my personal cure for a yeast infection or UTI
icon: "hypnotiq (my fractal "Windwheel" -- an abstract swirl of yellow red and orange with a little green)"
If you have a UTI or yeast infection and don't want to go to the doctor*, you might try what I do. I combine certain supplements with drinking a lot of water and avoiding sugar and acidic drinks (sadly this includes coffee). I haven't needed antibiotics/antifungals for a UTI or yeast infection since I figured out this regimen.
Food: avoid sweet or very processed foods: go for raw veggies & cooked grains, stuff with lots of fiber.
Drink: avoid sweet or acidic drinks: go for water.
Supplements: take these throughout the day:
* cranberry 25,200mg, 3x the daily serving size
* garlic oil softgels, 1,000mg pills at 6-10 per day
* oregano oil softgels at max daily dose
* betacarotene 25,000 at max daily dose
* vitamin e softgels 800-1000mg daily
* evening primrose oil softgels 1000-1200mg daily
Note: this works best if you use it as the infection is coming on, before it gets too intense. If you take the garlic and cranberry right at the start and drink plenty of water you may not need the others.
for me, the ONLY cranberry that works is the one that has 25,200mg from concentrate. Nature's bounty triple strength is the one I most often use, but Azo also works (most others don't). I take triple the daily serving size, spaced throughout the day.
along with this I take odorless garlic oil softgels, 1,000mg pills at 6-10 per day (they're tiny if you get the oil ones) -- again it depends on the brand and type for them to be useful. BRI Nutrition and Nature's Bounty are good for me (most others give me awful burps). Take these with food.
Then, if it's already an infection, I also take oregano oil softgels at whatever the maximum daily dose is. Sometimes these are sold with parsley in them too and that works just as well. Take these with food.
If there is dry/irritated/inflamed skin, I also recommend betacarotene 25,000 (NOT vitamin A made with retinyl palmitate because you can overdose on that but you can't overdose on beta carotene because your body only converts what it needs) and vitamin e softgels 800-1000mg, and evening primrose oil softgels 1000-1200mg.
Another thing that helps me -- and this is weird but it helps SO MUCH -- is getting in the shower, applying plain (NOT flavored or sweetened!) yogurt to the outside, letting it sit a minute, then rinsing the area with lukewarm (not hot!) water. Soap will make it worse for me but this helps a lot. I'm not willing to use the yeast-killing creams so this is my solution. Also, airing out the area daily, while odd and potentially uncomfortable, helps too.
The cranberry and garlic I mentioned (taken as specified on the bottle) can work together as a great preventative. I have tested it out when I had to take antibiotics, and one of my friends tested it out too when they had to take antibiotics, and it helped both of us a lot. For me at least, taking meds for a yeast infection tends to bring on further problems so I want to avoid that if possible.
Speaking of antibiotics, I always take Florastor along with any antibiotics. It is a beneficial yeast which is not killed by antibiotics and it helps keep the bad yeast from overpopulating in the absence of the bacteria being killed by the antibiotics. It is expensive (about a dollar per once-a-day pill) but if you can afford it, it's worth it, especially if you tend to always get infections and/or gut problems after a course of antibiotics.
As you take it, keep in mind that all probiotics need fiber and a low-acid environment to survive, so you should take it with some raw fruit or vegetable and a full glass of water. (Cooked food has less fiber than raw) Also whenever you take antibiotics it is a good idea to avoid sugar and simple carbs like white bread because those feed the bad microbes.
*a final note of caution: if it doesn't improve noticeably within 3 days, or if it gets worse despite doing these things, I would encourage you to go to the doctor because if UTIs get really bad they can spread to your kidneys, which can be dangerous. If you have upper back and side pain, fever over 101f, chills, nausea, or vomiting that develops along with a UTI or yeast infection please go to urgent care and do not waste time trying this method!