★★★★★
Grapefruit Seed Extract
Borax
★★★★★
Vitamin D, Probiotics
★★★★☆
Dietary Changes
★★★★★
Garlic
★★★★★
Hydrogen Peroxide, Saline Douche
★★★★★
Of course, when asked I got some drippy cream, an expensive prescription and some relief! I struggled with vag infections EVERY TIME I took antibiotics after that -just asked for the vag cream to go with it whenever I had sinus, or strep. I heard about peroxide on a religious talk show and GOD BLESS THAT LADY!
My HACK:
The DrNeilMed Sinus rinse bottles to use in the shower!!! $10 Lasts years. Not advertising - just sayin' it works and squirts!
They come with 50 tiny packets of salt. I used it for repeated sinus infections - and with a capful of hydrogen peroxide (all peroxide caps the same size) to about 12? oz warm water - my sinus infections went away and have never had to take an antibiotic in over 10 years!
I got to thinking...and tried the same mixture as a vaginal rinse -using the same bottle in the shower! VOILA'!
So SIMPLE So CHEAP! Keeps everything in balance! Makes me want to punch the doctors in the nose who prescribe expensive yucky creams and suppositories which I struggled to pay for sometimes. (they weren't OTC then). I never used more than a capful-or 2. I am past menopause now -and the vag infections still come and go-but I have INSTANT RELIEF!
After 40 years of dealing with this...I am glad to know but disgusted no one in medicine told me. Oh and in a pinch for a quick tune-up -you can do it on the toilet and be fresh and itch-free anytime.
Another embarrassing item...I have hypothesized and tried it...if you make your man brush his teeth extra good...it happens less. I believe it is associated with oral contact - ALWAYS happened with my first husband...but NOT with my second...they can harbor bacteria in their MOUTH that causes infections. Someone shared something embarrassing for me to be comfortable...so I must share what I have found to be true. I couldn't sit still for itching most of my life. ~sigh~
Hydrogen Peroxide
Bentonite Clay
What brand of clay did you use? I've been using one for 3 weeks with no improvement yet. Wanted to try a different clay. Please advise!
Green Tea
★★★★☆
Apple Cider Vinegar and Salt
I have experienced this thanks to a yeast infection during pregnancy. Yeast infections are SO HARD to get rid of because the body is producing excess estrogen and sugars in the vagina. It's been hell.
A treatment might work and give me relief, but within 1-3 days the yeast would be back. Maybe even worse than before.
So far, I've tried garlic cloves as suppositories, coconut oil and oregano essential oil bulses, baking soda, salt, and ACV. It was after the majority of these treatments that work I read that prenatal yeast infections are so tough they are prescribed a full week of the toughest antifungal possible. I was focusing on treating with a remedy for maybe three days like my previous infections when I wasn't pregnant. Perhaps my treatments would have worked if I had stuck with them for a full week. Who knows.
Right now I'm trying whey from plain yogurt. It's easy for me to insert versus yogurt (the downstairs is always compact and engorged at 38 weeks so actual yogurt is almost impossible to stuff in there).
I'll see how it goes.
Colloidal Silver
Hi Jenniffer,
With colloidal silver, ppm is just one way to describe how much silver is in an actual liquid suspension. It probably would be less confusing to just say how many milligrams of silver are in a given amount of the liquid suspension, but manufacturers have chosen to use parts per million instead of milligrams. Most other supplements use milligrams and this is easily understood with minimal confusion for consumers. For example, a one liter bottle of 10 ppm colloidal silver contains 10 milligrams of silver, a 500ml bottle of 20 ppm CS contains 10 milligrams of silver, a 250 ml bottle of 40 ppm CS contains 10 milligrams of silver and a 125 ml bottle of 80 ppm CS also contains 10 milligrams of silver. So these four examples will all deliver 10 milligrams of colloidal silver per bottle, even though they are all different parts per million. Based on available studies and the average amount of blood in the adult human body it can be roughly estimated how many milligrams of silver need to be taken per day in order to achieve an effective dose. The amount of milligrams of silver per dose is what is important, so when people say they take 5 teaspoons of silver three times per day, it doesn't mean much, unless they also say what the parts per million is, whereas if they say they take 5 milligrams of silver three times per day, it is clear that they are taking 15 milligrams of silver total per day and there is no need to use parts per million.
If a person already has 20 ppm colloidal silver, but would prefer to have 10 ppm colloidal silver, they just need to add an equal amount of distilled water to their 20 ppm silver and they will have 10 ppm colloidal silver.
