How to get rid of a yeast infection fast? As any sufferer would attest, answers for that question are very important. Although rarely life-threatening, a yeast infection can cause anxiety and negatively impact a person’s life. If you’re looking for answers on how to cure a yeast infection naturally, read on.
But first, let me give you a quick info on what is a yeast infection, including its causes, symptoms, and prevention.
A yeast infection is the layman’s term for Candidiasis, which is a type of fungal infection that affects the throat, blood, skin, mouth mucous membranes, and genitals. But to be more exact, a yeast infection usually refers to a fungal infection of the genital area.
Yeast Infection Causes
How do you get a yeast infection?
A yeast infection occurs when there is an overgrowth of the Candida Albicans, a fungus. Normally, it’s harmless and live in our bodies in small amounts. There are just some things that could cause it to wildly multiply, like stress, intake of certain medicines (e.g. antibiotics and corticosteroids), a compromised immune system, diabetes, high estrogen levels, and excess weight.
Vaginal Yeast Infection Symptoms
- Pain during intercourse and urination
- Severe itching in your vaginal area
- A vaginal yeast infection discharge that’s white and clustered
- Redness of the vaginal area
Yeast Infection in Men
Usually, a male yeast infection occurs in men who are uncircumcised or who have been having an intercourse with a partner with a yeast infection (this is uncommon though). Symptoms of a penile yeast infection are burning sensation of the glans (tip of the penis), red rash, and extreme itching.
How to Prevent Yeast Infections
Good news: It’s completely preventable. Here are some preventive tips you could consider:
- Keep your blood sugar levels controlled.
- Do some de-stressing activities, like meditation or getting a massage.
- Pay attention to your diet. Some foods and drinks that are believed to aggravate yeast infections are dairy, caffeinated beverages, sugar, alcohol, and chlorinated water.
- If it’s not needed, avoid taking antibiotics.
- Wear clothes and underwear that are loose and breathable.
- Always keep your vaginal area clean and dry.
- After urinating, make sure to wipe from your vagina towards the back using one stroke.
If you’re looking for natural ways to experience quick yeast infection relief, here are some of my suggestions.
How to get rid of a yeast infection naturally and quickly
1. Pure Coconut Oil Eliminates Candida
Pure coconut oil is effective yeast infection home remedy. It is one of the best natural alternative medicines out there. There are so many things that coconut oil can do to cure your yeast infection:
First, it fully supports a healthy immune system. Remember, people with compromised immune systems are highly susceptible to Candida overgrowth. It’s non-toxic to the body and prevents your body’s antioxidants from being used up because it’s very stable.
Second, it kills several Candida species. Authors of a 2009 study found out that Candida albicans is highly susceptible to the effects of undiluted coconut oil. In fact, it could be as effective as the anti-fungal drug fluconazole (Diflucan). They went further by concluding that it should be used as a cure for fungal infections, especially with the emergence of drug-resistant Candida strains.
The reason why it’s active against bacteria, viruses, and fungi is because of its medium-chain fatty acids: lauric acid, caprylic acid, and capric acid. But the most effective of them all in killing Candida albicans even at low concentrations is lauric acid.
How does a pure coconut oil kill fungus?
It works by destroying or rupturing the inner layer (plasma membrane) of the microorganism’s cells. This then decreases and disorganizes the cytoplasm or fluids found inside the cells, which contain enzymes, salts, carbs, and proteins.
How to Cure a Yeast Infection Fast with Coconut Oil
#1 – Topical application: Apply a thin layer of undiluted, unprocessed coconut oil to the affected area. Do this up to four times daily.
#2 – Oral: To make the treatment more effective, consume 2 to 4 tablespoons of pure coconut oil every day. Other studies suggest taking 3 1/2 tablespoons to get the same amount of medium-chain fatty acids as an infant being breastfed.
Organic coconut oil can be stored in room temperature. It won’t turn rancid for up to two years.
2. Oregano (Origanum vulgare) Oil Works Well With Nystatin
As the name hints, oregano oil is extracted from the flowers and leaves of the oregano herb, which belong to the Lamiaceae (mint) family. It’s native to Europe and is mostly used for treating various respiratory tract ailments, like asthma, bronchitis, and cough.
This oil from oregano is considered a pain reliever and an anti-inflammatory. It’s also valued for its supposed high amounts of phenols (plant-based antioxidants). Two of the most abundant phenols in oregano are carvacrol and thymol.
- Carvacrol is found in other herbs and plants, but the richest source of this phenol is oregano. This is found to have activities against bacteria (Staphylococcus, Salmonella, and Escherichia coli) and Candida albicans.
- Thymol in oregano is considered an organic antiseptic and antifungal agent. A study has shown that species of Candida albicans that are resistant and non-resistant to fluconazole, an antifungal med, are sensitive to thymol.
Interestingly, when oregano oil is used together with Nystatin, the combination produces a greater activity against C. albicans.
How to Stop a Yeast Infection with Oregano
#1 – Combine one teaspoon of your choice of carrier oil (e.g. virgin coconut oil and safflower oil) and one drop of oregano essential oil. Gently rub the resulting mixture on the affected area. Just a heads up, it’s going to sting, but it usually goes away in a few minutes.
#2 – According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, you can mix together goldenseal, echinacea, and oregano in equal parts. Pour in two cups of warm water, and then let it cool before using it as a vaginal douche. Do this process for a maximum of fourteen days.
#3 – You could also take oregano capsules.
Caveats
- Avoid using oregano oil if you have known allergies to plants belonging in the mint family, like basil, sage, lavender, hyssop, and marjoram. Allergic reaction symptoms could include itchy skin, rash, facial swelling, and breathing or speech difficulties.
- Use a topical or oral oregano with caution. Like other things, it could cause adverse reactions when used in large amounts.
