The more complete answer is “Yes, sometimes they
work. But you need more facts about yeast infections before you
decide if a natural remedy is right for you.”
Unfortunately, many claims are made by Internet marketing firms
promising a “natural cure” that is “guaranteed” to get rid of your
current infection and keep it from coming back. Most of these
remedies are based on a treatment plan first promoted by Dr. C.
Orian Truss, M.D., way back in 1978. There are several reasons why
health care providers are concerned about these remedies:
1. These treatments were not created for vaginal yeast infections –
they were promoted as the cure-all for a condition Dr. Truss called
“systemic candidiasis.” This condition was thought to cause a wide
variety of symptoms, including lethargy, fatigue, food cravings,
depression, infertility, and vaginal yeast infections, plus many
more. The theory was that “if you don’t feel good, and your doctor
can’t find anything wrong, you have Candida.”
2. Although this theory was first written about 29 years ago, it has
never been proven that any of the symptoms listed, except vaginal
yeast infections, are actually caused by Candida yeast. And the
powerful herbal remedies and complicated diets have never been
proven to be effective in treating any of these symptoms, including
vaginal yeast infections. And they have never been proven to be
safe.
3. The remedies include “natural” herbal products that are
anti-microbial – this means they can destroy the beneficial bacteria
in the gut that are your body’s first line of defense against yeast
infections.
Supposedly, you can replenish your beneficial bacteria by eating
yogurt or taking supplements that contain live cultures, but your
colon is host to over 500 different species of bacteria, and many of
them are needed by your body. Yogurt will replace only one or two of
these species, and a new strain of yeast could colonize your gut
while your bacteria population is still being rebuilt. That means
that taking some of these powerful herbal remedies could actually
make your current yeast infection worse instead of better.
To protect yourself against false claims promoted by people selling
“guaranteed cures” for yeast infections, it makes sense to learn all
you can about this common condition.
Once you know what causes vaginal yeast infections, you’ll see why
the old-wives' tales about yogurt, vinegar and garlic are actually
more helpful and truthful than many marketing claims selling
complicated and expensive herbal remedies.
These simple remedies that you can buy at the grocery store often do
cure a mild yeast infection. And in most cases, simple changes in
your diet and daily habits can keep yeast infections from coming
back.
If the mild remedies your grandmother used don’t cure your yeast
infection you should get yourself to a doctor, because there could
be several reasons why the infection doesn’t go away:
- You could have an infection that is caused by something other than
Candida. If you have an infection caused by bacteria or parasites,
the infection could eventually damage your reproductive organs, and
must be treated promptly by prescription medications.
- You may have a yeast infection that isn’t mild enough for the
natural remedies to work. In this case, your doctor can recommend an
over-the-counter topical cream that should cure your infection
within a few days.
- Your yeast infections may actually be caused by an underlying
condition that has upset your hormone balance or damaged your immune
system. Many women are first diagnosed with diabetes when they go to
their doctor about their chronic yeast infections.
So, do natural remedies work? Yes, sometimes they do. But you need
far more information than that before you make an intelligent,
informed choice about treating your vaginal yeast infection.
