Archive for category Bacterial Vaginosis
What is the Best Supplement to Rid Your Body of a Yeast Infection?
Posted by wellness in Bacterial Vaginosis on May 6, 2009
If you’re like 75% of women, you’ve had to deal with a yeast infection at some point in your life. And like most women, you probably took an anti-fungal medication to get rid of it. But are taking supplements a better treatment, and, if so, what’s the best supplement to rid the body of a yeast infection?
And did you know that yeast can affect your whole body, not just the vagina? You can develop yeast problems on your skin, in your mouth, and in your digestive system. These are all caused be an overgrowth of yeast organism, usually Candida. This happens because the yeast has been allowed to overgrow and overwhelm the ‘good’ bacteria that usually keeps it in check.
Candida is naturally present in everyone, and can usually exist without any problems, as long as the levels of beneficial bacteria are high enough to keep the yeast growth in check. If something happens to lower the levels of the good bacteria, then they are no longer able to suppress the growth of the yeast. When this happens in the vaginal environment, a yeast infection occurs.
Probiotic supplements contain live cultures of good bacteria and are meant to restore the levels of good bacteria in the body. To treat a yeast problem with a probiotic, you need to make sure that you are selecting something that has been specially formulated for women to be the best supplement to get rid of the yeast problem.
The reason why using probiotic supplements to rid your body of a yeast infection is superior to treatment with the traditional anti=fungal medications is that the probiotics address the root cause of the problem, the imbalance of bacteria in the vagina. Anti-fungal medications merely kill off the Candida fungus; if the underlying imbalance is not corrected, the yeast infection is likely to reoccur.
A lot of holistic advice on yeast infections will advocate eating a severely restricted diet that cuts out all sugars and yeast. This is impractical for many people, and also severely limits the amount of nutrients you will receive. While it is a good idea to try and cut down on refined white flour and sugar, the nutritional benefits of eating a variety of fruit, whole grain breads, and mushrooms far outweigh the problems they cause by aiding in yeast production.
Instead, try to eat a healthy and balanced diet, and add to your diet a probiotic supplement to rid your body of yeast.
Bacterial Vaginosis Gardenella – Symptoms and Treatment
Posted by wellness in Bacterial Vaginosis on May 4, 2009
Bacterial vaginosis was, up until recently, known as Gardnerella, or Gardnerella Vaginitis, after one of kinds of bacteria that cause it. If you’re doing a search for information on Gardnerella, make sure to also check the term Gardenella, which is a common misspelling. I’m going to use both versions in this article, to ensure that it can be found either way by people looking for information on symptoms and treatments for bacterial vaginosis or gardnerella/gardenella.
For a very long time, we didn’t know what caused bacterial vaginosis/gardnerella. It was thought that it might be an STD (which it isn’t) or that it might happen because of unsanitary habits (also not true – in fact washing too much, especially with scented products, can actually make it worse.) Now, all signs point to bacterial vaginosis being caused by an imbalance in the pH levels of the vagina, which in turn impedes the growth of ‘good’ bacteria and allows ‘bad’ bacteria to overgrow.
Symptoms of bacterial vaginosis/gardenella (wrong spelling, remember?) include an unpleasant, fishy odor and a thin, watery whitish-grey discharge. Some women may also experience painful itching and burning. There are several tests that a doctor can perform to confirm a diagnosis of bacterial vaginosis/gardnerella (right spelling!), including a pH test (anything above 4.5 indicates BV) a whiff test, or a clue test where they look for cells under a microscope.
The standard course of treatment for bacterial vaginosis/gardenella is a round of antibiotics, typically clindamycin or metronidazole. In recent years, it has come to light that this may not be an effective or lasting treatment. Reoccurrence is very high with antibiotic treatment. This happens because antibiotics kill off all the bacteria, both good and bad, but does not address the underlying cause of the imbalance; because of this, when the bacteria repopulate, the imbalance is still there, and the bacterial vaginosis/gardnerella reoccurs.
Natural and holistic treatments for bacterial vaginosis have become more popular in recent years because they address the root issue of the bacterial and pH imbalance. In particular, taking probiotic supplements seems to work the best, long term, for curing and preventing reoccurrence. They may, however, require that you keep taking them to remain symptom-free. Probiotic supplements repopulate the vagina with the ‘good’ bacteria that keep the ‘bad’ bacteria from overgrowing and causing bacterial vaginosis/gardenella.
It may take a while for you to find a treatment that works for bacterial vaginosis/gardnerella. Each woman responds differently to treatment, and no one solution seems to work for anyone. Universal advice that will help everybody is to switch to cotton underwear that breathe, and to stop using all scented soaps, lotions, body washes, and detergents. These can be an irritant, and can only aggravate your bacterial vaginosis or make it worse.
Facts on Bacterial Vaginosis
Posted by wellness in Bacterial Vaginosis on May 3, 2009
Bacterial Vaginosis, commonly referred to as Gardnerella Vaginitis is an abnormal vaginal condition or imbalance of vaginal bacteria that is caused by an overgrowth of one of several organisms that are normally present in the vagina. When a woman’s “bad” bacteria outweighs her “good” bacteria, Bacterial Vaginosis is typically the culprit. This type of vaginal infection is not necessarily sexually related but tends to be more prevalent in sexually active women with new or multiple sexual partners. However, virgins or women that have never had sexual intercourse can also experience Bacterial Vaginosis. When a women suspects Bacterial Vaginosis, she typically experiences a strong fishy odor that is more obvious during and after sexual intercourse. In addition, she may also experience a white or grayish discharge and burning or itching sensations.
