STDs and Food: Can Nutrition Really Help Your STDs?

Sexually transmitted diseases are considered contagious conditions that can be passed from one person to the other through intimate sexual contact. In fact, STDs affect both males and females regardless of age, gender and location. If you think you may have a sexually transmitted disease, then you can get free STI and STD testing in Portland or one in your surrounding location.

While these diseases are serious health problems, preventing and treating STDs may be possible through a healthy diet. If you think food can really help, here are some things you should be wary of.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases in General

Keep in mind, sexually transmitted diseases aren’t only an embarrassment. If they remain untreated, some of them can cause infertility and even death when they turn into HIV/AIDS therefore it is always important to get yourself tested as soon as possible. While practicing safe sex can be the most efficient way to avoid these infections, doing that with an unhealthy lifestyle would still be useless. To understand STDs in general, try to learn the facts and protect yourself. Many different people suffer from their own STD problems and reading up on how each of them can effect you will improve your understanding of how to keep yourself healthy. Modern medicine is allowing people to test for a variety of STDs themselves. But just how accurate are at home std test kits? When used correctly and sample collection is done following the exact steps mentioned, these tests are generally quite reliable when purchased from a reputable manufacturer. Human error can be an issue though so be careful with at home STD tests because people make mistakes and when measuring your health the last thing you’d want is a false positive or to not pick up on a deadly STDs like HIV/AIDS.

Take note that STDs are caused by most bacterial and viral infections. Sexually transmitted diseases include the following:

• Bacterial Vaginosis –This is caused by a bacterial imbalance in the vagina. As it only affects women, those who have BV may have an unpleasant vaginal discharge.
• Chlamydia – This is an infectious type of STD both common to men and women. Persons with chlamydia usually have symptoms such as discharge from penis or vagina, burning sensation while urinating and lower abdominal pain during sexual contacts.
• Genital Herpes – This can affect both men and women. Common symptoms are painful ulcers and rashes found in the genital areas.
• Genital warts – This can be spread by anal, oral or vaginal sexual contact. It can lead to itching, excruciating pain. Genital warts are common to women.
• Gonorrhea – This type of STD can cause infertility and even HIV transmission. It also hurts the genital area, mouth, and rectum. Persons with gonorrhea experience vaginal or penis discharge, bleeding and painful sensation when urinating.

Foods to Eat to Fight STDs

As with other types of diseases, treating STD can be a bit challenging because it may also mean fighting off the bacteria and viruses that cause them in the first place. For instance, eating healthy foods which can boost the immune system can be an efficient way to assist in the conventional treatment of these infectious diseases. Even though eating healthily could help to treat some transmitted diseases, it might not work for all. If this is the case, then now may be the best time to look into getting an STD test through somewhere similar to Southwest Care to get the proper treatment. It might always be worth trying these healthy foods first as you may be surprised. To understand why food can be beneficial in treating STDs, here are the best foods you can look for:

• Cranberry juice

This is quite beneficial in killing a few bacteria that cause urinary tract infections. It can also help relieve the pain you’re experiencing.

• Cinnamon

With its antimicrobial and antiviral properties, Cinnamon is best in warding off a variety of diseases. Also, it can also help prevent diabetes and enhance brain health.

• Garlic

Well-known for its effectivity, garlic has been a perfect cure for STDs. It’s good for the immune system because of antibacterial and antiviral components. As a natural remedy, you can eat it raw to gain its health benefits.

• Ginger

This has an antibacterial effect on respiratory infections. Ginger can lessen the growth of dangerous bacteria inside the body.

• Horseradish

This is known for being an antibacterial food that can help cure urinary tract infections and even lung cancers.

• Foods rich in Vitamin C

Vitamin C is helpful in strengthening the immune system. Leafy vegetables are considered disease-fighting foods because they are rich in vitamins, minerals, iron, and antioxidants. Examples of these are spinach and dark lettuces which are fabulous foods to fight diseases.

• Iron

Foods rich in iron such as chicken, turkey, seafood, beans and even broccoli can also help in treating bacterial and viral infections. They can assist your body in carrying oxygen to cells.

• Vitamin D

To increase disease fighting, Vitamin D can assist. Foods such as salmon, tuna, and sardines are full of Vitamin D.

• Vitamin E

Like Vitamin C, Vitamin E is an antioxidant useful in fighting off infection. Foods rich in Vitamin E include almonds, hazelnuts, spinach, and broccoli.

• Whole grains

This type of food is essential to the immune system. With its nutritional components, these can be useful in reducing the risk of having severe health problems. Whole grains are found in whole wheat, barley, bread and cereals.

Remember, the key to prevent sexually transmitted diseases and promote health, in the long run, is consuming foods that are helpful in improving the immune system and fighting bacteria and viruses. Having a healthy lifestyle along with clean eating can improve your chances of successfully preventing these infections to spread quickly. In most cases, food can positively or negatively affect STDs. For example, sugar and other processed foods should be avoided when battling these diseases as they can only worsen the ailment.

While sexually transmitted diseases are considered infectious diseases, you’ll always have a range of treatment options to take advantage of. However, keep in mind that STDs are brought about by some bacteria and virus which have been transmitted through sexual contact.

Considering these circumstances, prevention and treatment of these diseases can also be handled conventionally. In other words, turn to your refrigerator and look for home remedies such as healthy foods that destroy harmful bacteria, infections and viruses. By taking note of this information, you’re giving your immune system a chance to stop and fight bacterial and viral infections.

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Angela Hall

Angela Hall – Angie is a health enthusiast who specialises in spreading STD education across the country. She enjoys what she does and loves to travel to different areas. She loves to write for websites and is a family girl at heart.