- ALLERGY, RESPIRATORY
- Traffic, Dust Linked to Asthma in Kids
- Overweight Moms More Likely to Have Asthmatic Kids
- Childhood Food Allergies on the Rise
- ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
- Meditation May Boost Short-Term Visual Memory
- Memory Loss Help from Brain Supplement Prevagen
- Animals Respond to Acupuncture's Healing Touch
- BONES & JOINTS
- In Elderly Women, Hip Fractures Often Follow Arm Breaks
- Most Kids With Type 1 Diabetes Lack Vitamin D
- Fall Sports Peak Time for Lower Leg Damage
- CANCER
- U.S. Reported 25,000 Cases of HPV-Related Cancers Annually
- Minorities Distrust Medical System More
- Vitamin D May Improve Melanoma Survival
- CAREGIVING
- Recession Scrambling Health Spending in U.S.
- Rapid Infant Weight Gain Linked to Childhood Obesity
- Tainted China Formula Caused High Rate of Kidney Stones in Kids
- CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
- Anemia Rates Down for U.S. Women and Children
- Vitamins Do Older Women Little Good
- Health Tip: Are You Anemic?
- COSMETIC
- The Acne Drug Accutane More Than Doubles Depression Risk
- New Genetic Links to Baldness Discovered
- What to Do If You Have Unsightly Veins
- DENTAL, ORAL
- Toothbrushing May Stave Off Heart Woes
- Most Insured Adults Worry About Health Care Costs: Poll
- Acid Drinks Blamed for Increase in Tooth Erosion
- DIABETES
- Americans Consuming More Sugary Beverages
- Insulin Resistance Tied to Peripheral Artery Disease
- Arthritis Hits More Than Half of Diabetics
- DIET, NUTRITION
- Occaisonal Dieting May Cut Breast Cancer, Study Says
- Mercury in Fish Linked to High Blood Pressure
- To Feel Better, Low-Fat Diet May Be Best
- DISABILITIES
- Could Your Cell Phone Help Shield You From Alzheimer's?
- Review Finds Marijuana May Help MS Patients
- ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
- Global Warming May Bring More Respiratory Woes
- Dementia Underestimated in Developing Countries
- Scorpion Anti-Venom Speeds Children's Recovery
- EYE CARE, VISION
- Retinal Gene Is Linked to Childhood Blindness
- Cases of Age-Related Farsightedness to Soar
- Don't Lose Sight of Halloween Safety
- FITNESS
- Early Exercise Boosts Outcomes for ICU Patients
- Being Active an Hour a Day Puts Brakes on Weight Gain
- More Steps a Day Lead to Better Health
- GASTROINTESTINAL PROBLEMS
- Bowel Prep Harder on Women Than Men
- Japanese Herbals May Ease Gastro Woes
- Traditional Nonsurgical GERD Treatments Not Impressive
- GENERAL HEALTH
- Soluble Fiber, But Not Bran, Soothes Irritable Bowel
- Deployment Takes Toll on Army Wives
- Family Medicine Cabinet Top Source Of Kid's Poisonings
- HEAD & NECK
- Zen May Thicken Brain, Thwart Pain
- Ski Helmets Encouraged for All
- Many Children Will Outgrow Headaches
- HEALTH & TECHNOLOGY
- Imaging Sheds Light on How Acupuncture Works
- Magnet Therapy May Ease Hard-to-Treat Depression
- Using Light Therapy to Silence Harmful Brain Activity
- HEART & CARDIOVASCULAR
- Fondness for Fish Keeps Japanese Hearts Healthy
- B-Vitamins Help Protect Against Stroke, Heart Disease
- Vitamin B3 May Help Repair Brain After a Stroke
- INFECTIOUS DISEASE
- More Medicinal Uses for Pomegranate
- Viral Infection Might Trigger High Blood Pressure
- Chinese 'Devil Dung' Plant Could Be a Swine Flu Fighter
- KID'S HEALTH
- Decline of Underweight Children in U.S. Continue to Fall
- Standard IQ Test May Underestimate People With Autism
- Meaningful Conversations Boost Kids' Language Skills
- MEN'S HEALTH
- Could Chinese Herb Be a Natural Viagra?
- Low Vitamin D Levels May Boost Men's Heart Attack Risk
- Physical Activity May Prolong Survival After Colon Cancer
- MENTAL HEALTH
- Worries About Weight Are Tied to Teen Suicide Tries
- Psychotherapy Can Boost Happiness More Than Money
- Common Social Groups and Race, Seem to Help People Relate
- PREGNANCY
- Expectant Mom's Exercise Keeps Newborn's Birth Weight Down
- Alternative Treatments May Boost IVF Success
- Pregnant Women Exposed To Certain Pollutants Could Lower Childs IQ
- SENIORS
- Could Your Cell Phone Help Shield You From Alzheimer's?
- The Healthy Habits of Centenarians
- Mediterranean Diet Plus Exercise Lowers Alzheimer's Risk
Holistic Treatment for Candida Infection
By Dr. Mercola Published: 06/19/2008
Yeast infections can be painful, even agonizing. But instant relief from a yeast infection is not currently possible; Candida albicans is a stubborn, hearty fungi that is difficult to remove. Most over-the-counter and prescription treatments take days.
However, there are options capable of delivering relief much more quickly. The best holistic treatment for a yeast infection, commonly known as the "12-hour yeast infection treatment," has repeatedly proven the safest, quickest, and most effective treatment available.
Another popular holistic treatment for yeast infection is dietary modification, which can rid your body of a yeast infection in approximately two weeks. Strict dietary modification results in changes to your body that cause Candida albicans to die off. The lack of food, pH changes, and other factors are what ultimately destroy the yeast infection.