To get the best effect for topical use, keeping the topical application (dressing) wet or moist is very effective for rapid healing and neutralizing most types of pathogens .
Art
Colloidal Silver
About your appreciation of colloidal silver; I completely agree. I have been using it for about 25 years, and within the past 3 years, I use it on a daily basis to keep overall viral load low.
One point you need to expand on; when you asserted that "less is more" ppm believing that 10 ppm is "smaller" than a larger ppm amount, like 50 ppm. But ppm has nothing to do with particle size. Ppm means that there are 10 parts per million of Ag atoms (atomic weight at 47). And if the atom is an ion, then the electron count is 46. So if a CS maker produced a product with 10 ppm, then the size of the atom is unaffected....there are just less atoms of Ag ions in the liquid.
Now there are many views of CS making, so if you would like to correct me, I am always open to new information. But it would be helpful to have a strong source for the assertion that "less" ppm means the size of the particle (atom) is smaller.
Colloidal Silver
Colloidal Silver
★★★★★
Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple Cider Vinegar
Borax
★★★★★
After searching I came across this site and read about Borax. I have it in the bathroom for making laundry soap. I don't have any capsules to use so I just stirred about 2 tsp into 2 cups of water. The burning and itching were so bad I couldn't stand it and I didn't even wait for it to dissolve before shooting some up there with a turkey baster in the bathtub. It burned for a minute but then it got about 95% better and I feel SO much better. Well at least I do down there. I found out the hard way that long turkey basters don't balance well in small measuring cups and that when you knock the solution across the tub while balanced precariously everything gets a bit slippery. Next time I will sit in the bathtub instead.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Boric Acid
★★★★★
★★★★★
Yeast is very difficult to treat so I think it's important to use several remedies unless one particular one works for you. Luckily, my yeast infection isn't as bad as others report (my symptoms: cottage cheese like discharge, watery discharge, lower back pain and abdominal fullness/pain, some itching although it isn't terrible). Here's what worked, and didn't work, for me:
First, I tried using oral probiotics for 2 weeks, and although it seemed to help it didn't clear the yeast completely.
Next, I used a yogurt douche, and while that helped temporarily or about 24 hours I actually feel it made my yeast come back with a vengeance.
Next, I tried the ACV remedy, taking 1 tbsp 2-3x day orally in water, as well as soaking a tampon in a diluted ACV mixture and wearing for 15 minutes for a period of 3-4 days. That did help, and I did notice some lessening of yeast, but didn't clear the yeast completely.
Next, I tried storebought vaginal probiotic suppositories which, like the yogurt douche, seemed to help initially but then made the condition worse within a day or two. I think it's safe to say that adding other probiotics in the vaginal tract doesn't work, at least for me!
Desperate, I found some coconut oil in my cupboard and then realized I also have some tea tree/lavender essential oil from. The caprylic acid in coconut oil is reputed to kill yeast, and I have had great success using coconut oil for many things, including coconut oil suppositories for hemorrhoids, so I thought, why not? I used the blister pack that my vaginal suppositories came in for the mold (you can use any blister pack for pills that have a round, pill-like shape), put my coconut oil jar in a bowl of hot water to melt the oil into liquid, poured the liquid into the mold and added 4-5 drops of tea tree/lavender oil into the mold (any more will burn! ), popped the mold into the fridge and then waited for it to solidify (15 mins or so), then quickly took out the suppository and inserted vaginally right before bed (might be good to do while lying down IN bed because this melts quickly from your body heat and will drip out if you stand up! ) Just note that in the morning, this will come out and it can get messy, so wear pantyliners or pads to protect your clothing.
The first night ... INSTANT RELIEF! The coconut oil/tea tree combo is so cooling and soothing... the tea tree oil makes you feel fresh. The first day, I did not experience itching at all, and there was a large reduction of discharge. This is my third day doing it and my vaginal symptoms are almost completely gone, I will continue for a week until I am *sure* I am completely asymptomatic!
