Home Cures For Bacterial Vaginitis

If you are considering using home cures for bacterial vaginitis, you have probably already tried antibiotics or various over the counter treatments and found them unsatisfactory.

We all like to think that if there is something wrong with us, we can go along to the doctors and get hold of some medication which will cure us. Sometimes, this is entirely possible. For example, in the case of a simple bacterial infection, antibiotics can be highly effective. However, there are times when certain conditions are impossible to resolve by using a single dimensional approach and for these types of conditions, a multifaceted approach may be required.

Bacterial vaginitis is caused by an imbalance of the naturally occurring bacteria within the vagina. Normally, the different strains of bacteria coexist in harmony, with the beneficial bacteria maintaining a healthy, acidic environment. An imbalance causes the conditions to become alkaline and this causes the unpleasant and sometimes harmful symptoms of BV which include a foul, fishy smelling vaginal discharge and discomfort around the vaginal tissues.

Although antibiotics can kill bacteria, they cannot distinguish between good and bad bacteria and as a result they kill off both. In the short term, this will probably bring some symptomatic relief but there are two distinct problems with using antibiotics:-

1. They do not take into account the underlying cause of BV
2. As they kill of all the bacteria, both good and bad, once they have finished working the body cannot rebuild its supplies of good bacteria quickly enough to fight against any harmful bacteria, which reproduces faster

This is why over 75% of women who take antibiotics for BV will have a repeat attack!

Home cures for bacterial vaginitis are a much better option as it gives you the flexibility to look at your individual circumstances and adapt the treatments to suit you. To be effective, home treatment needs to incorporate the following elements:-

* Symptomatic relief
* Elimination of the likely root causes
* Strategies to build up the immune system
* Replenishment of beneficial bacteria

It is important to use a multifaceted approach to ensure that no stone is left unturned. For example, if you can successfully eliminate the root cause, yet your immune system is just not strong enough to fight off any existing strains of harmful bacteria-they will quickly multiply. Similarly, if you do not replenish the beneficial bacteria, then it will typically take much longer to build up naturally, thereby presenting any harmful bacteria to take hold again.

Although this might sound complicated, it is probably much simpler than you might think. To get you started, a couple of simple home cures for bacterial vaginitis are tea tree oil and live probiotic yogurt.

The antibacterial properties of tea tree oil can be very effective in killing off harmful bacteria. It can be bought in pessary form or can be added to your bath, well diluted. Live probiotic yogurt is a popular home cure. Simply soak a tampon in the yogurt and leave in the vagina overnight. The warm conditions will encourage the beneficial bacteria to quickly multiply.