Thrush

[marion29]

What can I do to prevent further attacks of vaginal thrush? I have been advised various things by the medical profession. I have tried&continue to wear cotton underwear, no bubble bath etc in bath, no tights or tight clothing, used canestan cream before making love. It has been suggested to cut out wheat in my diet, but that seems drastic?

[TommyC]

Please don't think I'm suggesting anything bad because I'm really not, but I'm sure I've read that men can carry the male equivalent of thrush - but I just can't remember what it's called. If not treated and disposed of as it should be, they can very easily keep on passing it back to their sexual partner without necessarily knowing anything about it, as the symptoms are not always so obvious for (some) men. Thrush is an enormously common complaint and easily cleared up, but very contagious, and so there has to be a reason why it's repeatedly re-infecting you when you've taken all the proper precautions. Check with your Doctor, or ask your partner to see him for a male check-up.

[becks]

Hi Marion, right I have been through this with doctors for years having suffered with thrush for ages, men can get thrush but do not pass it on, it's not technically an STD. First of all be sure that what you have actually is thrush, i was diagnosed with lichens scerosis which is a bit like eczema but only in that area. Secondly if it is thrush try and cut down on yeast so lessen your intake of bread/mushrooms/vinegar/pasta etc. Having said all of this i have been taking acidophilus (sp?) for months now and can happily report that i have been thrush-free for as long. I can even sneak in a sandwich, which if i did before i would wake up the next day with a really violent attack but now it's ok. You do need a really good one tho, so go to holland and barratt or somewhere like that and be preapred to pay at least a tenner. I honestly cannot tell you what a difference it has made, i used to make myself bleed scratching so badly in my sleep and it makes you miserable, affecting every aspect of your life, i know. Also try only using aqueous cream instead of soap to use when washing. good luck, i know how depressing thrush can be but i also know it can be treated - at last! xx

[becks]

Oh and sorry Tommy, but it is not easily cleared up, believe me having suffered on a off for about three years i know this. i swear my body became immune to canestan and diflucan just did nothing. Go to the doctor as well marion but i'm telling you know all they'll do is put you on a long course of flucanozole (Diflucan), it didn't work for me and by the sounds of it, it won't work for you and i'm sure you're tied of trying canestan creams/pessaries/tablets just as i was. Get yourself some acidophilus, it is life-changing!

[woofgang]

TommyC is right but also, if you keep using canestan cream in that way, all that will be left will be the resistant spores and they will have huge fun. Have you cut out of your diet all yeast related foods, eg mushrooms, beer, wine (sigh) marmite, leavened bread, coated soft cheeses, eg brie? also reduce/ cut out drastically the sugar in your diet from ALL sources and increase your plain water intake drastically. In general, if you don't eat healthily, start now! Start taking a probiotic tablet or yoghurt Are you on the pill? can you stop it at least temporarily? and ....sorry but can you stop penetrative sex again at least temporarily. Repeated yeast infections are often the result of harbouring a reservoir in the gut which continually repopulates other nice warm moist places. The idea is to sort out your gut and allow your natural flora to regain control, squeezing out the interlopers, at the same time as allowing your nether regions to reorganise their own natural balance. I am not sure what the evidence is on the pill and thrush but I was a martyr to it when on the pill and it stopped when I stopped...also, condoms make cause minor damage to internal mucous membranes unless adequately lubricated and the lubrication can itself upset the ph balance of your body. Lastly, continual reinfection of any kind can indicate bidy run down due perhaps to stress ans lack of rest, so if this is an issue for you, address that too. I hope this helps...

[woofgang]

becks, we cross posted, aint it misery???

[woofgang]

...and I meant of course, "body run down"

[coemgen]

Can I just add my wholehearted agreement of what Becks advised. I too suffered for months of non stop thrush. I got fed up with having to keep going to the doctors as my chemist got ars*y with me for buying Canestan on a weekly basis and barred me from buying any more. Since I started taking Acidophilus tablets (keep them in the fridge) and also an Actimel (not really necessary, but works for me) I don't get it any more. The only time I get a mild flare up is near my period which is quite common. I must admit I could never give up bread and pasta, but luckily I haven't needed to. The Acidophilus tablets are about �12 from Holland and Barratt.

[becks]

Ah i know woofgang! interesting how many women have suffered as much and are all swearing off canestan and stuff tho, i think acidophilus should be given out free!!

