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On the same note, steer clear of tampons and remember to keep the area as clean and as able to breathe as possible. That means changing feminine pads frequently (at least every 4 natural treatment for vaginitis hours), wearing clean cotton underwear, and avoiding tight pants that stifle the area. 23 Over-the-Counter Treatment Products: Pros and Cons Over-the-counter, or OTC, treatments for yeast infections are incredibly common and are available in just about every drugstore or grocery store you go into. They are relatively inexpensive and widely available, so it’s no wonder that most women who think they have a yeast infection run out and buy one of the many OTC options. It doesn’t help that the airwaves are inundated with television commercials of pretty women complaining about yeast infections, then holding up boxes of drugs for you to buy. And flip open the pages of any women’s magazine and you’ll see plenty of print ads, too. Those companies want your money pretty badly, it seems! But buying an over-the-counter treatment is not always a good idea. First of all, if you have a vaginal infection that is not actually a yeast infection, trying to treat it with a yeast infection cream or suppository is not going to do you much good. Moreover, you could actually be increasing your body’s resistance to these treatments, so that when you need them later on they won’t work as well. Treating yourself for a yeast infection when you don’t actually have a yeast infection is, well, just no good for your body at all. Moreover, OTC medicines are not meant for every woman. If you are under the age of 12 or you are pregnant, avoid OTC medicines and consult your doctor about treatment options. The same goes if you are breastfeeding—drugs in your system may be secreted in your breast milk. This is true even if you are using a topic drug and not one that you take orally, because topical medicine is absorbed through the skin and into the bloodstream. 24 Fungicidal creams are perhaps the most readily available OTC treatment options. Monistat is the best-known name, and you’ve probably seen their commercials on TV or in magazines. Monistat and other similar creams contain an antifungal drug called tioconazole. When you insert this antifungal cream into the affected area, it will go to work attacking the yeast. Usually, creams come in a package with several applicators. You put the cream in the applicator and then insert the applicator into the vaginal area and apply the cream as directed. The cream will stay “up there” for some time. You must repeat this process anywhere from 1 to 10 times, depending on the kind of cream you buy (1-day treatment, 3-day treatment, or 7-10-day treatment). But it’s important to go through this slowly and to be thorough, especially before you jump into this next step of killing off all the remaining yeast. Why? Because dead yeast cells can be toxic to your body, and if you kill everything off at once you are going to be flooding your body with toxins. That can have a whole range of terrible side effects, like flu-like symptoms, depression, nausea, headache, and so on. 43 Okay, so now that you know it’s important to be slow and thorough, let’s talk about how to get rid of that nasty yeast. • Method 1: Supplement with Calcium Magnesium Caprylate Calcium Magnesium Caprylate, also known as caprylic acid, is a powerful yeast-killer. It is readily available in health food stores, so get out there and purchase a high-quality supplement (capsule form is easiest). Remember to start off slowly. Don’t overdose your system with this strong stuff, because you want the yeast to die a little at a time. Begin with a low dose, approximately 500 mg daily, and be sure to take it at mealtime. After about 5-7 days, you can gradually up the dosage by another 500 mg per day. After another week, up the dose again, by another 500 mg. Listen to your body, and if you start feeling ill, it’s a sign that the yeast is dying off too rapidly. Again, take it slow! Keep upping the dose over a course of weeks or months until you are taking 2 or 3 grams a day. You should start to feel really great, full of energy, and yeast-free! • Method 2: Supplement with Oil of Oregano Research suggests that oil of oregano may work even better that caprylic acid to beat yeast and kill of that nasty fungus. How? Well, oil of oregano contains a substance called carvacrol that really dislikes candida albicans, or yeast. In fact, it is such a powerful antiseptic that it used to be used to sterilize preoperative instruments. All this from the oil of an herb that you most likely have in your kitchen right now! 44 There is little question about oil of oregano’s beneficial properties as an anti-viral, anti-fungal treatment. Be aware, it is very powerful! Therefore, as with method 1, you’ll have to start slow, so that you don’t overload your system with parasitic die-off. Begin with one drop daily, added to a full glass of water, juice or milk. You may also put the drop directly on your tongue, but beware, it may sting or feel hot! Work up to two drops daily. Again, let your body be the judge. See how you feel and up the dosage accordingly. Step 5: Reintroduce the Good Bacteria Into Your System In Step 4 you killed off all the remaining yeast using powerful natural remedies. Good for you! Your body is now yeast-free! But one effect of taking antiseptic, antifungal supplements is that your body may yeast infection remedy contain less of the beneficial bacteria you need to stay healthy. So in this last step, you need to repopulate your body with that healthy bacteria. And how do you do this? By using probiotics to re-grow your natural intestinal flora, lactobacillus acidophilus and lactobacillus bifidobacteria—yes, the stuff that makes yogurt so great for you! Now, you’d have to eat an awful lot of