Yeasts, Honeys, and Yoghurts...

[Technodivinitas]

(Damn- I can't resist throwing in my two cents worth on this when I spotted it on the "Figging" thread. As IF I don't have anything else I NEED to be doing, but hey, that's me. I love you guys too much I guess. )

Honey is wonderful, and fabulously compatable with female fluids- Had a lover once who used to use just a drop for anal lube, because it caused the natural fluids to triple, and made them just a bit more viscous, so they didn't dry up quickly. (Made ass to mouth a whole lot nicer, too, but that's beside the point. *lol*) As a brewer of meads, I can tell you that honey is ONLY a good food for yeasts if the yeasts are already present where the honey is introduced. Because of the density of honey, NOTHING can actually live in it. (Thus, tales of infants/children becoming ill from bacterias honey are pure fiction.) Unfortunately, it is true that we womens' natural flora almost always contain some small yeast population- but healthy diet and a rigorous but sensible hygiene routine will keep that in check, even if you offer the little buggers honey to snack on.

And since it came up, vinager douching can cut down on yeasts, but use it sparingly, as it can also make the general atmosphere down there too acidic, which will give one the same symptoms that a yeast infection does!

Better by far is yoghurt. Both eaten, and washed/douched with. Yoghurt's Ph is already quite similar to a healthy woman's vaginal Ph levels, plus, yoghurt cultures eat yeasts as hapily as yeast eats sugar and/or honey.

Also- I too once feared the yeasts, until I started brewing. Then I discovered a marvelous thing called "Campden Tablets". They are the stuff whichputs "sulphites" into wine. They exist to kill yeast. They cost a dollar or two for a bottle, and can be aquired via any brewing supply store, or online brewing supply. You don't swalow them, rather, you crush one to a fine powder, add it to a gallon of warm water, and use it as a douche until the problem goes away, which should be almost immediately. (Then you eat/wash with a lot of yoghurt, to restore your Ph balance...) I've been using this treatment for decades whenever I had a flora outburst, and have never had any ill effects as a result. (Warning: Sulphides are sulpherous, and smell kinda yucky.)

Hope this is useful to some of you. No badmouthing honey.

 

[Private_Label]

(Warning: Sulphides are sulpherous, and smell kinda yucky.)

Hope this is useful to some of you. No badmouthing honey.

No bad mouthing honey here. Honey gets used as an antimicrobial in some cultures.

As always this is YMMV- some people are sensitive to Sulfa containing compounds, or anything bee product related.

 

[Kierae]

Never give honey to infants younger than 1 year. Honey is a known source of bacterial spores that produce the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. This bacterium makes a toxin that can cause infant botulism. Unlike adults, infants haven't developed beneficial bacteria in their digestive tracts that can control botulism spores and prevent growth of the bacterium and production of its toxin.

Just thought that misconception should be cleared up. Otherwise honey is wonderful for many things.

 

[Technodivinitas]

Never give honey to infants younger than 1 year. Honey is a known source of bacterial spores that produce the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. This bacterium makes a toxin that can cause infant botulism. Unlike adults, infants haven't developed beneficial bacteria in their digestive tracts that can control botulism spores and prevent growth of the bacterium and production of its toxin.

Just thought that misconception should be cleared up. Otherwise honey is wonderful for many things.

My faith in this as scientific fact is less than solid, however- I could see how spores might lie in honey in a dormant state, later released and exposed to oxygen, thus bringing them into an active state. Then again, botulism is an anaerobic microbe, which lie dormant in an oxygenated state. This confuses me a bit, and bears more study. I'll hold back on calling it an outright myth. Thank you, Kierae, for shining a candle on my far too self-certain declaration. I'll be more careful about that in the future.

 

[graceanne]

I have to agree with kierae. I heard once that honey would help my daughters colic. Luckily I ran it by my mother in law before I did it, who thought their might be some reason that babies can't have honey, so I called my pediatrician who nearly had a heart attack on me.

What she told me is that honey SOMETIMES can cause bachilus (sp?) in children under one cause they haven't built up an immunity to it yet. It doesn't always happen, but their's no way to know if it will till the child is already dead.

I called my mother (who's the one who told me to use honey) and she was all 'their were angels watching you and your sister, cause i used to give you two honey all the time'.

 

[tealsphynx]

Ok, I feel stupid, but I've seen it twice now and have no clue what YMMV means....

On topic, I'm not too into douching, but my flora doesn't seem to get too upset unless I'm pregnant, and I'm not currently so I'm feeling ok. I do try to stay away from lubes with glycerin in them (or was it glucose..?) like KY Jellie, they seem to make it worse (every time I had yeast when I was pregnant we had used this kind of lube, so I'm staying away from it). I've never thought to use honey as a personal lube...might be interesting, sweet in the end...hmm creampie with honey topping, have to see if DH would like this I've never liked the idea of douching, but if I experience a super recurrent flora problem I might try it. I've heard garlic inserts can help with yeast too, but again I havent tried it.

 

[Miss Melody]

Ok, I feel stupid, but I've seen it twice now and have no clue what YMMV means....

Your Mileage May Vary

 

[D's mariposa]

I do try to stay away from lubes with glycerin in them (or was it glucose..?) like KY Jellie, they seem to make it worse (every time I had yeast when I was pregnant we had used this kind of lube, so I'm staying away from it).

