Urinary Tract Infection: Symptoms and Natural Treatment

Urinary tract infection, also known as UTI is caused by a bacteria, Escherichia coli (E. coli) which normally lives in the intestines of animals and people. There are many strains of E. coli, most of them don’t cause disease unless they escape outside of the intestines. When this happens, they can cause infections of the urinary tract, kidney or bladder. UTI is one of the most common infection which accounts for more than 8 million doctor visits per year. Women are especially prone to UTIs. Other microorganisms that can cause UTIs are Chlamydia and Mycoplasma.

UTI symptoms:

• Burning feeling during urination
• Pain feeling during urination
• Pain in the rectum
• Discoloration of the urine, usually red (bloody) or cloudy
• Strong urge to urinate
• Small amounts of urine during urination

UTI natural treatments:

• Cranberry juice: Recent studies have shown that organic cranberry juice is effective at treating urinary tract infection because it is full of antioxidants and phytochemicals. Some of these nutrients has been known to prevent bacteria and virus from multiplying, and clinging to cells. If you think you have a urinary tract infection, drink about a cup of 100 percent organic cranberry juice, three times or more per day.
• Echinacea: This North American herb is popular among herbalists for treating UTIs because of its antiviral and antibacterial properties. Drink 1 or 2 echinacea tea per day or consume about 300 mg of natural echinacea capsules per day.
• Vitamin C: Eat food high in vitamin C or take natural vitamin C supplement. Vitamin C is well known for its antiviral and antibacterial properties. Studies have shown that taking 1,000 mg – 2000 mg of vitamin C per day can help prevent recurring infections. Other studies even shown that taking massive amounts of vitamin C, around 150 g (150,000 mg), per day can reverse infections or cure chronic diseases. Because natural vitamin C is water-soluble, toxicity is rare.
• Water: Drink 6 to 8 cups of clean water per day, this will help your body to flush the microorganism out. Combined this with the other natural treatments.

If the natural treatments above don’t help after a day or two, see your doctor for treatments. Your doctor will usually give you antibiotics. Antibiotics for UTIs usually have side effects, such as nausea, vomiting, skin rash, hives or diarrhea. Some people even experience depression when on UTI antibiotics. UTIs that are not treated can spread to the kidney and liver. This can cause more serious infections and if not treated soon, can be fatal.

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