I still feel a bit foggy, bloated and tired (I assume I have candida overgrowth everywhere, not just vaginally) so I am drinking ACV 2-3x day, taking 1 tsp coconut oil 2-3x day, and also using Yeast Cleanse tablets from a popular brand. I am also drinking thyme tea as it is a strong antifungal (I make my own by putting a few strands of dried thyme in water, bringing water to a boil, covering it - this is important to save volatile oils - for about 5-10 minutes and drinking). I will also be cutting out as much sweets/bread and dairy as possible. Good luck and I hope this helps someone as much as it helped me :)
Borax
Colloidal Silver
★★★★★
I have since gone to a number of discussion sites on the internet telling women about the success I had. I know there are a lot of women out there who have a terrible time getting over a yeast infection. I just wish I had known a month ago what I know now! Another great thing about the colloidal silver is, unlike most of the other things I mentioned it hardly stings when you apply it. The type of silver I got can be ordered through Amazon or some of the other sites that sell supplements. Make sure it's 500ppm colloidal silver and caramel colored. Do not try anything less because the strong stuff will not hurt you when used in this way. I feel perfectly great now.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Childhood Sexual Abuse
Garlic
★★★★★
Upon removal of the 2 cloves, burning started coming back almost immediately, had felt like it was getting better all day with the garlic up there. Decided to put a fresh clove up there, but made sure to secure it better to the thread. I also put a few garlic extract gel caps up there. I have been taking lots of probiotics, even tried to put some up in my vagina with no avail. I definitely feel like the garlic cloves have helped the most. I have also been using coconut oil to sooth the burning area after urination. Doesn't seem like the worst yeast infection I've ever had, worst burn I've felt though, usually its more itching. I'm on day one of actually trying to treat it (besides the night before of downign some acidophilis) and it's much better than the worst of it, which was last night. I'm a believer in the garlic for sure!
Thanks again Earth Clinic friends!
Boric Acid
★★★★★
A week ago I woke up with a slightly sore vagina. Didn't think anything of it until a couple days later the soreness got worse and was accompanied by itching. I didn't have any odor whatsoever (which I normally get with BV) and although I didn't have full blown cottage cheese looking discharge, I did have a little thrush down there. I was definitely in the early stages of a yeast infection, so let the remedies begin.
I did the apple cigar vinegar soaked tampon a couple times, but all that did was make my insides raw (and it burns). I think I even saw a little bleeding. I decided instead of using the tampon, I'd just put a teaspoon of diluted apple cider vinegar directly up my vagina. I had to get creative and applied it using a drinking straw while laying on my back - craziness, I know! Well, that offered some relief, but the itching would come back within hours. So then I moved onto garlic. I'd insert a clove of peeled garlic directly up my vagina and leave it there over night. Again, a little relief but the itching was still there. Since that didn't work, I moved onto acidophilus. I swallowed 10 x 100 million organism tablets and I also shoved 2 up my vagina. Again, no significant relief! I was becoming frustrated and hopeless!!!
I remember laying in bed one night sleepless, crying and itching like crazy... while searching the internet for my next potential remedy. I was just about to convince myself to run to the 24-hour pharmacy to just pick up some 3-day Monistat, when I came across a post on Earth Clinic about boric acid. I read through some reviews, did a little research and figured I didn't have anything else to lose.
For whatever reason, none of the pharmacies I called that night had any boric acid in stock, so I figured Amazon would be easier. I ordered a bottle of boric acid powder, a bag of clear 0 empty gel capsules and had them shipped overnight - longest 24 hours I've ever had to wait.
With clean hands, I filled one of the gel capsules with as much of the boric acid powder that would fit, closed the capsule and inserted it as far up my vagina as I could. I did this once in the morning and once at night. By the start of day 2... THE ITCHING WAS COMPLETELY GONE! I was so happy!!! I still had a little soreness around my vagina, but that was probably from stripping it raw with all the other stuff I had been shoving up there. After day 3, my vagina was feeling 100% normal again... but I committed myself to using the boric acid suppositories for 5 days, to ensure all of the yeast was in fact killed. During the 5 days, I also upped my water intake, stayed away from sugar & bread and would pop a couple acidophilus for good measure to help build up my good bacteria.
I am happy to report that boric acid CURED my yeast infection! From what I've read, this stuff also works miracles in curing BV too... so it looks like this will definitely be something I keep in bathroom cabinet. Personally, I was a little skeptical about using boric acid because technically, it is toxic when ingested. It's also used to kill pests, which frightened me at first. But I had no choice but to trust some of the women that wrote on Earth Clinic about their experiences. One woman said her female OB/GYN recommended boric acid suppositories after her long bout with vaginal infections as well. That was good enough for me!
