Yeast infections are actually a fungus and come about in moist, dark places like the vagina. While there may be small amounts of yeast present without harm, use of antibiotics or being run down can allow yeast to proliferate to an irritating, itching interior rash that may be hard to quell. Because yeast infections can take time to clear up with prescribed medications, alternative therapies are sometimes used.
Probiotic Yogurt
Make your own yogurt suppository. Many alternative health websites recommend applying unflavored, unsweetened yogurt containing the "good" bacteria Lactobacillus acidophilus directly into the affected area. Even the American Academy of Family Physicians cited a study which showed women who ate a cup of the yogurt daily tended to have fewer yeast infections. Suppositories with this "probiotic" yogurt are available at health food stores.
Vinegar Douches
Mayo Clinic staff list vinegar douches as a possible remedy for yeast infections. Although they say positive clinical studies of methods like vinegar douches haven't been done, anecdotal reports by those who use them say they work. A vinegar douche made up of 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to a quart of water may restore the normal pH of the vagina and make the area less hospitable to yeast.
Garlic
Insert a clove of fresh garlic peeled in the vaginal like a suppository. This method has been used with some success for mild cases of yeast infection. Enclose the garlic in cheese cloth and attach a string for removal, or use a garlic supplement in a soluble coated capsule.
Cranberry Juice
Drink a cup of unsweetened cranberry juice at the start of a yeast infection. The juice helps to flush the fungus from the walls of the vagina with infection fighting properties, according to Mayo Clinic staff.
Prevention
Prevent yeast infections with good hygiene, wear loose fitting clothing, get adequate nutrition and rest. While other remedies like tea tree oil suppositories and boric acid douches are touted as possible cures, keeping your immune system intact with plenty of unprocessed foods, wiping front to back and shunning unprotected sex.
