Blue (or Yellow, Pink, Purple, Red…) Waffles is a fairly recent “internet disease”, and its sufferers are both men and women, with an emphasis on women.
Most people either have no idea what it is, or, think the disease is some sort of a joke.
On the other end of the spectrum, there is the group of people who insist that it’s a real disease.
It’s considered by many people to be a Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD), and it is extremely dangerous because of its inability to go away on its own.
Just What Is “Blue Waffle Disease”, Anyway?
The question of what exactly this disease is has been popping up quite rampantly. It’s hard to keep straight what means what, and a lot of people think it’s a joke and a made up disease.
It’s generally agreed upon that it is a disease, which is transmitted by sexual means.
What causes it is believed to be a vast multitude of things, including poor diet, a compromised immune system, improper hygiene, risky sexual contact, no use of condoms, and others currently unknown.
It seems that the disease starts out as being transmitted sexually, and then resulting bruising and irritation/pain causes infection to grow deeper into tissue.
At the present time, medical professionals have absolutely no idea of its true and authentic origin and why it’s only recently affecting people.
According to some websites, the general belief is that the disease seems to have been born out of several different types of bacteria. Spread among one or two people, it also seems to have the ability to spread quickly to others.
Another possible cause of this condition is poor mental health, or being highly stressed. It is considered to be a factor that has been known to aggravate certain diseases by impairing and running down the immune system.
Overall poor mental health is believed to be responsible for a person to potentially make dangerous and bad decisions, such as having unprotected sex with several different partners.
Well, Is It A Real Disease, Or Not?
“Blue Waffles” is in a bit of strange category all its own, and to be honest, not a ton of people have ever even heard of it, to begin with.
There seems to be a pretty large group of medical professionals out there who swear up and down to the disease’s authenticity.
Some other medical professionals, however, do not totally buy into the disease and the semi-mania surrounding it.
There are a lot of opinions out there about the validity of the disease, but at least for right now, it looks like the Disease is still not considered an “official” disease.
On one website, it is stated that “Blue Waffles” is considered to be a new and legitimate Sexually Transmitted Disease.(1)
In the interesting article over on Rebel Circus, it is mentioned how Katherine George, the director of education for Planned Parenthood in the Southeastern U.S., has said that young people quite often reach out to her with information about how to avoid catching this disease.(2)
Most of these young people assume that the disease is 100% real. Ms. George also says, “I hear about it regularly from middle schoolers and high schoolers — and occasionally, someone in college”.
How Did The Myth Surrounding It Begin?
The whole story is a strange story to tell.
Apparently, according to Pain Care, the origin of the legend of the disease dates all the way back to 2010.(3)
It then started to gain the ever-eager attention of the news media.
But, as the story is told on Snopes, the disease’s origins in the internet world can be traced back to early 2013, when unsuspecting New Jersey city of Trenton councilperson Kathy McBride took a frantic, and alarming call from an outraged and panicked citizen.(4)
Their complaint and call of concern had all to do with this new disease that was supposedly going around, called “Blue Waffles Disease”.
The Trenton citizen claimed that there were plenty of panicked people out there, because it was believed that there was an epidemic of the STD in the city.
The whole situation became a thing of urban legends, and Ms. McBride was then ridiculed and mocked for taking the whole thing seriously. The reality of it all was that there were many, truly irked and worried people out there.
The Big Debate!
Until the disease is officially recognized as being an actual disease, its going to remain constantly up for debate among believers and critics.
The nay-sayers are sticking to their guns and insisting that the disease is nothing more than a hoax; the stuff of pure urban legend.
A lot of people blame it on the trolls of the internet, by making up a rumor and running with it with reckless abandon.
One website states that these critics “don’t believe the disease is a real one, because there is no medical report in the medical field“.(5)
This very well may be, but what about the seemingly endless amount of people who are outright convinced that they indeed have this mysterious disease?
