of high quantum of debt implies a higher capital gearing that automatically leads to a higher leverage of any fluctuations of a company’s annual returns. This is by itself a risky affair as during times of economic prosperity the shareholders would enjoy substantial increases in their net worth while during less favorable times their net worth would erode drastically. Investors and shareholders would rather not opt for such a risky proposition and hence would avoid companies having high cost of capital caused due to high levels of real estate ownership.

However, most balance sheets carry figures of real estate that were purchased decades ago and reflect values that are vastly lower than their current market worth. Thus, real estate is considered by many potential investors and shareholders as latent assets and if due to any reason the share prices do not reflect the actual market value of owned real estate, both shareholders and the businesses have the opportunity of arbitrage either in shares of such companies or in real estate owned by them. (Louargand 1999)  

Financial perspective of corporate ownership of real estate

Due to huge volumes of capital involved, ownership of real estate has a direct bearing on several very important financial parameters as cost of equity, cost of debt and debt capacity of a non-real-estate firm. Real estate ownership can also significantly affect a firm’s credit facility and hence influence its overall operating economics. Thus it requires some analysis as to how best a firm should manage its real estate ownership so that it has the most beneficial financial impact on its operations.

A glance at any corporate balance sheet reveals that the asset side of a balance sheet consists of corporate real estate, other fixed assets and current assets that also include cash and marketable securities. Thus, the limited capital that each company has its disposal has to be judiciously distributed among competing demands and corporate real estate can deserve proper funding if and only if it provides more, or, at least, equal returns as the other competing alternatives are expected to provide. This, however, is a strict notion of how a firm should design its asset portfolio and in reality the actual asset structure of a firm depends largely on its size and nature of business rather than on academic calculations of notional returns from each type of investment.

The other important financial aspect of real estate management is a firm has to opt for a mix of debt and securities in order to raise the fund necessary for acquisition of real estate. This will have significant impact on the firm’s financial leverage and cost of capital but at the same time it will provide flexibility in capital structure as a firm owning more real estate can opt for larger volumes of debt as it can offer real estate as secured collaterals for other loans. Thus taking a loan to procure real estate allows a firm the opportunity of raising more loans by hypothecating such real estate but it would be imprudent to overlook the risk inherent in high levels of financial leverage as any problem in liquidating the hypothecated asset (which might very well happen in times of economic downturn) to meet debt servicing expenses might lead to bankruptcy and consequent liquidation of a firm. Thus, a firm must be extremely careful and cautious while deciding upon the desired debt component in its capital structure while opting for real estate acquisitions. (Manning and Roulac 2001)

The other important aspect that is to be borne in mind is that any acquisition of real estate is bound to have an adverse impact on the existing cash flow patterns of an enterprise. This is so because while any acquisition of real estate invariably entails a substantial cash outflow any form investment in real estate is essentially a long term decision that starts yielding favorable results only in the long run. So, there will most certainly be a gap in the cash flow cycle of any company that goes for real estate acquisition. Unless proper attention is being paid towards the means of financing any real estate acquisition, there might be a serious mismatch between inflow of funds and future outflows associated with other corporate obligations.

However, most firms prefer to view corporate real estate as a source of liquidity and more often than not also as a source of windfall gain. Such gains are reaped by firms during times of economic upswing when prices of real estate tend to soar much above expected levels. It is during such times that firms tend to dispose off their real estate holdings at prices much higher than acquisition prices and earn substantial profits. Disposals also have taken other forms instead of direct sales and one of the most popular forms of real estate disposal by corporate entities is through sales-and-leasebacks (SLB) that has been opted for by many retailers to generate substantial cash. This surplus cash has mostly been used finance either business expansion or capital acquisition or, to provide additional working capital to the business or to strengthen the balance sheet by recognizing undervalued properties. Thus, in brief it might be concluded that by disposing the real estate owned by them and again leasing them back for use in business has allowed many corporate houses to unlock the value that was frozen in such owned properties and increase their competitive advantage with respect to competitors that did not have the advantage of ownership of real estate. And, this entire maneuvering could be done by these corporations without hampering their day to day operations even for a single day.