Dr. Mercola comments:
Many may not realize that chronic yeast infections were what actually stimulated my passion in natural medicine. I read Dr. William Crook’s book, The Yeast Connection, in the mid '80s and eventually deployed some of his recommendations in my practice -- with quite extraordinary results from some seriously diseased patients.
The results spoke for themselves so I set out on a 15-year journey of exploring natural healing strategies that has lead me to where I am today. Dr. Crook passed nearly six years ago but he was really one of my primary initial role models.
For anyone who is struggling with yeast problems, I highly recommend you review www.yeastconnection.com. It is based on Dr. Crook’s pioneering work, and the site is loaded with the latest insights on how Candida yeast causes problems in your body, and how to alleviate it.
He taught that an overgrowth of Candida albicans, a type of yeast, can cause a variety of chronic health problems in men and women, not the least of which are yeast infections. Keep in mind, though, that not all yeast is bad. In fact, Candida albicans normally exists on your skin, in your digestive tract and, for women, in your vagina. In your intestines, the good bacteria should, theoretically, keep the yeast and bad bacteria under control and in a healthy balance. This complex system is largely responsible for protecting your body from outside offenders.
However, many people’s gut bacteria -- all 100 trillion strong -- are not in the correct balance. Using antibiotics, taking birth control pills, eating a lot of sugar and grains -- all of these things disrupt the balance of bacteria in your gut, which allows Candida cells to rapidly develop, and overwhelm, the good bacteria.
What Happens When Your Body Has Too Much Yeast?
Two things. First, the lining of your intestines weakens, which allows allergens and toxins that don’t normally leave your intestines into your bloodstream. Next, you develop a craving for sugars and carbohydrates to try to feed the unnaturally large amount of yeast in your intestine.
This is a double-edged sword because the more sugar and grains you eat, the more the yeast grows out of control. Eventually, this will further weaken your intestinal lining and your immune system.
This imbalance in intestinal flora, sometimes called dysbiosis, can lead to:
• Vaginitis
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Weight gain
• Food allergies
• Migraines
• Asthma
• Depression
• Chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia
In fact, there are 79 different toxins released by the metabolism and die-off of Candida. This is why people with yeast overgrowth often feel so lousy; the Candida toxins are regularly entering their bloodstream. Two of these toxins, alcohol and acetaldehyde (the breakdown product of alcohol that causes hangovers), are in such high amounts in people with chronic yeast problems that you may actually end up feeling "drunk."
Acetaldehyde also reacts with the neurotransmitter dopamine, which is why people with yeast overgrowth often experience mental and emotional disturbances such as anxiety, depression, poor concentration, and feeling spaced-out.
Ditch the Creams and Pills: Here’s How to Cure a Yeast Infection
1. The Right Diet and Exercise
A diet rich in meats, chicken, eggs, seeds and nuts, vegetables, and healthy oils (free range and organic) -- while avoiding sugars and carbohydrate-rich foods -- will restrict the amount of fuel the yeast in your intestine has available to it. I would add to this to make your diet in tune with your nutritional type. Once you’ve started on the diet, exercising will begin to rebalance the levels of neurotransmitters in your brain and improve your mood. One of the elements of diet that does seem counter intuitive is the absolute restriction of even fruits when one is seeking to eliminate yeast, as even the tiniest amounts of sugar seem to worsen this condition.
2. Getting Plenty of Good Bacteria
You will want to increase your probiotic (good bacteria) intake with a high-quality probiotic supplement or by eating cultured and fermented foods, such as natto. These contain the good bacteria that keep your vagina and gastrointestinal tract healthy and will ultimately replace the Candida.
3. Avoiding Exposure to Chemicals
Paints, household cleaners, perfumes and scents may cause allergic reactions, and chemical sensitivities are very common in people with yeast overgrowth.
4. Addressing Emotional and Psychological Issues
Food cravings, especially those for sweets, often are exacarbated by emotional dependencies. Tools like the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) can help you to overcome unhealthy food cravings and other emotional hurdles.
When You Need Relief NOW…
The above solutions are incredibly important for avoiding recurring yeast infections and other yeast-related health problems, so DO make sure to take them to heart. However, they work over time and will not provide the immediate relief that women with yeast infections need.
So, to relieve the pain and itching that often accompanies yeast infections, you can try:
1. Inserting one Boric acid powder capsule into your vagina morning and evening for three to seven days for an acute infection, and 14 to 30 days for a chronic infection. I have not seen Boric acid capsules widely available in health stores or pharmacies but women can make their own by buying a bottle of Boric acid powder and gelatin capsules (a capsule-making machine makes the process go faster). Studies show the effectiveness of Boric acid is very high especially in women with chronic resistant yeast infections -- one study with 100 women showed a 98 percent success rate with this condition. If you find that the Boric acid irritates your external genitalia you can protect the tissue with vitamin E oil (preferred).
2. Insert a garlic clove into your vagina in the morning and an acidophilus capsule in the evening for three to seven days.
3. Prepare a retention douche with bentonite clay, Pau D’ Arco tea, yogurt, tea tree oil and goldenseal and douche two times a day for seven to 10 days.
4. Soak a tampon with diluted tea tree oil and keep it in your vagina overnight.
If you make the proper lifestyle changes that I’ve listed above, your body will be able to conquer Candidas albicans. However, because yeast overgrowth can be extremely complex, I generally recommend finding a health care practitioner who is knowledgeable about the holistic treatment of yeast to help oversee your recovery.
Sources: Associated Content, Dr. Mercola