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| Panties pictured: Fruit of the Loom All Over Lace Bikini Panties- 6 pack |
Most, if not all, women have experienced this itchy, uncomfortable and unwelcome situation. I am sharing 3 natural and effective ways to cure yeast infections; an adventure us woman run into occasionally or more frequently than we would like. Don't wait until your flower is raw from itching ravenously to try these natural cures out. They are safe (unless you are allergic to any of the things I am sharing), natural, inexpensive and most importantly, effective. I use any of these three when I find myself in this predicament and each of them work for me every time and I think they can help you all too.
1) Plain, full fat (sugar free) milk yogurt
Yeast infections, to simplify them, are when the balance of good and bad bacteria in your gut/colon become imbalanced. In most cases, it's the increase in bad bacteria that creates the imbalance. This can be caused by various things like stress, an acidic diet, improper or damp undergarments or side effects from taking hormonal birth control. Yogurt has good bacteria in it and when inserted into the vagina, help re-balance things down there.
There are two different ways to do this and both I recommend to do in the evening before bed:
A) Dip a clean, dry tampon into some plain, full fat (sugar free) milk yogurt. Make sure the tampon is fully coated in yogurt. I like to use plain, full fat (sugar free) Greek yogurt. Insert the yogurt covered tampon and leave in overnight. When I do this, I like to sleep with no panties on and I lay a towel down where I will sleep in bed to catch any mess. Not only does it feel cool and relieving immediately, its success rate is very high!
In the morning, remove and continue on with your morning and cleansing routine. Usually, you will feel relief after just one time doing this. For good measure, I will often repeat the next night just to make sure everything is good. If you find that you need to do this more than 2-3 nights in a row, then skip to remedy number 3.
B) I have never done this technique before but if you don't want to go the tampon route, you can use a syringe, without the needle of course, to insert the yogurt directly into your vagina. Leave in for a couple hours or overnight and clean out in the morning.
I prefer method A the best. This simple and cheap remedy works every time for me and other friends I've recommended this to. With both methods, it is best to do these in the evening overnight because they are messy.
2) 1 Clove of Garlic
Stick a clove of garlic inside of you? Yes! Though it may sound odd and have you smelling like garlic bread down under temporarily, this works. This is also a good alternative to the previous remedy if you are a strict vegan and don't want to use yogurt. To summarize the science behind this: garlic kills yeast. Any baker knows this and knows to wait until any breads have risen first before adding any garlic to it for just that reason. It's no different for the yeast our body produces due to an infection.
The clove will not get stuck inside of you unless you are trying to jam it up to a place that it would. You are putting it inside of you so that it just hides behind your vaginal lips. Make sense? You don't have to push it up very far at all but you do want 95% of the clove inside of you.
I recommend doing this in the evening before bed, and leaving in overnight. Remove the white skin/shell off of 1 clove of garlic, insert into vagina and leave in overnight. In the morning, remove clove and toss it in the trash. This one is most effective at the onset of an infection before things have gotten out of hand. Any woman who has a had a YI before knows the feeling when one is starting up. If you're in the midst of an infection, then remedy #1 will turn things around. Like the yogurt remedy, I don't suggest doing more than 2-3 consecutive nights. If it feels like you need to do this every single night for relief then check out remedy #3.
3) Take a probiotic
The first two were for the yeast infection/imbalance you may experience every now and again. But if yeast infections are something more frequent for you, one you will want to see a doctor to get to the root of what is constantly creating this imbalance. One example is that yeast infections can be a side effect of hormonal birth control. I experienced this last year when I was on the Pill. After doing extensive research, I was able to counter balance this side effect with the daily consumption of probiotics. Probiotics are good gut bacteria that keep the good and bad balanced.
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| Can be found at local health food stores in your area and on Amazon. |
A great women's probiotic I took while on birth control and works fabulously is Renew Life Women's Care Ultimate Flora Probiotic. Why this one is so good is because it is more affordable than most probiotic pills and it has the good bacteria strains that especially like to hang out in women's bodies and affect our health the most. Another selling point is that no refrigeration is necessary with this product; the majority of probiotics require refrigeration so these are great for travel (just store them in a cool and dry location and away from direct light of any kind). You can find this brand at local health food stores; chain markets like Whole Foods and Fairway normally carry this or you can find at Amazon.
When I got off of birth control, I didn't need to take this regularly anymore. However, with today's western diet and just how our food is farmed and processed, men; women and children are encouraged to take a probiotic daily to maintain good gut health. So if you are healthy and just want to optimize your gut health and take preventative measures against yeast infections, you can take this one daily for those intentions.
If none of these remedies work, please see a doctor. Something else may be going on but with these being relatively safe and inexpensive, it doesn't hurt to try these alternatives first.
Facebook it, tweet it, email it; just share it with whoever you think it could help. Do you use any of these remedies? What natural remedies do you use to cure a yeast infection?
Disclaimer
As always, none of what I'm saying is to be replaced with or deemed as professional medical advice. I am not a doctor or licensed in anything medical. Try any of the above listed at your own risk, using your own judgement and after having done your own research. If you have any concerns about any of the remedies listed, medical conditions or allergies; please always talk with your doctor or general physical FIRST.
Milan is a New York City based, creative writer and the founder of AGrlCanMAC. She's a self proclaimed accessories junkie who's passionate about healthy living, adventure, books, crystals, the Law of Attraction and arts & crafts. AGrlCanMAC is a resource for women of color all over the world who want to look good, radiate good and feel good at the same damn time.
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