Fact Check: Does baking Soda Cure PID? Does epsom salt cure PID?
Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is a serious reproductive tract (cervix, uterus and Fallopian tubes) infection that can cause severe complications like: tubal blockage, female infertility, chronic pelvic pain, ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage and frozen pelvis if not well treated. It is a bacterial infection thay can be treated only with antibiotics. It is a sexually transmitted infection.
However, i have read some articles or threads on Twitter and facebook that some herbs like garlic and some chemical substances like baking soda and epsom salt cures PID. But this is not true.
This is some of the excerpts i culled from these articles….
On Baking Soda
“The alkaline environment in the intestines will not allow the microbes to grow. Baking soda effectively alkalizes the colon and helps in eliminating the infection in pelvis as well as in the other organs of the body. Baking soda has to be dissolved in water and taken every day to see better results in curing PID”.
Fact Check: This is wrong and will only cause you more problems. Firstly, having a pelvic inflammatory disease is not a matter of excess acidity or alkalinity in the the body, balancing the body’s PH will not eliminate the infection. PID is caused by bacteria organisms like chlamydia, trachomatis, and Neisseria gonorrhoea and can only be treated with antibiotics. Secondly, baking soda has no anti-bacterial, aniy-inflammatory, antimicrobial property according to Wikipedia. Bathing, douching, and drinking baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) with no cure PID.
On Epsom salt
“A contrast warm Epsom salt is an effective remedy to reduce the symptoms of PID. While the hot bath will help relax the pelvic muscles, the cold bath will help alleviate pain.
Fill two large bathtubs– one with warm water and the other with cold water.
Add a few drops of lavender essential oil to each and stir well.
Add Epsom salt
First, sit in the tub with hot water up to your waist for 3 minutes.
Next, sit in the tub of cold water up to your waist for 1 minute.
Repeat a few times and end the session with cold water.
Enjoy a warm Epsom salt bath a few times each week”.
Fact Check: It is true that Magnesium sulphate, commonly known as epsom salts has numerous medical uses especially in the treatment of preclampsi, eclampsia, asthma etc., but it has no use in the treatment of pelvic inflammatory disease. According to Saltworks, the wonders of Epsom salt have been well known for hundreds of years and, unlike other salts, has beneficial properties that can soothe the body, mind, and soul. Some of the countless health benefits include relaxing the nervous system, curing skin problems, soothing back pain and aching limbs, easing muscle strain, healing cuts, treating colds and congestion, and drawing toxins from the body. One of the simplest ways to ease stress and stress-related problems is to soak in a tub full of hot water with a few cups of epsom salts. It does not cure PID, though it may relieve symptoms like lower abdominal pain..
How do you treat PID?
If you are sexually active and you have symptoms such as abdominal cramps, smelly vaginal discharge, and/or itchy vaginal associated with fever or vomiting, please see a doctor for further evaluation.
READ ALSO: Does turmeric cure PID?
Credit: Italised excerpts were culled from Nigerian Galleria
