Yeast Infections

This is a bit of an odd post, but it is a harbinger of what I suspect will be several future posts.  I, like many women, have struggled with yeast infections over the years.  Due to my recent bout with poison ivy and the antibiotics I took, I am faced with this challenge again.


I went to the Nurse Practitioner at my gynecologist's office yesterday.  I learned that the Diflucan takes care of about 80% of all yeasts, but not all.  


Basically, my best option to helping my body is to take sugar out of my diet.  Sugar feeds yeast.  So, I need to take my body off the sugar kick its been on.


Honestly, I've felt this coming for a long time.  I have a good friend whose mother discovered that sugar was the contributing factor to her mood swings.  When I heard her story, a seed was planted in my mind that sugar can have more of an effect on our body than we realize.


So, last night I felt I was faced with a choice:  do I take the medication the NP prescribed to me or do I wait and see if I need it?  Do I try to do something else?  I am opting first to take out the sugar.


Here's what I've found works:


1) 3 Tbsp of Apple Cider Vinegar in a pan with 2 cups of water.  This is a good soak and wash when the itching.  You can only use over the counter vaginal creams externally 3 or 4 times a day.  This is a natural way to help.


2) The NP says that cranberry pills work for some.  Not cranberry juice because of the sugar in it.


3) Probiotic/Activia yogurt works for some.  Not everyone.


4) Drink lots of water to flush out your system.  This is one I am horrible about and need to work on.


5) The final suggestion I've found is to take out the sugar.  That's the one I'm trying now.  


I'm going to be looking into what this means for my diet. I have requested a diabetic cookbook for review.  I cut the amount of sugar in my coffee by half this morning--I couldn't quite do without it completely.  I am realizing all the little ways that sugar is in the food I eat throughout the day.  We'll see how this goes...