Herbal Treatment for Bacterial Vaginosis

There are very good reasons why natural treatments for bacterial vaginosis are a very good option. Bacterial Vaginosis is an inflammation of the vaginal tissues which causes unpleasant symptoms. In itself though, it is not an "infection" as such, although that is how many people refer to it.

If you visit the doctor for treatment for bacterial vaginosis, you are very likely to be prescribed antibiotics. It is vital that you understand that this will only treat the symptoms of bacterial vaginosis and not the cause.

Bacterial vaginosis is caused by an overgrowth of naturally occurring bacteria within the vagina. There are two types of bacterial vaginosis present in the vagina. One type is beneficial to overall vaginal health and is called Lactobacillus. The other, Gardnerella, is harmful if allowed to overgrow. Under normal circumstances, the bacteria live in harmony, with the beneficial bacteria naturally controlling levels of the harmful bacteria. When something happens to cause an imbalance in the vagina which is so significant that it cannot be controlled, the unpleasant symptoms of bacterial vaginosis will occur. The symptoms will include itching, burning and a bad smelling fishy vaginal discharge which will be gray or white in color and fairly thin in consistency. In addition, some women also experience symptoms similar to those of a urinary infection.

There can be various causes of the imbalance, and to prevent outbreaks of bacterial vaginosis, it is vital to treat the causes as treating the symptoms only can result in bacterial vaginosis never really going away, with women suffering from repeated outbreaks.

Antibiotics work by killing off all bacteria within the vagina, both good and bad. So although the symptoms will normally subside within a few days, as soon as bacteria is naturally replenished, the symptoms will begin all over again. This is because the good bacteria will not have built themselves up to a sufficient level to keep control.

Did you realize that over 70% of women who take antibiotics for bacterial vaginosis will have a repeat attack within a few weeks?

Natural treatments for bacterial vaginosis work in a completely different, but nonetheless more effective way. Rather than just treating the unpleasant symptoms of bacterial vaginosis, they treat the root causes, thus ensuring that there is far less likelihood of it returning at all. Indeed, many natural treatment strategies go even further than this and provide robust, comprehensive techniques which are guaranteed to prevent future outbreaks.

What you must bear in mind is that there are many self help tips which will give you natural treatments for bacterial vaginosis and there is no doubt that some of these can help to bring some relief. However, it is important to understand that because the causes of bacterial vaginosis are often subtle and multi-faceted, the correct treatment also needs to be, meaning that if a treatment is to be successful it will need to use strategies tailored to your individual needs.

Natural Treatments For Fast Relief

The following will help give some immediate relief from the symptoms:

* Take a bath into which you have added a couple of cups of cider vinegar-this can help temporarily neuralize the conditions in the vaginal, thus stopping the burning
* Soak a tampon in natural live yogurt. As this is rich in Lactobacillus it will help replenish the beneficial bacteria
* Some women find that an ice pack (wrapped in a towel) and applied directly to the area can help to calm the area down