[Sally]

I used to get thrush a week before my period and then the week after, I have started drinking "Yakult" ya know that thing with freindly bacteria and I haven't had it since. Who knows, may work for you aswell.

[birdy72]

Totally in agreement that acidophilus/probiotics is the way to go, whether you take it in the form of Actimel, Yakult or probiotic supplements - it appears to be highly effective. If for some reason you try this and have no joy, please check out www.whatreallyworks.co.uk - there are other alternatives that have been used in South America and Africa for centuries.

[Janetex]

Very good info here. Search candidiasis for more. You may need nistatin or nilstat medication initially too. Your doctor should have addressed this problem better. Antibiotics, stress and simple carbs make it worse (i.e. sugar & highly processed grains of any type).

[apricot]

Many years ago I had a gynaecologist who said he had done research on bath plugholes and he warned me never to bathe in anyone elses bath unless thoroughly cleaned with bleach or, preferably, only shower. Needless to say I haven't had a bath in years. Commiserations with sufferers.

[Anny]

I've been suffering for some months now with recurring thrush and boy it's annoying. Funny thing is I would ALWAYS get it following a period. Now I know why.. blood is alkaline and thus makes the perfect breeding ground for thrush! I've been using a low pH soap in the nether regions as normal soap is so alkaline ... I have also read that stress and also obesity are also factors which cause thrush. As for the acidopholus tablets , from reading your posts I am definitely going to purchase some. We have some here in Australia which are expensive but have the equivalent of 22 200g tubs of yoghurt in just one tablet.. some pharmacists recommend taking these kind of tablets to prevent thrush and now I can see why with your positive testimonials. It's very annoying spending money on canesten treatments , I've tried Monistat and it doesn't work for me. It's also very expensive too, buying canesten every month .

[Browntown]

I feel genuinely very sorry for anyone who has had the misfortune of having recurrent thrush. I have had recurrent thrush for the past 7 years...not nice...I can tell you that much. I have been to the doctors more times than I remember infact I wouldn't even bother asking anyone in the medical profession what I could do because they just don't have the answers.

Last year after trying threelac powder, Cape Nutraceutials Powder, I went on a candida diet for 3 months (that was the worse thing I had to endure) no beer, wine, white bread, white pasta, mustard, vinegar, sugar - fullstop, the list really is endless. The good news is I didn't once stray and I yes I didn't get thrush for 7 months - however when I did get it for some inexplainable reason I got it so bad the worse I had ever had it before, I couldn't even walk, that's no lie.

Shortly before this, my boyfriend got it really bad and I didn't even have any symptoms. I realised that even when I showed no symptoms of thrush I still had it, infact I think that I am just a haven for it and I always have it.

Anyway started to read about it again for the 20th time. However this time I came across that colonic irrigations could provide some relief. I had one and spoke to the lady who performed it.

She explained that oregano oil, garlic 2000mg and an acidophilus a day were the key. I told her I had tried it all before infact I had been taken this combo for about a year - every day without fail. She asked what the strength of acidophilus I was taking - I told her about 100 million. She was horrified. She explained that unless you could get the necessary friendly bacteria back into your system - the problem would never go away.

Continued below.....

[Browntown]

So I 'very' reluctantly bought the tablets that she recommended. They contain 18 billion bacteria a tablet and she recommended I take them together with the garlic and oregano for the next 2 months and after that time I drop down to about 8 or 9 billion tablet a day for the next 4 months. I am now nearing month 3 and all seems to be going well.

If there's one bit of information you remember and that is it's the quality of the product - trust me there's no getting round it if you have had recurrent thrush doesn't matter what you do unless you reflora your body / gut it won't count.

The tablets I bought nearly broke my heart - think they cost about �35 for 2 months but they are the highest potency you can get and considering your gut has something like 100 trillion bacteria in it unless you put a high potency in th gut, then the bad bacteria will only gobble up the good bacteria quicker than you can put it in. So, going for cheaper products with say 3 billion bacteria initially will only waste your money in the long term because they won't tackle the problem.

Give your body at least 6 months of good quality probiotics. The research I have seen says that thrush and candida come from the gut, the last place for it to materialise is the vagina. So even though doctors have always seem to indicate it is a vaginal problem it acutally is an intestinal problem which then disperses to other parts of the body if not treated, in most cases to the vagina.

Hope this information helps and good luck.