The most common home remedy for vaginal yeast infections is non-sweetened yogurt that contains active bacteria.

Many commercial brands do not contain live acidophilus, the friendly bacteria that helps keep yeast in check –so be sure to read the label.

Men with male yeast infections can also try eating yogurt to see if it will correct their bacteria-yeast balance. If the infection is mild enough, the infection may go away in a day or two.

Nancy’s website has a lot of interesting information about the cultures contained in their yogurt. If you don’t live in an area that sells this particular brand, check the labels on the yogurt available at your local supermarket – “live cultures” should be prominently noted.

If you add sugar to the yogurt you will cancel out its benefits by feeding your yeast – if you really can’t bear the idea of eating unsweetened yogurt, add a small amount of honey instead of sugar. Honey has been proven to increase the numbers of beneficial bacteria in your gut, while sugar inhibits bacteria and feeds yeast. If you have to choose between sweeteners, always choose honey. Brown sugar, raw sugar, and other forms of sugar are just sugar – they aren’t any better for you, and they should be avoided like the plague if you have a yeast infection, because yeast likes eating sugar just as much as you do.

Different methods of using yogurt for yeast infections

• The most obvious way to use yogurt when you have a yeast infection, or to prevent future infections, is to eat some every day. This will help keep a nice, healthy population of friendly bacteria inside your body, where the bacteria can act as your first line of defense against a yeast infection. Many yeast and bacteria species are natural enemies, because they compete for the same resources – in fact, many forms of fungi are the basis of our most potent anti-bacterial drugs. When we eat yogurt, we’re taking advantage of this ancient animosity between these two life forms.

• Some people put yogurt in the vagina instead of eating it, in order to get the acidophilus down where it’s needed more quickly. You can insert the yogurt directly into the vagina by dipping a tampon (the kind without an applicator, like the OB brand) into unsweetened yogurt and then inserting it into the vagina. Remove the tampon after an hour or so. Do not forget it’s there.

• You can also freeze yogurt in the fingers of a sterile plastic glove, and then insert the frozen yogurt popsicle in the vagina like a tampon. This can be a bit messy, so you may want to use a sanitary pad for a few hours. Believe it or not, the icy yogurt will feel good against your inflamed vaginal walls.

• You can also find suppositories containing live bacterial cultures at the natural food store and online. These products deliver the beneficial probiotics directly to the affected area. Make sure you select a capsule that contains only live bacterial cultures, and which does not contain herbal remedies such as Pau D’ Arco bark extract or black walnut that may kill the beneficial bacteria, too. If you use an antibacterial product of any kind, it will eliminate the friendly acidophilus along with any yeast.

If you use one of these products or put yogurt in the vagina, you should also eat a cup of unsweetened yogurt every day as well. You need a strong population of acidophilus in your intestinal tract to help build up your natural defenses and keep your infection from coming back.

Yogurt may be the safest treatment for mild yeast infections

Since yogurt is not an antifungal treatment, there is no risk that it will cause your yeast population to mutate and become drug resistant. Even if you are lactose-intolerant, you may be able to tolerate yogurt, but if not, try one of the acidophilus capsules sold at the natural food store, instead –but be sure to read that label!

Although thousands of women swear by this treatment for yeast infections, some researchers are not so sure since  acidophilus is naturally present in the vagina already. This may explain why many health practitioners suggest that you eat the yogurt, instead of inserting it in the vagina – by eating the yogurt you improve the yeast/bacterial balance in your colon, which improves your digestive function, and this may improve your overall health enough to cause your vaginal yeast to calm down.

If you want to use yogurt as a treatment for your yeast infection, go ahead and experiment to see what actually works for you. You may decide to cover all your bases, and use yogurt both as a topical treatment in the vagina or on your genital area, while also including it in your diet. If your infection doesn’t go away quickly, be sure to make an appointment with your doctor.

Apple cider vinegar is often recommended for yeast infections, and it often works – but it needs to be used safely.

Many women swear by a diluted vinegar douche. However, as I keep mentioning as often as possible on this site, a douche can force bacterial infection up past your cervix, where the little beasties can do some major damage. Never use a douche unless you know for sure that you really have a yeast infection. (See more about genital bacterial infections here). A very high percentage of women misdiagnose their infections, because the symptoms of bacterial infections mimic those of yeast infections. If you have bacteria instead of yeast, especially if you’re pregnant, a douche can be dangerous.

The vinegar bath – a safer way to use apple cider vinegar for yeast infections

A safer way to use vinegar to ease your symptoms is to dilute a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in a basin of water, and use a sponge or cloth to wash your genital area with the diluted vinegar. Men can try this too, of course, if they have a rash in their genital area.

