How Can Vitamin Deficiency Impact Your Health
Vitamin deficiencies can lead to a variety of health problems. For example, vitamin A deficiency can cause night blindness, while vitamin C deficiency can lead to scurvy. Vitamin D deficiency can cause rickets.
A lack of vitamins can also impact your immune system, making you more susceptible to illness and infection. Also, without specific vitamins, your body would not properly heal itself.
Vitamin C is essential for boosting your immune system and helping your body fight off infection. It is also a powerful antioxidant that can help to protect your cells from damage. Vitamin C is found in citrus fruits, strawberries, kale, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts.
Vitamin E is another antioxidant that can help to protect your cells from damage. It is also essential for maintaining the health of your skin and mucous membranes. Vitamin E is found in vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, and leafy green vegetables.
These are just a few of the crucial examples of vaginal health. Eat a balanced diet that includes plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables to get all the vitamins you need. You may also consider taking a multivitamin supplement if you feel you are not getting enough vitamins from your diet.
Healthy Vaginal Ph Levels
Ideally, your pH levels should be between 3.8 and 4.5 to maintain optimal vaginal health.
Why so acidic? This acidic environment is hostile to many harmful bacteria. When your pH levels are higher, your vaginal microbiome is more conducive to bacterial imbalances.
Other helpful functions of Lactobacillus that benefit your vaginal microbiome include the bacterias ability to:
- Stick to the vaginal wall and compete with other not-so-beneficial bacteria and yeast
- Produce hydrogen peroxide and lactic acid which can be toxic to other bacteria
All in all, learning about bacteria such as Lactobacillus is an important part of immune health and immune function.
If youre not sure how to monitor your pH levels, then we suggest measuring them with at-home kits. You can usually purchase these from your local pharmacy or health store.
Best Vitamins For Vaginal Health
There are so many different types of vaginal odor, so finding the best vitamins for vaginal health can be a tricky but rewarding task. If you are experiencing a strange vaginal odor, or notice that your normal scent has turned fruity or fishy, it could be a sign that something is off with your reproductive health. Whats more is that there are some vitamins that can cause vaginas to have an odd smell. Because of this, its important to find the best vitamins for vaginal health and theres a surprising organic food with positive effects on vaginal health and also great for the gut overall.
Take charge of your vaginal health with these 5 vitamins.
Womens health is very important. Although some of us are more concerned about having the right shape and size, there are some ladies who are focused on reducing the risks of different diseases. There are two kinds of problems that can be caused by bad vaginal health: yeast infection and bacterial vaginosis. It is essential that you have some knowledge about treatments in order to avoid these problems. It is also necessary to know which vitamins can help you maintain your feminine health in a better way.
Vaginal health is something that is not talked about enough. Vaginal health is an important part of a womans overall health and quality of life, however it isnt something that most women like to talk about with friends or family over dinner.
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Side Effects Of Probiotics
While probiotics may cause gas, they have a strong track record of safetyhowever, the NCCIH notes that studies are limited on the frequency and severity of side effects. The organization does caution, however, that the risk of harmful effects from probiotics is greater for those with severe illness or compromised immune systems.
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Who Should Use Supplements For Vaginal Health And When
Traditional doctors typically prescribe antibiotics for bacterial vaginosis and other urogenitary infections. While this is necessary in severe cases, the overuse of antibiotics can increase your risk of resistance, creating a problem all on its own.
Over-reliance also introduces women to further complications such as vaginal dysbiosis and gastrointestinal imbalance that come with antibiotic or even antimycotic use.
You see, what is often overlooked in treating vaginal conditions are solutions that nourish, re-balance, and protect the health of the vulva-vaginal ecosystem such as supplements and moisturizers.
If you are always on the go or you dont have access to certain produce year-round, supplements offer natural relief and support for your health in a convenient way.
Vaginal health concerns that can benefit from the use of supplements include unusual odor, discharge, discomfort and itching well get into the details in a few.
