Home Remedies for Urinary Tract Infections

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are the second most common reason people visit their doctors each year. Men get UTIs, but they are much more common in women -- more than eight million women head to their doctor for UTI treatment annually. And 20 percent of these women will get a second UTI.

Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) is an encroachment by the bacteria of the urinary tract which includes kidney, ureters, bladder or urethra. This bacterium enters the opening of the urethra and procreates in the urinary tract causing urinary tract infection. This can be very painful and a major cause of distress in your life. If it is not contained in the earlier stages it is likely to spread to your kidneys, which can become a serious health issue. The infection of the bladder can develop into cystitis- a very common problem faced by women. Urinary Tract Infection can infect anyone but women are more susceptible to this disease. Children too suffer from this disorder but the headcount is very low in comparison to adults.

If you've ever had a UTI, you'll probably never forget the symptoms. It usually starts with a sudden and frequent need to visit the potty. When you get there, you can squeeze out only a little bit of urine, and that's usually accompanied by a burning sensation in your bladder and/or urethra. In more extreme cases you may end up with fever, chills, back pain, and even blood in your urine.

Symptoms of Urinary Tract Infection:

As soon as you feel one or see signs of UTI, you must start your home treatment for UTI. This is the list of symptoms of urinary tract infection.

• Frequent urge to urinate.

• Pain or a burning sensation during urination.

• Passing of milky cloudy urine due to pus present in the urine. Sometimes, urine might contain traces of blood.

• Men having urinary tract infection can feel pain or pressure in the rectum.

• Women having urinary tract infection can feel pain or pressure within the area of pubic bone.

• Weakness and tiredness.

• Sometimes pain in the back or below the ribs is there. Nausea and even vomiting can occur.

• Fever, only when the urinary tract infection has gone up to the kidneys and blood too.

• Bleeding, only when the kidney are also infected.

Causes of Urinary Tract Infection:

Bacteria in the Urethra

It is mainly caused when the bacteria from the digestive tract holds on to the opening of the urethra, this poses a problem.

Through Sexual Intercourse

Sexual intercourse is another reason for urinary tract infection. During a sexual intercourse the bacteria present in the vaginal tract is pushed inside the urethra by the movement of the penis.

Having Different Sexual Partner

Having different sexual partners can be another reason for urinary tract infection. Waiting too long to urinate may cause this infection.

Holding Back the Urge to Urinate

Prolonging urination causes stretches the bladder. This stretching weakens the bladder - disallowing it to completely empty itself. The urine which remains in the bladder increases your chances of the infection. The symptoms and signs of bladder infection in men and children are often rather mild and so they are sometimes ignored until the condition becomes severe. It is therefore important to detect the preliminary signs of bladder infection so that the individual can receive appropriate treatment.

Remedies for Urinary Tract Infection:

There are many natural remedies for bladder infection but the foremost UTI cure is the prevention of factors that might cause urinary tract infection. Drink lots of water to help flush out bacteria and other toxins from body, avoid unhygienic conditions like public toilets, keep your genitals clean, avoid having multiple sexual partners and exercise all cautions during sexual activities. Apart from taking these preventive measures for UTI, adopt the following home treatment for UTI in the form of easy and simple remedies if you catch the infection.

• Drink lots of water and other liquids to help flush out the waste substances from body.

• Add 1/2 tsp baking soda in a glass of water as soon as you see the first symptoms of urinary tract infection.

• Have cranberry juice that inhibits growth of bacteria and prevent them from clinging to the cells of urinary tract. You can even add apple juice to it.

• Take equal parts of sandalwood, bergamot, tea tree, frankincense and juniper. Mix them to make herbal oil and rub this over your bladder area. Do massage with this oil for 2-3 days till the symptoms of UTI begin subsiding.

• Increase intake of vitamin C. Amla (Emblica Officinalis or Gooseberry), lime juice, citrus fruits etc. are rich sources of Vitamin C.

• Avoid tea, coffee and other drinks with caffeine. Also avoid spicy food as well as processed food like cheese, chocolate, and dairy products. Avoid artificial sweeteners.

• Avoid alcohol and cigarettes, carbonated drinks like beer, soda or any other drink with fizz. All these foods and drinks promote growth of bacteria.

• Include antibacterial herbs in your daily food. Many Indian herbs, spices and condiments like garlic, clove, basil, turmeric etc. have effective antibacterial properties. Use them while cooking your food. Get the list of antibacterial herbs

Urinary Tract Infection Diet:

Increase the Intake of Vitamins C

Vitamin C prevents the bacterial growth due to the acidic environment created in the bladder and the urinary tract. It is very important to have a healthy diet which is rich in minerals and other supplements for your daily quota. You can maintain the alkaline content in urine by a rich diet of milk, fruits, and fresh vegetables.

Citrus fruits are an excellent source of Vitamin C and can be added to your diet in the form of a mixed fruit platter. You can also use a salad dressing made out of Olive oil and fresh lemon juice or orange juice.

Fresh Berry Juice

Women consuming fresh berry juice as part of the daily diet, turns out to be very useful in the long run.

You can make your own fresh berry juice every morning and night for quick results. Mixed berry juice is one of the best home remedies for bladder infection as this will help to provide you with a variety of antioxidants and vitamins.

Avoid Irritant Foods

A diet which consists of processed food like cheese, chocolate, dairy products should be avoided. You should also avoid spicy food, caffeine, alcohol and cigarettes which otherwise is also harmful. Avoid carbonated drinks like beer, soda or any other drink with fizz. You should also restrict your intake of processed flour products and bakery products must be avoided altogether as they have a high processed sugar, processed fats, and processed flour content.

Stay away from Artificial Sweetener

Aspartame is one of a kind of artificial sweetener. You will find many artificial sweeteners in the market which should be avoided. It is mainly consumed by diabetic patients and is used in many beverages and other foods.

Artificial sweeteners may aggravate a bladder infection and so it would be better to avoid such sweeteners for a couple of weeks or at least until your symptoms have subsided.