[YEA]  01/28/2009: Mel from Gloucester, UK: "I have used dilute lemon juice (jif) to cure thrush for 20 years. I got BV (smell of fish) a couple of months ago for the first time in my life. Around Christmas it occurred to me that if it was caused by pH imbalance, then the lemon juice might work on BV too. It did. I wiped with unfragranced baby wipes onto which I squirted Jif lemon and lime juice. My BV disappeared in 24 hours and I'm back to my old familiar smell. Please pass this on."

09/21/2010: Anonymous from Sandusky, Ohio replies: "By now, Im sure everyone on here is aware of my ongoing battle with BV since I was 22, I am now 30. And after countless remedies that all do seem to help, I think I finally stumbled onto something that cured my BV for good. Lemon juice. One whole medium sized lemon squeezed in a large bottle of water drank all day everyday for 7 days, will cure BV. Whenever I feel it comin on, I do it, until symptoms are gone. Ive done coconut oil, oregano oil, every kind of vitamin, yogurt, capsules in the vag, boric acid, tea tree oil, apple cider vinegar and peroxide douches, ALL OF IT. Vitamin C, is the most important thing. And alot of it."

[YEA]  04/14/2012: Chrysalis from Los Angeles, California replies: "Hello sisters. I just came down with BV for the first time in my life. I feel all of your pain. BV is unacceptable! I strongly believe the underlying problem that causes BV (and tons of other ailments) is an overly acidic body. The standard American diet (SAD) perpetuates an acidic body, which is a favorable environment for bacteria and viruses. Healthy body functions depends on an ALKALINE environment. You do need to shift your diet if you want to beat BV for the long haul. There is lots of info online about which foods help promote an alkaline body. You need to eliminate all of the things that we intuitively know are bad - sugar, coffee, processed foods, dairy, meats, bread. Sorry, I know this sounds impossible. Also, try reading "The pH Miracle" by Robert Young. A quick way to alkalize your body is a lemon/baking soda concoction. Add about a 1/2 tsp of baking soda to a glass of water with half or whole fresh lemon. Sweeten with a couple drops of stevia if necessary. I drink this twice a day when I feel a cold coming on and it stops it every time. I also eat several cloves of raw garlic. So the moral of the story - ALKALIZE ALKALIZE ALKALIZE. I promise you will feel better. Good luck."

05/26/2012: Orangetulips from Newark, De replies: "You are so right. I've been trying to beat my BV for the past nine months. I recently started 'juicing' and I always include a 1/2 lemon. I've only been doing it for a week now, but after my period the BV discharge has not returned. My juice is 50% veggies and 50% fruits. I drink my juice instead of lunch and the micro-nutrients are doing wonders. I've had zero side-effects. Go buy a juicer! I love juicing 6 kale leaves, 1/2 cucumber, zucchini, 15 baby carrots, 55 green grapes, 2 green apples, 1/2 lemon, ginger, a dash of coconut water and a dash of pomagranite juice. It's delicious! I've also lost 5 lbs. Let's get healthy!"

03/10/2012: Michelle from London, Uk: "I have suffered with BV for over 10 years. I have been through all the tablets and treatments, including the yogurts , I haven't used perfumed soaps or shower gels to no avail! However two weeks ago I started the Atkins diet, I also started taking a multi vitamin with probiotics at the same time. I have been totally BV free for about 7 days, no discharge no smell no nothing. I'm now wondering is it the tablets that are helping or is it the diet? I'm wondering if the foods I was eating were causing BV to flare up?"

03/17/2012: Puretnt from Monterey, Ca replies: "It's the atkins. When you lower the amount of carbs you take in.. There is literally less fuel for the BV. Carbs break down as simple sugar providing fuel for a list of bacteria."

[NAY]  04/11/2010: Cici from Orlando, Fl replies: "Well when I first thought this was a yeast infection, I tried all the eliminating carbs, sugars, anything that could feed bacteria and was eating more veggies and lean protein meats. I know this is BV now and I did that for a whole month. Now yes this did help me get rid of the crazy itching and burning, but til this day i still have nasty icky discharge and swelling in the vaginal area. I've tried several herbs garlic, grapefruit seed extract, echinacea/goldenseal, olive leaf extract, probiotic acidophilus, more vitamin supplements. And i still have discharge. I have now starting eating regular again incorporated carbs and sugars but i eat them more moderately and i still dont have the itching and burning. So I don't know what is the problem, but i'm going back to the doctor soon anyway. I can't take this anymore."

