Vaginitis

Vaginitis is inflammation of the vaginal tissue.  There are three main categories of vaginitis:

• hormonal
• irritant
• infectious

Hormonal vaginitis most often occurs in postmenopausal or postpartum women and is caused by a change in hormones affecting the vaginal tissue.  Irritant vaginitis occurs as a result of exposure of the vaginal tissue to an irritant that may result in an allergic reaction.  Common irritants include: deodorants, soaps, perfumes, latex condoms and spermicides.  Most vaginitis is caused by infection and the majority of infectious vaginitis is due to a bacterial infection.  Symptoms of vaginitis include vaginal discharge that is a different color and quantity than the woman’s normal discharge, vaginal itching and odor.  If untreated, the risk of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) or chronic pelvic pain increases.

Naturopathic medicine addresses vaginitis by balancing the flora and microbiome of the patient, identifying and removing irritants, and optimizing the health of the vaginal tissue, as well as working toward prevention against future vaginitis.  By focusing on the woman’s overall health, we are able to improve the health of the vagina.  The foundation for any vaginitis treatment plan is a nutrient-rich diet that is low in sugar and refined carbohydrates and specific treatments are recommended based on the type of vaginitis the patient is experiencing.  We use a combination of anti-microbial herbs and tissue nourishing nutrients for infectious vaginitis and optimize the pH of the vagina to improve treatment outcomes.  Hormonal vaginitis is addressed with treatments that improve the integrity and health of the vaginal tissue.  Irritant vaginitis is best treated by avoidance of the irritant as well as use of tissue healing herbs and nutrients.

Naturopathic medicine provides natural and holistic care solutions for most acute and chronic conditions. The goal of care is different from conventional medicine because the focus is addressing the underlying cause of illness not just the symptoms.

When you address the underlying dysfunction in the body and restore the biochemical balance to all organ systems, symptoms resolve on their own.

Source: Hudson, T. 2008. Women’s Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine. McGraw-Hill, New York.