You can also try putting ½ cup of apple cider vinegar in your warm bath water, and then get in and relax for 20 minutes or so. Go ahead – you deserve a little relaxation.

You can use the vinegar wash alone or along with yogurt or garlic, or you can try using the honey treatment and then use the vinegar bath after washing off the honey. Go ahead and experiment to find a combination that works for you.

(This is a bit off-subject, but if you have athletes foot, try soaking your feet in a basin of diluted vinegar one a day for several days. The itch almost always goes away after using this easy treatment. Athlete’s foot is also cause by a fungus, and fungi don’t like vinegar.)

As always, whether you use apple cider vinegar for yeast infections or any other natural or OTC remedy, if your infection doesn’t go away within a few days you should call your doctor.

Oral yeast infections are usually treated with antibiotics that require a prescription.

Newborn babies, adult denture users, and people with endocrine disorders such as diabetes or hypothyroidism are the most at risk for oral yeast infections.

However, many of the other causes for yeast infections can also set the stage for an oral infection. Most symptoms go away soon after beginning an antifungal medication, and if the infection is mild enough, it may go away on its own.

Your doctor may be able to diagnose thrush by taking a look, but if in doubt she’ll take a scrape from the infected area in the mouth and send it to the lab. Oral infections that look a lot like thrush can be caused by other things – including the early stages of cancer. That makes a qualified diagnosis all the more important.

The first step in treatment will be to get rid of the yeast that causes the oral yeast infection.

This is usually done with prescription antifungal medication in a form that can be sucked or as a liquid that is held in the mouth before swallowing. Medications that may be prescribed include nystatin (Mycostatin®) and fluconazole (Diflucan®). If the infection spreads because your immune system has been compromised, your doctor will use a systemic treatment that is taken orally or intravenously.

According to the Mayo Clinic, some oral yeast infections require no medical treatment at all because they go away on their own. For instance, healthy toddlers may get thrush after being treated with antibiotics. Your child’s doctor may suggest that you add unsweetened yogurt to your child’s diet because yogurt contains beneficial bacteria. If this doesn’t help, your child’s doctor will prescribe an antifungal medication.

Healthy adults can also try eating yogurt, or take a dietary supplement that includes the good bacteria called acidophilus. This may restore the microbial balance, but if it doesn’t work a prescription will be needed.

The second step in treating oral yeast infections is to correct any condition that may have caused it.

Dentures will need to be treated to destroy the fungus, and ill-fitting dentures may need to be repaired or replaced. If the patient is diabetic, an adjustment may be needed in the diabetic medications that are being taken.

Since a high-sugar diet is known to cause oral yeast infections, a change in diet should always be considered in addition to any other treatment for thrush.

If an infant who is breast feeding gets thrush, the mother will also be treated to keep the infection from being passed back and forth between mother and child. Since thrush can make it painful to eat or drink, infants should be carefully watched to make sure they’re getting enough liquids, and the baby should be taken to a doctor if it goes too long without drinking to prevent dehydration.

Anyone with a weakened immune system should see a doctor immediately if they have symptoms of thrush – it is not a good idea to attempt to self-diagnose or self-treat any yeast infection if your immune system is not working right.

Topical treatments for yeast infections are less likely than oral medications or herbal remedies to cause drug-resistant strains of Candida yeast.

Topical treatments tend to be less harmful to the human body than anti-fungal medications or herbs taken orally, and they’re usually recommended unless the infection is extremely difficult to treat, or if the patient has a compromised immune system. In those cases, an oral or systemic medication may be needed.

One thing thing to consider before chosing any yeast infection remedy is to make sure the treatment doesn’t damage your own natural defenses against future yeast infections.

Almost all of us are natural hosts to a resident population of Candida, so our bodies have developed ways to prevent infection without outside help. Our mucous membranes are usually an effective barrier to infection, and our immune cells search out and destroy yeast cells that appear in the wrong places. Our own beneficial bacteria also work hard to keep the yeast population in check.

If you do get a yeast infection, it means that one or more of these natural defense systems has failed, or your chemical balance has changed. When choosing a treatment option, you should look for a form of treatment that will strengthen your natural defense system and improve your overall health, if at all possible.

A mild infection may go away before you even know you have a yeast infection.  Your immune system, bacterial population, or hormone balance come back into balance naturally. When you do notice an infection, you will want to take steps to kill off the infectious yeasts in the genital area to get rid of the annoying symptoms as quickly as possible. Once this is accomplished, you will want to look at your diet and lifestyle to improve your general health so the infection doesn’t come back.