yogurt in order to get the optimal amount of bacteria into your system, so that’s not the best solution. What you need to do is to go out and get another supplement, so that you can be absolutely sure that you are getting the right amount of these two kinds of helpful bacteria. Look for a supplement that contains both lactobacillus acidophilus and lactobacillus bifidobacteria. As with all supplements, make sure that you are buying a high-quality brand and from a reputable store or source. It is also 45 recommended that you refrigerate these supplements to keep them fresh. Follow dosage instructions and continue taking the supplements for at least half a year, if not longer. Well, that’s it! That’s the entire system! As you can see, it is really possible to cure your yeast infection and improve your overall health—without every having to pollute your body with prescription drugs. At the end of your treatment (it will probably take about a year, including the time it takes to repopulate your body with good bacteria), you will feel like a new person. Terazol is available by prescription in a 7-day or 3-day dosage, which you administer as you would any other cream, using an applicator, and it is also available in a suppository form. Pros: 30 • If you choose the 3-day version you’ll spend less time treating your infection • More powerful (and more effective against fungus) than OTC treatments Cons: • Messy • Again, contains oils that can break down latex • May cause some side effects, including body pain and headache 31 My Safe and Effective Multi-Step Home Remedy So now you know: OTC treatments are rarely all they’re cracked up to be, and prescriptions treatments may have some very undesirable side effects. Moreover, running out to buy a treatment every time you get a yeast infection can recurring yeast infection be very costly—especially if the treatment you’re using is not effective or, what’s worse, even triggers further infections! Wouldn’t you rather treat your vaginal yeast infection with natural, home remedies that cost nothing or close to nothing, that won’t cause adverse reactions like some drugs can, and that are readily available to you? And wouldn’t it be great if your treatment plan included suggestions for small but vastly effective lifestyle changes that could actually prevent you from getting infections again in the future? (Now what doctor is going to take the time to sit you down and talk about your lifestyle and how it affects your vagina?!) My multi-step home remedy is both super safe and extremely effective. The medical establishment likes to promote its pharmaceutical options because that’s how they make the big bucks, but this treatment plan is, in my opinion and the opinion of thousands of other women, far superior. Let’s put it this way: it works by tackling your yeast infection at its root, not just by treating its symptoms. My treatment plan takes into account all the factors of your life and how things like stress and diet might be causing your infections—and that kind of comprehensive approach is how you can effectively cure yourself. Intrigued? Well, I’m about to share with you my multi-step home remedy, from start to finish. I promise you, it works! I know from personal experience! So 32 if you’re frustrated by your recurring or persistent infection and you’ve tried everything else, don’t give up! This is going to be the last treatment plan you ever need! Step 1: Get the Surface Problem Under Control If you’re suffering from a yeast infection, you’re probably going nuts from all that itching, burning and swelling. So your main priority is to get those symptoms under control. Well, there are several very easy and effective ways to do that that don’t require any prescription drugs or a trip to the doctor’s office. All they require is a trip to your fridge, supermarket or health food store. The following are several highly effective and readily accessible natural treatments you can use to help relieve the surface itching and redness of a yeast infection. • Yogurt The single most common home remedy for relieving the symptoms of a yeast infection is yogurt. That’s right—yogurt! But not just any yogurt—I’m not talking about the banana-strawberry flavored low-fat stuff. I mean unsweetened, plain yogurt that contains live cultures and—this is very important—acidophilus. Acidophilus is the good stuff that lives in the intestinal tract and that keeps everything in working order. This is the stuff that is going to help keep the yeast under control. Given current trends toward (somewhat) healthier eating, you may be able to find this kind of yogurt in your local grocery store. If you can’t, however, try going to a health food store. To give yourself a simple and effective yogurt topic treatment, use the yogurt the same way you’d use a vaginal cream. Use a syringe (with needle 33 removed) to squirt the yogurt up there, or make your own yogurt “suppository.” It’s easy: all you have to do is to freeze the yogurt so that you can easily insert it into your vagina. Try putting yogurt into plastic tampon applicators or regular old cream applicators and then freezing them. Another great trick I’ve heard about is to use a plastic glove: put yogurt in each of the fingers and freeze. Then, when you’ve got your yogurt “suppositories,” insert them for some nearly instant relief. Plus, a side benefit of freezing the yogurt is that the coolness will help soothe the heat of the inflammation in the vaginal area. Leave the yogurt in for a good long while, perhaps while you’re sleeping, and repeat once or twice in a day. Keep this up until your symptoms start to abate. Simply buy ointment base and then gather up some chickweed. Squeeze the chickweed to produce juice, then mix the juice and ointment, stir well, and apply to the affected areas. If you don’t want to make your own ointment, you can easily find