Patient: "I have what?"
Doctor: "You have an overgrowth of Candida"
Patient: "did you say Canada?"
Doctor: "No, CANDIDA"
Patient: "Wow, so this has been the cause of my continuous discomfort"......

I am sure if not this particular one, but for many women, this is a very familiar conversation that has transpired with many of OBGY's and Physician's pertaining to the subject of the dreaded yeast.....

Yes, unfortunately it is true that an overgrowth of Candida; a fungus, which is a form of yeast, a very small amount of it lives in your mouth and intestines, is the cause of yeast infections. Candida's main job?.........Helping out with digestion and nutrient absorption.

So now you are probably wondering, well how on earth has it turned into this itchy, smelly, burning, uncomfortable infection? The good news is that the healthy bacteria in your gut typically keep your candida levels in check. However, a few factors can cause the candida population to grow out of control:

• Eating a diet high in refined carbohydrates and sugar
• Consuming a lot of alcohol
• Taking oral contraceptives
• Eating a diet high in beneficial fermented foods (like Kombucha, sauerkraut and pickles)
• Living a high-stress lifestyle
• Taking a round of antibiotics that killed too many of those friendly bacteria

One other factor that I would like to mention is being pregnant. Although you are incubating human life and getting ready to do one of the most amazing things as a woman, you could ever do by way of giving birth, with that said it comes with its set of challenges and "side affects" sorta to speak. One of them being.....your body is going through so many changes right now, and it is difficult for your body to keep up with the chemical changes in the vaginal environment. Not to mention your estrogen levels are higher than normal which allows for more sugar in the vaginal secretions on which the yeast can feed, causing an imbalance, which results in too much fungus (overgrowth), A.K.A. yeast infection. Which subsequently can then result in BV, Bacterial Vaginosis.
If Yeast Infection and BV were characters in the Wizard of OZ,  BV is definitely the green, smelly, evil, wicked witch of the West!

BV like yeast infections is a vaginal condition that can produce a foul fishy smell, green in color (in some cases), itchy, burning, vaginal discharge and results from an overgrowth of certain kinds of bacteria in the vagina. Researchers are still all thumbs when it comes to finding out how BV is actually caused, however one consistent find is recent or continuous antibiotic use. It is very common if a women suffers from continuous yeast infections and turns to antibiotics to cure, its almost certain BV is right around the corner......

Medically, the treatment for yeast infections and BV  is usually an over the counter from your local pharmacy or prescription by your doctor, for either a 3 day, 5 day or 7 day (depending on how severe) vaginal gel, suppository treatment, with one of the active antibiotic ingredients "Miconazole".  Treatments like Femstat, Monistat, Vagistat, etc.... As stated, these contain the same active ingredient as a prescription from your doctor, but its in a less concentrated dosage. 


However the one thing that is either missed, looked over, or the medical profession tends to forget to relay the message, is that antibiotics not only kills the bad bacteria but the good healthy bacteria as well, and in some cases after being on antibiotics, it suppresses your immune system, so the individual is now susceptible to getting another infection on top of the one the body is trying to fight with medication. So you can see how it literally can be a continuous vicious cycle and the more antibiotics in your body, the less your body can fight off infection, hence the issue never being resolved...... The literal translation of antibiotics is "anti life" "No life". Food for thought.....

Anyway, enough with my social rant, here are a few recipes, information, tips, and instructions to possible help cure the infections from a more holistic approach and hopefully these steps will actually heal the situation and finally provide some comfort and relief! They worked for me before I was pregnant and worked great for me while I was pregnant as a safer alternative than the medication.

GARLIC TREATMENT

• take a large size clove of garlic
• slice about 4 slits in it with a knife, you don't want to cut through, just make slits with garlic stil in tact.
• take a thin piece of gauze or cheese cloth, wrap garlic inside, twist it around garlic and you can make secure, holding twist in place with a very thin piece of string.
• insert in the vaginal canal
• Note; only insert within the vagina where you can still reach it with two fingers if you were to pull it out. Please do not insert past the vaginal canal into cervix and uterus.
• Do this twice a day for 5 days until symptoms fade or stop.