A shotgun approach to killing the yeast is rarely recommended. There are systemic antifungal medications that can be taken either orally or by IV injection, but most of the time your doctor will prescribe or recommend a topical cream or ointment that affects only the specific area where the infection occurs.

Topical treatments are almost always effective, but should only be used when needed. Some scientists are concerned that drug-resistant strains created by the misuse of over-the-counter antifungal medications may escape into the air, where they can infect other people.

Oral and IV medications are generally used only when a topical treatment doesn’t work. This can happen when the yeast has developed a resistance to the medications in the topical creams, or because the immune system is compromised.

Yeast infections in patients with compromised immune systems will, of course, be treated more aggressively. And if you have chronic yeast infections, your personal yeast population may already be resistant to the topical creams and ointments available in drug stores, or to a “natural” remedy that always worked for you before. In this case, your doctor may need to prescribe something stronger.

If your yeast infection is too far advanced for milder OTC medications or natural remedies, you may need a prescription yeast infection medication.

You may also need a prescription if you have recurring infections, or if your immune system is compromised.

The most common brands of prescription yeast infection medication are Diflucan® and Zazole®.

• Diflucan® (fluconazone) is a pill that is taken orally. Only one pill is usually needed. Diflucan is s systemic treatment, meaning that it will affect all your yeast, not just the ones causing your current problems. It can also cause side effects (ironically, itching is one of them). You can read more about Diflucan on the Drugs.com website.

• Zazole® (terconazole) is a vaginal cream that is used during a 7-day therapy regimen. An applicator is supplied with the medication.

New prescription medications are coming out all the time, so your doctor may prescribe something that is not on this short list. No matter which medication your doctor gives you, be sure to talk about all possible side effects with your doctor or pharmacist, and be sure to let them know if you’re pregnant, nursing a baby, or taking any other medication. Then, follow the instructions exactly as given.

Once your infection has cleared up, you’ll want to take steps to improve your health as much as possible so the infection doesn’t come back.

Many people prefer to use one of the OTC yeast infection treatments instead of prescription medications.

Antifungal medications for vaginal yeast infections can be purchased without a prescription. An over-the-counter treatment will usually include an antifungal cream or suppository containing Miconazole, Tioconazole, Butoconazole, or Clotrimazole. The product may also include an anti-itch cream to help reduce discomfort until the infection has cleared up.

If you have chronic yeast infections and use Monistat or any other anti-fungal medication quite often, your resident population of yeast may adapt and become drug-resistant. If you notice that the medication is not working as effectively as it once did, you may need a prescription for something stronger. It’s also important to note that as many women misdiagnose their own symptoms as a yeast infection when it’s really a bacterial infection, which no anti-fungal medication can cure. This is easy to do, since the symptoms are so similar.

Monistat® is probably the most easily recognized brand. Other brands of antifungal medications for vaginal infections include:

• FemCare®
• Femizol-M®
• Femstat 3®
• Gyne-Lotrimin®
• Miconazole-7®
• Mycelex-7®
• Terazol 3® Vagistat-1®

OTC yeast infection treatments should never be purchased or used in the following circumstances unless you’ve talked to your doctor first:

• If you have allergies to any anti-fungal medications, or if you have experienced allergies to foods, preservatives, or dyes.

• If you’re pregnant. It is not yet known if antifungal medications are safe during the first trimester. Even during the second and third trimesters, you should check with your doctor, because you may have a bacterial infection that needs immediate treatment with a prescription medication.

• While breast-feeding. The medications may be passed through the mother’s milk to the baby, although more studies are needed to know for sure. It’s always better to play it safe.

• Children under age 12. The OTC yeast infection treatments for vaginal infections have been studied only on adult patients, and their safety for children is not yet known.

• Older adults, for the same reason. No studies have been done to assess the safety of these medications in seniors.

• When using other medications. Interactions can occur, so you should talk to your doctor, and tell her which medications you are already taking.

OTC yeast infection treatments can be effective in the right circumstances, and your infection should clear up in a week or so – if it doesn’t, see your doctor.

It’s easy to believe that any natural remedy for yeast infections would also be naturally safe – but they do require some caution.

Some of herbal remedies can be poisonous if used incorrectly, and can cause allergic reactions in some people. And some of the remedies are general anti-microbial agents that can weaken or kill your beneficial bacteria.

“Natural” yeast infection treatments are available at pharmacies, natural health food stores, in grocery stores, and online.

