Herbal Medicine
Cranberry: Cranberries have an age-old reputation as a treatment for urinary problems. While the berries definitely seem to help, scientists have had a hard time figuring out why. The latest theory is that cranberries prevent and treat UTI’s not by killing bacteria but by stopping them from attaching to the bladder wall, others believe that cranberries change the acid base levels of the urine making the bladder and unpleasant place for bacteria. Drink 8 ounces of cranberry juice a day as a preventive. But be aware that commercial cranberry juice is actually "cranberry juice cocktail" that is, they have little juice and lot of added sugar. If you don't want all that sugar, you can at health food stores purchase sugarless concentrated cranberry extract in a liquid or pill form.
Bearberry: Bearberry also known as uva-ursi, is an herb that is well known for its affect in treating bladder infections. Uva-ursi contains a urinary antiseptic called arbutin. Arbutin is particularly effective against the E. coli bacteria which usually cause UTI’s. Uva-ursi seems to work best results when used as a tea. Add 2 teaspoons of uva-ursi to 1 cup of boiled water and steep for 10 minutes. Strain. Drink three cupfuls of the tea per day. It can also be used as a tincture one dropperful of tincture in water three times a day.
Echinacea: Echinacea or coneflower, stimulates the immune system and helps the body fight bacterial infections such as UTI’s. One teaspoon full of tincture three times a day, mixed into water or juice should do the trick.
Goldenseal: Goldenseal is effective herbal antibiotic which is particularly effective against E. coli and other bacteria that cause UTI’s. Take 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons of tincture three times a day. Especially helpful for women who get UTI’s after sex, is to rinse your labia and urethral opening with a solution of 2 teaspoons of goldenseal and 1 cup of water after intercourse.
Marshmallow tea: Marshmallow tea can help to reduce discomfort with marshmallow tea at the first sign of a UTI. Marshmallow contains a soothing fiber called mucilage that relieves pain, reduces inflammation, and promotes healing of the bladder-often quite quickly. To make marshmallow tea, gently boil 1 teaspoon of chopped marshmallow root in 1 cup of water for 10 to 15 minutes. Strain out the plant material and allow the tea to cool. Drink up to three cupfuls a day.
Bladder Infections and Their Sex Connections
Wipe from front to back: When you go to the bathroom, always wipe away from your urethra. Wipe front to back, so you move bacteria away from your urethra toward your anus.
Be sanitary: During menstruation, change tampons or sanitary napkins often.
Dress in cotton: Wear cotton underpants, they are not only less irritating than synthetic materials, but they absorb moisture while synthetics allow moisture often loaded with bacteria to move from the rectum to the urethra. Avoid leotards and other tight-fitting garments, which may help move bacteria toward the urethra.
Make love gently: Many women develop UTI’s after making love unusually enthusiastically or frequently. Back when premarital sex was less common than then today, many new brides developed UTI’s that bladder infections were often referred to as honeymoon cystitis. If you are prone to UTI’s, make love gently and consider using a commercial lubricant. Vigorous sex can irritate your urethra and increase the risk of moving anal bacteria into it."
Keep clean: Another reason why honeymoon cystitis was common was that many newlyweds were uninformed about sexual hygiene. Nothing that touches a woman's anal area should ever come in contact with her vagina. It may be very important to keep track of where fingers and sex toys have been and where they are going
After you have finished having sex, head for the bathroom and empty your bladder. Urination after sex can help flush out any bacteria before they have a chance to cause infection.
The contraceptive connection: Compared with women who use other forms of birth control, those who use diaphragms are more susceptible to UTI’s. It is believed that the diaphragm rim is to blame, especially when it presses up against the urethra and causes irritation. Research suggests that the spermicide used with diaphragms may also play a role in creating UTI’s. If you use a diaphragm and you are experiencing frequent bladder infections, you may want to consider other form of contraception.
Relaxation Therapies
Stress Reduction: Stress and tension can increase and aggravate the discomfort of a UTI and impair your immune system's ability to fight the infection. Deep relaxation may help as an ancillary treatment as it help activate and maintain the functionality of the immune system, Regular practice of any relaxation technique that appeals to you including but not limited to deep breathing, meditation, visualization, massage, yoga, or tai chi, can be helpful.
Homeopathy
Homeopaths offer a number remedies for prevention and treatment of UTI’s. Among the medicines commonly prescribed are Apis, Berberis, Cantharis, Mercurius, Nux vomica, Pulsatilla, Sarsaparilla, and Staphysagria. To determine which of these medicines might work best for you, consult a homeopath.
Chinese Medicine
Practitioners of Chinese medicine attribute UTI’s to the stagnation of qi in the bladder. To treat UTI’s, Qian Lie Xian Wan, contains a combination of licorice root, astragalus root, peony root, and other herbs. Another formula, Yao Zhi Gui Ling Gao, is made from a mixture of licorice, rehmannia root, Ionic era flowers, and other herbs and animal parts.
Acupressure
Many women get relief from their UTI symptoms with acupressure, applying steady, penetrating finger pressure for 3 minutes to each of the following points:
Spleen 6, located four finger-widths above your inner anklebone on the back inner border of your shinbone
Liver 8, located on your inner leg at the end of your knee crease
If your symptoms don't improve, consider consulting an acupuncturist. Sometimes professional needle stimulation helps when finger pressure doesn't.
Ayurvedic Medicine
Ayurvedic physicians view UTI as a condition of excess Pitta, or fire. Treatment of a UTI then requires an anti-Pitta approach: lots of cranberry juice, pomegranate juice, and coconut milk; no spices, alcohol, or members of the nightshade family (especially tomatoes but also potatoes and eggplant, among others). Ayurvedic herbs, especially sandalwood (a natural urinary antiseptic) also coriander, marshmallow, fennel, lemongrass, gotu kola, punarnava, and shilajit, may be helpful. For exact dosages and to determine which of these medicines might work best for you, consult an Ayurvedic physician.
Naturopathy
Most naturopaths might say that you should treat your UTI discomfort with water. Heat helps relieve the discomfort of a UTI, taking tolerably hot baths or applying a heating pad to your lower abdomen often helps. If not then try alternating hot and cold baths. First, sit in a tolerably hot bath for up to 5 minutes, then sit in a basin of cold water for 30 seconds. Repeat this sequence three times, finishing with the cold water. Alternating hot and cold compresses on your pelvic area often produces similar benefits.
Warnings
Many M.D.'s prescribe sulfa antibiotics to treat UTI’s. If you're African-American, you don't want to take these drugs until you've been tested for a hereditary deficiency of an enzyme called G6PD. About 10 percent of African-Americans have this deficiency and should not take sulfa drugs. If you are G6PD-deficient, your doctor can prescribe other antibiotics.
If left untreated, a simple UTI can move from your bladder into your kidneys, causing kidney or upper urinary tract infection, acute pyelonephritis. The first symptom of a kidney infection are mid-back pain, either on one or both sides of your back, where your kidneys are located. As the infection progresses, other symptoms may develop, including fever, chills, nausea and vomiting, and difficult and painful urination. If you experience any of these symptoms, you must see your doctor right away. A kidney infection is a potentially serious condition. While it usually responds to treatment with antibiotics quite quickly. If not treated immediately, you might end up requiring hospitalization, IV antibiotics, and it could cause permanent injury and damage to one or both of your kidneys.
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