Natural remedies for yeast infection?

[Waterbaby020805]

Help! I realized tonight that I have a yeast infection. : What can I do to get rid of it and how long will it take?
I have read a lil bit about yogurt, garlic, and tto to treat it. Does that work? How exactly do I use them and how often?

tia!!

[wendygrace]

Whenever I start getting the beginnings of a yeasty, I go out and get myself a good probiotic and some good, organic yogurt (with as little sugar as I can muster. Plain is best). I mix my probiotics with the yogurt and that's what I eat for breakfast, snack, lunch, snack and before bed snack. I also increase my water intake by double.

When the itchies get bad, I soak in a vinegar and baking soda bath. And then air dry that area.

That usually resolves things in 1-2 days for me.

[Honeybee'smama]

I usually use garlic. If I catch it early one night and it is gone. I just peal a whole garlic clove and insert it in my yoni. There has only been two times I needed to use garlic more than one day. Way cheaper, faster, and better for me than those over the counter nasties!

[Waterbaby020805]

thanks for replies..keep 'em coming!
I guess I've had the yeast infection for a while....like weeks, but I just didn't know it till today So no catching it early for me. TMI: I've got the white goo coming out..is that a bad sign?
I inserted a garlic clove in there just a minute ago. Do you know how long I can keep it in? I was hoping for overnight...around 8 hrs. Is that too long for one clove?
I also chopped up two garlic cloves and gulped them down with water.

I don't know anything about probiotics...what should I get?

[Red Sonja]

When I used the garlic I kept it in overnight, I think I had to do that 2-3 nights in a row. They say not to nick the garlic so it won't burn, but I did deliberately nick it some (it was a really bad YI, Monistat didn't work) and it didn't burn.

[boongirl]

I used to have terrible yeast infection problems and I handled them and got rid of them for good by taking all sugars out of my diet for at least one month. That means fruit and any kind of sugars of any kind, including all alcohol. It is hard but it wil be worth it. Yeast infections are never just vaginal. They are more than likely all through your digestive system and healing the gut helps heal the vagina. I've even had them in my throat (thrush). Then, find a good probiotic that is refridgerated. In my experience, yogurt does nothing. It tastes ok but probiotics are much, much stronger. You can take them orally and vaginally. There is a huge difference between good and bad brands. My naturopath recommends Pharmax brand. Use the high potency for at least a month and then switch to maintenance for a few months afterward, as you reintroduce sugary foods back into your diet. This will heal your gut and help it recover and help the rest of your body, too. I buy mine from my naturopath but you can also order it from the company or see if it is sold anywhere near you. It is pricey but worth.

http://www.pharmaxllc.com/


Then, after you are healed, if you ever have to take antibiotics again, take the pharmax hlc maintenance the whole time. It prevents yeast infections. I had systemic yeast infections for years after being over treated by allergists in the 1980s. It took a year or more to heal my gut this way but I have been yeast free for nearly 10 years and I taken antibiotics a handful of times since with no recurrence.

I've never had any luck with garlic but I suppose it cannot hurt to try except that if your vagina is raw and sensitive, it may not feel good. Yeast infections are a result of an inbalance of bacteria. Probiotics replace the bacteria that you need and are missing, thereby killing the yeast. Garlic might help the immune system but I have never heard of it helping the actual yeast infection.

[Talon's Mom]

I have used peroxide with success. I mix about 2 tablespoons with about 1 cup water and use this as a douche for a few days (number of days depending on severity).

[Waterbaby020805]

wow, no sugars at all for a month?! I'll try!!
This infection is my first one...that's why it took so long for me to realize what it was, because I didn't even know what a vag yeast infection was (and actually my mom told me what it was when I told her my symptoms). It wasn't caused by antibiotics at all. My mom said that is was from having sex for the first time in almost 3 months (my dh has been away at boot camp and I got to spend time with him for 2 days last Thursday and Friday). She said something about a chemical change in my body or something??
Hmm...but now that I think about it...maybe it was caused by antibiotics? Now I'm really confused. I've been itchy/red/raw feeling for a couple of months now. I had a bad sinus infection and got on abx for it. But I've been on abx before for sinus infection (I'm super prone to them) and it never caused a yeast infection??
What do you think caused it?

[sphinxie]

The beneficial bacteria in your gut (and I suppose some may also be present in your mouth and yoni?) keep harmful bacteria and yeast in check. When you take antibiotics it kills all the bacteria, including the good ones, and the yeast can take over.

A good comparison is with cutting down a forest. When you cut down old growth trees, the forest slowly grows back... but it's usually not the same kind of trees, it's quick-growing kinds. The same thing happens in your gut, a different type of microbe takes the place of the beneficial bacteria. Antibiotics won't always mess up your gut population. Some antibiotics are worse for this than others, and sometimes one round is the straw that breaks the camel's back after several rounds that the good bacteria survived.

Using probiotics and yogurt is important for renewing your gut flora. But that's more of a long term treatment. For the short term, the infection might be too advanced for garlic to cure it, though it will help. I'd suggest either boric acid suppositories, or get a remedy from a doctor. (I don't know about others' experiences but I find monistat doesn't always work, and sometimes it hurt a lot.) I don't have a lot of experience with douches that people suggested, but they sound worth trying too.

