What is Vaginal Candidiasis (Thrush)?

Vaginal Candidiasis (Thrush) is one of the most common ailments that women will experience[1]. Although men can get thrush too, it is typically women who develop this infection and it can be passed to male sexual partners, and back again[2].

Candida albicans, a type of yeast fungus, is the usual suspect when it is comes to this infection. Candida can over-grow in certain environments and a few factors can lead to this; wearing tight clothing, non-cotton underwear, hormone changes (such as pregnancy or ovulation), stress, blood sugar dysregulation, historic use of antibiotics, and spermicides and lubricants which disrupt the vaginal microbiome. One factor which deserves a lot of attention with this is gut health. Probably the most leading factor for women to develop thrush is dysbiosis in their digestive microbiome. An example of this is women commonly experience thrush after a course of antibiotics, as they diminish not only the bad bacteria we have, but the good ones too. The vaginal microbiome needs to be balanced with commensal bacteria much in the way that our gut microbiome needs to be.

Many women will only experience thrush a few times in their life. For others it can be a reccurring issue, leading to over-use of anti-fungal creams which can lead to resistant strains, making it a difficult condition to treat.

Nutritional advice for thrush

Firstly, balancing blood sugar levels is very important as changes in blood sugar levels can cause candida albicans to grow and they feed off of sugar, so you would want to keep your sugar intake to a minimum[3]. To balance blood sugar levels, make sure to pair good sources of protein and healthy fats to carbohydrates.

Focus on sugar from fruit only, and eliminate any white, refined sugar from your diet.

Support your gut heath by eating probiotic foods such as kefir, sauerkraut, yogurt and kimchi.

Feed the good gut bacteria by eating plenty of fibre and prebiotic foods such as onion, garlic, leeks, Jerusalem artichoke and oats.

Eat natural anti-fungal foods such as coconut oil, ginger and garlic to kill off the candida strains.

Other steps to help prevent thrush

Follow a hormone balancing protocol

Manage stress by regularly participating in calming yoga, meditation and walks in nature.

Supplement recommendations for thrush

Probiotics: Viridian High Strength Synbiotic is packed with 20 billion colony forming bacteria which will help to populate your gut with beneficial bugs to improve your immune system and fight off candida[4]. Saccharomyces Boulardii is a yeast probiotic which has shown strong results in combating vaginal thrush.

Antifungal herbs: Caprylic acid, oregano oil, grapefruit seed extract, clove and garlic all have anti-fungal properties and can be supplemented to benefit an anti-candida protocol [6] [7] [8] [9]. Cytoplan Caprylic Acid Plus / Viridian Grapefruit Seed Extract / Clove and Oregano Complex

Enzymedica CandiGold Extra Strength - CandiGoldTM Extra Strength contains a scientifically- formulated blend of natural ingredients designed to support vaginal and intestinal health and help the body maintain healthy bowel flora. Maintaining a healthy balance of bowel flora, also known as gut microbiota, can contribute to overall health, including preventing thrush [5].

How can we help?

Our Nutritional Team provide one-to-one consultations to address underlying causes of Thrush - Nutritional Therapy at Therapy Organics.