Pruritus Vulvae
Pruritus literally means a sensation of itching and
vulva is the name given to the entrance to the vagina. It is a symptom, not a
disease in itself. At least 10 per cent of women all over the world suffer from
this complaint. Pruritus vulvae is generally relieved through scratching in the
initial stages. At a later stage, the patient develops a burning sensation in
this region. This can intensify to such an extent that women suffering from
this complaint prefer to remain indoors and refuse to go out. This problem occurs
more during the night. The patient may scratch the area during sleep and wake
to find that she has made herself bleed.
Causes
One of the main causes of pruritus vulvae is purulent
and mucopurulent vaginal discharge. Due to this discharge, the vulva region
chafes. The resulting tenderness causes pain. Over 80 per cent of these cases
occur due to this cause. Prorates without vaginal discharge, occurs in 15 to 20
per cent of the cases.
In some cases prorates vulvae may develop due to the
presence of skin diseases not specific to the vulva such as psoriasis,
seborrheic dermatitis and scabies. Other causes include animal and vegetable
parasite infections which tend to cause pruritus public rather than prutitus
vulvae, conditions of the urinary track like continence of urine and pyuria.
Highly acidic urine sometime causes soreness which subsequently leads to
pruritus. Glycosuria and diabetes also contribute to this condition.
Pruritus
vulvae can result from skin
sensitivity to various kinds of soaps, bath salts, deodorants and antiseptics
which contain particular phenols and cresols and from certain drugs. These allergies
may also be caused by nylons and tight-fitting clothes. In rare cases the
disorders may develop as an offshoot of certain major problems like jaundice,
uremia, and other toxic conditions. Many mental disturbances can affect the
sexual bias and psychoneurosis results. The skin of the vulva region can also
be a site of psychoneurosis, nervous fatigue and rough clotting. Sexual frustration
and guilt feelings can also lead to pruritus vulvae.
Treatments
There is always some underlying cause for the onset
of purirtus, but scratching soon damages the skin and causes secondary changes
which may obscure the primary cause. In addition, the skin may become sensitized
to some local application. In long standing cases, the diagnosis of both the
initial cause and the reason for the maintenance of the irritation may become
extremely difficult, particularly when more than one factor is involved. Successful treatment depends on two
cardinal principles, namely, to remove any underlying cause and to stop further
damage to the skin by scratching or by unsuitable application. The most important factor in the treatment of
pruritus vulvae caused by infections through fungus or parasites, is
cleanliness. Bowels should be kept clean either through enemas or a natural
diet. The patient must wear clean clothes to avoid this problem. After
urination, the vagina should be thoroughly washed with plain cold water. In
case of severe pruritus, it is advisable to wash the vulva with neem leaves
decoction and apply green light charged coconut oil.
Treatments like neem water vaginal douches help kill
bacteria and fungus. The affect reaction should be exposed to green coloured
light or rays of the sun through green coloured glass for 25 to 30 minutes.
This will help reduce infections. Purritus vulvae resulting from discharges
from the uterus, cervix or vagina causes inflammations. This can be reduced by
regular application of mud packs on the lower abdomen, twice or thrice a day. A
cold hip bath may also be taken for 10 minutes. An alternate hot and cold hip
bath is especially useful in reducing inflammation.
In cases of pruritus
resulting from diabetes mellitus, glycosuria, uremia, jaundice and other toxic
states, specific diets and treatments for these complaints should be followed
before pruritus could be cured. Skin diseases like psoriasis, scabies, fungal
infections should be treated through nature cure methods. These include steam
baths, mud baths, immersion baths, sun baths, spine baths and chromotherapy.
Diet plays an important role in the treatment of
pruritus vulvae. Initially the patient should be put on a juice fast for a few
days. She should drink fruit and vegetable juices, diluted with water on 50 :
50 basis. A warm water enema should be used daily during the period of fasting
to cleanse the bowels. Fasting helps relieve the toxic conditions not in just
the affected region but also the entire body. Thus inflammation is reduced. The
diet after the juice fast could include seasonal fruits, salads, sprouts,
vegetables, soups or buttermilk. Cooked food should be included in the diet
only much later.
The patient should avoid all processed, refined and
denatured foods such as white sugar, white flour and all products made from
them as well a s coffee, tea, eggs, meat, spicy and oily foods. Alcohol and
smoking are to be completely eliminated. A natural mode of life will go a long
way in overcoming pruritus vulvae. It will also lead to improvement in health
in general.
Source: www.healthlibrary.com through www.scribd.com
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