A vaginal yeast infection is caused by an overgrowth of the fungus or yeast Candida. Yeast normally live in the vagina in small numbers, but when the bacteria in the vagina become out of balance, too many yeast grow and cause an infection.

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Twice a month we Email you a brief abstract of several new studies on various supplements and natural medicine topics and their practical interpretation by Ray Sahelian, M.D. We will mention research updates on natural yeast infection treatment when available.  

Yeast infection Treatment
Lactobacillus recolonization (via yogurt or capsules) shows promise for the treatment of both yeast vaginitis and bacterial vaginosis with little potential for harm. Boric acid can be recommended to women with recurrent vulvovaginal Candidal infections who are resistant to conventional therapies, but can occasionally cause vaginal burning. Tea tree oil and garlic show some in vitro potential for the treatment of vaginitis.

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Stress as a cause for Vaginal Yeast Infection
Women who suffer from frequent vaginal yeast infections show biochemical signs of being under chronic stress. Researchers studied 35 women who experienced at least four yeast infections during the preceding year and 35 healthy "controls." The team collected saliva samples from the participants in order to measure levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Cortisol levels usually rise in the morning, but the research team found that this rise was blunted among the patients with recurrent yeast infections compared with the control subjects. A shallow rise in cortisol, somewhat paradoxically, indicates a state of ongoing stress, according to the researchers. They also found that more patients than controls had a history of other vaginal infections, supporting "the hypothesis of a reduced local immunity" in women with recurrent yeast infections. The authors conclude that "chronic stress may play a role" in the occurrence of frequent yeast infections, and "further studies are needed to elucidate the connection between" all their findings." American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, October 2005.

Boric acid for yeast infection
Boric acid vaginal suppositories treat yeast infections in women with diabetes better than the prescription anti-fungal pill fluconazole. Vaginal yeast infections in diabetic women are often caused by a fungal type known as Candida glabrata, and this tends to respond poorly to treatment with oral anti-fungal drugs like fluconazole. Dr. Ravinder Goswami, at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi, randomly assigned 111 diabetic women with vaginal yeast infection to be treated with either a single dose of fluconazole, which is widely known by the brand name Diflucan, or daily boric acid vaginal suppositories for 14 days. Nearly two-thirds of the women had Candida glabrata infections. In this group, the cure rate was 64 percent for those given boric acid suppositories compared with 29 percent in women treated with fluconazole. Diabetes Care, February 2007.

Do you really have a yeast infection?
Dr. Susan Hoffstetter, the co-director of the SLUCare Vulvar and Vaginal Disease Clinic at Saint Louis University has found in her study that only one in every four women who came for treatment for persistent yeast infections actually had one. Dr. Susan Hoffstetter and her colleagues looked at the medical records for 150 women who reported persistent yeast infections. Only 26 percent of the women were infected with Candida. Other causes of vaginal itching included sexually transmitted infections, dry skin, or inflammation.

Yeast Infection Research Update
Alternative therapies for bacterial vaginosis: a literature review and acceptability survey.
Altern Ther Health Med. 2005 Sep-Oct;11(5):38-43. Boskey ER.
Department of Preventative Medicine and Community Health, State University of New York Health Science Center, Brooklyn, NY, USA.
This article reviews current research into non-antibiotic treatments for bacterial vaginosis and assesses interest in the use of alternative therapies for women's health in a non-representative sample of women. DESIGN: Literature review and online survey. A convenience sample of 192 women was selected from an online community devoted to the discussion of women's health. Data on alternative treatments for bacterial vaginosis are mixed. Studies have shown both positive and null effects for probiotic- and lactic acid-based treatments. The results of antiseptic studies were more uniformly positive, but the studies were generally not placebo-controlled. Women in the survey population were both interested in and experienced with alternative and complementary therapies for reproductive health problems--44% of them had used home or natural remedies to treat vaginal infections or menstrual problems, and only 20% indicated that antibiotics and antifungals would be their treatment of choice. CONCLUSIONS: Women are interested in alternative treatments for women's health problems such as yeast infections and bacterial vaginosis. Although such treatments have been investigated, further research--particularly in the form of high-quality, randomized, controlled trials--is strongly indicated.

Antifungal activities and action mechanisms of compounds from Tribulus terrestris L.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2006 Jan 3;103(1):76-84. Epub 2005 Oct 5.
Antifungal activity of natural products is being studied widely. Saponins are known to be antifungal and antibacterial. We used bioassay-guided fractionation to have isolated eight steroid saponins from Tribulus terrestris. In conclusion, Tribulus terrestris has significant in vitro and in vivo antifungal activity, weakening the virulence of Candida albicans and killing fungi through destroying the cell membrane.

The in vitro activity of vaginal Lactobacillus with probiotic properties against Candida.
Infect Dis Obstet Gynecol. 2005 Jun;13(2):69-75.
Lactobacilli, the predominant vaginal microorganisms in healthy premenopausal women, control other members of the vaginal microflora and thus protect against bacterial vaginosis and urinary tract infections. It has been claimed that some lactobacilli are also protective against Candida vaginitis. Little is known, however, about the mechanisms by which these lactobacilli can control vaginal populations of Candida and prevent vaginitis. To address this question, vaginal Lactobacillus strains with known antagonistic properties against bacteria were tested for their cell surface properties, adhesion to vaginal cell lines in vitro and antagonistic activities against Candida. A small proportion of the lactobacilli tested adhered strongly to cultured vaginal epithelial cells and inhibited growth of Candida albicans but not of C. pseudotropicalis. This anticandidal activity was in some Lactobacillus strains related to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) production, but catalase treatment did not suppress this activity in other Lactobacillus strains, suggesting alternative mechanism(s). Moreover, tested vaginal Candida strains were resistant to relatively high concentrations of H2O2 that markedly exceeded those produced by even the most active Lactobacillus strains.

Male yeast infection
The same yeast that causes vaginal infections in women can cause yeast infections of the penis in men. Signs and symptoms of a male yeast infection include a red rash and burning at the tip of the penis. Most male yeast infections are easily treated with over-the-counter antifungal treatments, such as Monistat.

Oral yeast infection
Oral yeast infection, or thrush, is a common infection that occurs in some newborns and younger children. It is caused by the Candida albicans yeast or fungus, which can also cause vaginal infections and diaper rashes. When it infects a child's mouth, it is called oropharyngeal candidiasis, or thrush.
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