Although the whole food variants of their supplement counterparts is ideal in most cases, it is not in other cases, such as Vitamin D. In order for your body to produce Vitamin D, you need sun exposure, which is not always safe or feasible.
If youre someone who gags at the texture of yogurt and wrinkles their nose at fermented dishes, that doesnt mean you have to miss out on probiotics either. With proper storage, research has shown that probiotic supplements are highly effective against BV.
Highly-sensitive down there?
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The Risks Of Probiotics
The FDA doesnât regulate probiotics that are sold as dietary supplements. That means their labels can make claims about what’s in them and how they work that may not be true. So itâs best to be cautious. We need more research on how safe probiotics are. But scientists say they may have some harmful effects, including:
- Unlisted ingredients that could pose health risks
- Unsafe substances made by probiotic microorganisms
Your risk of harmful side effects is higher if you have a serious illness or problems with your immune system.
Do Probiotic Supplements Benefit Vaginal Health
But what works in the laboratory doesnât always work the same way in the human body. It may not be as simple as introducing healthy bacteria in the form of a pill or suppository.
So far, there’s little evidence to suggest that these supplements improve vaginal health. This may change as scientists learn more. But for now, antibiotic and antifungal medications are the only treatments known to be effective for vaginal bacterial and yeast infections.
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Incorporate Vitamin E Into Your Diet
This is another vitamin that can help promote vaginal lubrication. A small 2016 study of 52 postmenopausal women showed vitamin E vaginal suppositories helped the majority of subjects with symptoms of vaginal atrophy, including dryness. Vitamin E can also be ingested from various foods, including plant-based oils, nuts, seeds, fruits, and vegetables.
“Foods like pumpkin and sunflower seeds are all good for dryness,” Sadaty says. When sourced naturally through food, vitamin E carries no risk. But in supplement form, high doses of vitamin E might increase the risk of bleeding by interfering with the blood’s ability to clot. This could potentially lead to a hemorrhagic stroke, or bleeding in the brain, though this is rare.
How To Take Probiotics
Its important to take probiotics carefully in order to get the best results. Start with a small dose and gradually increase it over time. Its also helpful to take them with food.Be sure you take them consistently for at least a few weeks to see results. Always follow the instructions on the bottle. Some require refrigeration to keep the bacteria alive while others only require you to keep them out of direct sunlight.Consider Probiotic-Rich FoodYou dont have to get your good bacteria from supplements like probiotics. While thats an easy way to consume the daily recommended value, you can also get them from probiotic-rich foods. Yogurt, kefir, kimchi, and sauerkraut are perhaps three of the most popular.The Verdict: Are pH Balance Supplements Effective?So, are pH balance supplements such as probiotics effective? Yes!However, are they necessary to maintain optimal vaginal health? While they can be incredibly helpful in promoting vaginal microbiome balance, they’re not required.Eating healthy, exercising, hydrating, and incorporating probiotic-rich foods into your diet can all help you naturally maintain a good pH balance as well.If youre interested in incorporating vitamins and supplements into your everyday health routine, however, its important to ensure youre using the right supplements. Take our quiz to find out how you can best support your body and its needs.
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Viva Naturals Probiotics For Women At A Glance
Strains:Lactobacillus paracasei, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus helveticus, Bifidobacterium bifidum, Bifidobacterium breve, Bifidobacterium lactis, Bifidobacterium animalis lactis, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus brevis, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus helveticus, Lactobacillus paracasei, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactococcus lactis, Lactococcus lactis, Lactobacillus reuteri
CFU count: 50 billion
- Type: vegetarian caplets
This supplement features eight strains that may benefit womens health, including Lactobacillus reuteri, which limited research suggests may help reduce bone loss in older women .
NatureWise Womens Care Probiotics is a natural, non-GMO supplement thats also vegetarian and free of gluten and artificial additives, fillers, or binders.
