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.