self-regulating; your friendly bacteria hold the unfriendly bacteria and yeast at bay and help keep your vaginal pH (its degree of acidity or alkalinity) at a level that assists in preventing infections.
If you have vaginitis, it’s most likely due to an overgrowth of unfriendly bacteria or yeast. This can happen if you disrupt your vaginal balance by consuming too much sugar or taking too many antibiotics. Unnecessary douching to diminish so-called feminine odors can also make your vagina more vulnerable to infections. In addition, vaginitis can be caused by too much of a good thing: frequent sex can change the pH of your vaginal environment and allow unfriendly bacteria to thrive, because the pH of semen is more alkaline than that of your vagina.
To identify the cause of vaginitis, you need to see a physician for an accurate diagnosis. Although usually the result of an overgrowth of unfriendly bacteria or yeast, it can also be due to a sexually transmitted infection such as trichomoniasis, which is caused by a microscopic parasite. If you have trichomoniasis, you’ll need to take an antibiotic, and your partner will as well.
Many conventional physicians, unaware that you can treat and prevent vaginitis caused by unfriendly bacteria or yeast with natural methods, are far too quick to prescribe drugs that can be counterproductive and further disrupt your vaginal balance. For example, women are frequently prescribed antibiotics for bacterial infections in the vagina, but this often destroys not only the unfriendly bacteria that caused the infection but also the friendly bacteria that could have prevented it from recurring. Antibiotics may seem like a short-term fix, but they often contribute to infections returning.
To treat vaginitis due to unfriendly bacteria or yeast, you want to use natural treatments whenever possible and lifestyle changes that affect your entire body, not just your vagina. If you have chronic vaginitis due to yeast, for instance, you should eat a diet low in sugar, alcohol, and refined carbohydrates. You should also make lifestyle changes such as removing a wet bathing suit soon after swimming (leaving it on could make you more prone to vaginal yeast infection), and avoiding clothing that fits tightly around your lower pelvis; one study showed that you can be three times more likely to experience vaginitis if you wear panty hose.
Let’s look at the most effective natural methods you can use to treat vaginitis caused by overgrowth of unfriendly bacteria or yeast:
— Vaginal douche powder. One of the best natural medicines I’ve prescribed for vaginal bacterial and yeast imbalances is a vaginal douche powder called Tanafem (to obtain it, see Appendix C ) consisting of zinc tannates and glycine. It eradicates bacteria and yeast by dehydrating them, and you can get rid of most infections by using it twice daily for a week. Soothing and nonirritating, it can even be applied to reddened, highly inflamed tissues. Mix one scoop in a pint-size douche bag filled with warm water, and douche twice daily for five to ten days, depending on the severity of the infection.
Using vaginal douche powder in conjunction with a sitz bath can help alleviate any external irritation you may have. (A sitz bath is a German term for sitting in a bowl of water to heal and nurture the tissues of the pelvis, or to increase circulation through the pelvis. Many irritations of the vulva can be treated with sitz baths.) Mix one scoop of the powder with warm water in a pan large enough for you to be seated comfortably; place the pan on the floor, and soak your vulva in this bath for 10 to 20 minutes twice a day for five to ten days, depending on the degree of inflammation. (Note: The rust-colored powder may permanently stain the pan, towels, and bath mats.)
— Tea-tree oil. An effective treatment for overgrowth of unfriendly bacteria or yeast, tea-tree oil can be used either as a douche or in the form of vaginal suppositories.
If you have vaginitis, it’s most likely due to an overgrowth of unfriendly bacteria or yeast. This can happen if you disrupt your vaginal balance by consuming too much sugar or taking too many antibiotics. Unnecessary douching to diminish so-called feminine odors can also make your vagina more vulnerable to infections. In addition, vaginitis can be caused by too much of a good thing: frequent sex can change the pH of your vaginal environment and allow unfriendly bacteria to thrive, because the pH of semen is more alkaline than that of your vagina.
To identify the cause of vaginitis, you need to see a physician for an accurate diagnosis. Although usually the result of an overgrowth of unfriendly bacteria or yeast, it can also be due to a sexually transmitted infection such as trichomoniasis, which is caused by a microscopic parasite. If you have trichomoniasis, you’ll need to take an antibiotic, and your partner will as well.
Many conventional physicians, unaware that you can treat and prevent vaginitis caused by unfriendly bacteria or yeast with natural methods, are far too quick to prescribe drugs that can be counterproductive and further disrupt your vaginal balance. For example, women are frequently prescribed antibiotics for bacterial infections in the vagina, but this often destroys not only the unfriendly bacteria that caused the infection but also the friendly bacteria that could have prevented it from recurring. Antibiotics may seem like a short-term fix, but they often contribute to infections returning.
To treat vaginitis due to unfriendly bacteria or yeast, you want to use natural treatments whenever possible and lifestyle changes that affect your entire body, not just your vagina. If you have chronic vaginitis due to yeast, for instance, you should eat a diet low in sugar, alcohol, and refined carbohydrates. You should also make lifestyle changes such as removing a wet bathing suit soon after swimming (leaving it on could make you more prone to vaginal yeast infection), and avoiding clothing that fits tightly around your lower pelvis; one study showed that you can be three times more likely to experience vaginitis if you wear panty hose.
Let’s look at the most effective natural methods you can use to treat vaginitis caused by overgrowth of unfriendly bacteria or yeast:
— Vaginal douche powder. One of the best natural medicines I’ve prescribed for vaginal bacterial and yeast imbalances is a vaginal douche powder called Tanafem (to obtain it, see Appendix C ) consisting of zinc tannates and glycine. It eradicates bacteria and yeast by dehydrating them, and you can get rid of most infections by using it twice daily for a week. Soothing and nonirritating, it can even be applied to reddened, highly inflamed tissues. Mix one scoop in a pint-size douche bag filled with warm water, and douche twice daily for five to ten days, depending on the severity of the infection.
Using vaginal douche powder in conjunction with a sitz bath can help alleviate any external irritation you may have. (A sitz bath is a German term for sitting in a bowl of water to heal and nurture the tissues of the pelvis, or to increase circulation through the pelvis. Many irritations of the vulva can be treated with sitz baths.) Mix one scoop of the powder with warm water in a pan large enough for you to be seated comfortably; place the pan on the floor, and soak your vulva in this bath for 10 to 20 minutes twice a day for five to ten days, depending on the degree of inflammation. (Note: The rust-colored powder may permanently stain the pan, towels, and bath mats.)
— Tea-tree oil. An effective treatment for overgrowth of unfriendly bacteria or yeast, tea-tree oil can be used either as a douche or in the form of vaginal suppositories.
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