Leanne Love started this discussion ·
I seem to be getting recurring infections and I don't really want to go to the doctor again... I've read online about home remedies like yogurt and I'm dying to know if anyone has had any success with such treatments.
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When i was on heavy antibiotics for my Lyme, i got yeast. Put some natual, plain yougart up there with a turkey baster and it cleared right up! Filled the baster about half way.
The antibodies and good stuff in yoghurt can also be bought in larger dosages from chemists or health food stores. "Inner Health Plus" is a fantastic capsule brand full of acidopholus and bifidus. I take one every night before I go to bed just to keep the my gut healthy ;) Also, a yeast infection is also known as a candida infection. We all have some candida inside our gut - its a bacteria essential for digestion. It's when it gets out of control that it becomes a problem like thrush. Candida thrives on sugar and yeast, so avoid bread, beer, and refined processed sweet foods. Also, you should research "Acid and Alkaline".... its got something to do with your PH balance.... and is also influenced by what you eat. I'm no expert, however I've been hearing this from my folks, my naturopath and my GP for years... my parents are trained in macrobiotics so they know something about nutrition. There are plenty of great natural remedies for Yeast/Candida infections. Just do your research and try everything! And Lyme is right - antibiotics are shocking for killing all our good bacteria in our gut and leading to infections! I always avoid antibiotics if i can.
You really need to find out WHY you are having resurring infections and change that. Is it yeast or bacterial vaginosis? They are the opposite side of the coin...too much yeast/not enough bacteria and you ahve YI, too much bacteria and not enougfh yeast you have BV. The treatment for one can send you into the other and their sysmptoms are similar.
I agree with Chemmie. This happened to me (sorta) a while back. I was getting, what I though were, chronic yeast infections. Went to the doc, they confirmed it was yeast, so I took diflucan and felt better. Shortly after I started feeling that same feeling down there, so I went and got some clotrimazole and did a round of that (7-day.) Felt it again, so did another round. Finally I got fed up and went to the doc. Turned out it went the OTHER direction and turned into BV, so they put me on some antibiotics (for the BV) AND diflucan (to keep the yeast from taking over.) That nipped it in the butt right there. What treatements did you use for yeast? The 1 and 3 day cream courses don't always work. The 7-day is the best of the creams, with clotrimazole being better than monistat (for me.) Diflucan works the BEST. I was told that it stays in your system for a while, so it keeps acting on the yeast for much longer than the initial day you take it. You might want to get some of those yeast infection test kits from the drug store to see if your pH is more acidic. Also, if the symptoms are mild, it may just be irritation and you can rub some of that vaginal numbing cream on it. I get random irritatedness sometimes. One other thing...is it FOR SURE your vajayjay that is burning, or is it your urethra. Sometimes it can be difficult to tell as they are really close to eachother. It IS possible you have a bladder infection. My mom recommended a special probiotic to me called FEMdophilis. http://www.amazon.com/Jarrow-Formulas-Fem-Dophilus-60-Capsules/dp/B001C3Y0GO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1337005286&sr=8-1 http://www.amazon.com/Femdophilus-Probiotics-By-Jarrow-Formulas/dp/B002USILBK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1337005314&sr=8-2 I took that with regular acidophilus tablets as well. There is also a pill called AZO yeast that might help. It has some special herbs in it along with probiotics. You can get it at most drug stores: http://www.amazon.com/AZO-Natural-Symptom-Prevention-Relief/dp/B001G7QVG8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1337005338&sr=8-2 If it does turn out to be a bladder issue, you should start teking cranberry pills. They prevent bacteria from sticking to the wall of the bladder. Also, you should pee right before and after doing the nasty to flush out any bacteria that may have been shoved up there.
I had a bladder infection last fall, and I don't have any burning when urinatinf or anything, so I don't think it's another bladder infection. Last time I got a yeast infection my doctor prescribed fluconazole so I took that and I was fine...until this past Saturday. Awkward question, but I figure we're mostly all girls here, so does anyone know if it's possible for saliva to cause yeast infections? I remember reading about it online and if that's the case I'm almost certain that's the cause...
I know that you can have symptoms of a yeast infection in your lady parts and also in your mouth.... (I think it has something to do with breath odour and a white tongue....). Not sure if its contagious like that though... Sometimes external environment can do it.... Humidity and synthetic underwear is bad for causing them.... Thats why I wear my airy cotton granny panties as much as i can ;)
You know what, since you r over going ot the doc about this, I highly recommend you seek alternative advice from a naturopath or even nutritionist. They can give you advice on diet, herbal remedies, and prevention in future etc. Its worth a shot.
I think getting an infection from saliva is rare. I think your partmenr would have to have a yeast infection of the mouth, and you'd know. It is also possible to pass it during sex, only if your partner is carrying it, but if their naughty bits are normal, then it is doubtful that that is what is going on. You should go to the doc and have them check for yeast, BV, and a UTI anyways. BTW, just becasue you were asymptomatic the last time you had a UTI, doesn't mean you will be now. If it is a UTI, you don't want it to fester as it can go up into your kidneys (I had that happen once.)