I'm guessing it's glucose that you're thinking of, but I'm willing to be wrong. I can't use flavored lubes or glucose containing lubes for the same reason. I've actually found that a tad of mineral oil does the trick for me, without feeling all ooky afterward, too. If I remember correctly, you can't use mineral oil with latex condoms because that will also break down the latex. D and I are fluid bonded, (more by accident than any plan) as well as std free, so we don't worry about rubbers too much.

 

[Lilith]

I have to agree with kierae. I heard once that honey would help my daughters colic.

Here in the south they tell us to use dark Karo syrup but black strap molasses is used too.

 

[tealsphynx]

I'm guessing it's glucose that you're thinking of, but I'm willing to be wrong. I can't use flavored lubes or glucose containing lubes for the same reason. I've actually found that a tad of mineral oil does the trick for me, without feeling all ooky afterward, too. If I remember correctly, you can't use mineral oil with latex condoms because that will also break down the latex. D and I are fluid bonded, (more by accident than any plan) as well as std free, so we don't worry about rubbers too much.

Yeah, ay oil is bad with condoms. We stopped using them quite a while ago, we're both clean. though mineral oil might not be bad, we havent tried oil based lube (nursing makes me dry as a desert!

 

[tealsphynx]

Your Mileage May Vary

Thankyou Miss Melody

 

[chris9]

>snip<And since it came up, vinager douching can cut down on yeasts, but use it sparingly, as it can also make the general atmosphere down there too acidic, which will give one the same symptoms that a yeast infection does!
>snip<Also- I too once feared the yeasts, until I started brewing. Then I discovered a marvelous thing called "Campden Tablets". They are the stuff whichputs "sulphites" into wine. They exist to kill yeast. They cost a dollar or two for a bottle, and can be aquired via any brewing supply store, or online brewing supply. You don't swalow them, rather, you crush one to a fine powder, add it to a gallon of warm water, and use it as a douche until the problem goes away, which should be almost immediately. (Then you eat/wash with a lot of yoghurt, to restore your Ph balance...) I've been using this treatment for decades whenever I had a flora outburst, and have never had any ill effects as a result. (Warning: Sulphides are sulpherous, and smell kinda yucky.)

Hope this is useful to some of you. No badmouthing honey.

Ok, it was me who wrote about the vinegar. I just wanted to make it clear that I didn't mean douching with vinegar, but using it, mixed with water (so to make it less acid) as a soap only on the outside. I don't remember what I wrote in particular, so I might have been unclear. And I haven't tried it, just heard/read about it.
Thank you for the info on those tablets. I will note the name and try it should I have bad infections again. Hopefully never

 

[chris9]

Yeah, ay oil is bad with condoms. We stopped using them quite a while ago, we're both clean. though mineral oil might not be bad, we havent tried oil based lube (nursing makes me dry as a desert!

I'm a bit confused about the oil thing down there. I read that the oil can destroy the flora thus making all kinds of infections more probable. On the other hand my gynecologist advised me to apply a thick layer of vaseline before going swimming. So on that account I really don't know what's true. Can only imagine that both depending on your body and how often you use it. If you know anything about it, please post

 

[tealsphynx]

I'm a bit confused about the oil thing down there. I read that the oil can destroy the flora thus making all kinds of infections more probable. On the other hand my gynecologist advised me to apply a thick layer of vaseline before going swimming. So on that account I really don't know what's true. Can only imagine that both depending on your body and how often you use it. If you know anything about it, please post

I'm not sure about the oil thing, I just know oil is bad for condoms.

 

[ZenDragoness]

edited

 

[Kajira Callista]

Better by far is yoghurt. Both eaten, and washed/douched with. Yoghurt's Ph is already quite similar to a healthy woman's vaginal Ph levels, plus, yoghurt cultures eat yeasts as hapily as yeast eats sugar and/or honey.
End Quote

What she said. One thing i would like to add. Since around 25 years whenever i had a problem i treated it this way: Eating yoghurt (mind you, only the sugarfree, plain, white variety) and take a tampon, soak it in yoghurt and then put it in the vagina, there let it be (hum) for half an hour. I usually do this for 4-6 days, depending on the way my body feels. This always did the trick for me.


ZenDragoness

clove of garlic tablespoon of plain yogurt wrapped in gauze to cure a yeast infection...
and acidophilus is what kills yeast, it is found in any flavor yogurt that has active cultures and you can also buy it in pill form in the health food store. it is something that is also good while using antibiotics when you are sick. puts all the good bacteria back in your intestine and prevents yeast infection from happening in the first place.
and yes...honey can kill babies, do not use it unless your pediatrician says the child is old enough.
before using any holistic remedies i would suggest researching what you are going to use online first. there are tons of site devoted to the homeopathic approach to things and will tell you all the pros and cons.

 

[Kajira Callista]

Never give honey to infants younger than 1 year. Honey is a known source of bacterial spores that produce the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. This bacterium makes a toxin that can cause infant botulism. Unlike adults, infants haven't developed beneficial bacteria in their digestive tracts that can control botulism spores and prevent growth of the bacterium and production of its toxin.

Just thought that misconception should be cleared up. Otherwise honey is wonderful for many things.

its not only botulism, the child can have a severe allergic reaction from it and stop breathing, which to me... would be a bad thing.