There are other benefits of SLB that are availed of by many retail chains. The first economic benefit is property leases are so-called “off balance sheet” and are not shown as long term liability in lessee’s accounts. Thus, the return on capital employed improves without any additional effort by the lessee company.

The other benefit, though not so pronounced, is that rent is a fully deductible expenditure and the lessee company can get tax benefits that otherwise would not be available if owned premises are used in carrying out business. Further, the rather vague concept of notional rent that is so frequently cited in academic discussions can be done away with and managers can be made directly responsible for the rent costs incurred by their departments. It will become easier to convince departmental managers about the need to rationalize on usage of office, workshop and showroom space. (Lasfer 2003)

Quite predictably, many US and UK retailers have availed of this opportunity of strengthening their balance sheets and increasing their liquidity with big names as Germany’s Metro Group AG, UK’s Tesco and France’s Carrefour SA being forerunners in this brigade. (Louko 2004)

However, one should also not lose sight of some of the drawbacks of SLB arrangement that has become a highly favored option of most giant retailers of Europe and the United States. Though there is no doubt that sale of real estate would generate substantial cash inflow in short term it will also saddle the company with long term cash outflows in the form of lease rentals. Thus, if the funds generated through estate disposal are not invested in productive avenues, the company might end up being a loser in the long run.

Analysis of corporate real estate management by Tesco in light of latest theories

All through the current analysis, emphasis has been placed on how retail giants in general should and in, some cases, have actually responded to issues relating to corporate real estate management. Attention will now be specifically focused on corporate decisions made by Tesco, a retail giant, with regard to management of huge corporate real estate in the form of its ubiquitous retail outlets.

The retail space has become increasingly crowded with superstore chains vying for consumer loyalty by providing continually more attractive discounts and other freebies that are tossed at consumers at some pretext or the other. Given such a stiflingly competitive atmosphere it has become imperative for Tesco to become economically more efficient simply to survive. The situation has become even more critical given the widespread global meltdown that plagued Europe and United States like it had never done since the days of Great Depression in 1929. So, one the one hand extreme competition from equally efficient and resourceful competitors and, on the other a drastic reduction in purchasing power of retail consumers, together with a tendency to consume less as a panic reaction to the dwindling incomes and vanishing jobs, has made the task of Tesco extremely difficult. The criticality of the situation can be understood when one realizes that Tesco has to continue offering massive discounts and freebies (that obviously cost the company) while facing the prospect of declining revenue. It becomes almost impossible to survive for a long period under such circumstances and Tesco is, predictably, in dire need of substantial injection of finances.

Tesco had a property portfolio in 2006 that consisted of an overwhelming majority (almost 85%) of assets as freehold premises. As discussed in detail in this essay, SLB is a very attractive option for companies to raise fund without disturbing their routine operations. Tesco had decided to reduce 15% of its freehold property by converting it to a 50:50 joint venture SLB structure within a span of five years.

This decision of Tesco whereby it planned to raise £5 billion is the most timely and prudent decision that could have possibly taken by its management. As such, customers thronging the retail outlets of Tesco would not feel any change in the operations of the superstore giant while at the same time the company would be able to mop up £5 billion in free funds that it can use for strengthening its capital base or liquidity position as the case may be. This free fund would be most useful in these trying times as maintaining liquidity in times of economic downturn becomes one of the top priorities of players in retail sector. Tesco cannot afford to let its shelves go empty without being sure of how long it might take for the inventory to be sold out. It implies, in economic terms, that the company has to keep on increasing its investment in working capital without being quite sure about the duration of the working capital cycle.

Thus, the management of Tesco has taken the right step in freeing value locked in its substantial holdings of real estate. It is also up to the management to decide if there is any necessity of improving the material handling process or storage facilities or upgrading tools and equipments used in its various stores. If such a need is felt, then some part of the fund raised through SLB agreements may also be used for that purpose as such expenditure is basically of a capital nature and would improve levels of productivity and efficiency of the organization as a whole.

