Introduction to How to Cure a Chronic Vaginal Yeast Infection

I travel internationally a lot and it isn’t always easy to find over-the-counter yeast infection treatments especially in third world countries. I used to bring along a couple of over-the-counter vaginal yeast infection treatments for longer trips, but they took up a lot of space in my bag and honestly, they usually didn't work. I mean, they would maybe stop the itching for a day or two, but inevitably, I'd get the vaginal yeast infection back again a few days or weeks later.

UPDATE 2023: It's odd for me to read this article, posted so many years ago. I can't believe that I ever carried around things like vaginal antifungal creams. Seven years ago, when John got cancer, I was forced to confront the ongoing systemic Candida infection that had been plaguing me since I'd started having periods. Now I know that the cure for Candida is alkalizing the body and that essentially, to really get rid of Candida permanently, you need to follow a cancer cure protocol that includes the Lugol's Iodine Basic Protocol. Click here to read more about the Lugol's Basic Protocol. Click here to learn more about how to alkalize the body using nothing but baking soda and get rid of Candida permanently.  Continue reading to learn more about the wide array of other treatments that can speed the process of treating a yeast infection naturally at home. Note that the treatments listed blow are all supportive treatments that complement the effects of the Lugol's iodine protocol and systemic alkalization.

I’ve had my fair share of recurrent yeast infections that just won’t quit and I’ve learned to not put too much faith in prescription or over-the-counter yeast infection medications to solve the problem. We always have some yeast (also known as Candida albicans) in our bodies and in fact, it’s part of a delicate balance to our internal ecosystem that’s not only necessary, but healthy. We don’t want to obliterate the yeast completely but we do want to make sure it exists in a balance with other healthy microorganisms in the gut.

So I’ve learned a few tricks when it comes to treating a yeast infection using stuff that’s available almost anywhere in the world and stuff that travels with me easily.  My favorite combo includes something called Miracle Mineral Solution (MMS)/Chlorine Dioxide (CDS) and Dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO). These things won't completely wipe out your intestinal flora or cause other problems like leaky gut syndrome. In fact, MMS and DMSO will help you cure leaky gut syndrome if you have it as it helps you overcome a yeast infection at the same time.

What is a yeast infection?

Many vaginal yeast infections are caused by an over-proliferation of yeast in the colon (Candida albicans—not the yeast you’d use to make bread or beer). What happens in the colon spreads easily and directly to the vagina since the vagina and the rectum are located close to each other on a woman’s body. Normally, the vagina contains a few Candida albicans cells and other bacteria that keep the population of Candida under control, but a variety of things can cause an imbalance that results what's colloquially known as a vaginal yeast infection. When an imbalance occurs, the yeast can take over causing the classic yeast infection symptoms like itching and vaginal soreness. A yeast infection can cause pain or burning when you pee or have sex. A vaginal yeast infection can also feel like heaviness in the abdomen and it can be almost symptomless at times too, manifesting primarily as a white discharge. Some women (including myself at times) mistake a yeast infection for a urinary tract infection or cystitis. A clumpy, white, cottage-cheese like discharge is common whether you have noticeable itching and burning or not.

