Hello everyone! I'm here to talk about something that we don't like to talk about: yeast infections and bacterial vaginosis! While yeast infections (yi) can happen to anyone on any part of their body, I am going to focus on vaginal yeast infections (and bacterial vaginosis) in this post. I am going to discuss how to treat a yi or bv with boric acid. There are other treatments such as garlic, apple cider vinegar, tea tree oil, and yogurt but boric acid treatment isn't common knowledge and it is, by far, the most effective treatment that I have encountered.
I have a medical condition that requires me to take medication. While I am happy that it has my condition under control, one of the medications has a lot of crappy side effects. One of these side effects is that I get yi or bv at the drop of a hat. It's very annoying and can end up costing me money, as working with a yi or bv is uncomfortable at best, and impossible at worst.
Until I was about 20 I treated yeast infections using Monistat or similar over the counter products. Eventually I got tired of spending so much money on these medications and, well, they kinda stopped working. I was also pretty grossed out by using them and if you have ever used one I'm sure that you can understand why. Eventually an oral option was available over the counter. Unfortunately, it interferes with a number of medications, including mine, and caused a really bad reaction. Around the time that I became so unimpressed with over the counter medical options, I also started doing research about my vagina and learned a few things. First of all, there are two different things that can go wrong with a vagina leading to a person thinking that they have a yi. It is possible that a person is suffering from bv and not a yi at all! Further, when someone treats a yi with an over the counter medication, it is possible that they will end up creating an environment where bv will thrive. Since bv is usually treated with antibiotics and antibiotics are a trigger for a yi, this then can create an ongoing battle between the two afflictions until it drives a person crazy.
My miracle cure to yi and bv is boric acid. Boric acid is very bad for you if taken orally. Very bad like it might kill you. However, when used in a vaginal suppository it is simply amazing and will restore the ph balance of a vagina, thereby clearing either, or both, of these problems up. If you are not sure which one you have, you can do this treatment and not have to go through a diagnostic process. This can also be used as a preventative measure if, like me, you will get a yi or bv from taking antibiotics or from having sex (with a new partner, using condoms that you aren't used to etc. etc.) Aside from being able to clear up both of these problems, the boric acid treatment is incredibly cheap. A container of boric acid is anywhere from 15-30$ and you can buy 100 gelcaps for less than 10$. A single container of boric acid has lasted me more than 20 treatments. I'm sure that it might have lasted longer but I decided to replace my boric acid to prevent contamination at that point.
The boric acid treatment is very simple. First, you must acquire your boric acid. I found mine on Amazon but you can find it at most health food stores. You will also need to get some gelatin capsules which you can also find at most health food stores. If I can't find the gelatin capsules or if I am out of them, I will simply open and empty a gel cap filled with vitamins, empty it out, blow into it to get all the vitamin powder out and then use those. Not ideal but will work in a pinch. Now you simply scoop the boric acid powder into the capsules. Fill two up and insert them into the vagina for 10-12 days depending on the severity of the yi / bv. Sometimes I do the treatment for less time, sometimes I do it for the whole time… it really depends on how your body responds to the treatment. I will also do this treatment when I take antibiotics except I only use one gelcap and only for the duration of the anti-biotic use.
There are some things that you should know about using boric acid. First of all, it gets messy. When the gel cap "melts" and the boric acid comes into contact with your vagina there will be a sudden outpour of liquid. This is not immediate, and depending on how active you are it could take a few hours. When using this method, it is essential that you either use a panty liner, a towel, or thick underwear. If you work during the day, I recommend doing this treatment mid afternoon. If you do the treatment at night, it will "activate" in the morning and while you are going about your day you will suddenly be surprised by the outpouring of liquid. As well, you can rinse your vagina out before you go about your business and no one will be any the wiser.
Unfortunately, this treatment will not sooth any external symptons of a yi or bv so if you are experiencing a lot of external discomfort I suggest either using the anti-fungal cream that comes along with a Monistat cream (this can be bought individually), or if you don't want to use any medicated product, natural, unflavored, cultured yogurt is good as well.
I would like to make it clear that traditional gelcaps are not vegan friendly. There are vegan options though that can be found online or at health food stores - just make sure that you are getting the right ones if this might be a problem for you.
REMEMBER THAT BORIC ACID IS TOXIC IF TAKEN ORALLY.
Good luck and have a happy vagina!
- SW 17
