Millions of women, worldwide, are plagued with recurring urinary tract infections. They are extremely painful and truly affect your everyday life.
I know someone at the moment, who is in hospital suffering an extremely painful time with this infection. According to the latest evidence, there is a simple way to prevent them, so I decided to take a look and pass on the information.
The conventional treatment is antibiotics. However, there is a simpler solution. We have all heard that cranberry juice is the answer, although it seems to be getting the full recognition it deserves only now.
It is an old remedy for cystitis and other UTIs but in a study presented in Boston, Masachusetts, it was revealed that cranberry juice can effectively prevent UTIs by fighting the Escherichia coli bacteria that cause them.
The study involved growing strains of E. coli (the most common cause of UTIs) in urine collected from healthy volunteers before and after drinking cranberry juice.
The E. coli were then tested for their ability to stick together to form bio films – these are thin, slimy layers of these micro-organisms, surrounded by their own secretions, that provide an ideal environment in which they can thrive. E. coli that don’t stick together are more likely to be flushed out of the urinary tract.
The results showed that cranberry juice prevented E. coli from sticking to either each other, or to the surface of a plastic Petri dish, within just eight hours of consumption.
This suggests that the beneficial active ingredients in cranberry juice are quick to reach the urinary tract and can prevent an infection from developing in the first place.
This research has important implications. In the US alone, UTIs account for around eight million medical visits each year for a total annual cost of $1.6 billion (Des. Mon., 2003). In addition, the evidence confirms the results of recent controlled clinical trials which found that cranberries, in various forms, can reduce the incidence of UTIs in women who are prone to these infections.
Cranberry, in the form of either juice or tablets, significantly reduced the number of women who went on to experience at least one UTI per year compared with a placebo. Also, both cranberry groups needed to take fewer antibiotics during the course of the year compared with the placebo group (Can. J. Urol., 2002).
However, as yet, there is no evidence to show that cranberry can be used to treat a UTI once you’ve already got one (Drugs, 2009). So, clearly it should be used as a preventative rather than a cure. The recommendations suggest drinking 300-500 ml per day of unsweetened cranberry juice for prevention, or taking 400 mg of concentrated cranberry extract twice a day.
Some other natural approaches to preventing UTIs include taking probiotics regularly to re-populate the intestines by improving either the gut or vaginal flora which can have a beneficial impact on the urinary tract (Altern. Med. Rev., 2008).
Some studies showed women who had an average of five infections each year reduced them to one per year during the time they were treated with probiotics.
In a study of more than 100 pregnant women (who are, as a group, particularly prone to UTIs), half were given 200 mg of ferrous sulphate, 5 mg of folic acid and 100 mg of vitamin C daily, while the other half of the group only received ferrous sulphate and folic acid.
After three months, the researchers found that the occurrences of UTIs were significantly lower in those taking vitamin C compared with those not taking vitamin C.
It is thought that this vitamin may work by acidifying urine, thereby creating an essentially ‘unfriendly’ environment for infection-causing bacteria such as E.coli. It could be said that the vitamin’s antioxidant activity is responsible for the beneficial effects. Vitamin A has shown to be helpful in a randomised controlled trial. A group of 24 sufferers were all treated with antimicrobial therapy, but half received a single dose of vitamin A, while the other half were given a placebo. In the follow-up, a year later, the group given vitamin A had suffered significantly fewer UTIs compared with the placebo group. (Pediatr. Int., 2007).
Briefly, other natural approaches include drinking plenty of water, eating garlic which helps eliminate E. coli, eating organic, live, plain yogurt which contains beneficial bacteria and acupuncture.
A controlled study showed after six months of treatment, 85 per cent of those receiving genuine acupuncture had suffered no UTI episodes compared with 58 per cent in a sham group and 36 per cent in an untreated group.
Finally, a few points which will help with the prevention of UTIs generally. As well as drinking plenty of water, don’t hold urine (always go when you need to), avoid using potentially irritating feminine products such as deodorant sprays or powders.
Avoid using a diaphragm as a birth control method if you are prone to UTIs. Wipe yourself from front to back which helps with the spread of bacteria and urinate after having sex to help eliminate bacteria.
kathryn@maltanet.net