04/12/2010: Lisa from Thousand Oaks, Ca, Usa replies: "Hi Cici, Actually, you were on the right track! And the progress is that you are no longer burning and itching but there is still more progress to be had to rid yourself of the BV and going to the dr. will not help unless it is a naturopath who will help through diet. The dr. will most likely give you antibiotics or some other allopathic medication which may cover up the syptoms(MAYBE)but in the end will only exacerbate the problem. The "nasty, icky discharge" is most likely some of the die-off of the candida and yes, this is not a fun place to be but the candida must die in order to restore harmony in your vagina and most likely throughout your whole body. As women, our bodies have an especially delicate balance because of our female organs so candida becomes quite apparent in us as opposed to men. This is both a blessing and a curse because it brings the problem to our awareness pretty quickly and gets our attention whereas, a man with candida can go very far until it is extreme and harming many of his organs.

Do not go back to sugar and carbs- you were on the right track! If you go to bodyecology.com you will find a protocol and answers to BV there. Just do a search when you're there and Donna Gates will give a very good explanation in an article she has written. Don't give up!

Sincerely, Lisa"

04/12/2010: Jennifer from Atlanta, Ga replies: "Cici....that's a bummer on the no carb thing. I've been smell and discharge free for over a week now and the only thing I've changed is what I eat....only meat, cheese, and green veggies. I was hoping that this would work for others like it has for me. I'll let you all know if I'm still BV free in a month or so.

I love all the posts and everyone helping eachother.
Thanks!"

04/15/2010: Cici from Orlando, Fl replies: "Thanks Jennifer and Lisa for your replies. Yes i've really been struggling with this since October 2009. I know i've done something right because of losing two symptoms itching and burning. I guess I need to find the right combo of things for my body. I realize all of our bodies are different and react differently to certain things. I also realize when doing things naturally it's not always a quick fix. I've been patient this long so i might as well keep going. I will check out the bodyecology.com site you posted. Have you all heard of any homeopathic remedies that help. I've been doing more research and read up on Sepia, Pulsatilla, Sulfur, and Kali. I am thinking of adding these to try. Thanks again. We must continue to support each other in this fight."

04/16/2010: Lisa from Thousand Oaks, Ca, Usa replies: "Hi Cici, Good for you for continuing in a holistic manner! I am certain you can bring your body back to a balanced state through diet. You can make your own kefir (I make young coconut water kefir) which helps to re-populate your body with the good bacteria that keeps our body healthy. Wishing you the best on your journey, Lisa"

[NAY]  05/10/2011: Ikatcure from Hamden, Ct, Uas replies: "I tried this for about 8 months. I think it's a great thing to do and it definitely helped me lose weight and I felt very healthy. Without the carbs in meals and snacks to make me feel full easily I worked harder at planning meals and eating more fruits and vegetables. There were plenty of good things that happened and my discharge and smell were greatly reduced. However, that kinda slimy "wet" look that my labia had while sick with bv never fully went away and I could just tell that I still had an active infection. This helped alleviate symptoms but when I started eating simple healthy carbs, not junk food, my symptoms came back with a vengence. This was a nay as a cure but a good thing for my general health."

[YEA]  04/07/2008: Soo from New York, New York: "I'have had bouts of bv on and off for about 4 years. Like everyone else it kept coming back, and I noticed that it was becoming more frequent and harder to cure with each time. Then for the last 5 months it was absolutely constant! People who sat beside me in the subway would sniff around and turn their heads. It was so embarrassing.

In Jan. 2008, I tried the 1:1 H20/ Hydrogen Peroxide douche + acidophilous (2 after each meal) + folic acid (3 800mcg/day). At first it worked wonders, but because I had done all three at once I didn't know which was working or not. I waited a few days and only took the vitamins. The odor and discharge came back so I knew that the Hydrogen Peroxide had been the quick fix. I douched again and the smell disappeared, but came back by the end of the day. Every other day I tried the douche for about 2 weeks and I found that the cure was losing its potency. I know douching is bad and this shouldn't be done regularly. I stopped and decided to wait if the vitamins alone would work. A week later and nothing. So I took one of the acidophilus pills and put it way in my vagina. This actually worked a lot better than the hydrogen peroxide. However, I noticed after a few times that this had lost its potency too. I was really desperate. The remedies here were my last hope.