3. Combine Organic Honey and Plain Yogurt to Kill Candida
Apparently these two are potent antifungal agents when combined, according to one study. The mixture of a bee honey and yogurt was tested on pregnant women with vulvo-vaginal candidiasis. The control group was given local antifungal medicines.
Results showed that the honey and yogurt mixture has a high clinical cure rate. Thus, the researchers recommended that it can be a good alternative to conventional antifungal agents.
Individually, an organic honey and plain yogurt are considered useful for treating different health issues, such as yeast infections. Results of scientific studies are conflicting, though.
Different species of honey have varied levels of antibacterial and antifungal activities. But it’s good to know that most species of honey can be used against Candida species. Studies have demonstrated that honey (at 80% concentration) has antifungal activity against fluconazole-resistant yeast strains, including C. albicans.
Why does yogurt help in treating yeast overgrowth?
Most people eat or apply yogurt to areas affected by a yeast infection. It’s because it contains a friendly bacteria called Lactobacillus acidophilus, which interacts with and ferments sugar. This then produces hydrogen peroxide from lactic acid. A hydrogen peroxide is a natural antiseptic that creates a hostile environment for the Candida fungus.
While using yogurt alone don’t offer a relief for everyone, it’s still a good option because it’s accessible, inexpensive, and produces minimal adverse effects.
Reminders
- Choose a plain yogurt if you plan to use it topically. Sweetened yogurt would defeat the purpose because the sugar in it would only feed the yeast. Consuming eight ounces of plain yogurt every day may be enough to retard (or even stop) the growth of yeast.
- To experience better results, eat and apply topically honey and yogurt daily.
- Some recommend applying plain yogurt and/or honey on a tampon. But honestly, I’m not so keen with that idea.
4. Tea Tree Oil for Vaginal and Oral Yeast Infection
A tea tree oil is taken from the leaves of the tea tree. People traditionally use it on the skin to treat infections, like nail fungus, acne, scabies, athlete’s foot, and infections involving the mouth, nose, and vagina.
The tea tree oil is effective yeast infection home treatment because of its antifungal activities against the Candida albicans. At concentrations between 0.25% and 1%, a tea tree oil is able to fight off this fungal strain. It does this by changing both the fluidity and permeability of the microorganism’s membrane, thus antifungal agents are able to easily destroy it.
How to kill Yeast Infection with Tea Tree Oil
#1 – Dilute one teaspoon of tea tree oil with one tablespoon of carrier oil (olive oil, sunflower oil, virgin coconut oil, castor oil, etc.). Use a cotton swab for applying the mixture on the affected areas. Do this twice or thrice per day. Some people soak a tampon in the mixture, and then leave it in the vagina overnight.
#2 – Or you can pour ten drops of tea tree essential oil to your warm bath water.
#3 – If you don’t like the hassle, there are available ready-to-use suppositories containing tea tree oil.
Caveats
- A tea tree essential oil should never be taken by mouth. Ingestion of this oil could cause diarrhea, vomiting, and nausea. Severe effects could lead to seizures, hallucinations, dizziness, or worse, coma.
- Never forget to dilute it if you don’t want to mildly irritate or severely burn your sensitive areas, like your vagina.
5. Use Grape Seed Extract
Grape seed extract is valued for its antioxidant properties, which keeps your body cells protected from the damages caused by overwhelming free radicals. However, some say it’s too early to conclude if the antioxidants in grape seed extract are truly beneficial.
Grape seed extract also contains properties that exert antifungal activities. But results of scientific studies are conflicting. For instance, one study says it has minimal or no activity against Candida albicans.
Another study showed that the grape seed extract is able to inhibit the growth of C. albicans alone, although its antifungal effect is dose-dependent. What’s more, when it was combined with an antifungal drug named Amphotericin B, the combination was able to markedly hold back a yeast growth.
How to Relieve a Yeast Infection with Grape seeds
#1 – A few experts recommend chronic candidiasis sufferers to undergo a week long cleansing diet before taking the grape seed extract. This should be taken in between meals, but if it causes gastric irritations, you can take it with meals.
#2 – According to WebMD, you can take the grape seed extract supplements at doses between 100 and 300 milligrams per day. There’s really no fixed therapeutic dose of grape seed extract, though.
Caveats
- Taking grape seed extract orally is generally considered safe. Some of its reported side effects are nausea, headache, lightheadedness, and scratchy scalp.
Final thoughts on how to get rid of a yeast infection quickly
With a proper treatment, most cases of yeast infections will usually go away in around two weeks. Sadly, there are 8% of women who may experience recurrent yeast infections. If you’re one of the unlucky ones, get medical attention immediately. Untreated yeast infection may lead to further health problems. You may also have an underlying condition that’s prolonging your agony.
Taking over-the-counter or prescription antifungal drugs are usually effective. However, they do have their downsides. For one, they have side effects. Amphotericin B, the drug of choice for treating fungal infections, is believed to cause kidney damage. Some sufferers claim that these drugs make their condition worse.
The above mentioned suggestions are good starting points for treating your condition naturally, but I strongly advise that you seek the doctor’s opinion first. After that, you can open up the possibility of using natural alternatives or complementary treatments.
References:
http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/jmf.2006.1209
http://aac.asm.org/content/45/11/3209.short
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10412905.1999.9701086#.VQEjJHyUcfU
http://jmm.sgmjournals.org/content/58/8/1074.short
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00404-012-2242-5#page-1
http://mmy.oxfordjournals.org/content/47/7/707.short
http://jac.oxfordjournals.org/content/53/6/1081.short
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3609222/
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0944711307001985
Awesome guide Kat 🙂 Apple Cider Vinegar, Garlic and coconut oil are also effective against treating yeast infection, especially the vaginal one.