The caplets ensure that live, active cultures are safely delivered to the intestinal tract for vaginal, urinary, digestive, and immune health.
According to NatureWise, all products are tested by an independent lab and manufactured in certified facilities that adhere to the CGMPs established by the FDA.
Other Natural Remedies For Female Lubrication
Want other ways to keep things au naturel in the name of lubrication? These natural remedies may help your vag go from the Sahara Desert to the Pacific Ocean:
- Avoid *certain* products. Soaps and feminine hygiene products with fragrances and dyes can dry out your vag. Your hoo-ha is self-cleaning, and soaps can eff with all the good bacteria. Oh, and skip the too.
- Dont skimp on foreplay. Taking the time to get the blood flowing and boost arousal can help with moisture production.
- Stay hydrated.Alcohol can cause dehydration, which means less fluid for lubrication. If you regularly hit happy hour, make sure to also drink plenty of H2O.
- Nosh on phytoestrogens. These estrogen-like compounds found in plant foods like soy, tofu, nuts, and yams *might* help get your levels back on track to get things flowing.
- Check your birth control. If youre on hormonal BC like the pill, it may be the reason for your dry downstairs. Check with your doctor to see if switching to a nonhormonal option might help.
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Eat More Sweet Potatoes For Bv
These potatoes have some sweet benefits, even for your vaginal health. Rich in beta carotene and vitamin A, sweet potatoes help keep your mucous membranes healthy. This means they can help prevent bacterial vaginosis , a common vaginal infection. Vitamin A deficiency, along with deficiencies in vitamins C, D, E, calcium, folate, and beta-carotene, is linked to an increased risk of BV. So, eat up!
Sweet potatoes are also high in fiber, which may help in those with polycystic ovary syndrome . Insulin resistance is common with PCOS so by regulating blood sugar over the course of several months, the fiber in sweet potatoes may promote fertility and help to reduce symptoms.
Best Ph Balance Pills For Pregnancy: Flora Bloom Probiotics For Women
Price: Around $24.99
Count: 60 capsules
Flora Bloom Probiotics for Women is a vegetarian product containing four different species of lactobacillus. The product claims to:
- support a healthy vaginal pH, reducing vaginal irritation, discharge, and odor
- promote the health of the urinary tract
- promote digestion
The product contains D-mannose and cranberry extract, which reportedly helps support urinary health. It is also free from artificial colors, lactose, gluten, flavors, and preservatives.
The company recommends taking two capsules per day.
Pros and cons
The Flora Boom capsules are safe to use during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Some customers noticed that the product has a laxative effect, meaning it may benefit those with constipation.
However, one customer wrote that they experienced an allergic reaction after using the Flora Boom product. They developed facial swelling that worsened the following day.
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What Causes Vaginal Dryness
People of all age groups can experience vaginal dryness, but it is more common in those who are menopausal. Other causes of vaginal dryness include:
- Hormone fluctuations due to menstrual cycles, childbirth, and breast-feeding
- Certain autoimmune disorders like Sjogren’s Syndrome
- Dietary imbalances
If you are experiencing vaginal dryness, it should be dealt with as soon as possible, Sadaty says. Seek out medical support if dryness is persistent or painful.
“If you allow dryness and vaginal thinning to go on long enough, sometimes it’s harder to fix it,” Sadaty says. “At some point, it’s difficult to restore the anatomy.”
Here are some natural ways to combat vaginal dryness and increase lubrication:
Promoting Better Gut Health
Maintaining a healthy gut is about more than just a healthy diet and ensuring you eat your five a day. Studies show that probiotics can help with maintaining a healthy gastrointestinal tract. This can contribute to keeping common GI illnesses at bay. If you suffer with bloating, constipation or diarrhoea, finding the right probiotic could help you get things under control.8
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What Are Ph Balance Pills
pH balance pills can help balance vaginal pH levels. When your vaginal pH level is off, you may notice an unusual odor, itchiness, and general discomfort, along with yeast or bacterial vaginosis infections. Taking pH balance pills can help maintain good levels of healthy and unhealthy bacteria.
pH balance pills typically contain probiotics. These are living microorganisms that, when ingested, can provide certain health benefits. Probiotics have been found to help with:
- gut and digestive health
Different probiotics affect different parts of the body. Specifically, Lactobacillus acidophilus has been found to help prevent and treat vaginal imbalance issues.