If you would like to treat your infection with a natural or herbal remedy, your naturopath or practitioner of oriental medicine can diagnose your condition (to make sure it really is a yeast infection), and then he or she can suggest an herbal or natural remedy that will be effective without reacting with any other medication you’re taking.

Many people assume that if you use a “natural” product the yeast cannot become resistant, but this is not always true.

Yeast organisms have been on Earth for millions of years precisely because they are so good at adapting to changes in their environment. Any anti-fungal medication, whether it’s a brand that’s sold at a pharmacy or an herb that’s grown in your back yard, can cause the yeast to mutate and become resistant. Antifungal products should only be used when needed.

Some natural remedies are inserted into the vagina with a douche. A douche can force a bacterial infection (which often mimic yeast infections, but are far more dangerous) upwards into the uterus and fallopian tubes, where the infection can cause permanent damage to your reproductive organs. If you do decide to use a douche of any kind, make sure you actually have a yeast infection first by visiting your doctor. Remember that the symptoms alone are not enough to make an accurate diagnosis. If at all possible, choose a remedy that does not require a douche.

You should be extremely cautious about using any home remedies if you are pregnant or nursing, because it could delay necessary medical treatment. See your doctor first.

• Tea Tree Oil

Tea Tree Oil is a natural antibiotic that has been used by many women to treat vaginal yeast infections. To apply, coat the top half of a non-applicator type tampon (like the OB ® brand) with a vaginal lubricant or olive oil. Then add a few drops (no more) to the top of the lubricant, and insert in to the vagina.

You should use extreme caution if you decide to try this remedy. Tea tree oil can cause irritation if too much is applied (and “too much” can be measured by drops). Tea tree oil is known to be a skin irritant, and is poisonous if ingested. Some people have shown an allergic reaction to the oil even at low concentrations.

Tea tree oil should not be used if you’re pregnant or breast feeding. For more information, see The University of Western Australia website.

• Grapefruit Seed Extract

Add about 15 drops to warm, pure water and use as a douche (remember all those caveats we’ve already discussed about douching!).

Grapefruit seed extract is often added to commercial Candida remedies, and is supposed to have generalized anti-microbial properties. However, studies have been done that cause researchers to question this claim. To read more about the properties of grapefruit seed extract, see the Wikipedia.org website.

• Commercial Candida Remedies

Natural food stores and vitamin stores carry a variety of products that claim to work for vaginal yeast infections or for “systemic yeast infections.” For instance, one product that is available from MotherNature.com, called Yeast Fighters®, contains the following ingredients:

Biotin, Fiber Blend (Psyllium Seed Husks, Guar Gum, Apple Pectin, Chitosan), Lactobacillus Acidophilus (providing 2.5 billion viable cells at time of manufacture), Garlic Bulb Extract (equivalent to 1500 mg of fresh garlic), Herbal Blend (Pau D’ Arco Bark Extract, Onion {Allium Cepa} Bulb Extract, Golden Seal Root Extract {aerial parts}, Black Walnut Seed), Caprylic Acid (from medium chain triglycerides).

Many commercial products, like this one, are intended to be used as systemic medication to rid the body of all Candida, and are taken orally. This means the antimicrobial ingredients may kill yeast (and bacteria) in the colon as well as in the vagina.

Yeast can become resistant to the active ingredients in these products, and this could make future infections more difficult to treat. In addition, many of these herbal products are antimicrobial, meaning that may kill bacteria in addition to yeast. Pau D’ Arco bark extract, for instance, is considered an antibiotic by some practitioners, and can harm the vitally important bacterial population in your colon that you need to keep you healthy.

Dr. Jeffrey McCombs, a well-known author who talks a lot about yeast infections, and who wrote the book Lifeforce: A Dynamic Plan for Health, Vitality, and Weight Loss, reminds us that eating yogurt or taking capsules with live acidophilus is pointless if you are taking antimicrobial herbal remedies at the same time, because the herbs will kill the beneficial bacteria. To me, this indicates that a systemic herbal treatment could do more harm than good if you are suffering from a vaginal yeast infection.

Playing it Safe with Natural Yeast Infection Remedies

To be on the safe side, you may want to try yogurt, garlic, a vinegar bath (but not a douche), or honey first, since these are the mildest remedies. If this doesn’t work in just a few days, it may be safer to use a topical medicated cream or ointment from the pharmacy instead of one of the “natural” systemic remedies that are taken orally, or one of the stronger topical remedies like tea tree oil.

If any natural yeast infection remedy does not work in a few days, you should make an appointment with your doctor.