References

Andersen, Arthur, and Rosen. eReal Estate: A Virtual Certainty. Chicago, IL.: Arthur Andersen, 2000.

Brennan, M.J. “Latent assets.” Journal of Finance, Vol.45 No.3, 1990: 709-29.

Brounen, D., and P. Eichholtz. “Development involvement and property share performance: international evidence.” The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, Vol. 29 No.1, 2004: 79-97.

Gibson, V., and R. Barkham. “Corporate real estate management in the retail sector: investigation of current strategy and structure.” Journal of Real Estate Research, Vol. 22, Nos 1/2, 2001: 107-27.

Laposa, S., and M. Charlton. “European versus US corporations: a comparison of property holdings .” Journal of Corporate Real Estate, Vol. 4 No. 1, 2001: 34-47.

Lasfer, Meziane. “Driving Shareholder Value Corporate Real Estate – Freehold vs Leasehold.” www.donaldsons.co.uk. 2003. www.donaldsons.co.uk (accessed May 21, 2010).

Liow, K.H. “Corporate investment and ownership of real estate in Singapore – some empirical evidence.” Journal of Corporate Real Estate, Vol. 1 No. 4, 1999: 329-42.

Louargand, M. “Real estate’s influence on enterprise value.” Journal of Corporate Real Estate, No.3, 1999: 254-61.

Louko, A. “Corporate real estate disposal: impact on performance ratios.” International Journal of Strategic Property Management, Vol. 8 No. 3, 2004: 131-47.

Manning, C., and S.E. Roulac. “Lessons from the past and future direction for corporate real estate research.” Journal of Real Estate Research, Vol. 22 Nos 1/2, 2001: 7-57.

Nelson, T. R., T. Potter, and H. H. Wilde. “Real Estate Assets on Corporate Balance Sheets.” Journal of Corporate Real Estate, Vol. 2, No. 1, 2000: 29-40.

Rodriguez, M., and C.F. Sirmans. “Managing corporate real estate: evidence from the capital markets.” Journal of Real Estate Literature, Vol. 4, 1996: 13-33.

You must first know that yeast multiplies rapidly under warm moist conditions where there is hardly any air flow. Though yeast is an important constituent of the ecosystem inside a human body, if it starts growing uncontrollably the delicate balance of the ecosystem is disturbed and we start suffering from the ill effects of such an imbalance. So, a general rule is to try and keep the body dry and clean a far as possible. It is needless to say vagina presents all the ingredients yeast would like to have in an environment. In fact, yeast is a natural cleanser of the vaginal canal and resides in large numbers in the canal, but once they increase beyond tolerable limits you start experiencing problems.

So, try to avoid tight pantyhose or any other tight fitting clothing and opt for cotton panties for they tend to absorb moisture and keep the area dry. Instead of full pantyhose you may try out high stockings and see whether your tastes and fashion sense permit such a change. If indeed it is not quite possible for you to shun pantyhose, get out of them as soon as possible. Make it a habit of changing underwear a couple of time in a day. If possible don’t wear panties in bed and try to get into the habit of sleeping in loose pajama bottoms. Also choose toilet paper without any designs printed on them and try to wipe from front to back to restrict any yeast residing in the intestine from entering into the vagina. I’m sure it is superfluous to say you should change your sanitary napkin and tampon as often as possible during your periods.

Also don’t wander around the swimming pool for too long a time in your wet bathing suit for yeasts prefer warm and moist areas for multiplying rapidly. Try to have a bath as quickly as possible after you come out of a swimming pool and change into something clean and dry.

There are a few more things which you should avoid if possible. Don’t use petroleum jelly to lubricate your vagina since this type of jelly encourages growth of yeast. You may try out water-based lubricants instead – they do not help in yeast growth. Ensure that your partner does not have any sort of yeast infection since in quite a few cases this infection is sexually transmitted from the partner. Last but surely not the least important instruction is never use douches since the natural mucus which protects the vagina tends to get washed away by these douches.

