Treatment for Thrush

What is Thrush?

Thrush is an infection caused by a bacteria made from yeast and can be extremely painful for women (or men) who suffer from it. It is most commonly referred to as thrush, but also might be called Candida infection or monilia.

How have I got it?

Thrush is more common in people who are consistent with certain characteristics. For example, If you wear tight clothing around your crotch such as tights or tight jeans this can seriously effect circulation to the area.

Thrush also manifests in people who have been taking antibiotics for large periods of time, have HIV (or other immune system affected areas) and people who use a lot of scented products in or around the vagina. Poor diet and stress can also be attributed to thrush.

Treating thrush

There are a variety of different treatments available for thrush and we will look at the most successful ones below. Your doctor will most likely prescribe you with a topical cream in the first instance, but they don't always work as effectively as you want.

The natural treatment for thrush

 Live yogurt

Treatments such as live yoghurt syringed into the vagina change the acidity and relieve symptoms, this has long been used as a treatment method and often the first port of call for sufferers. The theory is that the environment in which thrush can thrive is destroyed by the yoghurt and the vagina is restored to normal balance.

 Supplements

Natural supplements might be your preference as syringing yoghurt into your vagina isn't for everyone! There are many to choose from but Yakult appears to be the firm favourite It works in a similar way to the live yoghurt, except it sorts the bacteria out from the inside. This remedy seems to work well for some people and not at all for others, so if in doubt, just give it a try.

Over the counter medicine

As mentioned above, you will probably be recommended either Caneston or diflucan by your health care provider and it is important you give these a try. Caneston can be a little intimidating to apply at first but once you get used to it, its fine.

Problems with conventional treatments...

There are some commentators that believe topical treatments such as Caneston and the live yoghurts only help to ease the problem, not cure it. They argue that although symptoms may seem clear after treatment is finished, if the underlying cause is bacteria imbalance then this is the issue that needs addressing. Topical creams do not address this issue.

So what should I do?

According to this group of people, you are in a much better position to clear thrush if you address the issues that have a direct impact on the root cause and we will look at methods in which you can tackle the route cause below.

 Improvements to diet and lifestyle

In a well balanced, healthy individual the immune system has methods in place to keep thrush in check. However, if we start to eat poorly and choose television over exercise, our bodies natural defences will suffer. The balance of naturally occurring organisms in your gut will be out of sync and eventually, your body becomes the perfect breeding ground for Thrush.

Of course, this isn't an easy treatment to use. A lot of people struggle to alter their diets in such a way that it will have a positive effect on the balance of bacteria. Often, people will start on the right path, but quickly lose interest and find themselves back at square one.

Are there any other solutions?

If you are the type of person described above and don't think you could undergo such a radical change to your diet, there are products that might help. Fivelac and Monistat promise to aim right for the jugular and rebalance the bacteria levels without the need for anything drastic, like diet and exercise! They are extremely popular solutions and they are relatively cheap which makes them more attractive than most other treatments for thrush.

Do they work?

Again, it really depends on the person. Thrush is an extremely complex disorder, professionals have been studying it for years and still don't understand it. What we do understand however, is that everyone's symptoms differ, everyone's level of severity is different and everyone responds to various treatments differently. The bottom line is give them a try and if they don't give you the results you want - try something else. Do this until you are cured.

If you've tried some or all of the above treatments and thrush is still present, you might want to consider revisiting your health care provider and discussing further options.