7 Best Natural Remedies for Urinary Tract Infections
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In fact, some remedies don’t require a prescription — and they can be carried out right at home in addition to any treatment your doctor has recommended. But be cautious with do-it-yourself home remedies and check in with your doctor before trying a new strategy.
For example, mixing baking soda and water as a drink to help fight a urinary tract infection (UTI) can be risky if you drink too much of it. About 5 percent of baking soda-related poisonings in California between 2000 and 2012 were from drinking baking soda to treat UTIs, according to February 2014 research in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics.
The following seven viable home remedies — from drinking lots of water, to applying heat, and wearing loose cotton clothing — just might ease your agonizing UTI symptoms, or prevent them in the first place:
1. Get Your Fill of Water
One of the first things to do when you have a urinary tract infection is to drink plenty of water, doctors will tell you. That’s because drinking water can help flush away the bacteria that’s causing your infection, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). This puts you on the right track for recovery.
How much should you drink? Aim for half of your body weight in ounces of water, up to 80 ounces (oz) a day, says Holly Lucille, ND, RN, a naturopathic doctor in private practice in West Hollywood, California, and author of Creating and Maintaining Balance: A Woman’s Guide to Safe, Natural Hormone Health. If you weigh 140 pounds, that means you should try to get 70 oz of water a day. And if you have kidney disease, the NIDDK stresses caution: Check with your physician about how much fluid is safe for you to drink.
2. Load Up on Vitamin C for a Healthy Urinary Tract
Getting plenty of foods high in vitamin C is important, because large amounts of vitamin C make urine more acidic. This inhibits the growth of bacteria in your urinary tract, according to the Johns Hopkins Medicine health library. If you have an active UTI, taking vitamin C supplements may help too, advises Kandis Rivers, MD, an urologist at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan.
3. Soothe UTI Pain With Heat
Inflammation and irritation from UTIs cause burning, pressure, and pain around your pubic area, Dr. Rivers says. Applying a heating pad can help soothe the area. Keep the heat setting low, don’t apply it directly to the skin, and limit your use to 15 minutes at a time to avoid burns.
4. Cut Bladder Irritants From Your Diet
When you have a UTI, caffeine, alcohol, spicy food, nicotine, carbonated drinks, and artificial sweeteners can irritate your bladder further. This makes it harder for your body to heal. Focus on healthy foods, such as high-fiber carbohydrates, which are good for your digestive health, Lucille says.
5. Go Ahead, Empty Your Bladder Again
Every time you empty your bladder — even if it’s just a small amount — you rid it of some of the bacteria causing the infection, according to the NIDDK. So keep making those bathroom runs, Rivers says.
RELATED: 4 Hidden Causes of Bladder Pain
6. Consider Herbal Remedies
You may find some relief from taking the herb uva ursi (bearberry leaf), which is used as a treatment for lower urinary tract infections. But Rivers cautions that it should be taken only for short periods of time — five days or less — as it could cause liver damage. In addition, the herb goldenseal may be used as a remedy for UTIs, according to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. It’s smart to tell your doctor about this and any other medications or herbs you’re taking, because side effects or drug interactions can sometimes be serious.
7. Change to Healthier Habits
Lifestyle changes matter because they can help you recover from a UTI and might prevent another infection, according to NIDDK.
Quit smoking
Wear loose cotton clothing and underwear
Wipe yourself clean from front to back
Choose only fragrance-free personal hygiene products
About Cranberry Juice and UTIs
For years, unsweetened cranberry juice was thought to help flush away bacteria and keep them from sticking to the bladder wall, possibly helping to prevent or reduce recurrent UTIs. But a review of 14 studies published December 2013 in the journal American Family Physician showed that cranberry juice might not have real benefits.
While more studies may clear up this issue, for now, cranberry juice is no longer recommended as a UTI fighter.
http://www.everydayhealth.com/urinary-tract-infections/helpful-home-remedies-for-urinary-tract-infections.aspx
