Home Remedies For UTI
5 Great Home Remedies for UTI
Home remedies for UTI have become one of the most sought-after treatments out there today, and for good reason. A urinary tract infection is irritating, painful, unhealthy, and embarrassing, and affects millions of Americans every year. To deal with a UTI often means scheduling a trip to the doctor’s office and taking time out of your day to get medical attention. While some cases of UTI need antibiotics and other medical treatments, the vast majority of UTI cases can be solved in the privacy of your own home. This article will take a look at five great home remedies for UTI and how they can help you.
Before home remedies for UTI can be discussed, it is prudent to go over what a urinary tract infection is. A UTI is basically a bacterial infection of the urinary tract, which consists of the kidney, uterus, urethra, and bladder. Bacteria can enter your tract and cause inflammation, itching, burning, and other negative effects, and is an extremely annoying condition. By itself UTI is not that dangerous; most cases go away within a week to two weeks. It is also not rare. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 million Americans go to the doctor yearly, with women being more affected than men.
We are not entirely sure what causes a UTI in all instances. In some cases, unsanitary bathroom conditions can lead to an infection. In others, it is possible that unprotected sexual intercourse can cause infection, through one or both partners’ private parts not being as clean as they should be. Still other cases may be due to allergies, either with food or with latex used in condoms.
The symptoms of the UTI can also vary somewhat from case to case, but for the most part they all involve a few common traits. The main one is an increased need to use the bathroom. When you go, you generally feel a burning sensation and cannot expel as much urine as usual. Other, more severe symptoms include blood in the urine, headaches, fever, and even chills. Obviously these symptoms are indicative of a much more serious condition.
With this in mind, there are five home remedies for UTI that can really help. The first and most popular is cranberry juice. Cranberry juice is great for UTI because it contains chemicals called tannins. These have been proven to help combat urinary infections and even prevent them from occurring. The second of the home remedies for UTI is baking soda. Take a glass of water and mix a teaspoon of baking soda in, then drink it. The acid in your urine is neutralized by the baking soda, which helps you to alleviate the symptoms.
The third treatment option is fruit – specifically, blueberries and pineapple. Blueberries have the same properties, more or less, as cranberries and can fight your infection, while pineapples contain an enzyme known as bromelain that can assist in ridding yourself of your infection (especially if you also take antibiotics). The fourth thing you can do at home to help is just to drink a lot of water. You should consume about 4 to 6 eight-ounce glasses of water daily without an infection. With one, you should drink more (but no more than 12 quarts a day). The increased water intake will make you urinate more frequently, thus flushing away the bacteria.
Finally, the last of the home remedies for this condition is vitamin C. It is thought by many that vitamin C can help you by making your urine more acidic – which can discourage the bacteria from developing in your bladder and urethra. Some doctors recommend 5,000 mg a day, although you should consult with your doctor prior to beginning this treatment.
In summary, a UTI can be painful, annoying, and bothersome, yet most of the time you can treat one with home remedies instead of having to see a doctor. If you continue to experience symptoms, or they worsen, you should consult a physician as soon as possible. But more than likely, you can use these home remedies to relieve yourself of this burdensome condition.