While there are prescription and over-the-counter drugs for treating yeast infection, some women prefer to do it the natural approach. In fact, there are many all-natural remedies for yeast infection these days available, and probiotics is one of them.

Probiotics Background

Probiotics are live microorganisms that can bring about many benefits to the human body and health. There are food items which contain probiotics, as well as certain nutritional supplements. The thought of introducing live microorganisms into the body may at first sound alerting, thinking they could wreak more negative than positive results to your health. But the truth is probiotics are actually beneficial, the reason why they are also known as friendly bacteria.

Probiotics are especially helpful in the digestive system. You see, in order for the digestive tract to protect itself and fight harmful bacteria, the intestines must be rich with these friendly bacteria. However, there are certain medical procedures, activities and lifestyle factors that strip the intestines off these friendly bacteria, without which the proper functioning of the digestive tract may be diminished significantly. This probiotics imbalance may be caused by the following:

  • Oral antibiotic intake
  • Chemotherapy
  • Insufficient intake of dietary fiber
  • Radical detox procedure
  • Ingestion of toxins or harmful substances
  • Certain diseases

Probiotics vs. Candida Albicans

As mentioned earlier, probiotics fight harmful bacteria, or even friendly ones when they grow in numbers and become out of control. Candida albicans is a form of fungus that is normally found in the intestines, skin and in mucous membranes such as the mouth, rectum or vagina. However, certain changes in the body environment cause Candida albicans to grow uncontrollably, such as in the case of a yeast infection.

A particular type of probiotics is said to impede the growth of Candida albicans. It is called Lactobacillus, especially Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus rhamnosus GR-1, and Lactobacillus fermentum RC-14. These days, there are available oral supplements and vaginal suppositories with prebiotics, as an alternative course of treating yeast infection.

Some studies link the development of yeast infection to low levels of Lactobacilli in the vagina, hence the growth of Candida albicans to an infectious level has not been warded off. The probiotics in oral supplements and vaginal suppositories will help in eliminating the uncontrollable growth of Candida albicans, returning their numbers to what is considered normal in the human body.

Probiotics-Rich Foods

To utilize probiotics in dealing with yeast infection, one does not necessarily have to pop a pill or use vaginal suppositories containing such friendly bacteria. There are foods that are a great source of probiotics, and had been found out to significantly bring down the number of Candida albicans to a safe level.

Yogurt is a staple when it comes to listing down foods that are rich in probiotics, thus providing help in managing yeast infection. Some recommend it to be eaten to replenish the stripped off friendly bacteria along the digestive tract, while some suggest for it to be applied topically to supply probiotics directly onto an area. However, some commercial brands of yogurt these days are either not cultured long enough for the friendly bacteria to ferment all of their sugar contents, and some of them are so made that it’s difficult for them to be digested. Sugar, ironically, helps feed Candida albicans, contributing to further proliferation.

Fermented cabbage is a good source of probiotics – kimchi, sauerkraut or whatever it is called, depending on where on the planet it originates from. Cucumber pickles also replenish the number of friendly bacteria in the body. These days, too, there are so many food items you can found at the grocery store or health and nutrition shops with probiotics in them. There are chocolate bars, granola bars, non-dairy yogurt and cultured daily beverages that are said to be beneficial in managing yeast infection when consumed regularly.