More than 10 million women suffer adverse health effects each year due to a urinary tract infection (UTI). From abdominal discomfort, pinching pains, and burning upon relieving the bladder, such conditions can severely impede your ability to function daily. Numerous issues can cause a UTI. It is always best to consult first with your health care team, but several home remedies are known to be effective in helping to eradicate infection and restore good health without the use of antibiotics.
Before self-treating, it is important to get an accurate diagnosis from your health care provider. There are a number of other health conditions such as kidney stones, herpes, and other vaginal infections that can mimic the symptoms of a UTI, so accurate diagnosis is imperative to good care.
D-mannose May Be An Effective Treatment for a UTI
When you eat fruits and vegetables, your body obtains a simple sugar in foods called “D-mannose.” The good news for anyone suffering from a UTI is that it comes in a powdered form and may be an effective means of home treatment to rid the body of a bladder infection.
- E coli bacteria cause most UTIs. D-mannose helps treat infection because it clings to E. coli bacteria. When this happens, the bacteria have no way of sticking to the walls inside the urinary tract. Each time you relieve your bladder, you eliminate the D-mannose-coated E. coli bacteria.
Vitamin C Keeps E. Coli Bacteria from Thriving
A plethora of data exists to show the numerous health benefits of maintaining a regular intake of vitamin C. You can do this by consuming vitamin C-rich foods, such as leafy greens and citrus fruits. It also comes in a supplement form, and most people take 500 milligrams to 1,000 milligrams per day.
If you’ve been feeling achy and uncomfortable from a UTI, you might want to give vitamin C a try. It will create an acidic environment in your urine. E. coli bacteria cannot thrive in an acidic environment. Therefore, vitamin C’s belief is a home treatment for a bladder infection increases acidity in your urine, which prevents bacteria from growing.
Probiotics Are the Good Guys of the Bacteria World
Many people take antibiotics prescribed by their primary care physicians to help treat UTIs. However, a natural side effect of antibiotics is that they kill the harmful bacteria that are causing infection and destroy probiotic bacteria, which are the good guys of gut flora.
Your body needs probiotic bacteria to be healthy. Increasing your intake of probiotics may help prevent UTIs from developing and help treat an existing infection. Eating cheese or yogurt or drinking kefir are among the easiest ways of increasing probiotic intake through diet. It also comes in supplemental gel tabs and other forms.
Adequate Hydration Can Help Combat a UTI
Besides helping prevent bacterial growth, it is vital to eliminate any existing infectious bacteria to resolve a UTI. Every time you urinate, you’re flushing out bacteria that are in your bladder. This is a good thing, which is why one of the best home treatments for overcoming a UTI is to drink lots of water.
The better hydrated you are, the more often you will have a full bladder and need to relieve it. The more often you urinate, the more you are flushing out the harmful bacteria from your body. The sooner you can get rid of the bacteria causing your infection, the better you will start to feel.
Try Using Garlic to Treat a UTI at Home
Resolving a UTI can be challenging because numerous pathogenic bacteria can cause an infection to flare happen to be resistant to antibiotic medications. Garlic, however, contains allicin, which is a pungent oily liquid. Garlic also contains sulfur compounds. These properties are antimicrobial and are effective in combatting a bladder infection. It is easy to incorporate garlic into your diet. Some people prefer to use garlic extract rather than fresh garlic.
These five UTI relief remedies are known to be safe and effective for home treatment of UTIs. You can implement one or more of these ideas at the same time.
As always: consult with your health care team before beginning any treatment. This blog does not replace sound medical advice from a licensed health practitioner.