The colon’s involvement in the yeast infection is why many yeast infections include a feeling of being bloated and swollen. I’ve had trouble finding information online about yeast infections in the colon, though I did find an article that talked about the sparsity of data about yeast infections in the colon despite the fact that they do happen [1]. I spent several years going to the doctor every other month for urinary tract infections and cystitis and every-so-often, the doctor would tell me that my problem was yeast and that I should be particularly hygienic whenever I’d wipe myself (“front to back”, they’d say…as though I didn’t know that already) and after I had sex. The moral of the story is, whatever is in the colon can end up in the vaginal or urethra if you’re not careful. So whenever I suspect that I’ve got a vaginal yeast infection starting, I start by drinking Pau d’Arco tea, if I have some available. Be sure to get the Tabebuia impetiginosa type of Pau d'Arco tea to treat Candida. The other types of Pau d'Arco (read the ingredient label on Pau d'Arco products to determine which type is included) do almost nothing. Only buy the Tabebuia impetiginosa type of Pau d'Arco and brew the tea by bringing water to a boil and then putting the Pau d'Arco into it at a slow simmer for 20 minutes. Drink a prolific amount of the tea throughout the day. But I don’t always have Pau d’Arco on hand. My next line of defense is oregano, specifically oregano essential oil (I use the Plant Therapy brand). This stuff is compact, cheap, it travels well and it’s really effective. Put 1-3 drops on a spoon with some olive oil and take it orally up to 4 times a day. Oregano essential oil works quickly, but be sure to dilute it first because otherwise, it can burn your lips or your throat. And be sure that you purchase a brand of oregano oil that can be taken internally, like the one suggested at the link in this paragraph or the capsulized product below.

Homemade Vaginal Yeast Infection Douche for Candida treatment

As I mentioned above, I use MMS and DMSO as a douche. Just a drop of MMS and the activator along with a drop of DMSO in a 1/2 cup of water works quickly. Another potent yeast infection douche involves a 1/2 teaspoon of bentonite in 1/2 cup of water followed by a clear water douche. The bentonite is a type of clay with tiny holes each grain that has an opposite polarity to that of the yeast. As a result, it can pull yeast into its tiny grains and then take them out of the body.

When I have it on hand, I use Yin Care, which was introduced to me by my acupuncturist several years ago. Yin Care takes a little bit longer than pharmaceutical over-the-counter yeast infection treatments, but it works more reliably in my opinion and it’s less harsh. I wouldn’t recommend Yin Care for pregnant women (or women who are trying to become pregnant) though because it contains Wormwood, an herb that can cause miscarriages in high doses. And MMS should not be used as a douche during pregnancy either. Because Yin Care is an herbal medicine, the yeast don’t become resistant to it. MMS and DMSO work on yeast at the chemical level so candida does not become resistant to these two ingredients either. The MMS oxidizes the yeast (it basically makes them explode) and Wormwood (interestingly) works in essentially the same way. You can use Yin Care daily as a preventative douche if you have trouble with chronic vaginal infections.

Yeast Infection Suppositories

If I don’t have Yin Care available to me, I go out in search of some pure cocoa butter or better yet, coconut oil and tea tree oil (or oregano essential oil) to make my own little anti-yeast suppositories. You can buy tea tree oil suppositories online, but I prefer to make my own because they’re much cheaper and just as effective. It's also a solution that travels well.

You can also mix a drop of oregano essential oil or tea tree oil with peppermint essential oil and cocoa butter (or coconut oil which contains lauric acid, a powerful anti-candida substance--freeze the coconut oil to form it into suppositories) to make a vaginal suppository. Put a few drops of DMSO in the cocoa butter/coconut oil suppository for a powerful treatment that will not only get rid of the burning and itching but also treat the infection itself. The DMSO may burn a bit at first, but it will kill the pain and itching after 1 to 2 minutes. IMPORTANT NOTE: If you choose to include DMSO in your suppository, it's important that you check ALL of the ingredients you're using in the suppository to make sure that they're totally natural with no chemical or artificial additives. The products we've recommended in this article have been reviewed by us to ensure that they fulfill this requirement. DO NOT use any product that has chemicals or artificial additives in a suppository that also uses DMSO! Take a Monolaurin supplement orally to enhance the effects of the coconut oil and DMSO suppositories. Monolaurin is a glycerin and lauric acid chemical derived from coconut fat that's quite a lot more powerful than the lauric acid in coconut oil.

