In a previous article I discussed the causes of yeast infections. Now we will learn about treating those nasty itchy nuisances. Again, the most common symptoms are itching in the vaginal and/or vulvar area, swelling and soreness of the parts and possibly a whitish discharge. Also, remember to get a proper diagnosis before treating yourself.

You will want to treat both the local symptoms as well as the systemic yeast overgrowth. 

Local treatment of yeast infections

Over the counter anti-yeast creams can be quite helpful and often quickly stop the itching. 

Alternatively you can douche with apple cider vinegar, three teaspoons of vinegar to a cup of water. The acid helps to kill yeast. Even more effective is to add two drops of oil of oregano to the mix. 

Garlic is a great natural antifungal. Peel a clove of garlic, thread a string through it with a needle and insert is like a tampon. Leave overnight and remove in the morning. You’ll smell like you’ve had a lot of Caesar salad but it will help to kill the yeast.

Plain yoghourt is very helpful. Try dipping a tampon into some plain yoghurt and inserting it. It is cooling and the friendly bacteria in the yoghurt will help to rebalance the flora in your vagina. You can alternate the garlic and yoghurt treatment until the symptoms are relieved.

Systemic Treatment Candida/Yeast

If you have a vaginal yeast infection there will also be yeast overgrowth in your intestines, regardless of what your MD may say. This needs to be treated as well. Basically, you’ll want to starve, kill and remove the yeast organisms and restore natural balance to your intestinal tract and vaginal mucus membranes.

Diet, as mentioned, is important but not sufficient. The yeast loves sugar, so you need to go on a low sugar diet, the less the better. Be very careful with juice. Even though the juice may be unsweetened, it contains large amounts of natural fruit sugars which will also feed the yeast. The same applies to wine and beer. Limit fruit to one or two pieces a day.

Natural antifungals

You will need a good natural antifungal, meaning a substance that kills the yeast. There are several good choices on the market. My favorite is undecenoic acid, derived from castor bean oil. It can be bought in health food stores. Caprylic acid is another good antifungal, often sold in liquid oil form and great mixed with psyllium fibre and a bit of bentonite clay to improve elimination of the yeast from your intestines. Use as directed on the product. Grapefruit seed extract is yet another good choice. Grapefruit seeds contain a useful natural antibiotic and antifungal. The product can be bought in capsule or drop form. Treatment with antifungals may need to be continued for several weeks, at least six, for good results. It is best to work with a naturopath or other holistic health care professional for best results. 

Probiotics

Lastly, it is important to restore the natural microbial balance in the intestines. There are many good probiotics or friendly bacteria, on the market. Choose a product that contains at least the two main beneficial bacteria, lactobacillus acidophilus and lactobacillus bifidus. There are some excellent products available which contain five or six different strains of friendly bacteria, including lactobacillus bulgaricus, bifidobacterium longum, lactobacillus paracasei and others. Don’t worry too much about the names, the total number of the friendly microorganisms is more important. You’ll need to take at least 20 billion of them a day to have a positive impact, possibly more. Different products contain different numbers if probiotics, anywhere from 1 to 10 billion per capsule. Probiotics may also be bought as a powder.

The bottom line is that your body’s health is greatly affected by the presence and absence of different microorganisms. A deficiency of friendly bacteria may allow and overgrowth of yeast and other more harmful organisms. The key to microbial balance is to avoid antibiotics as much as possible, limit sugar and to use probiotics.

Not only will you avoid further troubling yeast infections, your whole health will improve.