I highly recommend that any woman suffering with recurring yeast infections (or even recurring bacterial vaginosis) at least try boric acid. Dealing with these ailments are not only physically debilitating, they drain you emotionally and there is not better feeling than finding something that finally CURES you!
Three things to remember: Make sure you only insert boric acid into your vagina, NEVER inhale it or take it by mouth.
Also, make sure you commit to using it for at least 5 days (maybe 7-10 depending on how aggressive your infection is). I inserted one capsule twice a day, for 5 days. You shouldn't start using it and just stop once the itching stops. You want to make sure all those pesky little yeast are dead, even after your symptoms subside. So remember, a minimum of 5 days.
Finally, I'm not a healthcare pro, but I would say it's better to abstain from sex during this time. This includes not letting your boyfriend or hubby perform oral on you for obvious reasons. Trust me, giving your body time to heal is what's most important anyway. Good luck ladies!!!
Reichman O, Akins R, Sobel JD. Boric acid addition to suppressive antimicrobial therapy for recurrent bacterial vaginosis. Sex Transm Dis 2009;36:732–4.
Sobel JD, Chaim W, Nagappan V, et al. Treatment of vaginitis caused by Candida glabrata: use of topical boric acid and flucytosine. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2003;189:1297–1300.
Nuff said.
Coconut Oil
★★★★★
Grapefruit Seed Extract
★★★★★
I have been suffering with systemic yeast issues for over 5 years which seem to present themselves as yeast infections, symptoms of yeast infections even when there is no infection, fatigue, brain fog, sleeplessness, rashy feeling in my skin esp in the legs, feet, hips, back and joints. About 8 months ago I started something called the GAPS diet along with an anti-candida diet to heal both my leaky gut (the main issues I've been told) and the yeast overgrowth.
About 2 months ago I got a yeast infection from sex with my boyfriend. I was devastated as I had been on the GAP/Candida diet for 6 months even though I know it can take anywhere from a year to two years to really heal the body. It was tough. So...I went to the doctor, they swabbed and confirmed yeast. They did the typical treatment..diflucan. I took it even though I hadn't touched a pill or chemical in 6 months. Just to be safe I also got OTC 3 day monistat. A week later I'm still feeling bad and I'm back at the drs with another swab and confirmed yeast. They gave me more...diflucan and pretty much shrugged (this was not a gyno, just a GP). They told me to take one and then another one 3 days later. So I did. At this point I was sure that the diflucan probably wasn't going to work so I started researching. After talking with my boss, who is also a good friend, she suggested tea tree oil tampons which actually worked for her BV and her wife's yeast infection. So I did that for 3 days and didn't feel any better. I then decided to try boric acid suppositories which I have used in the past for BV succesfully. I filled 00 capsules with boric acid and inserted once in the morning and at night. Felt better for the first few days and then on day 5 and 6 I started feeling worse. This could have been die-off, not really sure but I switched methods at this point. My boyfriend and I had a cruise coming up and I was desperate to feel better.
I started reading about Grapefruit Seed Extract and found a way to use it on a tampon online. Here is what I ended up doing after some trial and error. This worked for me and in fact eliminated most of the symptoms during the treatment aside from just feeling swollen down there I actually did this our entire cruise and didn't suffer much.
1. I melted about 1/2 tbsp of coconut oil in a small glass jar (BALL baby food jars work great). Do this on the stove or using a hair dryer aimed under the glass jar not in it (did that on the cruise since there wasn't a stove and it worked great). Do not use the microwave.
2. I added 8-10 drops of GSE and mixed well. **Just FYI, these oils really don't mix and you will see the GSE settle in little oil balls on the bottom of the jar. This is ok.** Also you will need to adjust the dosage to meet your needs. If 8 irritates you try less drops or start with 5 and work your way up. I was fine with this amount.
3. Take a Super Tampon in a cardboard applicator (very important it's cardboard). Remove the tampon and keep just the applicator. Take a regular tampon and put it in the cardboard applicator and thread the string through the bottom so it looks like a normal tampon where the applicator is just a little over sized. This will allow the tampon to expand as you add the oils.
4. Carefully and slowly drip or pour in very small amounts of the coconut oil/GSE mixture. Allow time for the amounts to absorb. This is going to take a minute or two. I got to where I could do it as a slow steady drip. If you pour too fast you'll end up with the oil just running out of the bottom of the tampon and it'll be messy. The last to go on will be the GSE oil which is good because it will be right at the tip. Be careful not to go too slow so the applicator doesn't get soaked and soggy. It takes a little practice but you'll get it quickly.