Ok...hmm...I'm highly doubtful my boyfriend is infected and he doesn't have a yeast infection of the mouth, so maybe the saliva thing was just me drawing conclusions on a coincidence. I'm trying the yogurt tonight and then if this last effort doesn't fix it I guess I'll go talk to my doctor about BV or a UTI and/or see if my pH is off balance down there. I'm just a little bummed that I have to keep dealing with this because my body is stubborn and this won't go away lol
If you are sure they are yeast infections and not BV then I do recommend plain yogurt. I had a problem with recurring yeast infections and tried the otc treatments and a prescription from my doctor and nothing worked as good as yogurt. You could also try an acidophilus supplement to prevent them from occuring in the first place. Good Luck!
Oh I understand big time! You might try just getting some Vagicaine cream. The active ingredients are Benzocaine & Resorcinol. If you rub it all around the outside, it should numb things and make you a little more confortable. Did you have an infection very recently? It may be possoble that everything is still a little irritated from that????
What exactly would be causing them in the first place? Just as a reference, I've ruled out my underwear; I always wear cotton undies like my mom taught me :) I'm also pretty sure I can rule out my boyfriend.
Sensual, I've been dealing with infections on and off since last fall. I went to the doctor in October I believe and they prescribed fluconazole - a one dose tablet that stays in your body for a while. The infection came back later so I went to the doctor in March and she prescribed two doses (the second one was in case the first dose didn't work). After the first dose I waited a couple weeks and didn't feel any better so I took it again and I have been fine and dandy until just this past weekend.
I've heard of women blow drying their girlie bits after a shower, to get rid of the humidity. I think a high sugar and or carb diet can trigger, but who knows...some people are just lucky. For instance, I know someone who used to get chromic UTI's, and the docs couldn't find any reason why. I just wanted to let you know that my symptoms for yeast and BV were the same. No weird odors at all either, so infections can be tricky.
I went through a nasty re-occuring BV infection years back, the med's would clear it up (don't remember what it was but it ended in -zole and you couldn't drink alcohol when taking it) but it kept coming back. Both me and my man got tested and were clear so my doctor told me sometimes certain people's body chemistries (ph of the sperm/vagina I think) don't react well and can trigger an overgrowth of bacteria (i.e. BV). We started using condoms and it completely went away. Idk, just another perspective. Oh, and my doctor told me to 'save the thongs for the weekend' lol. Hope you get it cleared up, any issues 'down there' can really freak you out, good luck.
Hi, I'm in the medical field (nurse). There are many reasons you could be having an infection. If it is indeed a yeast infection and not BV (not all yeast infection discharges are cottage cheese like). Either your Ph isn't acidic (some lubricants can change the Ph on a condom), you may be run down and your immune system isn't working as well as it should, you may want to see if you have hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) as yeast loves sugar . Have you recently taken any antibiotics? If you keep treating the yeast infection with the same "azoles" they can become resistant as there are many strains. If you went to the doctor I would ask for a culture and sensitivity test to find out exactly what strain you are dealing with. Same goes for a bacterial infection. I had a yeast infection that wouldn't go away for 4 months! I eventually "starved" the yeast by not feeding it any fermented foods or as little sugar as possible. I took a month and wasn't pleasant. I also get chronic UTI's. Cranberry pills are good. Lastly, if you bathe and use bubble bathe and perfume products etc. it can alter pH. Infact, a bunch of things can alter your pH :):) including too much alcohol. Your partner can give you a yeast infection orally if he already has oral candida and you could be passing it back and forth, but he would have symptoms of thrush in his mouth as sensualscimitar had suggested. Ask the doctor to do a wet prep, or culture and sensitivity to seee what you are dealing with and consider a different type of medication (just ask him for his opinion) that has broader activity than "azoles" alone.
I got a couple of really bad yeast infections the other year and we found out that just about all lubes trigger them in me. I now use slippery stuff which is more natural.
AmyLyn ·
No yogurt in your va-jay-jay!!! According to my OB-GYN, sugar can throw off your pH, and yogurt has sugar in it. I'd just go to your doctor
K, so I am overly sensitive in that area, look at it twice and it's got an infection, lol. Meds no longer even breach the problem. My only remedy that works is twice a month to wash with an apple cider vinegar and water mix then hit it with all natural plain yogurt (which does not have sugar). As long as you use the plain kind, I find it to be the happiest and quickest.for either types.
I've heard garlic works? I tried it when I had reoccuring YI last year. It didn't help me, but it didn't make it worse, either, and I've heard it works for other people.
