So, ladies, let’s get it out in the open!
You’ve just returned from a long weekend with your husband/lover. For two nights and two days, you’ve made love, you’ve slept, you’ve made love, you’ve eaten and then you’ve repeated the cycle, over and over again.
The following morning, or maybe the day after that, you start to become aware that all is not well ‘down there’. It just doesn’t feel right.
At first, it’s just a vague sense of unease, which slowly becomes an irritation which then begins to itch. Until, before you know it, you don’t care where you are, you just want to rub or scratch at it. The only thing that brings any relief is when you point the high pressure shower head in that general direction.
If you don’t do anything about it then, before long you will notice an unpleasant smelling yellowish-white discharge in your pants.
The vagina is a very delicate eco-system and it doesn’t take much to upset it. Over the previous 48 hours, you’ve caused additional lubrication, excess friction and repeatedly invaded it with a foreign body. Add into the equation that you will probably have been drinking a lot more than usual and eating lots of processed, sugary snacks. It’s not surprising that your pussy is throwing a bit of a hissy fit.
You have developed a yeast infection, and this is the reason why:
There is an organism that lives in your vagina called candida albicans. It’s in your mouth and your intestines too. It’s a type of yeast, which is normally kept in check by the good bacteria in your body. However, when the natural balance of good and bad bacteria is disrupted, the yeast starts to grow unchecked and causes havoc.
The vagina is one of the areas most likely to be affected by yeast infections and these are more commonly referred to as thrush. Although it is generally too acidic for yeast to grow out of control, the vagina is sensitive to small changes and can easily become an ideal environment for yeast to flourish. Too much, and the vaginal tissues become irritated, leading to a build up of the frothy discharge which causes the itching and burning sensations – the typical symptoms of thrush.
Most people view thrush, candida and yeast infections as minor problems, exclusive to women. But this is totally incorrect. As many as 75% of humans will be afflicted with one of the many types of this irritation at some point in our lives, whether it be in the form of nappy rash, the white coating on the cheeks and tongue of oral thrush, an itchy weeping sweat rash in a skin fold, or a slight soreness around the tip of the penis which men ignore and can then pass on to their female partners during sex.
So, yes, you can end up passing the yeast infection back and forth between you and your husband/lover if he doesn’t treat his problem too.
For some people, the yeast in their intestinal tract can proliferate and leech into the bloodstream infesting other parts of the body and releasing toxins which, in addition to the usual vaginal thrush, can also be responsible for causing cystitis, eczema, blotchy skin, dryness, itching, oral thrush, sinus problems, constipation, diarrhea, restless sleep, bloating, lack of energy, mood swings, cravings for sweet food, food allergies and many more.
These yeast spores can remain dormant for years and then suddenly flare up, resulting in an outbreak of any of the above. Many health professionals persist in handing out prescriptions that treat only the symptoms and this can result in a return of the infections in ever more virulent forms until they become resistant to the available drugs.
This means that, if you suffer from repeated bouts of thrush, it is down to you to take responsibility for your health and to start investigating the real causes. Isolating what it is that worsens the symptoms for you personally.
Repeated doses of antibiotics are a well-known trigger, as is a diet rich in yeast, fungus, sugar and refined, processed produce. The physiological effects of stress are also a major factor in providing an environment which encourages the overgrowth of candida.
Unfortunately, antibiotics are often used to ‘cure’ the complaints that we’ve just highlighted as being caused by candida and yeast infections so, again, an ever repeating cycle of problem/medication/problem is set in motion.
At the end of the day, if you suffer from repeated yeast infections, you need to make a lifestyle choice and properly address the issues behind your susceptibility to candidiasis.
But, more than anything right at this moment, you need to find something that will stop the symptoms of thrush that are troubling you as a result of your fabulous weekend away. Something that is not one of the creams or pessaries from the pharmacist, which you now know could actually make the problem worse in the long term.
The most well-known natural method to help relieve the itching and irritation of thrush is ‘live’ yoghurt containing bifidus cultures. Filling a plastic tampon applicator using this to pushing the yoghurt high into the vagina overnight can be extremely helpful… although it can be a little messy so you should protect your bedlinen accordingly.
If you’re suffering with any of the symptoms of thrush, candida or yeast infections, before you start a course of antibiotics or embark on any other type of pharmaceutical intervention, you should click here
How about douching with vinegar and water? They don’t like it up ‘em – the yeast, I mean.
I’ve read about that method, but I haven’t tried it personally, MrB. The book contains a whole host of different natural ways to alleviate the symptoms. Then it helps you to look at the causes and ascertain the best way to cure it for the individual.
For a long time I thought thrush was a small brown bird and I wondered how women got it in the vagina… seems a bit odd if you think about it. Does drinking beer cause yeast infections at all?
Hello Mutley! You’re ok, you can’t catch it from falling in ditches and getting muddy undies :P But, yes, beer drinking can encourage the yeast to proliferate… as can excess consumption of anything that has yeast or fungus in it or indeed anything that can feed the yeast,like white sugar and flour. I also have to omit anything that might have been fed anti-biotics further up the foodchain so all meat has to be organic. My current diet precludes bread, marmite, regular pasta and rice, mushrooms, all forms of dairy, beer, most alcohol, vinegar, tomato ketchup, mayonnaise, soy sauce, all the vegan products which have yeast extract as a flavouring, most stock cubes, biscuits and chocolate :(
However, I have found a bread that doesn’t use yeast or buttermilk as a raising agent… and still makes a decent sandwich… and a form of raw chocolate that is sweetened with agave nectar. It costs a fortune but it is the closest thing to an orgasm that I have ever found as a foodstuff :)
We are currently investigating whether Ruf’s love of bread, beer and vegan diet are actually causing him to pass his problem on to me. It’s a very inexact science unless you change just one thing at a time and then wait for the results… so it takes forever to work out exactly what is causing the problem.
And you would be amazed at how many things are linked to candida – fungal toenails being just one example. The increasing number of people suffering with this – and the hugely difficult task of curing it – would seem to suggest that our diet has caused candida overgrowth in a large number of the population!
The yogurt solution sounds very logical, if messy. We get too many antibiotics as it is. I’ll mention it to my daughter, too. Thanks, Cake!
The book is really good, nitebyrd. It gives a whole list of alternative remedies to prescription medication