The Best Natural Yeast Infection Treatment When Nothing Else Is Working: Garlic Clove Suppository for Vaginal Yeast Infection

Garlic cloves as suppositories work surprisingly well for yeast infections. I mean, this is a life hack! It’s a simple method for treating vaginal yeast infections and one that can be a useful trick in a pinch, especially if you’re traveling in a place like Nepal or Cambodia and yeast infection treatments just aren't available. Just break off a clove of garlic, remove the skin so that the smooth outer layer of the clove is exposed, cut into the outer skin just a bit to expose the garlic juices and stick it inside the vagina overnight. To make the remedy stronger, cut into the clove of garlic so that more of the innards of the clove are exposed to the vaginal walls. Within minutes, you'll notice that your breath smells like garlic which demonstrates that it's flowing through your bloodstream and working systemically. It might take two to three days of treatment with a garlic suppository to get a raging vaginal yeast infection under control. You can remove the clove during the day, if necessary. Be aware that it might burn a little bit when you first put it in. Don't let that scare you. It's normal.

The Second Best Natural Yeast Infection Treatment When Nothing Else Is Working: Chilcuague

One yeast infection cure that a lot of people don't know about is an herb called Chilcuague, otherwise known scientifically as Heliopsis longipes or more commonly as Azteca gold root. The herb grows in central Mexico and people make throat sprays, teas, and other Chilcuague products to help treat problems like thrush. The spray produces an interesting effect in your mouth when you take it. It makes your mouth tingle and salivate! It's a strange sensation that lasts about 15 to 30 seconds and then wears off. When my husband took Chilcuague for the first time, he'd had a thrush infection chronically for about 2 decades. The infection cleared up in a few days taking this herb. Unfortunately, it might be difficult to get Chilcuague outside of the Bajio region of Mexico (Guanajuato state and surrounding areas). For people who've suffered with thrush for years, it might be worth a trip to get some! . If you have recurrent yeast infections that aren’t responding to over-the-counter yeast infection treatments or prescription fluconazole (diflucan), consider taking a teaspoon of bentonite clay daily to get the problem under control. My husband has taken bentonite at times to help control geographic tongue, a problem caused by a yeast infection in the gut (yeast infection in men is expressed differently, but it can be just as distressing). A combination of bentonite, oregano oil, and Pau d’Arco can help you get control of a yeast overgrowth without throwing your intestinal flora completely out of balance. Add a daily dose of probiotics or Kombucha tea (you can cheaply brew your own with a kombucha kit and take it with you on longer trips) to the your regime if needed. If you have ongoing or recurrent infections that are driving you mad, the use of herbal remedies would be a good choice because while yeast may become resistant to a drug like fluconazole, it won’t be able to fight off complex herbal remedies for very long.

If you have recurrent vaginal yeast infections, thrush, fungal infection of a fingernail or toenail (onchyomycosis), fungal ear infections, or any other body part that's infected with a fungus, there's a very good chance that you have a systemic Candida albicans infection. If that's the case, please read this article about How to Cure Candida to make your body and your immune system healthy so the infection won't come back.

To get rid of a stubborn yeast infection that isn’t responding to pharmaceuticals, be consistent with the natural and herbal remedies you’re using. And get rid of refined sugars in your diet. Yeast loves sugar! You may even find that you crave sweet treats when you have a yeast infection, but don’t indulge! It's the yeast in your body telling you that you want sugar. Use stevia or (for serious sweet tooths) monk fruit to curb your craving for sweet things. Monk fruit is used in minute quantities to create sugary sweetness in foods.

For women, remember that most vaginal yeast infections will end when your period begins because the pH of blood is deadly for yeast. If your periods are irregular, consider taking herbs like Vitex, Maca root, or Evening Primrose Oil to level out your hormones. Read this article about Menstruation Problems and Parasites to learn more about how a simple parasite cleanse can get your period back on track! Hormones that are out-of-wack can lead sometimes to yeast infections, and often, when people have a parasite infection, they also have Candida overgrowth (which becomes much more noticeable after the parasites are gone). By getting control over your hormones, you can get control over the yeast too.

