What are Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs)?
Women should urinate after intercourse to help flush any bacteria away from the urethra. Women who use contraceptives such as condoms, diaphragms and spermicides may be more prone to UTI’s, from either a possible allergic reaction to the products or inflammation caused by friction.
What are symptoms of UTIs?
Symptoms can include any of the following:
- Pain or burning when passing urine
- Blood in the urine
- Frequent urination
- Urgent urination but not passing much
- Traces of blood in the urine
- Foul smelling urine
- Lower abdominal pain
- Lower back pain
Will UTI's go away on their own?
A urinary tract infection (UTI) may not go away on its own, especially if it is a bacterial infection. In some mild cases, the body’s immune system may be able to clear the infection without treatment, but this is rare, and leaving a UTI untreated can lead to complications, including the infection spreading to the kidneys, which can be more serious.
Most UTIs require antibiotics to clear the infection and prevent it from worsening. If you suspect you have a UTI, it’s important to consult with a healthcare provider for proper diagnosis and treatment. Symptoms such as burning during urination, frequent urge to urinate, and cloudy or strong-smelling urine should not be ignored, as early treatment can prevent complications.
If a UTI is left untreated, it could lead to more severe infections, such as pyelonephritis (a kidney infection), which may require hospitalization. Therefore, it’s generally advised to seek medical treatment promptly for UTIs rather than waiting for them to go away on their own.
Can UTI's cause bleeding?
What are preventative measures for UTI's?
Preventative measures include?
- Drink at least 2 litres per day of water to help flush the urinary tract.
- Avoid refined carbohydrates and sugars as this can kill of your natural bacteria and lower immune system.
- Avoid alcohol as this too can upset the bacterial balance and lower the immune system.
- Women should urinate after intercourse to help flush any bacteria away from the urethra.
- When women use the toilet, they should wipe from front to back to keep bacteria away from the vagina.
What is a naturopathic approach to UTI's?
A naturopathic approach looks at our gut health and dysbiosis, or imbalance in the gut microbial community associated with the disease. Dysbiosis of the gut can be connected to a poor diet, stress, and certain medications such as antibiotics. The key to helping prevent recurrent infections is to boost the immune system.
Alternatively, recurring UTIs can be caused by food allergies. In this case, you should identify the allergen and remove it from your diet.
If you have a bacterial infection, it is important to ensure you are well hydrated. Drinking very little throughout the day can make the bacterial infection spread quicker as it is not being flushed away. However, not drinking enough is not a direct cause of UTI’s.
What is candida?
Candida is a yeast that naturally occurs in the found in the mouth, skin, intestines and in the vagina and is not problematic at normal levels. However, when Candida grows uncontrollably this leads to a fungal infection called Candidiasis which can be a type of UTI. You often see Candida and Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) mentioned together when discussing treatment options and these are not related, but the symptoms can be similar.
Thrush is a form of candida, but we also see signs of candida with digestive issues, sinus infections, athletes’ foot, fungal acne, recurrent UTI’s, Thrush and fungal nails.
Candida can become overgrown with poor diet, especially those high in sugar and refined carbohydrates. Medication such as antibiotics, contraceptive pills and steroids can also contribute to candida overgrowth. Candida overgrowth in the intestines can contribute to leaky gut and all the associated symptoms of this, such as a burning feeling of ulceration in your gut, painful indigestion from the loss of intestinal mucosa, and diarrhoea. Candida in abundance also produces toxins which can contribute to fatigue and a compromised immune system.
The key to treatment is to address your diet and the abundance of yeast and once this is done, deal with the overall gut repair.
What is the right diet for UTIs?
The correct diet varies depending on the cause of the UTI, so this should be established first. If candida is found, there are specific candida diet recommendations (see our candida factsheet for more information). If poor gut and dysbiosis is the cause, your need to keep processed foods, sugars, and high carbohydrates out of the diet and increase healthy natural foods. It is important to eat a balanced, ideally alkaline diet, full of foods rich in vitamin C and zinc.
Cranberry is often promoted as good for urine infections. However, most cranberry juice you buy in the supermarket is full of sugar and you would have to drink significant amounts to see any therapeutic benefits. It is the components of cranberry that aid UTI’s, such as D-Mannose and sulphuric acid, which helps prevent bacteria from sticking to the bladder walls. These components are far better taken as supplementation.
What are some key supplements & herbs for UTI's
Good flora
Replacing friendly bowel flora is vital. This does not only necessary for the health of the digestive tract, but also promotes the friendly bacteria and natural flora in the vagina and surrounding areas which are the body’s natural defence against invading bacteria.
D-Mannose
D-mannose is one of the simple sugar molecules found in cranberries. Cranberries in particularly are often linked to the treatment of UTI’s and cystitis. Cranberry is high in vitamin C and phytonutrients, such as proanthocyanins, which helps boost the immune system and fight infection, but the real benefit of cranberries is from D-mannose. This molecule helps prevent urinary tract infections, particular E.Coli, by sticking to the bacteria before flushing it out of the urinary tract. D-mannose is found in cranberry, blueberries, and aloe vera, all of which are said to help with urinary tract infections. However, before you start drinking lots of cranberry juice, remember it is made up of sugar and water with very little actual cranberry juice. D-Mannose is best taken as a supplement.
Uva Ursi
Uva Ursi is well known for its healing properties but is particularly beneficial for urinary tract infections, particularly those caused by E-coli. Arbutin is an active component of Uva Ursi, and this is converted into hydroquinone, which kills bacteria in the urinary tract. Like Goldenseal (a microbiobial herb used to treat urinary infections, particularly bladder infections), Uva Ursi works better in an alkaline environment.
Gotu Kola
Gotu Kola has been found to help heal any damage to the urinary tract caused by repeated urinary tract infections and is particularly useful for women after childbirth.
Garlic
Adding garlic to your food helps suppress yeast infections and E.coli.
All recommendations are intended for informational and educational purposes only. The information and recommendations provided are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice from your GP.
