For those new to the struggle, keep your head up! You are NOT alone. I was lucky to have a boyfriend willing to sit through the ph balance talk (embarrassing but NECESSARY! )
Personal Care Products
Multiple Remedies
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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.
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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.
Povidone Iodine
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Research taking beta carotene supplements. You can take up to 75,000 IUS everyday. Some women claim to have gotten a cure that way. I do that along with probiotics, EVERYDAY, and a table spoon atleast of coconut oil everyday with orange juice.
Personal Care Products
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Probiotics Plus
★★★★☆
Here's where my mission starts. I have done the peroxide water mix & inserted it for 5 minutes a day first thing in the morning for the past 4 days. I have been on the probiotics with rueteri for the last 3 days & started one alkaline water a day. Reading everything on here made me realize this is def. harbored in my gut. This makes sense because I had my gallbladder removed at 19 & the doctor said I'd been suffering from it not knowing for a couple years. It got much worse after it was removed & I suffer from horrible acid reflux. I'm not a doctor but it makes sence all of a sudden there's this horrible bacteria in my gut causing the bv to flare up daily & the acid almost daily.
Today is the first day without the peroxide in the morning. I drank the alkaline water as well as taking the probiotic. The other suggestion on here was coconut oil. I was gonna try to eat it then chickened out seeing what it looks like. So I put a table spoon in a pan and made 2 eggs vtastes fine. It's about an hour past the normal time I do the peroxide and no over whelming smell. Yet. Hopefully this works because this has ruined my self esteem & emotionally caused seriouse insecurities and depression. Thank you everyone for there input. It's a support system so neede that only another woman suffering would understand. Good luck ladies & I will give feedback if it continues to work
Multiple Remedies
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.
Alkalize
Alkalize
Multiple Remedies
Baking Soda Douche
General Feedback
Dietary Changes
A few weeks ago I was at work and I noticed a putrid smell. After sniffing around my desk, I was mortified to discover it was coming from my crotch. I haven't been sexually active in months and I hadn't changed laundry detergents or soaps. I also haven't been sick or changed my diet. I don't even take pain relievers when I have headaches. The only changes I experienced in the prior two months was excessive watery discharge, but my body does things like that from time to time (excessive discharge, occasional spotting) and I just wear pantyliners - no big deal. It usually goes away after a couple of cycles. I figured my body is just doing it's thing since I am in my mid-thirities and I've read that in midlife hormone levels change as a natural process of aging.
Anyway, I noticed the odor would penetrate everything - it was absolutely disgusting. I decided to go onto the internet and self-diagnose. I don't normally recommend this, but I've always been an information hound and I research EVERYTHING and the earliest I could see my gynecologist was a few weeks out.
Based on the symptoms and what I've read, I'm pretty sure I have a mild form of BV.
I researched the postive/negative effects of Acidophilus, Folic Acid, vitamin B-Complex, effects of excess sugar (I realized my soda consumption had increased significantly the last two months due to free drinks offered at work, etc. ). I read up on whether or not too much is good or bad for you, etc. Do your research and I'm sure you will come to some of my same conclusions.
From everything I read, I decided my diet was the first place to start. The first day I took 1 multivitamin that I had onhand. It's the brand that starts with C and I took it because it had 400mg of Folic Acid in it. Within an hour or two I noticed the smell had significantly gone away. I was super excited to see these results, so the next day I decided to go out and purchase Acidophilus and a bottle of just 400mg Folic Acid. I started a regimen and I am happy to say there is no smell and no excessive discharge.
This is what worked for me:
Day 1: 1 multivitamin that has 400mg Folic Acid plus B-vitamins (taken at noon)
Day 2: 1 multivitamin, 1 400mg tablet of Folic Acid 1 Acidophilus 25 Billion CFUs inserted vaginally (taken/inserted right before bed). I wore a pantyliner since some people had posted there might be discharge from the capsule. Also, be sure your Acidophilus has multiple strains in it. I read somewhere that not all Acidophilus products are the same.
Day 3: 1 multivitamin 400 mg tablet of Folic Acid 1 Acidiophilus tablet taken orally (I took these at noon on an empty stomach and waited about 20 minutes before eating lunch. My research concluded it was better to take the probiotic on an empty stomach since food can affect the absorption and potency). I also had no discharge or smell this day.
Day 4: 1 multivitamin 1 400 mg Folic Acid. I skipped the Acidophilus altogether. Today my vagina discharged what was left of the capsule I had inserted. It was no big deal - just some granules (the mucous was kind of gritty), but it was noticeable when I wiped after going to the bathroom.
During this time I also cut back on soda and drank more water and soy milk. I can't exactly go cold turkey with the diet, you know? Baby steps and small changes!
I'm not sure if I will continue taking all of these pills daily, but I'm certainly paying more attention to my diet and what it's doing to my vagina. I'll probably continue with the multivitamin every few days and maybe throw in the additional Folic Acid from time to time and take an Acidophilus occasionally too, for maintenance purposes.
Thank you all for posting your stories. I'm a firm believer in natural remedies and that knowledge is power.
Good luck!
