UTI

Unbearably Torturous Infection. If you are a woman and you've ever suffered a urinary tract infection, you'd agree with me! That's what I've been battling lately. I'm not one to take antibiotics too willingly, so I've done lots of research about treating UTI/bladder infection/cystitis naturally.

You may not need this information right now, but some day you might. Just remember it's here, and you can pull it up again by clicking on the label "health naturally" at the top of the right-hand column.

The first thing I learned is that there is a lot of confusing information out there. I thought I needed to acidify my system to make it uninhabitable to bacteria. The fact is that bacteria like the acidic environment!

The human body has a delicate pH balance that must be maintained in order to stay disease-free. When our pH levels are low, the body is too acidic and prone to infection. One writer put it this way: We are 80% alkaline and 20% acid. Our diet should reflect that.

Here is the list of the best tips I found for treating a UTI without antibiotics:

*Drink a lot of fluids, such as herbal teas and water. Avoid sweetened fruit juices and other sweetened drinks.
*Cranberries and blueberries contain substances that inhibit the binding of bacteria to bladder tissue. Drinking unsweetened cranberry juice regularly seems to help lower the risk of UTIs.
*Try to eliminate potential food allergens, including dairy, wheat (gluten), corn, preservatives, and food additives. Your health care provider may want to test for food sensitivities.
*Eat antioxidant foods, including fruits (such as blueberries, cherries, and tomatoes), and vegetables (such as squash and bell peppers).
*Eat more high fiber foods, including beans, oats, root vegetables (such as potatoes and yams), and psyllium seed.
*Avoid refined foods such as white breads, pastas, and especially sugar (which are acid-producing foods) and eat mostly fruits and veggies (alkaline foods).
*Eat fewer red meats and more lean meats, cold-water fish, tofu (soy, if no allergy) or beans for protein.
*Use healthy cooking oils, such as olive oil or coconut oil.
*Reduce or eliminate trans-fatty acids, found in commercially baked goods such as cookies, crackers, cakes, French fries, onion rings, donuts, processed foods, and margarine.
*Avoid coffee and other stimulants, alcohol, and tobacco.
*Drink at least 8 glasses of filtered water daily.
*Exercise at least 30 minutes daily, 5 days a week.

You may address nutritional deficiencies with the following supplements:

*Grapefruit seed extract, 100 mg capsule or 10 drops in water or juice, three times daily, for antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral activity.
*A multivitamin daily, containing the antioxidant vitamins A, C, E, the B-complex vitamins and trace minerals such as magnesium, calcium, zinc and selenium.
*Vitamin C, 500 - 1000 mg one to two times daily, as an antioxidant and for immune support.
*Omega-3 fatty acids, such as fish oil, 1 - 2 capsules or 1 tablespoonful oil one to two times daily, to help decrease inflammation and help in general health. Cold-water fish, such as salmon or halibut, are good sources.
*Probiotic supplement (containing Lactobacillus acidophilus), 5 - 10 billion CFUs (colony forming units) a day, for maintenance of gastrointestinal and immune health.

I hope you never have to go through a UTI. But if you do, I hope this information will be as helpful to you as it has been for me.

"Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." III John 2