How to Treat Bacterial Vaginosis

Vitamin C is pitted head-to-head towards antibiotics for bacterial vaginal infections.

A examine printed in 1999 raised the thrilling risk that “low-cost, easy, innocuous and ubiquitous vitamin C” dietary supplements might forestall a situation often known as preeclampsia, however after a decade of analysis, we realized that was merely a false hope and that vitamin C dietary supplements seem to play little position in ladies’s well being. However this was in regard to oral vitamin C, not vaginal vitamin C, which has been discovered to be an efficient remedy for bacterial vaginosis, an all too widespread gynecological dysfunction characterised by a foul-smelling, watery, grey discharge, which I focus on in my video Treating Bacterial Vaginosis with Vaginal Vitamin C.

Bacterial vaginosis “can greatest be described as an ‘ecological catastrophe’ of the vaginal microflora.” The great, regular, lactobacillus-type micro organism get displaced by a military of dangerous micro organism. Probiotics might assist, repopulating the great micro organism, however the cause the dangerous micro organism took over within the first place was that the pH was off. I’ve talked earlier than in regards to the position weight loss program might play within the improvement of the situation. (See my video Bacterial Vaginosis and Weight loss plan for extra.) For instance, saturated fats consumption might improve vaginal pH, permitting for the expansion of undesirable micro organism, so why not attempt to re-acidify the vagina with ascorbic acid, in any other case often known as vitamin C? This isn’t simply plain vitamin C tablets however specifically formulated silicone-coated dietary supplements that launch vitamin C slowly, in order to not be irritating. How nicely do they work? 100 ladies affected by the situation have been break up into two teams, and the vaginal vitamin C beat out placebo. However how does vitamin C evaluate with typical remedy, an antibiotic gel?

This is a crucial query. “Though perceived as a light medical downside,” bacterial vaginosis might improve the chance of a number of gynecological issues, together with issues throughout being pregnant, whenever you wish to keep away from taking medication every time doable. The vitamin C appeared to work as successfully because the antibiotic. So, vitamin C can actually assist, particularly within the first trimester of being pregnant whenever you actually don’t wish to utilizing medication like topical antibiotics. And for girls with recurrent episodes, utilizing vitamin C for six days after every cycle seems to chop the chance of recurrence in half, as you’ll be able to see at 2:36 in my video.

One other method to get vitamin C into the physique is by dripping it straight into the vein. Does that truly do something? See:

For these of us preferring to get vitamin C the old school means, by way of the mouth and in meals somewhat than dietary supplements, the query turns into What Is the Optimum Vitamin C Consumption?

 In the event you’re contemplating taking oral vitamin C in dietary supplements as an alternative, make sure that to observe this video first: Do Vitamin C Dietary supplements Forestall Colds However Trigger Kidney Stones?.

In well being,

Michael Greger, M.D.

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