A lot of supposed sufferers out there have even resorted to reaching out to the public via the internet, begging everyone that they take the disease very seriously, and it is no joke.
Opponents & Proponents: Their Positions On The So-Called “Disease”
Opponents
Posted on the My Fitness Pal blogging website, fitness blogger Letianmoon references to a comment posted on Women’s Health Foundation blog, by Assistant Professor in the Department of Obstetrics/Gynecology Dr. Army Whitaker.(6)
Dr. Whitaker reportedly stands by his claim of there not being a so-called disease out there known as “Blue Waffle Disease” within the medical field.
In addition to this, Dr. Whitaker said that there is no known sexually transmitted disease that is known to give the outer genitals a bluish color.
He further claims that the Disease is only in the minds and imaginations of journalists, and that he has never heard of such a disease in all of his time in practicing medicine.
“It’s only an internet hoax”, seems to be the mantra here.
Proponents
It’s pretty well known that it’s possible for the outer genitalia to be bruised and start to show off a bluish color, which is probably not too far off from what an injury would look like if it was somehow caused by heavy force or pressure.(7)
Proponents passionately insist, however, that it’s highly unlikely that any degree of bruising would cause the unusually bright blue/violet color, which is a defining characteristic of this disease.
They also insist that the different lesions found on the outer genitalia, documented in photos of the diseased patient’s genitalia, all point to a completely different type of Sexually Transmitted Disease altogether, such some type of a herpes lesion, even though the lesions aren’t exactly clear in the photos.
Why Is It Considered To Be So Dangerous?
Sexually Transmitted Diseases are something that, unfortunately, can’t be cured at home. Many people falsely believe that its something completely curable without the aid of doctors or other professionals.
A lot of people probably tend to think that Blue Waffle isn’t an actual disease, but just an average, every day vaginal infection – not unlike your standard yeast infections or run-of-the-mill Urinary Tract Infections.
It cannot be cured at home with Monistat or other anti-fungal medications, nor can it be cured with a tub of yogurt, washed down with a couple of aspirin.
The harsh reality is that Sexually Transmitted Diseases must be treated immediately by a medical professional who is familiar with this and knows how to properly treat it.
The doctor or medical professional will immediately put you on antibiotics used to treat bacterial or yeast infections.
These medications are usually administered orally in pill form, or as a topical ointment, which is to be applied to the vagina.
Once the antibiotics start working and defeating the infection, itching and pain associated with the infection will begin to ease.
It must be reiterated here: “Blue Waffles”, or any other similar disease, CANNOT be cured at home.
Only a medical professional with background knowledge on the disease can administer treatments and medications. If medical attention and treatment by a professional are reached in time, the prognosis of this painful and embarrassing disease is actually quite good.
But, once again, it all comes down to action and getting it checked out and begin treatment in time.
The Disease is classified by some websites as being a type of disease caused by bacteria that enters the female genital organ and causes all sorts of issues.
As a result of this, there are some terrible and very painful side effects.
Symptoms
As mentioned on SantaMartha Rescue, the following list is just some of the many common side effects and symptoms:(8)
- Bright blue discoloration of the female genital organ
- The female genital organ begins to produce a discharge, which has a foul odor and is full of bacteria
- Severe pain, itching, or burning of the genitalia
- Sore, swollen the female genital organ
- Genitals begin to have dry skin
- Painful, sore, and itchy red patches will begin to appear on the genitals; almost welt-like lesions
- Pain in the abdomen, and an overall feeling of “fullness” due to the swelling of the pelvic region and the female genital organ
- Painful intercourse
- Painful and limited movement of the hips/lower extremities
- Painful and irregular menstrual cycles
- Infertility
- Tumors
- Less severe symptoms (may include: fever, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, insomnia, and depression)
What should also be noted is the fact that having this particular disease is an extreme burden to bear on a social scale. Sufferers all report feelings of hopelessness and severe embarrassment.
These feelings all seem to be the worst when engaging in social situations, and possibly striking up a conversation with a potential sexual and romantic partner.