Diet plays an important role in controlling yeast infections in the vagina. Try to include a cup of yogurt with active cultures in your daily diet and keep a strict eye on blood sugar levels – never let it spiral out of control.

Yeast infection is really nothing so serious. If you simply follow the basic rules of hygiene you will be free from such attacks.

Thrush is caused by yeast called Candida which is found in every single human being. Actually this yeast performs quite a few important activities within the human body and is essential for normal functioning of the body. But when Candida starts multiplying beyond normally accepted levels, it starts creating real problems. One such example is thrush which is rather widespread in newborns and sometimes in elderly people also.

Actually yeast favors a warm, moist condition to thrive and multiply and the insides of a child’s mouth provide exactly those conditions which yeast likes. So, it is not surprising that infants almost invariably at some stage or the other suffer an attack of Candida. But mouth is not the only place where yeast infection occurs, it might occur in between thighs if diapers are not changed regularly. Any place which is conducive for yeast to multiply freely is a potential zone for yeast infection.

Parents on the lookout for a yeast infection in their babies must regularly inspect the insides of the mouth. When this infection strikes, a white film spreads over the tongue and might extend to upper palate, insides of the lips and might even extend to throat too. When this film is tried to be wiped clean with a moist swipe, irritated flaming red tissues lying underneath are exposed. A child loses appetite, cannot sleep properly and becomes extremely irritable. Since the immune system of a child is yet in its developing stage, parents should not waste any time and consult a pediatrician at the earliest.

Pediatricians often enquire about mother’s health while treating yeast infection in a child. Many a times, infants pick up this infection from their mothers during birth as the mother might be suffering from vaginal yeast infection. It has also been found that babies who are breast fed have a greater chance of picking up this infection if mother has yeast infected nipples. So, a pediatrician often times treats both mother and child in an attempt to deal with yeast infection.

It is not a cause of extreme worry if your child has got a yeast infection. Maintenance of proper hygiene and, in some cases, small doses of medication as prescribed by the pediatrician is more than enough for this infection to subside. Ensure the pacifiers are regularly sterilized and change diapers as soon as they get wet so that yeast does not get any chance to multiply. Also parents and other family members must make it a habit to wash their hands with anti-bacterial soap before touching the child. It will also be a good step to start using paper napkins instead of cloth towels as these are also a happy hunting ground for yeast infections.

Sometimes parents confuse a yeast infection with diaper rash. If you find no improvement in the situation even after 48 hours of application of the cream meant to tackle diaper rash, waste no more time and rush to a pediatrician – your child might be suffering from yeast infection.

The favorite drug of doctors is Fluconazole which has minimum side effects and most people can take this drug without feeling unduly weighed down by mild headaches, dizziness, diarrhea and stomach pains this drug may induce. In certain rare instances of severe reactions, extreme fatigue, rash, dark urine, unusual bruising and bleeding, difficulty in breathing and seizures may also occur. You should immediately inform the doctor for necessary remedial action if you feel any of these severe side effects.

Fluconazole is usually ingested orally and is not very costly either. A full two weeks of dosage would cost somewhere around three hundred and fifty dollars. It works slightly slowly, since it restricts reproduction of yeasts instead of killing them off. This prevents other helpful bacteria also being killed in the process and upsetting the natural ecosystem in the body. Hence it is surely a very good option to treat yeast infections and the best part of it is nursing mothers can safely take this medicine without any fear of transferring the drug to the child.

Itraconazole is another drug which needs to be taken for three months to combat yeast infections. The commercial name of this formulation is known as Sporanox and it comes in small blue 100 mg capsules which need to be stored at room temperature in airtight containers. Usually a daily dose of two capsules is enough but higher dosages may be necessary to combat infections of a more serious nature. Nursing mothers should avoid this drug since there is a fair chance of the drug being passed to the infant’s body from the mother. Other than the normal side effects of fatigue, diarrhea and edema, in severe cases there may be elevated blood pressure, liver enzyme elevation and even hepatitis too.