TOPICAL OIL FOR ITCH RELIEF

•  take any 2oz or 4oz bottle, container, whichever you prefer to contain the ointment.
• use either 3 tbsp or 1/4 coconut oil or olive oil, put into pan, place 3-4 large garlic cloves with slits cut into (like above instructions) them, and saute for about 2-3min. Really until the garlic is nice and brown. You want it saturated in the oil.
• put the oil you just cooked with the garlic into the bottle or container of choice, add vitamin E to fill the majority of container, and add 10 drops only of tea tree oil.
• let sit in a cool dry place and use topically as needed over, around, and on the infected area to provide relief from itching and burning.

PROBIOTICS
"pro"biotics, the literal translation is "for life" or "full of life" the opposite of "anti-biotics"taking a healthy dosage of probiotics daily can establish a healthy growth of "good bacteria" within your gut to aid the immune system in fighting off infections. If you are currently taking antibiotics, consider taking probiotics at the same time to increase the chances of the antibiotics working to kill the infection without killing or interfering with all of your good and healthy bacteria that keeps you healthy. You want to make sure the brand of probiotics you get from a health food store, preferably gluten free, needs to be refrigerated, and are a veggie capsule.



ALKALINE WATER 
You definitely want to make sure you are getting enough fluids to flush and cleanse your system. However making sure you have highly ph water that is more alkaline base, is paramount to ridding the body of toxins and aiding the immune system in healing and clearing up an array of ailments and infections. Drinking water or water from your tap is naturally a 7 on the scale, but impurities in the water tend to tip the scale toward the left (more acidic).
The ideal pH level for pure drinking water is an 8 or a 9, which is achieved through alkalizing the water. Anything below a 7 is more acidic, anything above a 7 is basic in terms of ph scale. Due to all the preservatives and additives within our food, and not maintaining a healthy diet, makes our systems more acidic which is a breeding ground for toxins, infections, and illness. You can buy already highly ph water from health food stores and some local grocery store like whole foods or trader joes. However if you are on a budget, you can simple use organic lemons, and that will do the trick! Lemons are anionic, so when you drink lemon water, your body reacts with the anionic properties of the lemon making the water alkaline as your body digests it.^[3]

•  Fill one pitcher (64 oz.) with clean water. Filtered water is the best way to go, but if you don’t have a filter, tap water is okay to use. 
• Cut up one to two lemons into eighths. Add the lemons to the water but do not squeeze them--simply place them in the water.  
• Cover the water and let it sit overnight for 8 to 12 hours at room temperature.
• In the morning, take the lemons out and squeeze in juice of the lemons
• You can add one tablespoon of pink Himalayan sea salt to your lemon water if desired. Adding the salt mineralizes your alkaline water.

HERBAL BATH TEAS
Its nothing like a good old bath that sometimes helps make you feel fresh and clean. With that said, you can DIY and make yourself a nice warm bath.

• put 1 cup of ACV (apple cider vinegar) in the bath water along with 2 cups of Epsom salt, 15 drops of tea tree oil, your favorite bubble bath and soak. The ACV will help kill the bacteria without burning too much, plus enable you to be clean and feel fresh. 

Or you can go the route of already made herbal tea baths. Herbal tea baths have been used in many centuries, countries, and cultures known for the healing,  and theraputic properties.
 I have a full comprehensive homeopathic organic bath/body care line that I sell online and one of my best selling products are my woman and maternal bath teas. I use a specific combination (depending on your ailment) of essential herbs and oils within them that aid in cleansing, soothing, therapeutic, and good for healing. I sell herbal tea baths that are safe for pregnant women, women wellness, and postpartum recovery care. You can get them online on my site: www.myrtleandflossie.com or www.opensky.com/myrtleflossie.
NATURAL MEDICINE
There are a few natural medicinal brands out there that already come encapsulated pill, gel, suppositories, and cream form. It is still medicine but from a more natural and organic approach that wont be harmful to you. Here are a few brands that I have noticed at certain health food and holistic shops, read up on, but have yet to try for myself. One brand in particular that produces "yeast away" by BOIRON. I have used some of the other products in this brand and they worked for the specific ailments I had at the time, but I haven't gotten the chance to try yeast away. Stay tuned when I try this product for myself and I post about the experience. There is also another brand NewEve that is a natural medicine to cure BV.  Once again I have not tried this particular brand, but feel free to look it up yourself, check the reviews, and do the research.



The following information stated above is not FDA approved and by no means am I a doctor. I am a certified postpartum doula and I have certification in the organic homeopathic bath/body product making industry. This information is all knowledge that I have acquired through the years, tested on myself and from my own personal expertise. These are things that helped me and possible could help you......

Enjoy!