Finally some relief! Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) can be prevented. This guide will provide you with the reasons why you may have been getting frequent bladder infections, what you can do to start preventing infection naturally, and how this guide really works.
I have quite a few years experience dealing with chronic bladder infections, kidney infections, UTIs, etc. You can call them many things but we can all agree it is a horrible experience to deal with for years. The first sign of an infection I would go straight to the urgent care for antibiotics.
After a few infections, I became resistant to basic antibiotics and eventually needed a full spectrum antibiotic Ciprofloxacin. I now have neuropathy that could be caused from the antibiotics, a side effect of Cipro is possible permanent nerve damage.
Fear of becoming more resistant to antibiotics and causing further damage to my body, I needed to find a way to prevent UTIs and need to share what I have learned with all of you to stop the chronic UTI cycle.
Why am I getting UTIs all the time?
This is the question I would wake up to when I would go to the bathroom in the morning and feel that burning sensation. I needed to know why I got UTIs ALL THE TIME! I wasn’t going to stop researching until I figured out why. Here are the possible reasons for chronic UTIs:
- Not wiping correctly after using the bathroom
- Short urethra
- High sugar diet/diabetes
- Using spermicide-coated condoms
- Not emptying the bladder after intercourse
- Loss of protective normal flora, Lactobacillus spp.
- High acid-forming food diet
Any one of these reasons or a combination can increase risk of developing infection in your urinary tract. I will explain the science of each reason to give you a better understanding to why these reasons are causing you problems.
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Not wiping correctly
I know what you’re thinking. You have showered, bathed, wiped front to back as good as you possibly could. I thought so too, but it only takes one tiny bacteria to make its way into the urethra to cause infection.
Turns out, just toilet paper might not be enough and if you have tried wet wipes that haven’t worked to keep you clean, you might have tried the wrong kind. I have discovered a biodegradable, flushable wet wipe made just for women. This feminine wipe is made to wipe away the bad bacteria while not disturbing the pH or killing the good bacteria in your lady parts.
Bacteria can hide very well and that is why I now carry feminine wipes with me everywhere I go to make sure I don’t miss any hiding places.
Short urethra
A short urethra allows bacteria to travel a shorter distance to your bladder where the infection really flourishes. The urethra is not the ideal place for E.coli or Staph. While they can still survive in the urethra, the real goal for bad bacteria is to reach the bladder where most of the food is located. So having a shorter urethra means less work and greater risk for bacteria to invade your urinary tract.
High sugar diet/Diabetes
Glucose is the main source of food for urinary tract infecting bacteria. The more food available in the bladder, the quicker bacteria can multiply. This is also the reason why diabetes are susceptible to UTIs. Diabetics urinate larger amounts of glucose since their blood cells are not taking in glucose as they should.
My younger days of sugary cocktails and eating all the sweet stuff I wanted is no wonder I had frequent infections. I wish I knew about this natural hangover remedy to see if it would also prevent a UTI after a night of drinking. It was quite typical for Sunday or Monday to go to urgent care for antibiotics. I never would have thought Saturday night cocktails with the girls would have been one of my problems!
Using spermicide-coated condoms
Being sexually active increases risk of bladder infections and most of us with chronic infections know to urinate soon after intercourse to prevent bacteria from sitting in the urethra, but little is known about the risk associated with spermicide-coated condoms.
Several studies have confirmed a higher risk of UTIs among women using a diaphragm with spermicides compared with sexually active women using other types of contraceptives. This appears to result from the toxic effect of spermicides on the vaginal flora. – JAMA internal medicine
For those already at higher risk of UTIs such as those with shorter urethra’s and those with diabetes, it may be more beneficial to use condoms while sexually active without the spermicide. The spermicide does help prevent pregnancy so you’ll have to weight out your options to prevent UTIs and pregnancy.
Loss of protective normal flora
The use of spermicide, wiping incorrectly or using the wrong soap to clean down there, or the full spectrum antibiotics you’ve been taking to treat your UTI probably has lead to the loss of your protective normal flora. Lactobacillus is the natural bacteria residing in your intestines and vagina. It has an important job of balance and takes up space preventing other bacteria from occupying that space. When that space becomes free when Lactobacillus is killed off, harmful bacteria become opportunistic.
High acid-forming food diet
A veterinarian study reveals E.coli grows better in urine that either has a neutral or acidic pH and has the lowest growth in alkaline urine. The pH of your urine has a lot to do with your diet. Foods that are acid-forming promote an environment in the bladder that favors the growth of bad bacteria.
The natural UTI prevention guide
A better understanding to what events and causes have lead to chronic UTIs, we can now STOP them with natural lifestyle changes.
Step 1: Lower your sugar intake and increase alkaline forming foods
Dietary changes should be the first step to improve overall health. It wasn’t until I changed what I ate before I noticed an improvement in how I felt and a reduction in urinary infections.
Remember, harmful bacteria thrive on sugar and do not prefer to live in urine with alkaline pH.
This article contains a list of foods that are acid-forming to avoid and foods that are alkaline forming to include more of in your daily diet. There is also very good information about pH and your overall health.
Step 2: Gain back your natural protective flora
If you have lost your protective flora, you need to get it back. The best way to get it back is with probiotic supplements.
THIS feminine health support probiotic with cranberry gives you the natural flora back and includes the benefits of cranberry known to support urinary tract health without the bad taste of cranberry juice. The reviews are impressive and taking cranberry regularly rather than just when a UTI comes on is more effective with prevention.
Step 3: Stay clean!
Create a new habit of carrying feminine wet wipes with your everywhere just incase you need to go to the bathroom while you’re out and about. You may also need to try a cleanser that is not so harsh when you clean down there. I use THIS Organyc Intimate Wash now. It is very inexpensive and made for that area. That area is not like the rest of your body and should be cleaned with something different.
Step 4: Talk to a specialist
Having chronic UTIs is not normal. Talking to your primary care is very important to identify any underlying issue contributing to your chronic problem such as pre-diabetes. Your PCP may refer you to a specialist to help you further. As with all natural remedies, it is best to consult your doctor before taking any new supplements or making any drastic changes to your lifestyle.
Summary
There are risk factors involved in chronic urinary tract infections.
Identifying these risk factors can guide you to make lifestyle changes that do not promote the growth of harmful bacteria.
Talk to your primary care physician if you are having recurring infections to identify any other underlying health conditions and if natural changes conflict with your current health status.
Understanding the health science of bacterial infections can help STOP the harmful bacterial cycle.
The New Health Cycle 