The other drug which doctors often prescribe is Keroconazole which is marketed under the brand name Nizoral and comes as a caplet, cream or a shampoo. The buyers can choose the form which suits them most. You can have this drug either on an empty stomach or when it is full but antacids should neither immediately follow nor precede a dose of Keroconazole. There must be at least a two hour’s interval between the two. The general side effects induced by this drug are headaches, dizziness, nausea, fatigue, abdominal pain, low blood pressure, abnormal blood count, and in extremely rare cases, impotence.

When you visit your doctor never forget to inform the medications you are on at the moment for him to prescribe drugs accordingly.

Candida albican is the fungus which is responsible for yeast infection. It usually resides in lower intestine and is a small fungus which multiplies asexually through budding process. To the naked eye it bears an uncanny resemblance to cottage cheese and is also found in vagina. If the population of Candida albican is within tolerable limits, the body experiences no problem. Troubles start only when this fungus starts multiplying at an alarming rate and if not treated in time could lead to a potentially hazardous situation called Candidiasis. Most acute cases of vaginal yeast infection are examples of advanced stages of Candidiasis.

The first negative impact of Candidiasis is it upsets the delicate balance of various bacteria and fungus which form the fragile ecosystem within a human body. This upsets the normal functioning of the body and it becomes less immune to attacks from various harmful bacteria, fungi and viruses. In really critical cases of Candidiasis, the mucous lining of intestines tends to get eroded and gets punctured in places. This brings the gastrointestinal and blood stream of the patient perilously close to each other. If dangerous toxins and allergens escape into the blood stream, the situation can become grave and degenerate into a life-threatening condition.

But this situation will suddenly not crop up overnight. Your body will give you enough warning signals that all is not well. You will start suffering from abnormal constipation, blurred vision, mood swings, depression, headaches, anxiety and a perpetual sore throat. If you do not pay heed to these disturbing indications you are sure heading for some big trouble.

It has been found that some people are more susceptible to Candidiasis than others. Women who have had multiple pregnancies or suffer from diabetes or are undergoing chemotherapy for treating cancer are particularly vulnerable to this disease.

There are certain simple things which you should do to prevent the situation from aggravating further. You should avoid alcohol and starchy food because both alcohol and starch favor rapid multiplication of yeast. If possible, avoid canned or bottled fruit juices too. Fresh fruit juice is however an antidote to yeast infection so go for it whenever you can. Take some over-the-counter antibiotics and have plenty of sleep. Your body recovers in leaps and bounds when you are sleeping.

Men having diabetes are practically sitting ducks against an infection of yeast. So also are those who guzzle bear at the slightest opportunity. If a man has been administered severe doses of antibiotics to cure another infection, or has had an organ transplant and is taking prescribed drugs which suppress natural immunity to prevent rejection by the body of the recently transplanted organ, he might suffer a bout of yeast infection. So, you see, men getting affected by yeast infection is not an unusual phenomenon at all. There could be yet another reason for a man to catch yeast infection. If he has unprotected sex with a woman who is suffering from vaginal yeast infection, there is a big chance that he may become affected too. In some cases men get affected because of disturbances in their digestive system.

If yeast infection in males is not taken care of in early stages, the consequences might be disastrous. The excessive growth of Candida, the fungus which causes yeast infection might move upwards through urethra and reach his prostate gland, and once it becomes affected, it’s the beginning of a number of really serious problems.

Usually in males, the uncontrolled growth of fungus takes place under the foreskin of penis and it’s indeed a painful situation, no doubt about it. This obviously leads to a highly hampered sex life. But this is not all. It might also cause loss of memory and violent mood swings. In lesser instances of yeast infection it results in fatigue, diarrhea, bad breath and dry skin. It also becomes the main cause of athlete’s foot or jock itch. Patients suffering from yeast infection suddenly discover a mad desire to consume sweet and starchy foods and become big fans of potato chips and pasta.

