****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
A few years back I developed a yeast infection. My case is a bit unique because I'm a man, and the candida variety that infected me seems to be one of the 7-10% described as "resistant" to the usual "azole" medications (miconazole, clotrimazole, several prescription medications in the same family) that serve as the first line of defense against candida. Yes, men can and do get yeast infections -- search "phimosis" and get ready for some rather cringe-y pictures.My GP immediately gave me the usual treatments, but it soon became clear it was a resistant variety, so he sent me to a urologist. They gave me some stronger prescriptions meds: nystatin, diflucan, a few others I don't remember, and we finally did beat it back, but I wasn't at all confident we'd completely gotten rid of it. Sure enough, a few times since, it's flared back up, and I went through more or less the same routine in more or less the same order.When it flared up again a couple of months ago, I had a hard time getting an appt with my GP (with the lockdown and all), so I started using some of the OTC meds, but I decided to do my own research and see if I couldn't do better. Most of the websites just want to sell you their own homeopathic snake oil that promises to have you fresh as a daisy in mere days, but there are some reputable medical websites like WebMD, and even the Mayo Clinic has their own website. I think it was the Mayo Clinic that said something along the lines of "resistant varieties are generally treated with boric acid". I was flabbergasted to discover that not only is boric acid available OTC, it was cheaper than even just the co-pays I'd been paying for the prescriptions that worked poorly if at all. I was reluctant to apply an acid to...well, you know where...but it dawned on me that the women giving this product rave reviews were applying it INTERNALLY, and saying it not only worked, it felt great.It comes as a powder, so you need to mix it with something to make a cream or paste that will stick where you apply it. Someone mentioned coconut oil, which seemed like a pretty good idea since coconut oil has antifungal properties of its own, but I went with hydrocortisone cream instead. Even if the boric acid killed the bacteria, the skin would have to heal from the lesions, and helping things along with hydrocortisone seemed like a good idea.Today is the fourth day of my routine, and the results have been amazing. It's clear the infection is almost gone -- the discharge and odor are completely gone. There's still some pain and itching, but it's improving, for the first time in months. I'll continue with the boric acid for at least a couple more weeks (there doesn't seem to be a downside to its use), and maybe, just maybe, be rid of this thing for good!
