This article is more so for the women, guys. But keep reading! You never know when you might find yourself suffering from a urinary tract infect (UTI) or bladder infection.
It's been my latest battle over the last three months. Yes, three months. My bladder infection came along due to pregnancy, one of the most common times a woman will experience the infection. As baby grows, he pushes down on the bladder and can prevent all of the urine from escaping when mom relieves herself. Bacteria then has time to grow and multiply. Voila! Perfect formula for infection.
Thank goodness my infection has been painless. My only symptoms were frequent urination with little flow and cloudy urine. My midwife tested and detected my infection, which I was clueless to for who knows how long. I just thought frequent urination was part of normal pregnancy!
Other common symptoms of a UTI/Bladder Infection whether your are pregnant or not:
- Pain, burning, or discomfort when emptying your bladder
- The need to empty your bladder more often than usual
- A feeling of urgency when you urinate
- Feeling the need to urinate shortly after emptying bladder
- Blood or mucus in the urine
- Cramps or pain in the lower abdomen
- Pain during love making
- Chills, fever, sweats, leaking of urine without control
- Change in amount of urine - either more or less
- Urine that looks cloudy, smells foul or unusually strong
- Pain, pressure, or tenderness in the area of the bladder
If you suspect you have a bladder infection, you can seek out a naturopathic doctor or midwife who can test your urine for you and let you know the grade level of your infection (how much E. coli is present), or you can test yourself by purchasing urinalysis test strips from your local health store. I have been monitoring my infection on my own since my initial midwife appointment. It's a lot cheaper to test on your own, and really in my opinion, it doesn't matter how much of the bacteria is present. Keep following my remedies to follow until your test comes out negative!
WHY TO AVOID ANTIBIOTICS
What is the most common way people get rid of their bladder infections? They go in to their medical doctor and the doctor writes a prescription for antibiotics. Antibiotics are a "quick fix" for many types of infections, but we have to take a step back and ask the question, "Does taking a pill really FIX the problem?" The answer is no. It is simply covering up the symptom for a short time until it either returns as the same infection multiple times, or comes back even stronger in the form of a more severe infection or disease.
Has anyone ever told the you effects antibiotics have on your body? I'm sure your medical doctor hasn't. Speaking from personal experience, antibiotic use can lead to extreme health problems and disease. Here's why:
Throughout your body, especially prevalent in your stomach, intestines and colon, are millions and billions of healthy, good bacteria. This is how we are born. The good bacteria not only help you digest your food, but are one of your strongest immune system defenses. You want to keep your army of good bacteria strong throughout your life to ensure healthy immune function and defense against disease.
When you take a round of antibiotics, it knows no difference between good/healthy bacteria and the bad bacteria that is infecting your bladder. Antibiotic literally means "against life." Once you swallow that pill, it goes through every part of your body to kill off ALL bacteria, good and bad! Your immune system is instantly weakened. And how many times have you taken an antibiotic? It very rarely stops with one round in a lifetime. Use of antibiotics does severe damage to your digestive organs, primarily causing Candida. This is what I suffered from for so many years and was causing infertility in my body, until recently remedying it naturally thru Maximized Living and personal intense detoxification measures. Loss of good bacteria in your body can lead to an array of health problems other than Candida, so I strongly encourage you to avoid antibiotics at all costs! Your body was designed to heal and can combat all disease if given the chance.
HOW TO REMEDY A UTI OR BLADDER INFECTION NATURALLY
Since my infection was pretty hard to get rid of, most likely thanks to baby's position on top of my bladder, I implemented a multi-level natural remedy system that eventually did the trick. Once I got all of these components working together at the same time, my infection was gone within 2 weeks. It took me three months to research, research, research to find how all of these components work together to heal the bladder and UT naturally.
1.) Get Adjusted. This is the most important thing you can do! Your body has an amazing ability to heal itself. That power starts in the brain and travels thru the spinal cord to every organ and cell of your body. Chiropractic looks for any interference in the spine which prevents the healing power from traveling to the places it needs to. Your Maximized Living doctor will take the best care of you to assess your nervous system and look for blockage going to your bladder and urinary tract (not to mention reproductive organs -- so important when carrying baby!!) My Maximized Living chiropractor, Dr. Dave, did just that. Sure enough I had blockage in the bottom section of my spine. I went in more often for my adjustments, every other day, for the three months and I know this greatly accelerated the healing of my infection. Visit
MaximizedLiving.com to find a Maximized Living doctor near you!