chickweed ointment at the health food store. • Boric Acid Boric acid pills (available at health food stores or pharmacies), used as suppositories, can be a very powerful treatment for those particularly strong infections. Try using two capsules a day—and again, make sure that they will easily dissolve inside your body. (Some women do have reactions to boric acid, so proceed with caution. Don’t overdo it!) • Tea Tree Oil Tea tree oil is systemic yeast infection widely used in other parts of the globe to fight off yeast infections, and it works great because of its antifungal properties. In fact, tea tree oil is often used in the U.S. to successfully control athlete’s foot, dandruff and acne—why not try it “down there”? It works effectively but gently, and it actually smells wonderful and very refreshing. For the easiest possible method of treatment using tea tree oil, go to a health food store and purchase tea tree oil suppositories to use instead of 36 those OTC or prescription drug suppositories. Or you can buy the oil itself and apply a few drops to a lubricated tampon, then insert as normal. • Colloidal Silver When consumed or applied topically, colloidal silver appears to have the effect of killing off parasites and one-celled organisms, including fungi and bacteria. It seems to support the immune system and help repair damaged tissue. Colloidal silver may be used to treat yeast infections in the form of a douche. Mix the silver (1 tablespoon) with a full glass of water (8 ounces), then use the solution as a douche, to cleanse vaginal area. You will probably feel almost immediate relief from your symptoms. Colloidal silver is a suspension that contains pure silver floating in pure water. The atoms of the silver are electrically charged so that they are suspended in the water and do not all clump up at the bottom. Colloidal silver is readily available on the internet and in health food stores. Look for high-grade formulations, made from an electro-colloidal or non-chemical method of production. Also look for products that are slightly golden or yellow in color, and no darker. Avoid products that need to be shaken. * * * Okay, so now you’ve got the symptoms under control, and you’ve cured your vaginal infection—at least for the time being. Now it’s time to address the underlying cause….it’s time to: Step 2: Adopt a Low-Carbohydrate Diet 37 Now, as I’ve already said, yeast doesn’t just live in the vagina. It also lives in the mouth and the digestive tract, and the trick in treating a yeast infection and preventing it from reoccurring is to get the excess yeast to die off and to reestablish the right balance. You can’t just do this by treating your vagina topically! If you must wear nylons, just use this simple trick to allow the air to circulate down there: get out your scissors and make a cut in the crotch area of the nylons. Stay Dry! 48 Just as you must pat yourself dry after taking a shower or bath, you must also be sure to get dry right after going swimming. Don’t sit around in a wet bathing suit! This is one of the most common triggers for a yeast infection. One of my favorite tips is to use a blow-dryer set on low heat to dry off the area after a shower or bath. You’re probably already going to be blow-drying the hair on your head so this won’t take more than an extra minute or two. Plus drying off with warm air diminishes the risk of infecting yourself with any bacteria that may be present on your towel. Avoid Feminine Hygiene Products Don’t use douches or feminine sprays, which can disrupt the PH-level of the vagina. Remember, maintaining the natural acidity level of the area is a good way to prevent infection. Also, change your tampons religiously—don’t leave them in longer than recommended—or use feminine hygiene pads instead. Also, while it may sound silly, something as simple as toilet paper can trigger a yeast infection. Avoid toilet paper that has dyes or colors in it. Use the plain, white, unscented boring old stuff. Use a Lubricant During Sex Having sex when your vagina is dry can actually cause irritation and lead the way to an infection. The body should naturally make its own lubricant when you become aroused, but certain factors (age, level of arousal, irritation, etc.) can decrease the amount of fluid that is produced. If you are so dry that sex feels painful or you feel a chafing, you could be paving the way for a yeast infection. You should make it a point to use a sexual lubricant like K-Y jelly. When you are picking one out, make sure it is safe for 49 use with condoms. (Remember, Vaseline can actually eat through condoms and latex!) You can even integrate the application of it into your foreplay in order to make it less of a chore! Maintain a Healthy Diet Yeast feasts on sugary, bready foods, so try to cut back on your consumption of things like candy, sweet desserts, beer, yeasty bread, white pasta, and so on. You are really helping your entire body get healthier when you swear off these foods—or at least cut down on your intake of them. To reestablish the good balance of yeast in your body, consume lots of organic, probiotic yogurt that contains live cultures and acidophilus, which keep your intestinal tract in good shape. You will find that this new diet makes you feel so how to get rid of yeast infection good that you won’t even miss that sugary stuff. While cravings may set in in the first days or weeks or a new diet, that is just the yeast crying out for sustenance. You’ll probably find that your yeast infection begins to clear up pretty quickly! This treatment works so well that I have actually heard of some doctors recommending it to their patients instead of drugstore medical treatments. If an OTC treatment is anywhere from $10-$20, and a carton of yogurt is $2-$3, and yogurt seems to be even more effective, well, which is the smarter treatment plan? However, if the idea