Monthly Archives: February 2012

Cystitis and Psoriasis Treatments – Milk Thistle Complex With Boldo

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I’m a great fan of herbal and homeopathic remedies and have had much cause to be grateful to them over the years when the synthetic drugs prescribed by various doctors have proved to be of limited value. I started to be affected by cystitis on a regular basis in my early forties.

I became so miserable in my marriage that I took a lover. The downside of something that, otherwise, made me incredibly happy was that the malady often known as ‘Honeymoon Sickness’ came to haunt me with a vengeance. Repeated love-making several times a day over a period of a long weekend would irritate my bladder, leaving me sore and peeing blood.

I could drink gallons of cranberry juice, plus those special sachets that you get from the chemist, and it would only control it. Never actually cause it to be totally gone. Sometimes, I could feel the bacteria moving up into my kidneys and a course of antibiotics from the doctor would be the only solution to this infection. The side effect of repeated antibiotics is a nice dose of thrush and another trip to the chemist for a pessary of ‘that special cream’.

This in turn meant that the balance of the candida bacteria in my vagina was affected and I began to suffer regular break-outs as the sexual activity meant that these bacteria were transferred from my vagina to my urethra, setting up yet another urinary tract infection. It was a vicious circle. Researching on the internet, I found a natural remedy in the form of a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda mixed with water and drank several pints of the stuff during and after my weekends with my lover.

I started to recognise the symptoms that were the forerunners of a problem. With a hot water bottle on my belly, a couple of paracetamol for the pain and my glass of ‘soda’, I would recuperate on the couch for a few hours until the discomfort had passed and I was ready to participate once more. I knew that I was going to pay big time for the following week when I went home, but I didn’t care. So long as I could enjoy my weekend, I was prepared to put up with it. Because, again, this ‘cure’ only controlled things and the next urinary tract infection was always lurking in the wings. This was never more evident than if I drank too much alcohol (especially champagne) as I would suffer the consequences from this irritant too.

I put up with this state of affairs for a couple of years and then, quite by chance, I discovered Milk Thistle Complex with Boldo. The vicissitudes of my family life had caused me to reach such a stressful mental state that my skin began to erupt in the lesions of psoriasis on my arms, legs and body. I was devastated. The doctor could only prescribe steroid creams, which soothed the current outbreak but didn’t stop any new patches from breaking through. They were like overgrowths of my skin cells, circular, dry and flaky. I had to find something that would pre-empt those eruptions.

The trusty internet was, once more, my friend and I found Milk Thistle. It is a member of the sunflower family and the active ingredient in its seeds is silymarin, which is an antioxidant. This means that it is able to remove toxic chemicals known as free radicals from the body. Free radicals cause cell damage which is the main cause of disease and premature aging.

But, more important than this, milk thistle detoxifies the liver, promoting the regeneration and repair of cells and protecting it from the damaging effects of alcohol and other toxins. In addition, it has been shown to reduce inflammation and decrease excessive skin growth. Whilst it has been reported that it can cause an upset stomach, there are very few known side effects, but you should consult a qualified medical professional before taking any milk thistle supplements.

Purely by chance, the first jar that I found at my local health shop was a ‘complex’. This means that, in addition to milk thistle, it contained tinctures of fresh artichoke leaves, dandelion herb and root, peppermint and another ingredient that I had never come across before – Peumus boldo dried leaf.

Boldo is a South American herb, the dried leaves of which are used to treat urinary tract infections. (Never take the essential oil internally as it is highly toxic!) Within a fortnight of beginning to take a couple of these pills each day, my existing psoriasis had begun to clear up and no new patches had appeared.

Even better, I visited my lover and, despite being given a severe test over several days, my bladder seemed not to be affected in the same way.

Reassessing my life and removing all the areas of stress meant that the psoriasis seems to have disappeared as suddenly as it arrived and taking my Milk Thistle Complex on a regular basis has sorted out my cystitis. If I do feel the symptoms coming on over a weekend with my lover, I take an extra dose and it all returns to normal. Again, you should consult with a qualified medical professional before using any homeopathic supplements.

Thrush In Women

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So, ladies, let’s get it out in the open!

You’ve just returned from a long weekend with your husband/lover. For two nights and two days, you’ve made love, you’ve slept, you’ve made love, you’ve eaten and then you’ve repeated the cycle, over and over again.

The following morning, or maybe the day after that, you start to become aware that all is not well ‘down there’. It just doesn’t feel right.

At first, it’s just a vague sense of unease, which slowly becomes an irritation which then begins to itch. Until, before you know it, you don’t care where you are, you just want to rub or scratch at it. The only thing that brings any relief is when you point the high pressure shower head in that general direction.

If you don’t do anything about it then, before long you will notice an unpleasant smelling yellowish-white discharge in your pants.

You have developed a yeast infection, and this is the reason why:

The vagina is a very delicate eco-system and it doesn’t take much to upset it. One of the organisms that lives there naturally is candida albicans, a type of yeast which is kept in check by the presence of a strong contingent of good bacteria. Although this area is generally too acidic for the yeast to grow out of control, the vagina is sensitive to small changes and can easily become an ideal environment for yeast to flourish.

Over that small, but delightful, 48 hour window, your vagina was subjected to additional lubrication, excess friction and repeated invasion by a foreign body. Add into the equation that you will probably have been drinking a lot more than usual and eating lots of processed, sugary snacks. It’s not surprising that your nether regions are throwing a bit of a hissy fit.

Thrush, candida and yeast infections are usually considered as minor problems that are exclusive to women. But this is just not true, as men can also suffer with it. Maybe he’s experienced the white coating on his cheeks and tongue of oral thrush, a sweat rash in a fold of skin, or, more likely, a slight soreness around the tip of his penis which he’s ignored.

This last form of yeast infection can end up being passed back and forth between you and your partner. For, however many times you treat your more obvious symptoms, if he doesn’t treat his problem too, then he will just give it back to you.

Recurrent infestations of this irritating, frothy, white discharge can also be caused by repeated doses of antibiotics, but a diet that consists mainly of yeast, fungus, sugar and refined, processed produce is often also a contributory factor. Add in a stressful lifestyle and you have all the elements which can lead to a proliferation of candida.

More than anything right at this moment, you need to find something that will stop the symptoms of thrush that are now troubling you as a result of your weekend of excess. The solution needs to be something that is not one of the creams or pessaries from the pharmacist as, whilst these can be successful short-term, the composition of these has been shown to aggravate the problem in repeat users.

The most well-known natural method to help relieve the itching and irritation of thrush is ‘live’ yoghurt containing bifidus cultures. Filling a plastic tampon applicator and using this to pushing the yoghurt high into the vagina overnight can be extremely helpful… although it can be a little messy so you should protect your bedlinen accordingly.