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 Posted: Sun Aug 01, 2010 10:25 am
Taken from: http://lifestyle.ca.msn.com/health-fitness/womens-health/rodale-article.aspx?cp-documentid=24994271
Question: Can you recommend natural ways to treat a yeast infection?
Answer: I'm not aware of any successful natural treatments (OTC antifungal medications are best), but you can prevent yeast infections from developing. It's all about balance: The v****a naturally consist of small amounts of yeast called Candida albicans, which normally is harmless. But when that yeast grows out of control, symptoms like itchiness, irritation, and thick, white vaginal discharge can develop. Ward off infections by taking the following steps:
Keep dry
Both heat and moisture encourage yeast to multiply. Wear cotton underwear and change out of tight, wet, or sweaty clothing, such as workout wear and swimsuits, as soon as possible.
Check your Rx
In addition to killing germs, antibiotics destroy the beneficial bacteria in the body that can help keep yeast under control. Use these drugs only when necessary.
Steer clear of chemicals
So-called feminine hygiene products, including sprays and douches, can throw the v****a's ecosystem out of balance as well.
Relax
Manage stress and get adequate sleep: A weakened immune system makes you susceptible to infection.
Tweak your diet
Yeast feed on sugar, so cut down on foods that cause blood sugar to spike, such as sugary desserts, soft drinks, and processed grains. Eat more yogurt, which is rich in beneficial bacteria, and raw garlic, a potent antifungal agent.
Supplement
If you get more than three yeast infections a year, consider taking a daily probiotic that contains Lactobacillus bacteria. Studies show that these healthy bacteria produce lactic acid and other substances, which maintain a low pH in the v****a, preventing Candida overgrowth.
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Posted: Sun Aug 01, 2010 10:00 pm
Breathe in,
I'm sure this will be very helpful. I personally didn't know there was really a pill out there.
As far as natural things, I read somewhere something about putting a few spoonfulls of vinegar (and something else, maybe?) in your bath. Not sure how well that works though, lol.
Some creams do help, though. Vagisil definitely helps at times.
Anyways...yeah, yeast infections totally suck. Dx
Breathe out.
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Posted: Mon Aug 02, 2010 4:26 am
Where I live, there's OTC medications like Monistat (vaginal pill + cream) and Canestan (vaginal pill and cream, and oral pill).
I haven't heard the vinegar thing, and I'm not sure if I'd try it, but I'm interested to hear about it. surprised
I haven't had a yeast infection in a long time. *knocks on wood* I hate them too though.
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Posted: Mon Aug 02, 2010 8:50 am
I don't think they sell the yeast infection pills over the counter where I live, but you can get them from the doctor. And of course you can get the creams over the counter.
But a lot of people don't realize that there are a few different kinds of vaginal infections. Many of them can even have the exact same symptoms. So being itchy down there does not necessarily mean yeast infection. And using medication for something that you don't even have can make things worse.
So even though it can be really tempting to skip the doctor and just grab the yeast infection cream, you should not use over the counter yeast infection medication unless you have actually been diagnosed with a yeast infection by a doctor. It usually says that in bold print right on the box, but a lot of people don't bother to read the box!
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Posted: Mon Aug 02, 2010 9:04 am
Here a pharmacist has to be working or else the lock it up.. but they don't ask you anything when you buy it.. it's seriously just sitting on a shelf where they can't see it.. you don't even need to buy it from them.
I wonder how accurate those vaginal testing kits are.. that measure the PH to see if you have a yeast infection or something else.
I personally just take my active bacteria type pills once a day to keep the yeast at bay. >3
And when I do get one I just insert two capsules twice a day in my v****a and it clears up within a week.
I tried a yeast infection kit thing once.. it was just as messy as the pills and was so much more expensive so I just stick with the pills. 3nodding
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Posted: Mon Aug 02, 2010 9:47 am
Intoxikace I wonder how accurate those vaginal testing kits are.. that measure the PH to see if you have a yeast infection or something else. I am prone to bacterial infections. They can look and feel very much like yeast infections. One of the side effects of the bacterial infection pills is a yeast infection. The only time I get yeast infections is after I take the bacterial infection pills. The doctor sometimes gives me the bacterial infection pills and the yeast infection pill to take after it if I need it. I bought the over the counter Monistat yeast infection test kit. Since I get infections so often, I thought it would be a great way to double check and see if I actually needed to take the yeast infection pill that she gave me, or if any itching was due to the bacterial infection not being gone or even due to my imagination. I used the tester once when I am pretty confident that I had a bacterial infection and once when I am pretty confident that I had a yeast infection from the bacterial infection pills. Yet it said yeast infection both times. And since the test kits are made by the same people who make the over the counter yeast infection medication, I do wonder if they made the testers lean towards yeast infection in the hopes that women will buy the yeast infection medication. So I doubt I'll buy that again...
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Posted: Mon Aug 02, 2010 12:52 pm
I never thought about that. o_o
I was thinking it was just a regular PH test paper but it came with a fancy applicator.
I'm pretty sure if you looked up what the PH of the v****a is normally, with a bacterial infection, and with a yeast infection you could use a plain old PH test strip to figure out what you have..
Just an idea.. not too sure if it would work properly or not since discharge is a little.. thick? ;p
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Posted: Mon Aug 02, 2010 1:27 pm
Intoxikace I never thought about that. o_o I was thinking it was just a regular PH test paper but it came with a fancy applicator. I'm pretty sure if you looked up what the PH of the v****a is normally, with a bacterial infection, and with a yeast infection you could use a plain old PH test strip to figure out what you have.. Just an idea.. not too sure if it would work properly or not since discharge is a little.. thick? ;p Yeah, it is just a pH test strip with a fancy handle. It turns a different color when you put it in your v****a. And it comes with a color coded thing to help you interpret the results. I think yellow was yeast infection, blue was bacterial infection or STD, and green was normal or something like that. And I believe both of my testers were yellow even though I believe I had a bacterial infection one of the times. So I don't know. Maybe they rigged it to be extra sensitive on the yellow side. Or maybe thick discharge does throw it off (the directions do say to make sure it's touching the wall of your v****a, so thick discharge might get in the way of that?). Your pH can also change throughout the month, so I wonder if that can throw it off too. Either way, I wasn't impressed and would rather just visit the doctor to double check. xp
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Posted: Mon Aug 02, 2010 2:52 pm
It's still a cool idea.. even if it doesn't seem like it's super effective. XD
Totally forgot about PH changing throughout the month due to when you ovulate. >__<
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