However, more research is needed to conclude how effective probiotics are in changing vaginal pH balance.
The Three Main Groups Of Probiotics
Most probiotics come from one of these three groups13:
- Bifidobacterium
- Saccharomyces boulardii
For a healthy vagina: Look out for lactobacillus rhamnosus and lactobacillus fermentum strains. They help to keep vaginal microbes in balance.
To help with fertility: Add supplements and foods containing lactobacillus species to your shopping list. This strain protects the vaginal microbiome against pathogenic infections associated with infertility, pre-term labour and pregnancy risk factors.14
For gut health: For bloating and constipation, lactobacillus acidophilus or lactobacillus casei can help restore gut flora. For diarrhoea from gastroenteritis and food poisoning, lactobacillus strains may be more effective. However, if IBS is the cause of your upset tummy, try probiotics from saccharomyces boulardii and a combination of the lactobacillus and bifidobacterium strains.15
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Vitamin D: The Sunshine Vitamin
This helps to regulate the menstrual cycle and maintains the vaginal wall. Vitamin D may help to reduce the risk of certain types of cancer, including ovarian cancer.
The best way to get enough of these vitamins is to spend time in the sun. Just be sure to use sunscreen to protect your skin from the harmful effects of UV rays.
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Potential Biases In The Review Process
We believe that selection bias is very low in this review. We have searched a wide range of databases for relevant journals. One report of studies that was published at a different time but using the same method and result was excluded . We only included RCTs and the other low quality evidences such as observational or case-control were excluded.
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Cranberry Juice Helps Tackle Utis
Weve all heard or heeded the popular advice: Drink cranberry juice to treat UTIs. But is there any evidence of that?
Cranberry juice or concentrated cranberry extract capsules are full of antioxidants and acidic compounds, which are powerful infection fighters that can help bacteria from adhering to the bladder wall.
that 100 percent cranberry products can be especially beneficial in preventing UTIs in women with recurrent or recent UTI issues. Just make sure you stay away from the sugar-loaded cranberry juice varieties, which can actually make things worse down there.
Vaginal Dryness And Vaginal Ph: Whats The Connection
Anything that throws vaginal pH off balance can lead to symptoms such as burning, itching and dryness. Since vaginal dryness can already occur before, during and after menopause simply because of decreased estrogen levels, a disruption in vaginal pH may make dryness, and its associated symptoms, even more problematic.3
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Powerful Herbs For Vaginal Health
The good physician is a diagnostician, experienced a knower of herbs, of stones, of trees, and of roots. The Physician, Aztec Florentine Codex, Book 10: The People
Whether you are experiencing female reproductive issues, vaginal infections, or are simply looking to nourish your sacred femininity, I truly hope this information can help teach you all you need to know about incorporating the most potent herbs for vaginal health into your daily health regimen!
Healing with herbs is a natural medical art that was used by all ancient societies to heal illness and bring back the bodys state to homeostasis or wellness. Herbal medicine was humankinds primary means of healing illness.
Over time, by studying sick animals that grazed on fields on specific herbs and how certain herbs interacted with the body, the village healers gathered their knowledge through observation and experimentation.
In all parts of the world, herbs grow wild and according to the conditions of their environment, which also dictate the types of ailments that are the most common within those natural conditions. Most herbs either grow as common weeds or proliferate wildly on mountain prairies.
Indeed, similarly to the types of native fruits that grow in a geographical region which changes according to the seasons, the nutritional and healing elements of herbs align with the bodily needs of the population that inhabits that specific environment.
