Using Yogurt To Treat Thrush
Yogurt must be the most well known natural treatment for yeast infections. Cheap and easy to come by it's easy to see why it's so popular.
So why should yogurt be a cure for thrush? Well it's actually what lives in the yogurt rather than the yogurt itself that can cure all that itching and inflammation. Natural, unsweetened, untreated yogurt contains Lactobacillus acidophilus which, like yeasts, naturally live in the human body. Their presence help keep Candida yeast populations in check.
For oral and throat thrush you simply need to eat natural yogurt two or three times a day. You may want to hold the yogurt in your mouth for a few seconds before swallowing. Avoid taking a drink for at least half an hour after eating.
For women treatment means applying the yogurt to the vulva and into the vagina. The most common way is to apply the yogurt to a tampon and then insert it into the vagina. It's messy and you'll find that a lot of the yogurt oozes out during the insertion process. A slightly less messy option is to use something like a turkey baster to inject the yogurt. Afterwards you'll need to 'plug' the entrance to the vagina to stop it seeping straight back out again. You need to insert a fresh application of yogurt twice a day. What ever method you use, panty liners are a must because of all the seepage that occurs.
You'll sometimes come across women freezing the yogurt in plastic tampon applicators and then inserting them. This is not a particularly good idea as the frozen yogurt can easily stick to the walls of your vagina causing damage. Also although the freezing won't kill off the Lactobacillus acidophilus they will be sluggish for quite awhile after their enforced hibernation. If you want the soothing relief of inserting cold yogurt, stick some of it in the freezer for half an hour before inserting.
Can yogurt be used by men for penile thrush? Well yes, but there are probably easier cures. If you want to give it a go the easiest method is to get some clingfilm and put a large dollop of yogurt in the middle. Then gather the up the clingfilm round the penis making sure the yogurt covers the head of the penis. Then wrap the clingfim round so that it sticks together.
Of course the most obvious problem is that it's not going to stay there for long unless you're sitting down so this is something to try while sitting watching telly.
So yogurt can be used to treat yeast infections but what about the drawbacks. Well the mess is a minor problem. Another one is that you may find that your body doesn't appreciate being in contact with the yogurt for hours on end so the treatment itself may cause some minor inflammation.
Another problem is that it only seems to work in mild cases. You need to start treating thrush with yogurt at the first signs of an infection. Leave it until it's developed further and the applying of yogurt is probably a waste of time.