Cystitis: Urinary Tract infections

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Because of anatomical differences, cystitis is nearly always a problem that affects women. It’s estimated that up to 20% of all women have at least one bout of cystitis a year but it would have to be said that many of those infections would be able to be self-corrected with a minimum of symptoms. At any one time nearly 5% of all women show high levels of bacteria in their urine meaning that they have a current infection.

Urine is actually normally very sterile until it finally gets out of the bladder and into the tube that connects us to the outside world, the ‘urethra’. Those bactria get into the bladder by climbing up the urethral tube.

Where we get into real problems is where urinary tract infections don’t resolve and keep coming back. At this point there is a high chance (sometimes estimated at about 50%) that this will eventually cause damage higher up the urinary tract into the kidneys, never a place you want to have any kind of health problem.

The bacterium that is by far the most to blame for cystitis is our old friend Escherichia coli, or E. coli. Everyone has some E. coli in their system, an infection is more a matter of where it has got to and how much of it there is. Other bactria that are commonly identified include Proteus species, Klebsiella and Staphylococcus saprophyticus.

Cystitis, urinary tract infections, affect many people (nearly always women) and cause much distress and discomfort. Antibiotics are routinely given for cystitis but they seem to be ineffective for a growing number of people and there is increasing concern that bacteria are becoming  impervious to the drugs.

In any case it is good to know that there are effective natural methods to effectively treat and prevent urinary tract infections. I have worked in this area extensively in my clinical practice, many women have come in over the years with recurrent and resistant urinary tract infections and, so long as we have followed the treatment plan through, this approach almost always works exceptionally well.

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What to do about it.

1. First of all, drink a lot of water. Drink like a fish.
2. Secondly make your diet primarily fruit and vegetables for a while. Paradoxically, eating an alkaline diet helps your urine to hit the level of acidity that it best needs to fight cystitis. The cleansing diet will steer you in the right direction here.
3. To help disinfect and restore our natural resistance to harmful infection use Uva-ursi, also called Bearberry. There is nothing I rate higher than this to effectively treat urinary tract infections. Combining Uva-ursi with herbs such as Corn-Silk, Marshmallow root, and Golden Rod will make everything work even better.
4. Put healthy bacteria into your body. This is not so important in the initial ‘getting well’ stage, but it is vital in the ‘preventing it from coming back again’ stage. There is much to be said for eating plenty of fermented foods to get your healthy bugs through diet but there are also many products in the marketplace that may help. If you choose this method then you should definitely prove your probiotic as many commercial products are inert by the time they get to you.
5. You have to build up the immune system. Immunity is deeply affected by diet, levels of rest, fitness and life and in most cases this is where the real problem is, bacteria are simply opportunistic profiteers that take a mile if you give them an inch. Supporting general immunity over a sustained period of time is usually the step that finally breaks the cycle. Particularly for this step and also to get the best quality Uva-ursi etc. I strongly recommend you to find a good herbalist to help you, it should make a world of difference.