A 5-Step Approach To Avoiding & Treating Yeast Infections Naturally

Redness and swelling. Pain and soreness. Itching, irritation, discharge, and rash. Burning during intercourse or while urinating.

Let’s give a big shout-out to yeast infections… or not!

Yeast infections affect 3 out of 4 women, and although they aren’t considered a sexually transmitted infection, they can be passed to one’s partner. Yes, men can get them, too!

So, what is a yeast infection, why would you get one, and most importantly: how do you get rid of one naturally?

What Is A Yeast Infection & Why Would You Get One?

Yeast infection = fungal infection = candida overgrowth. Each of these are the same thing, caused by a fungus called Candida albicans.

Candida is a normal part of gut flora, found mostly on mucosal surfaces such as the gastrointestinal tract, mouth, urinary tract, and vaginal tract. When the gut microbiome is balanced, yeast infections just don’t happen. When the balance is disrupted, candida overgrows and causes problems.

Many factors maintain this delicate balance, including lifestyle, diet, and overall gut health. There are over 80 symptoms of candida overgrowth.

A vaginal yeast infection is just one way your body is telling you that something is wrong!

A 5-Step Approach To Avoiding & Treating Yeast Infections Naturally

Unfortunately, treating candida isn’t as easy as driving to the pharmacy, grabbing an anti-fungal, and being cured within a matter of days.

First, you must address the underlying cause of candida by making wise lifestyle, diet, and gut health decisions. Otherwise it’s very likely that you’ll have recurring yeast infections, and/or start seeing additional, just as unpleasant, symptoms of candida overgrowth too. Nearly 50% of women have recurring yeast infections because they haven’t yet addressed the underlying issue (source).

You can also use natural home remedies, which are so much better than over-the-counter drugs for a variety of reasons. Remember, they still won’t prevent a yeast infection from coming back (that’s why you have to address lifestyle, diet, and gut health), but they can provide immediate relief.

The ultimate goal? To balance candida with your beneficial gut flora once again.

These 5 natural remedies for yeast infections should be used simultaneously to be truly effective. If you’re more comfortable with a step-by-step program, check out Kicking Candida which includes 5 phases and one-on-one coaching.

#1 — Make Good Lifestyle Choices

Everyday, seemingly simple lifestyle choices play a huge role in one’s health.

For instance, how much water do you drink each day? How much sleep do you get at night? Do you need caffeine or energy drinks to get you through the day? Do you slather your skin in lotions containing parabens and chemicals?

Self care is often pushed to the bottom of the to-do list in favor of deadlines, activities, meals to plan, and a family to care for. And yet, it’s important to take time to keep our immunity up and reduce stress and worry. This will go a long way in preventing future, recurring yeast infections.

Action step: Reduce stress, reduce your toxic load, and get more sleep to boost your immune system.

#2 — Eat Less Starchy Carbs & Sugar

Convenience dictates so much of what we eat, doesn’t it? We’re busy! It’s so easy to reach for the quick boxed foods and collapse on the couch at the end of the day.

And yet, let me say this: Every single choice we make in terms of diet either contributes to poor gut health or encourages a healthy microbiome.

Do you start the day with whole grain pancakes, crispy hash browns, and raw milk or freshly-squeeze orange juice? This is obviously a better choice than a doughnut and Starbucks; yet when it comes to candida, a sugar- and/or carb-loaded breakfast like this still encourages its overgrowth.

Candida feeds on a sugar — not only processed sugar, but the natural sugars found in dairy and fruits, and the carbs that your body turns into sugar, like starchy grains and potatoes.

Action step: Focus on organic non-starchy vegetables and quality sources of protein (grass-fed beef, pastured poultry, wild-caught fish) instead of grains, starchy vegetables, and sugary fruits.

#3 — Take Care Of Your Gut

While lifestyle and dietary choices contribute to overall gut health, things like antibiotics, oral contraceptives, NSAIDS, and steroids affect it, too.

According to this study, which examined the gut microbiomes of mice after antibiotic use, Candida albicans couldn’t establish colonization in the gut without broad-spectrum antibiotic treatment. Researchers then concluded that “the bacterial microbiota of the stomach is vital in promoting gastric colonization resistance.”

Two more studies showed that when mice were treated with antibiotics, the antibiotics “allowed C. albicans to proliferate in the gut” (source).

Action step: Protect your gut microbiome by relying on home remedies instead of antibiotics this flu season. Make your own herbal tinctures or use essential oils. Also check out these posts:

• 2 Natural Cold Remedies That Really Work! #AskWardee 054
• 6 Natural Strategies To Fight Off Flu Season
• 14 Herbs to Boost Immunity {pssst! 8 may already be in your kitchen!}
• Pepper Juice: An Immune-Boosting Miracle Tincture
• Explaining Antibiotic Resistance + Natural Alternatives That Work!

#4 — Honey & Garlic Concoction

For relief from a current yeast infection, combine warm honey and freshly-chopped garlic. With a clean finger or Q-tip, spread the honey/garlic mixture inside your vagina and on any vaginal areas that burn, itch, or are otherwise uncomfortable.

Then, lie down for about 20 minutes so that it has time to stay on those areas. Warm honey is runny, so if you’re up walking around it can create a mess.

After 20 minutes, wipe away the excess mix and wear a cloth pantyliner to prevent the mixture from getting on your clothes, or take a shower.

#5 — Apple Cider Vinegar & Colloidal Silver Douche

While excessive douching, especially with toxic chemicals, can give rise to a yeast infection, douching wisely with natural remedies can be very helpful. For this remedy, use 2 to 3 tablespoons raw apple cider vinegar and 1 teaspoon colloidal silver.

There are two ways you can apply the mixture.

1. Pour the mixture into an empty douche bottle, insert the tip into your vagina, and squeeze the bottle until the mixture is gone.

2. Sit in an empty bathtub and thoroughly splash/rinse your vaginal area with the mixture.

Do you struggle with yeast infections? Have you ever treated a yeast infection naturally?

Disclaimer: Healthcare begins and ends with you. As your needs for healthcare and healthcare information change, you must evaluate not only the source but also also what is provided. It is your right to be thoroughly informed; but as importantly, it is your responsibility to participate actively in your own care and to participate in the decision-making process. The information provided on this site is not intended to replace consultation, evaluation, services, or establishment of a licensed practitioner-patient relationship. Furthermore, it is not diagnostic and does not replace an in-person examination and agreed upon course of action. The material is meant for information and possible supplementation of what is provided by your specific healthcare provider and is not intended to replace medical care.