How to clean a baby's tongue with baking soda for thrush

Thrush is an inflammatory disease of the genitourinary system of a fungal nature. It most often occurs in women in the form of vaginal candidiasis. It manifests itself as cheesy or creamy white discharge from the vagina, burning, itching and redness in the genital area, pain during intimacy and during urination. Treatment includes local and systemic use of drugs with antimycotic effects, as well as correction of immunity.

Urogenital candidiasis is a common infectious disease. Thrush occurs mainly in women of reproductive age. In men who are sexual partners of such patients, candidiasis balanoposthitis may occur. A child becomes infected with a fungal infection from a sick mother during childbirth.

Causes

The disease is caused by microorganisms of the genus Candida.
They are part of the opportunistic microflora that constantly lives on the skin and mucous membranes of humans. However, with decreased immunity or hormonal imbalance, fungi begin to actively multiply, suppressing the growth of beneficial bacteria and causing an inflammatory response. The following factors can cause thrush:

• diseases of the endocrine system (diabetes mellitus, thyroid dysfunction);
• excess weight;
• diseases of the female reproductive system;
• disturbances in the state of the microflora of the mucous membrane of the external genital organs;
• taking antibiotics, hormonal drugs, drugs with cytostatic effects, immunosuppressants;
• radiation and chemotherapy;
• use of tight clothing, underwear made of synthetic fabrics;
• rare change of sanitary pads;
• intrauterine contraception - vaginal diaphragms, douching, spermicides;
• use of intimate deodorants, scented pads and tampons.

An exacerbation of the disease often occurs on the eve of menstruation and after significant stress. Diet is also important - consuming large amounts of carbohydrates contributes to the development of fungal infections.

Caring for a newborn boy: bathing

Caring for a newborn up to six months of age involves daily bathing. In the future, you can bathe the baby every other day or even two. Bathing is intended, first of all, not to cleanse dirt (a baby who cannot walk or crawl does not get particularly dirty yet), but to wash away the waste products of the sebaceous and sweat glands from the skin and give it the opportunity to breathe fully.

At the beginning of life, a newborn has a neutral skin pH and is therefore very vulnerable to bacteria and external influences. Only by six months the environment becomes more acidic and a protective glycolipid mantle forms on the skin. It should be protected from excessive use of detergents and maintained by lubricating the skin with natural oils. Olive, almond and other natural oils have a composition similar to that of sebum, so they easily penetrate deep into the skin and saturate it with beneficial substances that increase its protection. After each bath, you can carefully lubricate all the folds of the newborn’s skin with a thin layer of sterile hygienic oil, baby cream or milk. Close attention should be paid to the area behind the ears, where the delicate skin often gets wet and crusts form. After six months, you can moisturize your baby’s skin as needed.

Herbal medicine - the use of herbal decoctions - is at your discretion, just do not forget the fact that recently more and more babies are born with a predisposition to allergies.

Classification

Vaginal candidiasis occurs in acute or chronic form.
In the latter case, the symptoms are less pronounced, but the disease has a long course and is more difficult to treat. Chronic thrush can be recurrent, with frequent exacerbations, and persistent, when episodes of deterioration are rare and associated solely with the provoking factor. The formulation of the diagnosis also specifies whether urogenital candidiasis is complicated or uncomplicated, depending on the number of exacerbations of the disease over 12 months and the severity of its manifestations. The congenital form of thrush is observed in children infected during childbirth from a sick mother. Candidiasis of newborns most often affects certain areas - eyes, mouth, respiratory tract, lungs, skin, but fungal sepsis cannot be excluded when a large amount of the pathogen enters the blood.

Soda rinses for older children

When the child is old enough to rinse his mouth on his own (this usually happens at the age of 1.5–3 years), he can use the soda solution himself to fight thrush.

1. Add 2 tsp to 1 glass of water at room temperature. soda and mix well.
2. Your fidget should thoroughly rinse the mouth with the resulting solution, spitting out the liquid each time. One rinse should last at least 30 seconds.
3. The procedure should be repeated 3-5 times a day.

Symptoms

The acute form of vaginal candidiasis has a clear clinical picture.
A woman is worried about intense itching, burning in the genital area and near the anus, pain when urinating, during intimacy, discharge from the genital tract of a white or yellowish color with a cheesy consistency and a sour odor. The latter can be abundant or adherent in moderate quantities on the mucous membrane of the vulva, in the posterior and lateral vaults of the vagina. Also in the affected area there is redness, swelling of the tissues, and possible cracks in the skin and mucous membranes. With persistent thrush, the symptoms are less pronounced. There may only be itching and discharge in small quantities, appearing, for example, only on the eve of menstruation. Recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis may be accompanied by striking manifestations during exacerbations. They leave dryness, atrophy, and lichenification on the skin and mucous membranes.

In newborns, thrush is often accompanied by damage to the oral cavity and tongue. A white coating appears on the mucous membrane; when you try to remove it, areas of redness and swelling are found underneath it. A child suffering from candidiasis from birth is capricious, and has sleep and appetite disturbances.

Thrush in men manifests itself in the form of candidal balanoposthitis and urethritis. The disease is accompanied by burning and itching, redness, and swelling in the area of ​​the head of the penis. It may cause rashes, often covered with a white coating, and cracks. Just like in women, sexual intercourse and the process of urination become painful.