2.) Cranberry Juice/Capsules. You want to look for organic unsweetened cranberry juice. Follow this pattern for an entire day (as long as you are awake): 16 oz water, wait 1 hour, 8 oz cranberry juice, wait 1 hour, 16 oz water, wait 1 hour, 8 oz cranberry juice...etc. Follow this pattern thru the entire day. You'll urinate just about every hour, and that is precisely what you want to happen. Pure, unsweetened cranberry contains hippuric acid which acidifies the urine and prevents bacteria from sticking to the walls of the bladder. Drinking plenty of water thru the day will allow you to flush out all of the bacteria lurking in your bladder and UTI. It is okay to mix stevia in with the cranberry juice to help against the bitter taste. Can't stomach the juice? You can substitute with organic, pure, unsweetened cranberry capsules (don't skimp on the quality! You get what you pay for!) Unfortunately, I found out the hard way that I am allergic to cranberries, so I was unable to stick it out with the juice or capsules. Instead I implemented D-mannose (#3).
3.) D-Mannose. What's interesting about the bacteria E. coli is the way it attaches itself to the bladder walls. The bacteria's endings look like "grappling hooks" and easily hook on to the walls of the bladder and adhere almost like Velcro. It has been proven that D-mannose causes a direct attraction to the E. coli bacteria. If D-mannose is present in the urine, the bacteria will detach from the bladder walls and go to the D-mannose molecules. You then pass them out as your urinate. D-Mannose is simply a naturally occurring form of sugar. I personally don't think it tastes like much. It has a very low carbohydrate value, and thus doesn't taste very sweet at all. Dosage: 2 teaspoons 8x per day in 8 oz water. Follow each intake with another full glass of water to help flush out the bladder.
4.) Herbal Tinctures. Thru each day, I added liquid herbal tinctures to my water. Various herbs support different organs and heal the body in different ways. Here are the ones I recommend for UTI:
Uva Ursi: AVOID IF PREGNANT, antibacterial, 30 drops 4x daily
Usnea (lichen): USE INSTEAD OF Uva Ursi IF PREGNANT, broad spectrum antimicrobial, 30 drops 4x daily
Marshmallow: reduces inflammation, 1 tsp 3x daily
Nettle: immune booster, kidney support, 20 drops 3x daily
Super Echinacea: immune system support, 30 drops, 3x daily
Dandelion Root: direct support to bladder and kidneys, 100 drops 3x daily
5.) Vitamin C, Vitamin D & Garlic. Add in 5,000-10,000mg of Vitamin C daily, 1,000IUs of Vitamin D daily, and 500-1000mg garlic daily to boost your immune system and help snuff out the infection.
6.) Advanced Plan Diet. If you aren't already on the Advanced Plan, switch over immediately. You want to eliminate all sugar from your diet as long as you have the infection (this goes for any infection of the body, btw) -- with the exception of D-mannose which will help you. Eliminate processed foods, refined sugars, honey, artificial sweeteners, caffeine, alcohol, all grains, juice, pop, fruits, root vegetables. Up your antioxidant intake. Add in a probiotic supplement for immune and digestive support.
7.) Take Care of Yourself. Drink, drink, drink your water! 8-16 oz every hour will keep your bladder flushed so bacteria can't sit stagnant and grow. Empty your bladder immediately as soon as you have the urge to do so. Empty your bladder before and immediately after love making. Avoid love making while suffering from the infection, especially if painful/swollen. After emptying bladder, always wipe from front to back. Wash vaginal area with water only -- avoid soaps, douches, and bathes. Wear all-cotton underwear, avoiding use of thongs and pantyhose, and air out vaginal area at night as you sleep.
8.) Homeopathic Remedy. As recommended by my friend,
Allison, during the last few weeks I added in homeopathic support. There are a few different remedy options to choose from, which you can
read about here based on your symptoms. I also recommend speaking with a homeopathic practitioner to ensure you are dosing properly for your body's needs. The one that was right for me was Cantharis 30X.
So there you go, folks! My 8 simple steps to combating a UTI naturally! And let me say, while it may take a few days longer to snuff out the infection compared to taking a harmful antibiotic,
your body will thank you!!!
If you have other tips that you follow for UTI/Bladder Infection remedying, comment below. Sharing knowledge will help others!
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