Then, I decided to completely analyze my lifestyle. I'm from Korea and I came to NY about 2 yrs ago. I noticed that the bv became serious after I came to the states. 1. Quit using fabric softener in laundry - instead I use vinegar and some drops of essential oils. If you read up on fabric softener you'll find out that it's really bad. I'd hardly used fabric softener in Korea and simply ran the rinse cycle twice. Since fs was something I'd started in the states it had to do with my pH imbalance. Regular soaps/detergents are alkaline, which is what makes washed things rough. In order to get it soft you have to rebalance the pH. Vinegar will do this. I put about 1/4 cup of white vin with some drops of tea tree and lavender essential oils. (The oils are choice. You don't need them if don't have them). Laundry smells Wonderful and not cloying like fs. It's logical to use natural substance for your laundry, especially underwear! And very necessary to keep your clothes pH balanced. Vinegar smell disappears through drying; don't worry.

2. I bought a large batch of KIMCHI and started eating it everyday with my meals. There is a LOT of acidophilus and bifidus in kimchi and I'd had hardly any intake of those good bateria. (I hadn't eaten yogurt because I get skin blemishes with dairy.)

3. Skin trouble or not, I bought a yogurt maker and have been eating homemade yogurt once a day. This is a good way to insure that you have a steady diet of yogurt and after a few tries you'll find that it's cheaper and healthier than storebought.

4. Reduced intake of sugar. This was the Hardest thing to do. I love a good dessert, but I had to stop. I let myself eat a cookie about once a week.

5. I quit smoking. I just had 1 or 2 cigarettes a day, but still it's toxic and I knew I had to STOP.

6. THIS IS MOST IMPORTANT in my cure: I did an Eastern medical treatment called moxibustion. I really went back to my roots to cure myself. How moxibustion (or moxa cautery) works is there are these short paper-rolled stubs of wormwood that is stuck to a round clay foundation and their placed usually where the ailment is, and burned. You can picture a 1/4 inch cigarette butt sticking up from a teeny flowerpot; however it might look different because mine was sent to me by my mom and is for home use. Mind you, your skin isn't burned, simply warmed, but the wetness is dried up and toxins seep out through the burning process. If you're not Asian and don't know what I'm talking about go to an Asian medical specialist and tell them to do a moxibustion on your lower abdomen because you have an inflammation in the female area. In Eastern med, smelly discharge and all that women's trouble is said to be caused by a coldness in the lower body, and where there is wet, there is cold. You'll notice that the discharge keeps you cold in that area. You need to make your lower body warmed up again. I did the moxibustion and the discharge and smell was almost gone immediately. I did it a few more days (once a day) and it's COMPLETELY disappeared. Wow, all I had to do was go back to my roots.

Anyway, if you're unable to find an Asian medicine facility where you live... try some things to warm your lower ab. Don't wear jeans, especially tight jeans. Don't just sit down in cold areas - cold plastic subway seats are bad! If you have a hot water bottle, hold it against your lower belly. If you don't have a hot water bottle, use a heating pad or just put warm water into a PET bottle and use it. Drink lukewarm water and not cold refrigerated or ice water. However, I really recommend just a few times of Moxibustion. Everything else is a lifestyle change that should be kept up, but this is something that is direct.

But now I have another problem. I don't smell anymore, but my clothes and sheets still have that odor left in them. No amount of regular laundry will get rid of it. Do I have to get a new wardrobe or can someone help me rid of the stink?"

04/09/2008: Joyce from Joelton, Tn replies: "Hi Soo,

I've never been diagnosed with BV but I have had the odor. Didn't get rid of it until I quit using soap for bathing (learned this from a lovely lady in her 60's about 30 years ago - she had never used deoderant but you didn't fall backwards when she lifted her arms. She said "My daddy was a chemist and he always told us that if you didn't use soap, you didn't need it because soap is what makes you stink." By Ned, I found that she (or rather her daddy) was right!

For your problem with the odor in your wardrobe and bed linens, I suggest you try adding 1 cup of ACV to your final rinse in laundering them. I think you will like the results."

06/19/2008: Soo from New York, NY replies: "I have continued to take the acidophilous (Nature's way primadaphilous bifius- works great) once a day. I also take one folic acid (800mcg) per day. I continued to use a bit of vinegar and essential oils in the rinse cycle of my laundry and within about 4 washes any residual smell has disappeared from my clothes. I've learned that not smoking is vital in this.

