From Health magazine
If only your body were a little more honest, figuring out what’s wrong when you don’t feel right would be so much easier. But often a symptom—maybe it’s a sore back, cracked lips, tingling in your legs—has an odd or unexpected explanation.
Here, the surprising secrets behind five common complaints, and expert advice on how to get the relief you’re looking for. Plus, four symptoms you must never ignore.
Cracked lips?
It could mean: You have a yeast infection
Dry, cracked lips may be your body crying out for lip balm—or a sign of a yeast infection. “We all carry yeast on our skin,” says Shawn Allen, MD, a Boulder, Colorado, dermatologist, but cracks around the edges of your mouth may mean your body has too much.
What to do: Stop the growth
You lick your lips a lot when they’re chapped because that makes them feel better. But warm, moist saliva just encourages yeast growth when it pools in the corners of your mouth. The right remedy starts with the real source of the problem: dehydration. So, drink lots of water.
If your lips still crack, apply a moisturizing barrier like a beeswax balm or Vaseline. That should stop the pooling of saliva that encourages the yeast. Hydrocortisone cream or a topical antifungal medication may be helpful, too.
Next: Shoulder or torso pain?
Comments (1)
I wouldn’t recommend using hydrocortisone on a yeast infection or any other fungal infection. You might want to amend your article before someone ends up making their symptoms way worse. Additionally, topical steroids are rarely indicated for use on the face.
That is just irresponsible journalism.