How do you put garlic up in there? Do you just stick a clove in? Or do you need to crush it up first? Sorry if I'm too graphic, I'm just really curious about this as it's the first time I've heard it! Honestly I wouldn't want to smell like garlic down there... 🌸
I have heard this too and wondered since it can be an irritant.... Lol
Ok, so I had problems with this for years and tried EVERYTHING that's been mentioned in this thread, and more. I'm not a doctor, and I'm assuming you actually have a yeast infection when I recount my experiences/advice, so my little disclaimer is: You should definitely confirm with a doctor that this is what's going on, and approve any and all treatments. Here's what I've tried, and how it's gone: 1) Yoghurt - It never worked for me. If you try it, it must be plain with NO SUGAR. Candida/yeast eats sugars. Some people get the yoghurt in with a turkey baster, or by freezing it into little popsicles, but I found this too painful to tolerate. 2) Acidophilus bifidius & similar supplements - It never worked for me. No one knows whether taking it internally really helps or not. If the problem is too much candida in your GI tract that is making its way to your va-jay-jay it could help, howeve. I tried taking them internally, and I also tried emptying the capsules and putting the powder directly in my va-jay-jay. Neither worked, but it could for you. 3) Garlic - It never worked for me. You take a whole clove, crush it gently, put it inside a little cheesecloth with a string tied onto it like some kind of garlic tampon, and put it up there overnight. 4) Tea tree oil anything - This not only didn't work but caused problems. Please do not follow any advice you read on the internet about this, you can give yourself a horrible burning problem this way. 5) Removing all sugars from your diet - In extreme/recurring cases you can try to starve the candida of what it eats- sugars. But this doesn't just mean white sugar, it means anything that ends in -ose, as in lactose (dairy), fructose (in fruit), etc. You can't eat anything fermented, or drink any alcohol. There is almost nothing you can eat. I tried this diet for three months, surviving mainly on plain rice, vegetables, chicken, and vitamin pills. I lost a lot of weight, but it didn't clear up the infections. For more information google "candida diet". 6) Pao d'arco - This is a type of bark that some people brew tea from for yeast infections. I tried drinking it everyday for three months while I was on my no sugars diet, and it didn't work. It also tastes like f%&#ing bark. 7) Douching with 1 c. water & 1 tsp. hydrogen peroxide - This worked sometimes. Usually douching is a terrible idea that makes yeast infections worse, but the hydrogen peroxide makes the environment hostile to the yeast, so theoretically that's why it works. I did get this advice off the internet, but was later told by a gynecologist that it was "brilliant." 8) Stop taking any kind of hormonally based birth control - I never tried this one because I've never used birth control pills or implants/shots (they make me insane-o), but since yeast infections can be caused by hormonal imbalances, this can work for some people. Some doctors will also advise the reverse of this- to begin taking hormonal birth control- in the hopes that it will regulate your hormones. 9) Diflucan (fluconazole) repeatedly - Sometimes the yeast infections keep coming back because they're never being gotten rid of in the first place. My gyno put me on constant Diflucan for something like a month, and after that I did have a long period of no infections. This is a risky strategy and should be a last resort because you can wind up breeding a Diflucan-resistant strain, and then you're really screwed, so it should also be a last resort. 10) Pee and wash after sex - Especially the peeing helps get out anything that might have gotten into your urethra and will ultimately make it's way to your va-jay-jay. 11) Treat the outside, too - Make sure you're also treating your vulva with a cream (you can get Rx strength if necessary) so that the yeast can't creep back in. 12) Make your boyfriend/girlfriend take a shower and/or brush teeth before sex - This is just to be on the super safe side that you won't be transferring anything back and forth. 13) Stop using all lubes except silicone lube. Every other kind of lube on the market has sugars (glucose, etc) in it, and when you use it you are feeding the yeast infection directly. In conclusion, I made it through my late teens and early twenties by a combination of the long periods of taking Diflucan (often at the same time as Monistat), douching with hydrogen peroxide, and just putting up with it. Luckily, the infections simply got less and less frequent as I got older, through my 20's. Now I hardly ever have a problem, and if I do, regular old Monistat does the trick. The cause was obviously some sort of hormonal imbalance, in turned caused by unknown factors that resolved themselves. I know that doesn't sound too helpful, but it's the truth.
PS - Forgot: I also tried douching with apple cider vinegar AND pao d'arco tea, and it didn't work.
Reading this last post made me think of something...men can transfer your yeast infection back to you. I don't believe there are many if any symptoms in men. I have done yogurt and it was not pretty. I have done the 1 and 3 day OTC and they never worked. The only thing that did was the 7 day (actually the 1 day made things worse). Peroxide douche worked the best at tehc beginning of one, not once it is full blown. One other thing that has not been mentioned and is a very very very old treatment is gentian violet. Most pharmacies will carry it or you can order it. It is still used quite often for thrush, which is a yeast infection of the mouth (and nipples of feeding mothers). The stuff stains to high hell but is probably one of the safest home remedies out there. http://www.amazon.com/Humco-Gentian-Violet-1-liquid/dp/B000QTG3ME