[sebarnes]

You can also try colloidal silver. My dd got a yeast infection, and I sprayed her vaginal area with colloidal silver after every time she went potty for about two days, and it cleared it right up.

[Spastica]

I second the apple cider vinegar vaginal wiping (you can add a drop of tea tree oil too), taking apple cider vinegar capsules orally, and eating plain yogurt (or taking acidophilus capsules, available at any pharmacy near the vitamins).

Avoid tight fitting clothing and wear undies with cotton crotches. I blow dry my cootch daily with a blow dryer (low heat, high blast!) to keep the area free of post-shower moisture. This has helped tremendously. Bacteria/yeast love moist areas, and you're particularly wet around the nooks of the legs and crotch after you shower. And what do we usually do after a shower? Toss undies and pants on straightaway. That just traps moisture.

Wash up after intercourse and be sure to pee too (avoid UTI's while you're at it).

Also -- people prone to allergies tend to be yeasty. It just comes with the territory. It doesn't help that antibiotics kill good bacteria. Good tip on the probiotics, especially acidophilus.

You can probably get tested for Candida too. If tested positive, try an Anti-candida diet (look it up online, there's several sources).

[prairiechild]

Coconut oil has anti-fungal properties. I would start using coconut oil when cooking or baking.

I had a friend tell me she had a bad yeast infection and had taken Diflucan and couldn't get it cleared up. I gave her some of my best quality organic coconut oil and she applied it to her vaginal area and possibly inside (can't remember exactly) and she said it cleared it up. Coconut oil is also a great lube if you want to use it prophylactically.

[Ileifa]

I am not sure if someone mentioned this, but if you are very itchy already, you can insert sugar-free live bacteria yogurt directly inside. You can either get a plastic applicator at the drugstore or use cheesecloth or just your fingers. Wear a pad (preferably cloth) to catch any running. It works wonders. I used to have chronic yeast infections, but going off of sugar, mushrooms, vinegar, breads for 4 months really healed my gut. Acidophilus and garlic are also very helpful for boosting the system. It is probably related to leaky gut, which is related to allergies. HTH, good luck.

[solidcitizqueen]

My daughter had her first YI following her 2nd period, and I've never had one. I quickly read everything I could to treat in naturally, and then she didn't listen anyway, and I had to use Monistat on her. UGH!
Anyway, I'd get a sea pearl (sea sponge) and soak it up w/ colloidal silver or peroxide mix, a few drops of ACV and a few drops of GSE (grapefruit seed extract). The garlic thing was mentioned here by a few ladies, and it sounds like a great idea too. Nothing will live in colloidal silver longer than 6 minutes. GSE kills bacteria better than any cleaning or hospital garbage you can think of (I use GSE for EVERYTHING inside and out), has no side effects, ir organic and natural and NO burning. Peroxide is a fixer upper for almost anything. The ACV burned my daughter because her YI was P/Oed!!! The soaked sponge can stay up there and do it's thing over night!

[Waterbaby020805]

Originally Posted by Ileifa

I am not sure if someone mentioned this, but if you are very itchy already, you can insert sugar-free live bacteria yogurt directly inside. You can either get a plastic applicator at the drugstore or use cheesecloth or just your fingers. Wear a pad (preferably cloth) to catch any running. It works wonders. I used to have chronic yeast infections, but going off of sugar, mushrooms, vinegar, breads for 4 months really healed my gut. Acidophilus and garlic are also very helpful for boosting the system. It is probably related to leaky gut, which is related to allergies. HTH, good luck.

I have some Stonyfield Farm plain yogurt on hand...would that work? It says it has 15g sugars..is that okay?

I would assume that this infection is not related to my diet, since this is my first yeast infection. Do you think? I don't have any allergies that I'm aware of (thanks to good ol' mom for bf'ing me 5 yrs )

Also, I got some Multidophilus..how many should I take? It says it has over 1 billion L. Acidophilus, Bulgaricus, and Bifidum. I know nothing about this...did I get the right stuff?

Thank you ladies!!!!!!!!!

[marymamma]

I second using the GSE. My 6 week old DD and I are battling thrush at the moment and I am using GSE in her wipes solution and I am also taking GSE capsules. It seems to be helping a lot!

ETA: Even though you have never had a yeast infection before, your diet right now affects your infection. The yeast feeds off of sugar, so the more sugar you are eating, the harder it is to get rid of the infection. Believe me, I know its hard. I am trying to cut out the sugar so we can get rid of this thrush. The midwife told me to cut out bread and pasta also.

[erin a]

Tea Tree Oil works great. Take a bath with TTO in it and when you're done take a cup of water with 5 drops TTO and soak a wash cloth in it, then wash vulva with wash cloth and try to do a vaginal sweep with the wash cloth as well. Do the TTO cloth thing a few times a day and you can even do it if you feel an infection coming on or as a preventative thing. I find this also helps with the itching. Garlic has also worked really well for me in the past.