Men can and usually use the same local application creams which are used by women to get rid of yeast infection. It is but natural since the infection and its nature remains the same and goes away through application of same medicines. The popular medicines are Lotrimin, Acetum, and Gentian Violet. But, men beware of using Gentian Violet. This cream leaves a purple patch on your clothing and can become a real embarrassment if not taken care of in advance. A homemade remedy to tackle yeast infection and widely favored by women is to apply white vinegar dilute by water on the affected area. Men can also benefit from this.

There are two drugs which have immense power to tackle a yeast infection and are sure shot remedies for problems of this type. They are Fluconazole and Ketaconazole. But be very careful before you take these drugs. They have a host of awful side effects especially Ketaconazole is known to inhibit secretion of testosterone and other steroids which body produces naturally. Any imbalance of natural steroids produced by the system can have really devastating and long lasting side effects. These drugs also have a negative impact on the normal functioning of liver.

Men should increase their intake of vitamin C and try to avoid sweets and starchy food as long they are not completely cured of this infection.

An animal can get affected by yeast infection in much the same manner as a human being can get affected by it. But the reasons are not always the same as to why an animal might catch an infection.

Let us first discuss the reasons which are common to both humans and animals. One very common reason is use, rather overuse, of antibiotics. Antibiotics are a double-edged sword. Because of their ability to control a vast majority of infections, they are hugely popular, but while getting rid of one type of infection it either reduces the general level of immunity in the body or kills friendly bacteria and fungus which normally reside in our system. This causes an imbalance in the delicate ecosystem within our bodies and it becomes open to a large number of other infections, yeast infection being one of them.

The other reason which is common to both humans and animals is stress. Yes, animals also suffer from stress much the same way as we humans do. The only difference is that they are unable to express themselves as we can. But the bad effects of stress are much the same in animals as in humans. It can create an imbalance in the volume of yeast that is optimal in the system. When that level is breached, both you and your pet become vulnerable to an attack of yeast infection.

Now let us discuss the reasons which are specific to animals only. It could be heartworm medications, vaccinations, medicines administered to rid your pet of fleas, or, toxic gut syndrome which is the end result of lack of digestive enzymes and poor quality minerals. These are some of the reasons for your pet to become affected by yeast infection.

You may at times feel perplexed as to why your pet is not responding well to treatment being done for some other ailment. Before blaming your vet find out whether your pet is suffering from yeast infection. This infection often prevents other medicines from having full effect. If indeed your pet gets affected by yeast infection you may try out a simple change of diet instead of rushing to a vet. Many a times pets develop an allergy to readymade animal foods available in the market and a change of diet is all that is required to clear unwanted yeast infection from the animal’s body.

Before we end, we should take a quick glance at the symptoms to look for in your pet to find out whether it has been affected by yeast infection or not. If you find it to be chronically lethargic or there is excessive redness between toes and other skin folds on the body, or, it is suffering from bloating and excessive gas, or, it licks or scratches excessively its private parts or rubs its nose abnormally, you might be reasonably sure that it has been affected by yeast infection.

You can order for a yeast removal kit but don’t get carried away by catchy advertisements. It can take anything between two to eight months for your pet to get completely rid of a yeast infection. At times your pet might feel very uncomfortable while this detoxifying process is carried out but unfortunately is unable to express itself. So, pay special attention to find out whether it is feeling comfortable or not.

You may try out another simple remedy also. Bathe your pet regularly with a medicated shampoo and thoroughly dry it after each bath. You may be pleasantly surprised to find that the yeast infection has vanished within a week to ten days.

If your baby has what is commonly called diaper rash or the child’s tongue gathers a white coating which does not go away when wiped with a moist cloth and the insides of the mouth remain inflamed (generally known as oral thrush) or gets rashes in folds of skin in other areas of the body and constantly cries the whole day while refusing to eat, there is a big chance that the infant is suffering from a yeast infection.

If you are a woman and suffer painful rashes on nipples and under breasts or feel pain while urinating or having an intercourse with occasional white sticky discharge during the whole day, chances are you have contracted a yeast infection. The white discharge and painful intercourse is often confused with vulvitis so it is always better to meet your physician if you suffer problems of this kind.

