Yeast Infections

Most of the time, the fungus Candida albicans leads a quiet and harmless existence in a woman?s vagina. But when something throws a woman?s system out of balance, the fungus can grow rapidly and create an uncomfortable little problem?namely, a yeast infection.

The telltale signs of an infection are burning and itching in the vaginal area and a discharge that looks somewhat like cottage cheese. The most common trigger for a yeast infection is antibiotic medication, although the hormone shift during a woman?s menstrual cycle can also lead to problems. Estimates show that nearly three in four American women will have a yeast infection sometime before menopause. The natural remedies in this chapter?in conjunction with medical care and used with your doctor?s approval?may help prevent yeast infections or relieve their symptoms, according to some health professionals.

Food Therapy

?Get off sugars and fermented foods,? says Elson Haas, M.D., director of the Preventive Medical Center of Marin in San Rafael, California, and author of Staying Healthy with Nutrition. ?These foods cause an overgrowth of yeast in the intestinal tract, which manifests itself into yeast infections.? He recommends eliminating all refined sugars, breads and other baked goods, alcohol, caffeine and vinegar and going on his three-week detoxification diet (see ?Detoxing Your Ills? on page 48).

Also, according to Dr. Haas, scientific research shows that some women find relief by eating yogurt containing acidophilus, which are friendly bacteria. ?Adding yogurt to the diet helps when the yogurt contains acidophilus, which reduces yeast infections,? adds Dr. Haas. He recommends one to two cups of acidophilus-containing yogurt every day for three or four days.

Hydrotherapy

To prevent recurring yeast infections, wash the area between the anus and the vagina every time you use the toilet, says Agatha Thrash, M.D., a medical pathologist and co-founder and co-director of Uchee Pines Institute, a natural healing center in Seale, Alabama. Keep a quart-size jar or bottle in the bathroom, fill it with plain water and rinse the genital and anal areas after urinating or having a bowel movement, while you?re still sitting on the toilet. Pregnant women, those with diabetes and others prone to yeast infections should add two to three tablespoons of apple cider vinegar per quart of plain water. ?This protects the natural acid balance of the vaginal area, which is prone to yeast overgrowth if it becomes too alkaline,? says Dr. Thrash.

Juice Therapy

Women may be able to speed the healing of yeast infections and to prevent recurrences with daily doses of cranberry or blackberry juice, according to Elaine Gillaspie, N.D., a naturopathic physician in Portland, Oregon. If you can?t find fresh or frozen berries, ?be sure to use unsweetened cranberry concentrate, not bottled cranberry juice, since most brands are loaded with sugar or corn syrup, which encourages the buildup of yeast,? she cautions. And because even fresh berry juices are rich in natural fruit sugars, she suggests diluting four ounces of juice with an equal amount of water to get an eight-ounce serving.

She also recommends juicing a clove of fresh garlic and adding it to your vegetable juices. ?Nothing prevents yeast overgrowth as well as garlic does,? says Dr. Gillaspie.

For information on juicing techniques, see page 93.

Vitamin and Mineral Therapy

Take more vitamin C, says Elson Haas, M.D., director of the Preventive Medical Center of Marin in San Rafael, California, and author of Staying Healthy with Nutrition. ?Yeast grows better in an alkaline environment, and vitamin C is acidic, so it helps reduce the yeast.? He recommends taking between 500 and 2,000 milligrams daily in supplement form.

See also Vaginitis