Vaginal Yeast Infection

Home Remedies for Vaginal Yeast

Infections

1.Several studies have shown boric acid to be a safe, inexpensive and effective yeast remedy. If your doctor approves of the idea, try using boric-acid capsules as a suppository the next time you have a flare-up. To make your own suppositories, fill size “O” gelatin capsules with boric acid. Insert one capsule vaginally once a day for a week. (Check with your pharmacist for the gelatin capsules and boric acid.)

Skip this remedy if you are or may be pregnant, however, since boric acid hasn’t been studied among pregnant women. Instead, talk with your physician about other treatment

2.Unsweetened cranberry juice may acidify vaginal secretions and equip them to fight off the yeast. Eating two fresh garlic cloves a day, either plain or minced and tossed in a salad or sauce, may also prevent yeast infections or help clear up a case of thrush. Garlic has anti fungal properties.

 

3.For thrush, make a basil tea and use it as a gargle. Boil 3 1/2 cups water, remove from heat, and add 1 1/4 teaspoons ground basil. Cover and steep for 30 minutes. Cool and gargle. Or sweeten to taste with maple syrup and drink 1 cup twice a day.

To relieve itching and burning, make a tea of rosemary, and use it as a douche or dab it onto the external area. Or make a thyme tea using 1 teaspoon dried thyme per 1 cup boiling water. Steep and drink 1 to 4 cups per day if you have a yeast infection

 

4.Sexual partners can play “hot potato” with yeast infections, passing them back and forth, even if one of them has gotten treatment. Often, men harbor yeast organisms, especially in the foreskin of an uncircumcised penis, but show no symptoms. So when one partner is treated for a yeast infection, the other should be treated at the same time to avoid reinfection.

Couples who make love before a yeast infection has been completely cured should also use condoms during intercourse (even if another form of contraception, such as the Pill or an IUD, is being used) to act as a barrier and prevent passing the infection.

Women who take birth control pills also appear to be at increased risk for developing yeast infections. While researchers haven’t established a cause-and-effect relationship between the Pill and yeast, some studies have shown that oral contraceptives increase the glycogen (the body’s storage form of sugar) in the vagina (which provides more food for yeast reproduction).