Using honey to treat yeast infections sounds really strange, (and sticky!) but many women absolutely swear by it.

Honey is known to increase the numbers of beneficial Lactobacillus bacteria in the gut when included in the diet, and it has many other known health benefits. Perhaps this is why many women with mild yeast infections have found their symptoms improve or completely go away in just a few applications of honey. Men could try this remedy, too, if they have symptoms of a male yeast infection.

To try this, buy some raw unheated honey at the health food store. (Regular honey from the grocery store might work, too. If you already have some on hand, go ahead and try it). Smear the honey liberally on your crotch area to cover all the itching spots, and let it sit there for at least five minutes. Then take a bath or shower and wash off the sticky mess with unscented, non-medicated soap.

As always, if you’re using honey or any other natural or OTC yeast infection remedy and your infection doesn’t clear up quickly or seems to keep coming back, talk to your doctor. You could have a bacterial infection, or you may have a serious underlying condition, such as diabetes or a compromised immune system that can’t fight off infections the way it should.

Garlic has natural antifungal substances, and many women have wonderful results by using a peeled clove of garlic for yeast infections.

In mild cases, using a fresh clove in the vagina overnight for several nights may clear up the infection, and there are rarely any side effects (unless you’re allergic to garlic).

The clove may be a bit difficult to remove, unfortunately, and it will naturally smell like garlic. And some women have sensitive mucous membranes that are irritated by the direct application of garlic. As with all home remedies, you should use this one with caution.

Some people wrap the garlic in a small square of cheesecloth and tie off the end with dental floss. This creates a small package that can be inserted and removed like a tampon. However, you may find that the dry cheesecloth scratches when it is inserted, and tiny internal cuts and scrapes can actually make a yeast infection worse, or give yeast an opportunity to start another infection after the current infection is cured.

Before using garlic for yeast infections (or any other natural or OTC remedy) it’s advisable to have a physical exam to make sure you really have a yeast infection and not a bacterial infection that mimics the symptoms of a yeast infection.

Some books and Internet sites tell you use anti-fungal remedies created for the so-called “Candidiasis Hypersensitivity Syndrome” to treat your vaginal or male yeast infection.

They claim that you can only avoid future yeast infections if you kill all of the yeast, everywhere in your body.

Some of these authors also recommend powerful colon-cleansing products, (that may cost over $250.00 per treatment!), enemas, liver-cleansing products, and orally administered fungicidal herbs and roots to “completely rid yourself of Candida.”

I see four huge problems with using this shotgun approach, aside from the complexity and cost:

• The vast majority of yeast organisms do no harm, so there is no need to kill off all the Candida currently living in your gastrointestinal tract—especially if you have a functioning immune system and your infection is localized to the genital area.

• Taking orally administered antimicrobial products, natural or not, can damage your beneficial bacterial population and cause even more problems than you started with. Those beneficial bacteria are needed by your digestive system, as well as being your first defense against an excessive overgrowth of yeast.

• Using systemic anti fungal treatments can cause your yeast population to become drug-resistant. This is why doctors prescribe topical medications for vaginal yeast infections whenever possible, instead of orally-administered drugs.

• Chronic vaginal yeast infections are sometimes a symptom of a serious underlying medical condition that needs to be treated by a qualified health professional. If you keep getting yeast infections and there isn’t an obvious cause (hormone treatment or birth control pills, recent antibiotics, high-sugar diet, etc.,) then it may be time to ask your doctor for a thorough exam to rule out an underlying condition, such as diabetes, thyroid dysfunction, or an illness that has weakened your immune system.

Some of these authors also claim that the treatment is supposed to make you sick – the more miserable you feel while taking the natural medications, the better the cure is working. What is really happening, of course, is that your body is being poisoned, and it’s reacting accordingly. Anti-fungal herbs are non-specific – they damage animal cells, bacteria and fungi. Authors who recommend these potions tell you that feeling bad is a good thing because any normal person would instinctively discontinue any treatment that makes them sick. They have been so convincing that forums all over the web contain personal stories about “how well my herbal yeast infection remedy worked,” based solely on how miserable it made them feel.

The illness that follows an herbal cure could mask symptoms of a dangerous condition, and delay needed treatment

If you get an exam and your doctor can’t find a reason for your chronic infections, you may want to make an appointment with a naturopathic physician. These doctors seem to have a bit more time to spend with their patients, and are more concerned with making sure your system is balanced and healthy. They will use natural remedies when available, but will also monitor your progress and recommend dietary and lifestyle changes that can help keep your yeast infection from coming back.