I did the moxibustion treatment about 4 more times since I wrote here. Two times in April and two in May right after my period ended because the BV came back after my period.

However, a week has past since my period this month in June and there are absolutely no symptoms of BV. I've hardly given BV a thought for the past month and a half. That's how clean and fresh I feel.

So here are what must be kept up. The acidophilous, folic acid, no smoking, drastically less sugar intake, and eating lots of greens.
I learned that chlorophyll works wonders as an internal deodorant. I also take 2 table spoons of chlorophyll a day since I'm single and it's difficult to eat a ton of greens every day. Don't give up! It's taken me half a year since I started treating myself with these natural remedies. Thank you and good luck to all!"

[NAY]  05/12/2013: Feral Mom from Las Vegas, Nv Usa : "I have suffered for 1 1/2 years w/o a break from BV. I've done 7 rounds of antibiotics, no help what so ever! I've tried the hydergon peroxide distilled douche route, as soon as I stopped douching BV returned :-(. Done holistic approach, acupuncture and boric acid inserts again no resolution! Oh and I've tried the pills orally and vaginally, nothing helped. I am at my wits end, my husband doesn't want to touch me, who can blame him? Horrible discharge and smell not very romantic! ANYONE have any suggestions?"

05/13/2013: Ruth from Harlingen, Texas replies: "Have you been tested for trichomonas(sp)? Worst smell ever plus discharge that just won't quit. I showered two or three times a day when I had it and it still wasn't enough."

05/13/2013: Sick from Sl, H, Kuwait replies: "Have you checked if it's yeast variant, be cured with antibiotics if it is.. U need fluconazole w50 mg single dose for it... Also search on cytolytic V, it is also a type of variant. Good luck."

05/14/2013: Tim from Cincinnati, Oh replies: "For BV, I have heard of good results with apple cider vinegar(AVC). Both drinking and douching. Look at the responses here http://www.earthclinic.com/CURES/bacterial_vaginosis6.html#ACV

http://earthclinic.com/Remedies/acvinegar7.html#BV

Drinking 1-2 tablespoons of AVC in a glass of water daily has helped me with a few different issues. Read about all of the different issues with which people have been helped by drinking AVC. http://earthclinic.com/Remedies/acvinegar.html"

02/14/2013: Bill from San Fernando, Philippines replies: "Hi Barbara... You are not alone in your frustrations concerning a cure for BV. I have read many similar posts like yours on other blogs. It's also well known that BV is just one of the diseases that is strongly linked to candida as a co-infection -- which is really the problem you have. So if you don't attempt to cure your internal candida problem -- you will have great difficulty curing your longstanding BV problem.

I'm writing a book on candida at the moment where I will try to empty my head -- put down all I know -- about candida. I've just completed a section in the book called "Nothing I do ever Cures My Candida!! ". The purpose of this section is to both dispel certain prevalent myths about candida and also to highlight necessary key points for a successful treatment strategy for this disease. Here is the short sectionv whch I hope will be enlightening for candida sufferers who are unable to cure there candida problem:

* Use of Antibiotics against candida or any disease will only ever tend to cause dysbiosis and aid the rapid spread of candida to make your problem much worse. See The Antibiotic Syndrome. Antibiotics use is one of the top causative reasons for candida infection, spread, persistence and virulence. Don't use antibiotics!!

*"Candida is just a yeast."Well, not strictly true -- it is a half truth at best. Candida is well known to be dimorphic -- it can exist in two different states as two different organisms with completely differing structural, locational, functional and behavioural characteristics. The yeast form is a saprophyte that only feeds off dead organic matter so, consequently, this form resides mainly in intestines of the host. The fungal or mycelial form is a true parasite that feeds more directly off the host itself, with completely differing feeding habits where it also can live and grow in any internal region of the body -- including the blood, tissues and organs(including the brain) of the body.

*"No matter what I try topically to cure my own localized uterine candida problem -- it always comes back again".I have read this so many times in health blogs!! This again is completely bad thinking and a bad cure strategy that completely forgets or ignores the fact that candida is a dimorphic organism. So if topical remedies for uterine candida or fungal skin problems or fungal sinus problems or localized ENMT candida problems dont work, thenisn't it reasonable to conclude that the localized candida problems(that keep returning) may more realistically be caused by the disseminated or fungal form inside your body and that these localized expressions of candida are merely direct symptoms of a deeper, internal and body-wide candida infection? So the topical, localized cure strategy will never work.

