Natural Remedies for Urinary Tract Infections

Here are UTI treatments without antibiotics

A urinary tract infection (UTI) is an infection that begins in your urinary system

UTIs can be painful and annoying. But you can become extremely ill if the infection spreads to your kidneys. Women are most at risk of developing a UTI.

Half of all women will develop a UTI during their lifetimes, and many will experience more than one UTI. Your urinary system is your kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra. They all play a role in getting rid of waste from your body.

The kidneys are shaped like a pair of bean-shaped organs in your upper posterior abdomen, filtering waste from your blood. Your tubes are called ureters.

They carry urine from your kidneys to your bladder, where it is stored until it exits the body through the urethra. These organs can become infected, but most infections involve the lower tract — the urethra and the bladder.

Types

The most common type of UTI in men and women is a bladder infection called cystitis. Cystitis means an inflammation of the bladder. The other type is called a kidney infection.  It is also known as pyelonephritis. This kind of infection can be serious, but the kidney is often not damaged permanently if treated quickly.

Causes

If bacteria get into the bladder, it begins to multiply in the urine. It will cause a urinary tract infection. UTI is a condition that usually causes a person discomfort.

However, urinary tract infections are typically treated quickly and easily. The person with this condition must be treated right away. You cannot get a urinary tract infection from someone else, although females who are just becoming sexually active often get UTIs. This is because sometimes Chlamydia can cause a UTI.

Almost 85% of UTIs are caused by a bacterium called Escherichia coli, or E. coli. There are several ways bacteria can get into the urethra.

During sexual intercourse, the bacteria in the vaginal area can be pushed into the urethra, which irritates the bladder.    Any time the vaginal area is rubbed, bacteria can be pushed into the urethra.

You can get a bladder infection from oral sex too. Infections are also common in women who wear tight jeans.

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Symptoms

• Frequent urination
• Burning or pain during urination (dysuria)
• Bladder spasms
• The feeling of having to urinate even though little or no urine comes out
• Cloudy urine
• Bloody urine
• Foul-smelling urine
• Possible mild fever

Symptoms of a kidney infection

Fever Chills Nausea Cloudy urine Bloody urine Abdominal pain Burning feeling when urinating Frequent urination Most people with kidney infections also experience back pain just above the waist.

Diagnosis

A doctor can treat urinary tract infections. Your doctor will first confirm that you have a UTI by taking a clean-catch urine specimen. You will be asked to wash your genital area with disposable wipes and then urinate into a sterile (bacteria-free) cup. You will be given antibiotics if an infection is found when the specimen is examined.

Since many different antibiotics are available, the doctor may then use your urine specimen for a urine culture, which is a test to identify the exact type of bacteria causing your infection. It takes about 48 hours to get results from a urine culture, so you may have to switch antibiotics depending on the results.

Although antibiotics begin fighting the infection immediately, they cannot stop all the symptoms immediately. If you have a lot of pain, your health care provider may recommend a medication to relieve the pain in your bladder; this medicine will clear up the painful symptoms in about three days, although it will usually make you much more comfortable within hours.

According to a urologist in London, it is essential to take the antibiotics until the prescription is finished. Many people stop taking the medication when they begin to feel better, but that does not allow the antibiotics to completely kill the bacteria, which increases the risk that the infection will reappear.

If you ever develop a rash from an antibiotic or have difficulty breathing, STOP taking it immediately and call the health care provider who prescribed the medication!

For some bladder infections, you may only have to take antibiotics for three days, but usually, you will be on medication for 7 to 14 days.

Herbal Treatments for a UTI

Although natural treatments exist, it is essential to be supervised by a naturopathic doctor or another qualified health practitioner. The risk is that if the infection is not treated correctly, it may spread to the kidneys and cause a kidney infection, even though a person no longer has symptoms. It must be eliminated.

Cranberry (vaccinium macrocarpon or vaccinium oxycoccus)

Cranberry juice has been used for over a century to prevent and treat urinary tract infections.

Evidence suggests that the antioxidant flavonoids called proanthocyanins prevent bacteria from adhering to the walls of the urinary tract. A study published in the Canadian Journal of Urology (2002) compared pure cranberry juice, cranberry extract tablets, and a placebo in 150 women at high risk for infections. The juice and tablets both significantly reduced UTIs. Of the two, the tablets were the most effective.

The National Institutes of Health and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Health recently launched a 2.6 million dollar initiative for research into cranberries.

Cranberry juice should be unsweetened, primarily if people with suppressed immune systems use it. The unsweetened juice can often be found in health food stores.    Uva Ursi – (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi)    Also called bearberry; uva ursi is an antimicrobial against e

Uva Ursi – (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi)

Also called bearberry, uva ursi is an antimicrobial against e-coli, arbutin.

One tab in a cup of boiling water.

One cup 3 times daily.

Use tea, tincture, or a capsule.

Compounds arbutin, methyl arbutin.

Uva ursi may turn urine green.

Goldenseal (Hydrastis Canadensis)

Goldenseal is an antimicrobial. It is found in capsule, tincture, or tea form.

Other herbs to consider

• Marshmallow root (Althea officinalis)
• Buchu (Barosma betulina) – an antiseptic and diuretic.
• Corn silk
• Horsetail (Equisetum arvense)

Prevention

The best thing you can do is to prevent UTIs from occurring. Urinate as you feel the need. Avoid holding in urine.

• Drink at least eight glasses of water each day
• Avoid excess coffee, alcohol, smoking, and spicy foods
• Women should wipe from the front to the back after going to the bathroom. This helps to prevent e.coli from the colon from entering the bladder.
• Cleanse the genital area before sexual intercourse. Urinating after sexual intercourse can also help.
• Avoid bubble baths, feminine hygiene sprays, and scented douches, which can irritate the urethra.