Next!!! Then I got some Kefir plain unsweetened cultured milk. Took a turkey baster, laid down and inserted. I ended up putting a tampon in. Low and behold! It's gone! I'm not sure for how long since I just did this yesterday. I'm going to try again and see. I'm still going to keep up the pills, and folic acid. But I will always keep the $4 bottle of kefir!! I'll update in a few hopefully with good results. Thank you so much for everyone sharing!!
Multiple Remedies
It's been a few weeks now and my BV/odor/discharge is pretty much gone. I haven't been on any regular regimen since my post in December. My only actions at this point are to take a multi-vitamin once every few days, and an occasional probiotic orally. I think I've taken only two probiotics in the last three weeks.
I've been adjusting my diet a bit by cutting down on sodas, which is my main source of sugars. The rest is common sense - more water, more veggies, more fruit.
Thanks, everyone!
Multiple Remedies
P.S. The Fem-dophilus might not have worked as well as I have hoped probably because my BF has been ejaculating in me which messes up the PH... We have stopped doing that about a week ago so hopefully that helps too!!!!
I am sorry you have dealt with this for so long with no permanent cure!
I would try what Timh suggests for dealing with underlying causes.
One thing I have not seen mentioned yet on the BV page is activated charcoal. I know it has been used successfully for uterine infection. You could get some charcoal tablets and insert a couple at bedtime daily (which may end up being messy by morning--you would want to use pantyliners until the charcoal has all passed.) Alternately, you could soak a tampon in a charcoal water solution. Maybe 1 teaspoon of charcoal in a couple of ounces of water and use this over night. Either thing you try, I would try for at least a week.
Perhaps it will take multiple remedies for your cure, and perhaps it will be necessary to continue treatment long after symptoms improve.
I hope you find a permanent solution. Let us know what you find out!
~Mama to Many~
Multiple Remedies
★★★★★
After years of trying Flagyl, acidophilus, douches, potions, and spells.. I tried Gy-Na-Tren( You can get it at Whole Foods, GNC, or the Vitamin Shoppe if you're in NYC). It took away the smell right away, however, I still had discharge and violent itching when it was finished ( I think it might have been thrush). I decided to try Gy-Na-Tren again and also take 1 Acidopilus (PR8 brand), 1 Rainbow Light Candida Cleanse (Also at the same places I found the Gy-Na-Tren), 1 Multivitamin, and Sublingual b12 which contains folic acid. I take these every morning. I have been BV free for a long time with no discharge or smell!
Multiple Remedies
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I've been dealing with a lot of minor health issues over the past couple of years. Most of the time, you just kind of deal with things as they come. However, my immunity (due to a great deal of environmental/life stress) was compromised. I'm 33, female, and consider myself healthy. Once I found this site, I was ADDICTED to it. I started doing the research and found what I think is a perfect solution for BV. I developed BV as (I think) as reaction to a recent diagnosis of HPV. Everything was out of whack and I thought my sex life had ended. After some experimentation, here's what I ended up with and has worked for me for 3 months now. No creeping smell, no discharge, no anything BV related. At first, I took care of things on an immediate level by doing the Hydrogen Peroxide douche. Literally just a tad bit with a great deal of warm water. Then, I did the acidphilus both orally and vaginally. Once you do this, the rest is kind of body maintenance. I do this on a daily basis:
ACV - read about it if you don't know anything about it. It just improves so much of your overall health - not to mention helps restore your pH.
Acidophilus - I started with "millions" and wound up with a refrigerated version of the "3 billion" capsules.
B-12 complex - just overall metabolism support. however, it can be harmful on your kidneys so don't use in excess.
Multivitamin - just because, well, duh.
Folic Acid - I figured it couldn't hurt and it helps overall immunity.
I also take lysine daily because I'm prone to fever blisters in the sun or under stress. This keeps it under control and when I do have a flare-up, it remedies it very quickly.
Just get to know your body. It's hard dealing with these things but I truly believe that starting in the root of the cause (e.g., the gut) is the best way to have a long lasting effect.
Oregano Oil
Multiple Remedies
In the morning before breakfast, I have:
2 folic acid tablets
1 heaped teaspoon green barley grass powder
1 cap of Tahitian Noni Juice
1 cap of Kefir yogurt
(Sometimes B5 tablet, or olive leaf, vitamin C powder and acidophilis on other days).
Then I repeat the above morning routine around 4pm before a snack and dinner. I try not to eat sugar but I can still get away with eating chocolate as well as wine if I stick to the barley grass powder and Noni juice. (And I like to eat organic and more natural foods now anyway).
I have a hunch that the Barley Grass powder is working better than the Noni Juice (as Noni is $45/bottle). And before I tried the Barley Grass powder, the BV was coming back anyway. With the Barley Grass powder I ate chocolate over Easter (and 3 glasses of wine - which would aggravate BV like crazy) and I STILL smell clean and fresh. Never thought it would go away. (Please note I'm not a sales agent for the powder either - I just know how depressing it is to have BV).
So overall I think Barley Grass Powder, Folic Acid and kefir yogurt is the key. When I was shopping, I felt intuitively to get the bottle of chrolyphyll (but it's watered down too much) so now I take the green powder in water). Works wonders.
Sabrina
Dietary Changes
Multiple Remedies
Thank you so much. Yolanda
Supplements
★★★★☆