* "All I have to do is just cure my candida, right?". This is also a bad strategy and bad thinking . There are two entirely different dimorphic forms of candida -- the yeast and fungal form -- that happily coexist which have completely different locational, structural and behavioural characteristics. It's relatively easy to get rid of just the yeast form(for a while) in the intestines -- but very difficult indeed to get rid of the fungal or systemic form because this form infects everywhere in the body -- blood, organs and tissues.

* Relatively new research has also revealed that mixed-species pathogens -- including bacteria, viruses, mycoplasma etc -- also have the abilty to reside, share and hide in candida biofilms. This surprising but important fact therefore greatly increases the ability of both candida and the other involved pathogens to resist and survive anti-fungals and anti-microbials, which greatly inhibits their riddance and any eventual cure.

* A Long Term Bad Diet. Like it or not, when people ask the inevitable question on why or how they got candida in the first place -- and they can't get rid of it -- the answer and one of the greatest and most relevant reasons has to be because of the poor food and diet which that person has been eating for the last few decades.

________

Hopefully, the above will help candida sufferers to understand why topical remedies (using suppositories etc) for your BV aren't working -- the reason is because you probably have an internal fungal candida problem where the BV is perhaps just a systemic symptom of your internal candida problem. So to cure this problem you must therefore take steps to cure your candida as well as the BV (without antibiotics!! ). The anti-candida protocol shown here (lower down in the post stream) is designed to get rid of candida and many of the bacterial and viral associations of this disease.

To further check and confirm whether you have candida there are three things you can do:
* Candida Spit Test (Google it)
* Check If you have a white tongue -- this shows the presence of candida in your gut.
* Take William Crooks Candida Questionnaire on-line. This is fairly accurate at determining whether you have candida or not."

02/15/2013: Larry from Fairfax, Va/usa replies: "Thanks for the excellent info. Please indicate what the abreviation "BV" stands for."

EC: BV - Bacterial Vaginosis

03/03/2013: Annonfromnj from New York, NY replies: "Go to whole foods or a store that sells refrigerated pro biotics and get rueteri. You must take about 85 billion cultures a day, not dangerous and it will keep it at bay, but you will have to keep taking them. Takes two days to kick in. Sorry Im in the same boat."

04/02/2013: Kelly from Manila, Manila, Philippines replies: "Hi Bill! Where can you buy boric acid and h2o2 food grade in the Philippines? What can you say about liquid chlorophyl?"

12/07/2012: Tara from Memphis, Tn, Usa replies: "This is an excellant article on natural remedies for BV and Step B Vaginal

Infections...http://www.agapedoula.com/GBS.pdf"

07/26/2012: Deed from Richmond, Va replies: "I think I have finally found it! It has been two weeks and I have never felt this relief from BV. I have had the toughest battle with BV for about 12- 13 years. I have been lurking on this cite and many others for different natural remedies since my attempts with prescriptions have failed.

I realized the "strain" of bacteria I was probably fighting probably was a staph or strep type because I also had bad boils on my face and my gentile area once a month. I think that its best to attack BV right after the vagina has been flushed out naturally and during the period where your vagina is at its most vulurable point. During that time of the month a Vaginia's ph can be as high as a 7.4. My aim was to bring it down before the bad bacteria can set in and thrive.

The day after my period :

I did a colon cleanse via hydrocolonic therapy and a liver and kidney cleanse via herbal tea.

Every day I drunk cranberry juice AND acai/berry juice ( 100% no sugar added) and water

Every day for 7 days I vaginally inserted ( at night) and also took orally ( in the morning) a probiotic with prebiotic fibers from Prob**lac ( a new probiotic I just picked up from Walmart for $20). It contains Bifidum, longum, acidophilus, bulgaricus, casei, rhamnosus and Streptococus thermphilus.

Even after doing a hydroperoxide or ACV rinse, I have never felt this healthy and fresh (not just smell, but overall appearance of discharge). There is not wetness and when I sweat, I don't have that famous onion smell from bacteria. I have a normal vagina if that makes since.

I will start tapering off this routine little by little and let you all know how things are going."