Hey Guys,
Thanks for taking the time to visit my little corner of the Internet.
NOTE: Click here for my article on getting rid of thrush naturally.
My name’s Amanda and I suffered from vaginal thrush for around five years after the birth of my first child. In addition, all my children suffered from oral thrush as infants, which led me to do a lot of research into the condition from reading books, surfing the Internet and consulting with doctors, nurses and specialists in alternative medicines.
I’m not a qualified medical professional but over the years, I have learned a lot about thrush (also known as candida, candidiasis and yeast infections) and what you’re about to read is my accumulated knowledge of the subject including the various treatments available to get rid of it.
What is Thrush?
Thrush is an infection caused by the fungal bacteria, candida albicans. This bacteria lives harmlessly and naturally inside the mouth and gut of over half the world’s population without causing any ill-effects. However when the amount of C. albicans within the body becomes excessive, the symptoms of thrush manifest.
What are the Symptoms of Thrush?
Thrush usually develops in the mouth and throat (oral thrush, mouth thrush) or around the genitals (genital thrush, vaginal thrush, penile thrush, male thrush). This is because C. albicans thrives in warm and moist environments.
Oral Thrush
Symptoms include redness, soreness, itchiness and a build-up of a white, patchy substance similar in consistency to cottage cheese (see picture to the left).
These patches are an overgrowth of the C. albicans fungus. It can usually be scraped off fairly easily revealing sore tissue underneath that may bleed.
In the case of vaginal thrush, these white patches will be inside the vagina and can be seen as a thick white discharge that may smell of yeast.
Finally, another sign of thrush can be pains or a burning sensation when passing urine or having sexual intercourse.
Causes of Thrush
As stated earlier, over 50% of the population carry the C. albicans bacteria that causes thrush around in their bodies without actually suffering from the disease. This is because the body’s immune system maintains a delicate balance of C. albicans with other so-called ‘good bacteria’ or probiotics. If the balance is upset and C. albicans is allowed to multiply out of control, the symptoms of thrush will develop.
Most people’s natural bodily defenses are capable of keeping the population of C. albicans in check, however a weakened or under-developed immune system will allow the bacteria to thrive and multiply, resulting in thrush.
Therefore, thrush-sufferers are usually people who have weak immune system (either temporarily or permanently) including:
- People that have recently recovered from or are suffering from another infection or disease.
- People that have recently finished or are on a course of antibiotics (antibiotics can kill the ‘good bacteria’ that helps balance the C. albicans.
- People that are suffering from a long-term disease that affects their immune system (such as people suffering from HIV, cancer or depression).
- People who are generally feeling stressed and run-down.
- Babies and infants whose immune systems may not yet be fully developed (particularly premature babies).
C. albicans feeds on sugar and so thrives in environments where there is a large supply of food. For this reason, people who suffer from diabetes and have high blood-sugar levels are particularly vulnerable to thrush. For the same reason, people who consume large amounts of sugary foods as part of their diet are also at risk.
The final group of people that may be at risk from thrush (oral thrush) are people who wear dentures. For these people,it is important to ensure that the dentures are properly fitted and cleaned regularly.
Is Thrush Contagious?
Technically, thrush is contagious as C. albicans can be passed from person to person through close contact such as kissing and sexual intercourse. Having said that, it is rare for someone to catch thrush from their partner or a close friend/relation because their immune system will be able to maintain the balance of C. albicans within their body.
How to get rid of Thrush Step 1: The Doctor
If you’ve never suffered from thrush before and do not know the signs, the first thing to do is visit your doctor to get an accurate diagnosis and ensure the symptoms that you’re suffering are indeed thrush and not something else.
Even if you know the symptoms because you are suffering from repeated or recurring thrush, a visit to your surgery is still recommended as your doctor will be able to perform tests to try and ascertain the root cause of the infection.
Thrush is easily treated using anti-fungal medicines such as Canesten that will kill the C. albicans bacteria.
Anti-fungal medicines come in a variety of different guises depending on the location of the thrush and personal preference. These include:
- Creams (to rub on affected skin)
- Tablets / lozenges (to be taken orally)
- Rinses (to swill around the mouth)
- Pessaries (inserted inside the vagina)
How to get rid of Thrush Step 2: The Pharmacy
If you are aware of the symptoms of thrush well enough to diagnose it yourself or can not visit your doctor, you can provide your own treatment by picking up anti-fungal medicines over-the-counter at your local pharmacy or chemist. You can even purchase them online.
Canesten Pessary and Cream
For treating vaginal thrush, I’ve had great success with Canesten’s pessary and cream. The pessary will treat the internal infection inside the vagina, whilst the cream will treat the external infection around the vulva as well as providing soothing relief.
How to get rid of Thrush Step 3: Your Lifestyle
If you have suffered from recurring thrush a number of times, it is a sign that something is not quite right within your body. This could be something as simple as your diet or your lifestyle or may indicate an underlying illness. That is why your first port of call should be your doctor as they will be able to perform tests that can reveal the root cause of the outbreaks.
If you suspect that your lifestyle may be to blame, there are a number of things that you can do to reduce your vulnerability to thrush and prevent infections.
Firstly, if you are feeling constantly run down, sad and tired, your immune system will be suffering. It is important to make the effort to stay fit, healthy and active. This includes doing regular exercise and socializing with friends as well as adjusting your diet (more on that in a moment), getting plenty of sleep and relaxing.
Often, taking that first step is the hardest (believe me, I’ve been there) but once you take the plunge, a happier, more fulfilled life is just around the corner and a strengthening of your immune system will naturally follow. Sadness and depression are beyond the scope of this article, but if you feel this may be the cause of your recurring thrush, I can highly recommend The Mindful Way Through Depression to help you get through it. If your looking for something to read right away, you may wish to download the highly-acclaimed End Your Depression ebook.
How to get rid of Thrush Step 4: Your Diet
Regarding your diet, it is important to ensure that your blood-sugar levels are not too high as this creates an ideal breeding ground for C. albicans. Therefore, reducing the amount of sugary foods that you consume is important in your battle against thrush.
Cutting dairy products from your diet and concentrating on eating low-carb, high-protein food is also useful to make your body an undesirable place for thrush bacteria to inhabit.
Probiotic yogurts and drinks are also handy as they provide your body with “good bacteria” that helps keep the population of C. albicans down (you can find out more about using probiotics to prevent thrush here).
It is also important to drink plenty of water (around ten 8oz glasses a day is recommended). This flushes toxins out of the body as well as helping the body to stay healthy.
You can find more information on getting rid of thrush naturally with Rebecca Haworth’s 3-day Thrush Cure – I, personally, found her advice and techniques very useful in my fight against chronic thrush.
That’s All, Folks!
I hope you’ve found the information I’ve shared with you useful and I wish you and yours a quick recovery from thrush and hope it never comes back to haunt you again.
Thanks for reading.
Amanda