It should be universally agreed upon at this point that Sexually Transmitted Diseases are always going to be embarrassing to talk about, but luckily, modern society has become much more accepting of those among us who are suffering from an STD.
Possible Prevention
There are some good tips over at DiseasesDoctor on how to possibly prevent this embarrassing and painful disease.(9)
Prevention is key!
Since one of the beliefs is that this condition is caused by improper hygiene habits, simply just by taking basic steps can help to keep this disease at bay.
If you tend to be prone to vaginal infections/yeast infections, it’s very important to wash the genitals at least twice a day with an anti-bacterial solution, prescribed to you by a doctor.
Stay away from using traditional soaps while washing the vaginal area, as it tends to cause more problems.
Loose, cotton underwear is also recommended, by allowing the female genital organ to have air to breathe. Another good idea is to keep the entire vaginal area clean, and be sure to change used sanitary napkins or tampons frequently throughout the day while you’re on your period.
Contaminated adult products and “toys” are also a big culprit when it comes to spreading STDs.
The passing of contaminated or bacteria-covered adult objects among a partner, or several partners, is a risky thing to do. It is always necessary to thoroughly clean any toys before and after use.
Signs also point to maintaining a healthy and balanced diet as being a good prevention measure.
Having plenty of vitamins and other nutrients in the food we eat will help to ensure a healthy and combative immune system.
What Studies And Research Are Showing In Regards To This Disease
According to some websites, medical professionals (we weren’t able to find them!?) who have been studying this disease are still at a real loss as to whether this disease is actually real or not.
The general consensus is that the disease seems to be spread via vaginal intercourse and/or by using dirty intercourse objects.
Good hygiene seems to be a common theme among researchers.
It’s typically acknowledged among these researchers that proper hygiene habits and measures can significantly reduce the risk of contracting the disease.
Women are especially encouraged to wash the vaginal area with a very mild soap and warm water, ideally after each act of intercourse.
Another obvious agreement is that this disease seems to primarily affect prostitutes and women having unprotected sex. Using condoms properly, and during each act of intercourse, will help to ensure a reduced risk of spreading any STDs.
As previously mentioned earlier in the article, another very important and healthy habit that women need to be sure to get into is proper menstrual hygiene. Infections of many kinds are known to be prevalent among women with poor knowledge or insight regarding proper menstruation hygiene techniques.
Some women have little to no real knowledge on the basics of feminine hygiene, unfortunately, many times, due to the fact that they weren’t taught by a female adult figure how to do it while they were growing up.
Changing used sanitary napkins or tampons will help to prevent any harmful bacteria to grow within or near the female genital organ.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, we just really don’t know for sure whether Blue Waffles Disease is a real and threatening disease that the public should worry about.
Time has shown society that we should never be too careful about a possible disease.
Using simple preventative measures (condoms), practicing proper personal hygiene habits, and just using regular common-sense will show us that the risk is far too great; preventative action is always a wise and good idea!
Another thing to mention in relation to this, is that people should also not get too worried or panic over the several photographs available online, which supposedly show real instances of this condition.
Do not become overly concerned or panic until you can talk about the disease further with your doctor or another medical professional.
It is always important to seek out knowledge of potential diseases and what their preventative steps are.
References
(1)”bluewaffles-disease.com/is-blue-waffles-disease-is-real-or-fake/
(2)”rebelcircus.com/blog/truth-blue-waffle-std/
(3)”paincare.org/blue-waffles-disease/
(4)”snopes.com/medical/myths/bluewaffle.asp
(5)”bluewafflediseasehq.com/blue-waffles-std/
(6)”myfitnesspal.com/blog/letianmoon/view/is-blue-waffle-a-real-disease-767556
(7)”ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3142744/
(8)”santamartharescue.org/blue-waffle-disease/
(9)”diseasesdoctor.com/blue-waffles-disease-causes-pictures-symptoms-and-treatment/
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