Stages of development of oral candidiasis

Photo: Depositphotos.com. Author: Mukhina1.

If a child has been diagnosed with thrush, it is worth immediately determining its stage:

• Easy. Small red pimples appear in the mouth, and after a few days the entire tongue is covered with a curd coating. At this stage, the disease does not bring much discomfort to the baby, so it is very important to detect and treat the fungal disease in time.
• Average. Plaque fills the entire space of the mucous membrane, erosions appear that bleed when cleaning the oral cavity. Candidiasis becomes sensitive for infants. The baby begins to experience discomfort and a burning sensation in the mouth, which can cause breast refusal.
• Heavy. The plaque spreads to the throat and lips. The disease is accompanied by enlarged lymph nodes, gastrointestinal dysbiosis, and elevated temperature. The child becomes capricious and lethargic. This is the most difficult and painful stage.

Diagnostics

A gynecologist diagnoses and treats thrush in women. If candidal balanoposthitis appears, you should seek help from an andrologist. During the patient’s initial visit, the doctor clarifies the nature of the complaints, the duration and frequency of appearance of signs of thrush, and conducts an external examination of the genital organs. Next, the patient is prescribed laboratory tests:

• a smear from the mucous membrane of the genital organs followed by a microscopic examination of the biomaterial;
• cultural seeding to determine the species of the fungus and its sensitivity to antimycotic drugs;
• detection of pathogen gene material by PCR.

In order to clarify the predisposing factors that contribute to decreased immunity and hormonal disorders, the following is carried out:

• clinical blood test;
• determination of antibodies to HIV;
• blood test for the content of important microelements and vitamins;
• analysis of blood glucose and carbohydrate metabolism metabolites.

For the purpose of differential diagnosis, it is possible to conduct other tests, and if necessary, consultations with other specialists are prescribed - a therapist, gastroenterologist, dentist, immunologist, endocrinologist, infectious disease specialist.

Artificial feeding, what measures to take

Attention! Infants who are bottle-fed are more susceptible to candidiasis than others. Therefore, they must be surrounded with special care. Parents should pay increased attention to caring for their baby's oral cavity.

The fact is that the mixtures contain sugar, which promotes the growth of fungal colonies. In addition, the remains of baby food stick to the roof of the mouth, which causes a lot of unpleasant sensations with oral candidiasis.

Be sure to give your baby boiled water after each feeding. 2-3 tsp is enough. liquids to wash away food debris from the mucous membrane. This will stop further growth of the fungus.

Treatment

Since fungi of the genus Candida belong to the opportunistic flora, treatment is required only in cases of vaginal candidiasis or balanoposthitis proven in laboratory studies, which have characteristic symptoms.
In case of uncomplicated course of the disease and early contact with a gynecologist, it is possible to prescribe only topical medications - vaginal suppositories and tablets for thrush, antifungal ointments, creams. In case of their ineffectiveness, as well as in case of chronic urogenital candidiasis, systemic antimycotics are prescribed - fluconazole, itraconazole, ketoconazole.

Drug therapy for thrush during pregnancy is limited to topical antimycotic drugs for intravaginal administration. Children are prescribed systemic antifungal agents for thrush in a dosage adjusted based on body weight.

Local and general drugs are also used to treat balanoposthitis. To achieve greater effect from the use of ointments and creams, the head of the penis is first washed with a weak soda solution. If a man has a regular sexual partner, she also needs to undergo an examination by a gynecologist and, if necessary, a course of antifungal therapy, since infection with thrush is possible during intimate intimacy.

Prevention

Prevention of thrush consists of maintaining immunity, eliminating factors that provoke its decline or hormonal imbalance.
It is important to use antibiotics reasonably and only as prescribed by a doctor, and after completing the course of treatment with such drugs, restore the microflora with pro- and prebiotics. The following measures will also help to avoid the development of fungal infections:

• maintaining personal hygiene;
• timely treatment of endocrine and urogenital pathologies;
• normalization of weight and nutrition;
• use of barrier contraceptives;
• having a permanent sexual partner;
• wearing underwear made from natural fabrics;
• refusal of scented personal hygiene products, intimate deodorants, and douches.

Baking soda in the fight against thrush

Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate/bicarbonate, sodium bicarbonate) has many beneficial properties that are of particular importance in the fight against thrush.

• It does not cause disruption to the microflora in the mouth and has a gentle effect on the mucous membrane, which is especially important when treating newborns.
• Creates an environment that has a detrimental effect on yeast fungus. It needs a sweet and sour environment to develop. Sodium bicarbonate alkalizes the body and restores acid-base balance. As a result, all pathogenic microflora die.
• Dries out the mucous membrane. Due to its physicochemical properties, sodium bicarbonate gives a good drying effect. This helps to quickly relieve itching and other unpleasant sensations in the mouth. After soda treatment, a protective environment is formed on the surface of the mucous membrane, preventing the growth of infection.
• This is a natural, safe remedy. Pregnant and young mothers can safely use soda without fear of negative effects on the body. It is also safe for infants when treating the oral mucosa (subject to precautions).