If you suspect that you may have Bacterial Vaginosis, you should seek a diagnosis from your physician. To diagnose this condition, she will perform a pelvic examination and will evaluate your vaginal lining and cervix for tenderness. She will also evaluate a sampling of your vaginal fluid and take a look at your “clue cells” under the microscope. This test will help her determine if you have Bacterial Vaginosis, a yeast Infection, a sexually transmitted infection like Trichomonas, or if you’re in the clear. Lastly, she will perform a “whiff test” in which she combines your fluid with potassium hydroxide and then takes a whiff of it to see if it smells fishy. If it does smell fishy then you likely have Bacterial Vaginosis. If you do have Bacterial Vaginosis, you’ll likely receive a round of antibiotics like Metronidazole that can be taken orally or a gel that can be applied vaginally. Another option will be Clindamycin cream that you will insert vaginally.
If you suspect that you have Bacterial Vaginosis, you should seek a diagnosis from a qualified medical professional. She will utilize various methods to diagnose you and will give you some antibiotics to help rid you of your infection once and for all!
Probiotics for Bacterial Vaginosis & Yeast Infections
Posted by wellness in Bacterial Vaginosis on May 2, 2009
While doctors are still prescribing strong drugs, there are alternative therapies such as use of probiotics for bacterial vaginosis and yeast infections. They are a great alternative to people who either don’t want to take the strong medications, or for whom they haven’t worked. Not only can probiotics help treat these conditions, they can also help prevent them from reoccurring.
But how, exactly, do probiotics for bacterial vaginosis and yeast infections work? Well, contrary to today’s bacteria phobic society where everything from handsoap to laundry detergent is being touted as “antibacterial” some bacteria is actually good for you. In fact, a certain amount of ‘good’ bacteria is essential for optimum health.
As soon as we’re born, beneficial or ‘good’ bacteria start to colonize in our bodies, in our mouth, digestive tract, and vagina. Unfortunately, the detrimental or ‘bad’ bacteria do as well, but as long as the good bacteria keep the bad in check, then everything is ok. Conditions such as bacterial vaginosis develop when the bad bacteria are allowed to overgrow and then outnumber the good.
This is where probiotics come into play. While not the traditional first course of treatment (antibiotics are – with limited success) it has been proven that there any benefits to using probiotics for bacterial vaginosis. Probiotics, either in supplement form or when present in live culture yogurt, can help restore the levels of the good bacteria in the body.
Some of the best probiotics for bacterial vaginosis are from the Lactobacillus strain. Certain specific strains of this probiotic have been proven to inhibit the growth of the bacteria that cause bacterial vaginosis, such as gardnerella by producing substances such as lactic acid, hydrogen peroxide, and bacteriocins.
There are many things that can cause this imbalance in bacteria that makes it necessary to use probiotics for bacterial vaginosis or a yeast infection. This includes the use of antibiotics (which is why it doesn’t really work as a treatment) dietary changes, smoking, sexual activity, and even changes in stress level, and can lead to either bacterial vaginosis or a yeast infection, depending on whether it is the bad bacteria or a fungus that overgrow. Because the exact cause can be very difficult to either identify or control, it is important to try and maintain high levels of good bacteria.
Find a supplement that’s specifically formulated women; these supplements will be sure to have high levels of exactly the right probiotics for bacterial vaginosis and yeast infections.
Do You Have a Bacterial Vaginal Infection that is Driving You Insane?
Posted by wellness in Bacterial Vaginosis on April 30, 2009
A bacterial vaginal infection can also be known by the names of a yeast infection, candida, candidiasis, and vaginitis amongst other things. There are probably more names for this particular infection, but it all comes down to one thing.
The itching alone is something that you could do without, but when you throw in the other symptoms such as vaginal discharge, a burning sensation, rash, possible pain during sexual intercourse and an irritation of the vagina, it’s really more than anyone should have to bear.
The problem with this though, is that if you have a bacterial vaginal infection, it is something that you’re unfortunately going to have to put up with, at least until you can find a cure for it.
It should also be noted ladies, that even if you feel no pain during sexual intercourse, it might be best to abstain until you’re well on the road to recovery. Although not classified as an STD (sexually transmitted disease), it can be transmitted from one partner to the other during sexual intercourse.
This means that your partner, even though might be a male, can still get a yeast infection. In this case of course it wouldn’t be a bacterial vaginal infection, but instead it would be a male yeast infection, or a penile yeast infection.
It should also be noted that a bacterial vaginal infection can be recurrent. What this means, is that even though you might have cleared up your first encounter with this infection, there’s a chance that you could get it again.
In fact of the more than 75% of the women who will get a bacterial vaginal infection in their lifetime, many of them will have recurrent bacterial vaginal infection symptoms.
That said, there’s really no need to worry as in general a bacterial vaginal infection can be cured, or cleared up, with only minimal fuss or bother. There are as many cures for a bacterial vaginal infection as there are causes, with the scales balanced firmly in favor of the cures section.
It’s only when the infection proves to be stubborn does it take the combined efforts of will power, medication and stringent preventative measures to help a woman with bacterial vaginal infection.
Prescription medications are of course the preferred treatment for many women suffering from a bacterial vaginal infection, but there are yet more women who will turn to the route of home remedies to help cure themselves.
By far the most popular of these home treatments happens to be that of applying natural unsweetened yogurt to the affected area. This is one proven method to beat off a bacterial vaginal infection.
Since a bacterial vaginal infection normally occurs only when there’s a bodily imbalance, you should keep to a healthy lifestyle. Stay away from douches and other products that can create a warm inviting place for the Candid Albicans bacteria to thrive in your vagina.
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