Having to go to the bathroom more frequently? Maybe something is a little off? Pain or not, you may be having a Urinary Tract Infection (UTI). This problem plagues many women, approximately 8 million is the estimated amount of infections per year in the US, of which 10% are antibiotic resistant!
You probably know by now antibiotics are responsible for not only killing the bad bugs, but the good ones as well, thus the popular rise of probiotics, to help combat the demise of our gut health by not having the right balance of bacteria.
But did you know that bacteria can be dealt with, without a prescription often?
That’s right, the most common bug causing UTI’s is E.coli being the cause of approximately 90% of infections. For women, the anatomical closeness of rectum and urethra is the root cause of possible contamination. E. coli resides naturally in the colon, but not in the bladder, but it has easy access due to proximity.
However, there are many things you can do!
Ofcourse, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!
I’m guessing though-you already know some of those things-staying hydrated, urinating after intercourse, proper wiping front to back, and caution with thong underwear.
If all of this still fails, and you find yourself peeing in pain, or otherwise with a UTI, let’s share some natural antimicrobials.
Here are a few favs for UTI’s:
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D-Mannose: this is actually a naturally occurring sugar but works by inhibiting E. Coli to attach to the bladder wall. Even better its backed by research showing it effectiveness and even out performing an antibiotic in helping women.
( https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2051415813518332)
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Berberine: a natural antimicrobial, found in many plants, like Goldenseal & Oregon Grape. This can be useful for many other types of infections, and even can help lower blood sugar levels.
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Uva Ursi: a natural antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory that also has been researched to be helpful in some cases of UTI’s when taken at the first signs.
( https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18950249/ )
The best course of action is to be aware of the early signs and symptoms of a UTI so you can catch it before it has the opportunity to become more problematic, and into a kidney infection.
Your local health food store often carries formulas that are a combination of things that can be effective and are all in one bottle!
Ofcourse, talk to your doctor first and watch out for back pain or fever, as that may mean the infection has spread, and a different course of treatment may be needed.
The end goal is that we only use antibiotics when absolutely necessary, as we have now created many super bugs due to overuse of prescriptions, which is raising concerns about antibiotic resistant bacteria.
