Yeast overgrowth is absolutely no fun.
And it can really get worse in the warmer months as yeast love nothing more then moist, hot, sticky skin/mucosa to flourish on.
I remember working with a sweet older female patient that was absolutely miserable with Candida growth all over her skin… and it was particularly bad underneath her breasts where they touched her upper abdomen.
Being that it was a particularly hot summer, she was hot and itchy and in her own personal hell!
I was a bit more conventional back then, so I’m especially thinking of her as I type up this list, wishing I had known to advise her of some of these natural solutions.
But I do remember the one thing I said: “Girl, you need to get completely nekked and stay completely nekked and lay out with your boobs up and airing out as much as you can!“
Oh my goodness she loved that so much we were laughing really hard and she promised to ditch the bra and spend most of her day naked.
We figured out that she had a big fan above her bed and had a plan to have her sprawl out and take a nap or read a book with that fan going on high, drying out those pesky areas where the skin naturally folds!!!!
When I saw her back for follow-up she said laying out under that fan was the best feeling in the world, and we both laughed again!!!
As far as I know, she’s never stopped staying ahead of Candida by being sure to allow her skin to breathe… and you should do the same.
No tight sweaty bras or swimsuits around the clock.
You’ve got to love the skin you’re in and give it time to air out.
I remember when my kids were super little and I loved nothing more but for them just to run around naked all day long, no diaper in sight.
That is something you should consider if you are prone to yeasty beasties… no diaper (just kidding!!!! Lots of time with no undies though! Perhaps consider sleeping nude?)
Besides going nekked when you have the privacy and space to do so, here are other things you can do right this very minute to stack the odds against yeast overgrowth and rid yourself of Candida infections long term:
1. First I’ve gotta mention the energetic imbalance behind a yeast overgrowth… being too sweet!
Literally! Yeast tend to take advantage of hosts that are sending out the vibe that they will put up with stuff that they really don’t want.
- Are you grinning and bearing something that you’d secretly like to say a firm “no” to?
- Are you letting someone walk all over you? We know that yeast will take advantage of this and walk all over us if we let them.
- Just take a bit of time to double-check that we say no when we need to and we have clear boundaries that allow us to do what we truly want to do and enjoy that without guilt.
- If you are sucking it up and putting a smile on your face, your body feels this. Your skin is working over time to set a boundary that you are failing to make for yourself. There is no way your skin should be having to set boundaries that you aren’t being clear about. It just can’t keep up, and as a result, those yeasty beasties are having a field day.
Sometimes the area of yeast overgrowth can be a clue… and we women know this all too well.
If we are sacrificing too much in a relationship, we can get recurrent vaginal yeast infections.
There are many reasons for this, one example is when women say “yes’ to their partners physical request for intimacy when they really want to say “no.”
Vaginal yeast infections should always make you stop and just double-check the dynamics of your relationship.
Often the partner is being more distant or stand-offish when what we are really craving is a deeper connection, but we don’t know what to do so we put a happy face on and tolerate a disappointing relationship so as not to rock the boat.
But our body knows otherwise.
Think about it from all angles and see if there is some way you are not being true to your own needs and you body is relaying this for you.
If you need more help figuring out what your body is saying to you through its symptoms… that’s what I’m here for. I love working with my peeps to say directly to them what their body is struggling to reveal.
Check out my private consultations here.
2. Probiotics…
… and more probiotics. I talk about all my favs in this blog post!
3. Colloidal Silver
There are different forms… spray… liquid… but it works because of its antimicrobial properties.
It kills yeast as well as lots of other pathogens, so it’s a great supplement to have around.
We spray colloidal silver in our mouths at the first sign of a cold and it almost always goes away.
We spray it directly on skin infections like when my kids have an infected bug bite.
You can spray it directly on areas of yeast overgrowth AND take it internally to get the upper hand on those buggers!
4. Proteolytic Enzymes
Proteolytic Enzymes (such as Nattokinase) break up the biofilm on pathogens and weakens them… allowing our bodies to effectively clear them out for good.
The biofilm is exactly what it sounds like, a film over the surface of a foreign pathogen like yeast, and it’s purpose is to protect the pathogen from being defeated.
When you break up this biofilm by taking proteolytic enzymes, often this one supplement is enough to rid you of yeast for good!
5. Decrease consumption of sugar and simple carbs
I’m sure you’ve heard of this one before… and it’s true, even though I hate to admit it. I have a serious sweet tooth and it is nothing to be trifled with!
But yeast love to thrive on sugars and simple carbs like white flour.
If you can reduce your consumption of these foods (and pay particular attention to it if you have an active yeast infection!) and you’ll give the buggers less to feed on and a decreased rate of growth.
6. Sulfur rich foods
Sulfur rich foods like many spices, garlic and onion, help naturally defeat the yeast overgrowth.
Make them a part of your summertime diet on a routine basis! And the good news is, if you load up on the garlic, you are going to naturally repel mosquitos and other biting insects as well!
So load cloves of garlic into spaghetti and pizza sauces, on garlic bread, raw in salads… you name it!
Enjoy a yeast free summer, my friends!
xoxox, Laura