Home remedies for vaginal itching can be an alternative to pharmaceutical products, provided that the cause of the ailment is, for example, an allergy, and not a bacterial or fungal infection. Some home methods for vaginal itching have not been approved by gynecologists because they can only exacerbate intimate infections. Check out how to cure vaginal itching with home remedies and learn the biggest myths about dealing with vaginal infections.
Home remedies for vaginal itchingcan only be used by women who do not struggle with bacterial and fungal infections. If you suspectvaginal infectionis the result of an infection or a symptom of one of the female diseases, stop using home treatments and see your gynecologist.
- Use intimate hygiene cosmetics
Intimate hygiene cosmetics with lactic acid sticks help maintain the correct pH level of the vagina and restore the disturbed balance of its bacterial flora. Fluids with an extremely low pH (3.5) will help to alleviate vaginal itching. On a daily basis, you can use intimate hygiene gels with a pH similar to that of intimate parts (5.2-5.5).
- Use a separate towel for intimate hygiene
Do not use washcloths or sponges to wash your intimate parts as they harbor fungi and bacteria. It is best to use disposable paper towels for wiping intimate areas. However, if this is not possible, use cotton, but only intended for this purpose. Keep it dry at all times (mushrooms multiply very quickly in moisture).
- Pour baking soda into the bathtub with water
Folk medicine for intimate infections recommends a bath with baking soda (1 teaspoon for each liter of water). The baking soda solution is alkaline, so it won't restore the acidic pH of your vagina. On the other hand, baking soda has anti-itching and anti-inflammatory properties, so it can provide temporary relief from the feeling of itching. However, it will not cure infections.
- Adequate diet
Eat a diet rich in dairy products with probiotics. These can be yoghurt, buttermilk, kefir and cottage cheese. This way you support the functioningthe natural bacterial flora of the vagina.
It's good to know that scientists have proven that sperm lowers the pH of a woman's vagina. And when it is low enough, the risk of infection and irritation is reduced.
Dangerous home remedies for vaginal itching
- Don't put garlic in your vagina!
You can find a lot of "golden" advice on dealing with vaginal infections on internet forums. However, their use can only exacerbate the infection. One popular myth concerns garlic, which is said to speed up the healing process when inserted into an infected vagina.
Garlic is indeed a natural antibacterial and antifungal drug, but it only works when taken orally. Applying garlic vaginally will not accelerate the healing process, and may also irritate the sensitive vaginal mucosa and even cause erosions. Another problem may arise when taking out garlic. If it breaks or its thread breaks, you will need to see a gynecologist.
- Do not apply yoghurt!
Do not insert yoghurt or other fermented milk products into the infected vagina (e.g. with a syringe without a needle or tampon). Although these products contain lactobacilli valuable for he alth, they have nothing to do with the Lactobacillus strains included in the physiological flora of the vagina.
The use of vaginal irrigation with yogurt carries the risk of introducing other pathogenic bacteria into the infected vagina and may only exacerbate an intimate infection.
"Good" probiotic bacteria can only be provided in the form of an appropriate diet or vaginal globules. These preparations give the vagina a correct, acidic pH level, protecting it against pathogens, and also restore its microbiological balance.
- Better not to use herbal rinses or vinegar
Natural medicine for intimate infections recommends the use of herbal rinses, with an indication not to do them more than once a week. However, doctors agree that these types of treatments, performed on a regular basis, can destroy the natural bacterial flora of the vagina, because they flush out not only pathogenic microbes, but also those "good" bacteria that are responsible for intimate he alth.
In addition, they can dry out the vagina and cause other unpleasant ailments, and even distort the image of the infection and delay diagnosis by the gynecologist.
Itching, burning, redness, discharge? Go to the gynecologist
Treatment of genital infections is necessary because of the risk of serious complications.
- You cannot underestimate the symptoms of itching, burning, redness, vaginal discharge, because the chronic nature of this type of ailments can have very serious consequences, i.e. infection of those reproductive organs that require, for example, surgery - explains Prof. Tomasz Paszkowski. When a disturbing problem arises, the patient should consult a specialist immediately. Self-treatment with over-the-counter preparations is often unsuccessful.
Source: newseria.pl