of putting yogurt “up there” is just too messy or weird for you, there’s another option that delivers the same “good” bacteria into your system. Go to a health food store and buy acidophilus pills in a gel coating. (The coating is important because you’ll want it to be able to dissolve thoroughly inside your body.) Use the pill as a suppository and insert it into your vagina, just the way you would with a drugstore or prescription suppository—although this one is probably going to be much better. • Garlic 34 For hundreds of years garlic has been a favorite food and spice, and millions of people already know how beneficial it can be to your health when eaten, raw or cooked. But did you know that raw garlic cloves can also help cure a yeast infection when applied topically? Garlic is a very powerful antifungal, which means that it will get right to work killing off all the nasties that cause the itching, swelling and redness. It is a beloved natural home treatment of many, many women, and no wonder. It is ultra-effective, works quickly, and is practically free! Do you have garlic in your kitchen right now? Probably. If not, just pick some up next time you’re out doing your grocery shopping. It’s so inexpensive and readily available that for many yeast sufferers this is the treatment of choice. To get some immediate relief, put a peeled garlic clove up in your vagina, just about a finger’s length deep. It will eventually work its way out, or you can get it out by bearing down hard, as though you are having a bowel movement. Don’t worry about “losing it” up there—there’s no way a garlic clove can fit through the cervix. Leave the garlic clove in place over night. If your infection is severe, you may need to do this for several nights in a row, and you may want to replace the garlic clove with sign of a yeast infection a fresh one each morning. Repeat this until the symptoms disappear, and then repeat one extra day for good measure. Try it and see for yourself why so many women swear by this easy and allnatural treatment. • Chickweed Ointment 35 Instead of buying a prescription or OTC ointment to relieve your itching, why not try all-natural chickweed ointment, which is just as effective but does not contain potentially harmful ingredients? Chickweed is a weed that is commonly found in gardens and grassy fields, and you can actually collect it and make your own ointment if you so desire. A disclaimer: I 27 am not saying you should not take what your doctor prescribes for you. I’m just saying that your best route to health is being an educated consumer, with medicine just as with anything else you buy. Now let’s talk some more about these medicines: Diflucan (Pill) The Diflucan pill, also known as fluconazole, is a strong, single-dose pill that is used to kill off the yeast candida and other types of fungus. It is an oral drug, meaning that you take it internally rather than apply it topically. The funny thing is, although this treatment is supposed to be a one-dose treatment, it does not always cure a yeast infection in one go. In fact, it is now fairly common for doctors to prescribe several days’ worth of the drug. I personally know of many women who have taken the pill only to have their infections recur within the recurrent yeast infection week. As far as side effects go, there is the possibility of having an allergic reaction to the drug. And because it’s a pill that you swallow, it gets into your body’s system, so you may experience more side effects than if you had simply smeared a topical cream “down there.” Pros: • For some women, a single pill will suffice • No messy creams • It’s easy Cons: • Many women report a recurrence of the infection after taking this pill • The possibility for allergic reactions exists 28 • A single pill may cost up to $15 or even $20 • Should not be used by pregnant women Nizoral (pill) Nizoral is another oral treatment, but this one is really strong. It will wipe out candida and other fungi, and therefore is often used in conjunction with an antibiotic treatment regimen (which is known to increase susceptibility to yeast infections). On the downside, taking such a strong drug may not be kind to the rest of your body. Nizoral may adversely affect your liver and hinder your body’s ability to make natural steroids, like testosterone. Pros: • A powerful drug that will wipe out the fungus • May be used along with antibiotics to help stave off an infection before it occurs • Not messy, like a cream would be Cons: • Since it’s taken by mouth, this drug will have systemic effects Gynazole Gynazole is another one-dose treatment, but this one is a strong cream rather than a pill. You use it the same way you would use an OTC cream, but this one is meant to work faster and more effectively. The cream has a texture that enables it to adhere better to the vaginal walls so that there is less slippage and “oozing.” A dose of this treatment will set you back 20 bucks or less. 29 Gynazole contains a drug known as butoconazole that is widely known to provoke adverse reactions in the people who use it as a topic treatment. Reactions vary and may not be all that serious, but stop and think about whether you really want to expose that delicate area to a commonly known irritant. Doesn’t that sort of defeat the purpose of using it? Pros: • One-dose will supposedly do the trick • The cream is less messy than OTC creams • No systemic effects as with oral treatment Cons: • It’s messy • As with other creams, contains oils that break down latex (used in many types of birth control) • Contains butoconazole, which may cause adverse reactions as a side effect Terazol Terazol is an antifungal cream that contains the powerful drug terconazole and that is meant to wipe out candida albicans. It is so strong that is will likely wipe out other fungi, too. |
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