Tips On How To Treat Thrush
Learning how to treat thrush is for the most part quite straightforward, essentially being a battle against a yeast infection whose bark is somewhat worse than its bite. Thrush is an infection caused by a fungus called Candida, which thrives in dark, warm, and moist places. Thrush most often occurs in the mouth or in the vagina. Although it can on occasion occur in other places on the body it rarely does. Thrush, when present in the vagina is usually referred to as a vaginal yeast infection, while when occurring in the mouth is either called a Candida infection or simply thrush.
Thrush can affect anyone at any age, but new parents are particularly interested in knowing how to cure thrush as it is fairly common in young infants, especially newborn infants. An occurrence of thrush is usually evident with the appearance of a coating on the tongue or inside the mouth which resembles curds of cottage cheese. It can sometime be painful, and may cause lesions that can bleed. The most common answer as to how to treat thrush is usually to apply an anti fungal medication, though there are other approaches as well. One of the drawbacks of an anti fungal medication is that, as the yeast infection dies, it releases toxins which themselves may create discomfort. Severe outbreaks of thrush are sometimes treated medicinally in a step by step process, rather than attempting to kill off all the yeast at one time.
The presence of thrush in babies is usually such that the use of anti fungal medications is the preferred approach. Babies usually contract thrush when breast feeding and the mother is usually advised to put an anti-fungal medication such as nystatin on their breasts to prevent transferring the infection to the infant. Mothers can become infected with thrush if their immune system has been weakened by steroids or any other means, or by taking any medication which may tend to upset the body's natural balance.
How To Treat Thrush Without Medications - Sometimes the answer to how to treat thrush in babies is no more complicated that feeding then unsweetened yogurt which contains acidophilus, "good" bacteria that will fight off and overcome the Candida bacteria. If the baby is too small to know what to do with yogurt that's been placed in its mouth, the yogurt can simply be moved around inside the mouth with a massaging motion. Mothers can also apply tree tea oil on their breasts to help prevent the spread of the infection to the baby. A rosemary and sage tea mouthwash is also said to be effective.
Apple cider vinegar is also effective against thrush although a baby may not much appreciate having any put in its mouth, so the treatment is usually reserved for adults. The usual recipe is one part of apple cider vinegar to one part of water, which is used to rinse the mouth several times a day. You don't have to swallow it. Gentian violet is another natural treatment. Although quite effective, there have been concerns raised that Gentian violet contains carcinogens which could lead to mouth cancer. Whether there is any truth to this has yet to be proven.
How To Treat Thrush With Food - There are natural treatments and home remedies that are much more palatable than apple cider vinegar, including some food items that one can actually eat or drink. Adding a couple of cloves of garlic to a salad is considered effective in treating thrush, and most complex carbohydrates, found in whole wheat breads and brown rice, are also effective. If you don't like eating raw garlic, a garlic pill is an acceptable substitute. Acidophilus, found in yogurt but in other foods as well, can also be taken in pill form, though for the greatest effect where mouth thrush is the issue, acidophilus capsules opened and emptied into a glass of orange juice is helpful.