Normally it is easy to get over such infections through some simple alterations in lifestyle. Please remember yeast thrives in moist and warm conditions especially where there is hardly any air circulation. So, underwear that does not absorb moisture or too tight trousers or pantyhose along with perspiration present a golden opportunity for yeast to grow and multiply beyond normal levels and the moment that threshold is breached we start feeling uncomfortable.

So you need not get overly worried if you suffer from such an infection – a few basic steps in hygiene in most cases is enough to get rid of a yeast infection. Neither should you feel embarrassed if you are suffering from a yeast infection. Though it is highly irritating it is not dirty or abnormal in any way. It is just the result of an overgrowth of an organism which is a normal constituent of our bodily ecosystem. Don’t hide it and suffer in silence, simply discuss with your companion and go for some over-the-counter drugs and better still visit a doctor and get some prescription drugs, soaps and shampoos.

If you maintain proper hygiene and strictly follow the doctor’s advice it will hardly take a week’s time to get over this infection.

Normally yeast infection occurs inside mouth, below breasts, inside vagina and sometimes on the skin. From the description of areas which are prone to yeast infection, it is absolutely clear that women are more prone to get infected by yeast infection than men. But this obviously does not mean that men are immune to this infection altogether. They also get affected at times but as this disease is usually more found in women, men tend to hide from others the fact they have been affected.

Actually yeast tends to multiply in warm, moist areas where there is limited air circulation. So, mouth, vagina and other areas where there are fatty folds and tend to remain moist with perspiration or other forms of secretion are happy hunting grounds of yeast.

As is common with any other form of fungal infection, yeast infection attacks those with lower levels of immunity. So, babies and elderly people and also those who have lower immunity levels either due antibiotic medication or due to diseases like AIDs are also vulnerable to attacks of this fungal infection.

But there are other reasons for a person to fall prey to an infection of yeast. It could be diabetes, obesity or the fondness of wearing tight clothing and working in conditions which are hot, humid and lead to excessive perspiration.

There are other reasons also. People who prefer underwear made from synthetic fabric instead of cotton and don’t make it a habit to wear fresh underwear everyday also lend themselves easy prey to yeast infection. Also, an apparently harmless activity as strolling around the swimming pool in wet bathing suit can lead to yeast infection.

It is only normal that some women are more susceptible than others to yeast infection. It might occur repeatedly to some people while some might escape from just one bout of the infection. It is no doubt an irritating and in some cases an embarrassing situation but it in no way proves that the patient is ‘dirty’ and there is absolutely no reason to feel ashamed about it.

Any woman who gets affected by a yeast infection must realize that it is nothing obnoxious but only a case of minor imbalance in the ecological balance within the body. Yeast cells which normally reside within the body and perform certain vital functions have temporarily multiplied beyond normal levels and could be brought under control quite easily.

But it is always advised to visit a doctor whenever there is a suspected infection of yeasts. There are certain serious diseases like gonorrhea, gardnerella, trichomonas or Chlamydia whose symptoms appear very similar to yeast infection to an untrained eye and it is always better to get yourself examined by a qualified medical practitioner to remain on the safer side. A simple pap smear at a doctor’s chamber can clear quite a few doubts.

Sometimes when the doctor is not very sure, a culture might be recommended but that must be done to clear the mind of any nagging doubts forever.

In some cases, even when there is a simple yeast infection, qualified medical attention and care become absolutely essential. It happens when the infection becomes immune to commonly available over-the-counter anti-fungal medications. A doctor’s prescription for those extra potent medicines which you can’t buy over the counter becomes essential.

Prevention, as they say, is always better than cure. This is true for two reasons. If you prevent the infection from attacking you, you are spared the pain, trouble and irritation it inflicts. Not only that, but also every time you are infected, the resistance level of yeast towards prescribed medication increases and you need ever increasing doses of medicine to overcome successive bouts of yeast infection.

So, keep a strict control on what you eat and avoid excess alcohol, sweets or bread and maintain a hygienic lifestyle to keep yeast infections at bay.