5. Once all oil is on the tampon (there may be some dripping out of the bottom, if so don't worry just get it in), you will insert it. **FYI...sometimes a little oil will seep out of the bottom when you insert. For this reason I would make sure you aren't standing over something, like clothes or good rugs. Best to do with pants off standing in the bathroom on tiled floor if possible. Wear a panty liner during the day
6. Change this out every 7-8 hours for about 14 days. I am not sure if it is needed for 14 days but that's how long I did it for.
At the end of treatment I went to an actually gyno and had a swab and labs done. My swab came up yeast free and the labs just came back yesterday and I am clear of all the yeast strains they tested for (albicans, glabrata, tropicalis, Parapsilosis, Krusei). The dr told me I obliterated everything in there. They found no yeast and no bacteria at all.
Right now I am doing suppositories of coconut oil and 50 billion probiotics. I Mixed 1/2 CO with 1 50 billion capsule and poured it into 1/2 tbsp molds to insert each night to make sure the good bacteria is what grows back after the decimation of everything. I plan to do this for 5-7 days to repopulate the good guys.
I would highly recommend GSE as a yeast remedy.
Boric Acid
Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple Cider Vinegar
Have you tried to do any detoxing or healing diets to help to heal your diabetes and maybe the issues with yeast? I know there are several. I am currently on GAPS but I have read about a lot such as the anti-candida diets, FODMAPS, Body Ecology and SCD. You may want to check them out and see if one calls to you. I know on the GAPS diet the idea is that a lot of people suffer from leaky gut syndrome which can lead to things like allergies, systemic yeast, diabetes, depression, autism and even schizophrenia. I have been on GAPS for about 8 months and have not concurred the yeast issue yet but have seen a great improvement in my health. I follow it exactly except do not eat any of the fruit, honey or maple syrup. I actually had a urine test today and for the first time ever they didn't find any white cells in my urine which never happens. There are always white blood cells in my urine which means to me there has been some kind of inflammation in my urinary tract for years. My boyfriend is also diabetic and I believe he suffers from leaky gut. He had colic as a baby which is a red flag, his mom suffered from yeast infections...anther red flag, and he craves things like chocolate, cakes, cookies and generally anything that will feed the bad stuff inside us. I'm sure he has yeast issues too.
I hope this helps some and may help to heal the root cause instead of the symptoms.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple Cider Vinegar
Hydrogen Peroxide
If your infections stem from hormones you may want to get your levels checked and look into some herbal remedies to help balance hormones. I know Dong Quai and Black Kohosh (I think) are good for this as well. I am sure you can research some online. I suffered from hormone related Cervicitis years ago (due to BC pills, of course) and its symptoms were the same as BV, yeast and UTI's all at once. I suffered for about 8 mons and saw every dr in my area before one finally told me they thought it was inflammation of the cervix. I took Dong Quai for 3 months...I can't remember the dosage now but I believe I took 3 pills 3x a day for 6 wks and saw huge improvements. I continued for another 6 wks at that dosage and then moved to 2 pills 3x a day for several weeks and then 1 pill 3x a day for a few weeks. After about 3 or 4 months I stopped taking them and my issues were gone. I don't think you have cervicitis as you don't have one anymore but just wanted to give an example of how you may be able to balance your hormones to assist with the yeast issue.
Apple Cider Vinegar
★★★★★
I used the ACV due to an unbearable feeling of wanting to pull my hair out and scream. ACV immediately stopped the burning and itching. I seem to get itchy around period time but seems more frequent now and it drives my crazy! I noticed that it has happened since I switched my birth control. I had the Mirina and now on pills. I feel like this is a contributing factor.
Boric Acid
★★★★★
Apple Cider Vinegar
Hydrogen Peroxide
Hydrogen Peroxide
Apple Cider Vinegar
Hydrogen Peroxide
★★★★★
I tried all the methods using apple cider vinegar (drinking it, bathing in it, douching, tampons, damp cloth) and nothing worked! I also used the tea tree oil and, it felt a lot fresher but ultimately overly dried me out. Finally douched with a 50%hydrogen peroxide 50% distilled water. Immediately after it was a little painful but after about a half an hour I felt SO MUCH BETTER. What a relief! I also take acidophilus and folic acid to try and keep my ph in check. The Hydrogen peroxide also works wonders for my BV as well.
This stuff the real deal. Stop reading and commence the healing!