Again, for a more in-depth discussion of systemic Candida (which includes vaginal candida infections) and how to cure it see this article: How to Cure Candida.

Above all, don’t give up even if you doctor loses hope and tells you he has nothing left to help you. Natural and herbal remedies for yeast infections do work! Also consider the possibility that you may have Trichomoniasis, a super common STD that's easy to treat if you know what you've got. The CDC says it's "the most curable STD", so don't go into denial if there's even a small possibility that you have Trichomoniasis. If you've been struggling with a "yeast infection" that just won't go away, get some Povidone-Iodine (Betadine is a common brand) and put 2-10 drops in a cup of clean, filtered water with 2 to 10 drops of DMSO (dimethylsulfoxide--I mention it above). Do a douche and hold the mixture in your vagina for at least 10 minutes (to make sure it can get into the glands of the vaginal where the Trich can hide). Use this mixture for at least 10-20 days or until it feels like the infection is completely gone.

Taking an iodine supplement internally (or applied to the skin) can also support reproductive organ health and eliminate Trich and other organisms that may have taken up residence in the vagina. Iodine is secreted in all of the mucus membranes of the body (including in the vagina) when it's taken internally or applied topically in a form that the body can use (you won't use betadine for this, you'll need to obtain Lugol's iodine solution or Iodoral pills, these are the highest quality iodine supplements available currently). Read more about the profound health benefits of iodine in this post. To learn more about how iodine can help prevent infections throughout the body, read more here. This is a supplement that EVERY woman (and man) should be taking!

Our Amazon links to powerful cures like Lugol's Iodine often disappear mysteriously after we publish. Support our outside vendors by purchasing Lugol's Iodine here. 

The AlivenHealthy Iodine Bible - Everything you need to know to get started taking iodine and more!

How the Common Marigold Can Help Cure a Vaginal Yeast Infection:

Scientists have demonstrated that with long-term treatment extracts of Calendula officinalis (the common marigold) was able to create a significant improvement in vaginal yeast infection symptoms in comparison with clotrimazole treatment. The beneficial effects of Calendula officinalis took longer to become evident so if you decide to use a Calendula extract to treat a vaginal yeast infection at home, have patience with this medicine to let it work its magic. Calendula produces a longer-term healing effect that clotrimazole according to scientists who have studied these two medicines in comparison with each other. At 10-15 days after the start of treatment, women in both the clotrimazole group and Calendula group had a similar number of yeast infection symptoms, but at the second follow-up (30-35 days after the start of treatment), the women in the Calendula group had significantly fewer symptoms. To treat yourself for a vaginal yeast infection with Calendula, get some raw, organic cocoa butter and combine an extract of pure Calendula with the cocoa butter to make little vaginal suppositories. Use the suppositories in the evening at bed-time.

UPDATE TO THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE: When I first wrote this article, a vaginal yeast infection was (to me) an infection that could be treated as an isolated thing that was happening in an isolated part of the body. Indeed, a vaginal yeast infection can be very distracting, painful, and uncomfortable and it begs to be treated with something that will quell the itching! But after years of study, I've learned that a vaginal yeast infection is a holistic, systemic infection that should be treated with holistic methods (because existing pharmaceuticals simply put a bandaid over the problem). If you have recurrent vaginal yeast infections, please read the article How to Cure Candida.

Candida CAN be cured and while I mention prescription medications in this article, as a general rule, I seek to avoid them because most are merely a cover-up for deeper issues that can be treated with better nutrition, supplements, and enzyme therapies or vibrational medicine.





Related Posts:

Surat Praneenararat (2014). Fungal Infection of the Colon. Available online: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4211850/ January 23, 2017. Saffari, E., Alizadeh-Charandabi, S. M., Adibpour, M., Mirghafourvand, M., Javadzadeh, Y. (2016). Comparing the effects of Calendula officinalis and clotrimazole on vaginal Candidiasis: A randomized controlled trial. Retrieved June 14, 2021 from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27880086/