Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)
Urinary tract infections (UTI’s) are quite common, especially among females.
Although it is more common for the bladder to become infected, sometimes the kidneys can also become infected.
The urine itself is sterile and contains no bacteria or microorganisms, but the problems arise when bacteria gets into the urinary tract.
The most common reason for bacteria to enter the urinary tract is improper wiping of the anus and genital after a bowel movement.
Wiping from back to front allows fecal matter to enter into the urinary tract.
Since fecal matter contains various bacteria, these bacteria then enter the urinary tract and cause an infection.
The symptoms commonly associated with a urinary tract infection include painful urination, bloody, cloudy, or foul smelling urine, increased urgency to urinate, shakiness, tiredness, and for some people low back pain and fever.
Although doctors usually prescribe antibiotics to treat urinary tract infections, quite often they can be treated with home remedies.
Home Remedies for a Urinary Tract Infection:
Prevention of Urinary Tract Infections:
Although a urinary tract infection is quite easy to treat, it’s much easier to prevent it in the first place.
Although sometimes urinary tract infections occur even with the greatest of caution, some things that you can do to assure that they occur rarely are:
- Front to back wiping after bathroom use
- Drink plenty of water
- Take showers instead of baths
- Urinate when the need arises instead of waiting
- Avoid scented sprays and douches
- Urinate shortly after intercourse
Although there is no guarantee these methods will prevent you from having a urinary tract infection, you will avoid having them frequently.
How to Get Rid of a Urinary Tract Infection:
Although doctors usually prescribe various medications for a urinary tract infection, minor infections may not require medical intervention and may be treated with home remedies. It’s important to understand that these natural cures may not work for everyone, so if your condition doesn’t improve, be sure to consult your health care professional.
Water:
An increase in your water intake can help flush out a urinary tract infection by flushing bacteria that have entered the bladder or kidneys.
A minimum of sixty-four ounces of water should be consumed each day, but to flush out a urinary tract infection, you want to increase that amount.
If you don’t like plain water, add some lemon or other fruit flavoring.
Cranberry Juice:
Recent studies have shown that cranberry juice helps fight urinary tract infections.
You can also use a combination of cranberry juice with water you want some flavor in your diet while you are trying to flush your urinary tract.
Make sure you have plain cranberry juice instead of the mixtures like cran-apple or cran-grape as these do not have the same potency.
Over the Counter Medications (Uristat, etc.):
Some over the counter medications such as Uristat may help relieve the symptoms of a urinary tract infection and enhance the flushing process.
Keep in mind that some of these medications can have side effects, so read the bottle or package carefully.
In addition, some of them have a tendency to make your urine appear orange in color, so don’t become alarmed.
