Urinary Tract Infections

What is a urinary tract infection?

As simple as it gets a urinary tract infection (UTI) is an infection or inflammatory urinary tract.  Most common in women as the urinary tract to the bladder is only 4cm in women compared to 20cm in men. So much harder for the infection to get in and raise up. UTI’s also increase with age and are usually caused by a bacterial, microbial infection. It’s a very common condition and according to Murray and Pizzorno (2012), 10-20%  of all women have urinary tract discomfort at least one time a year. And 37.5% that have never had a UTI will have one is a 10 year period. UTI’s can also be recurrent especially if you are taking courses of antibiotics to clear it up and we will explore more of this in the post.

Urinary Tract infections in men usually indicate an anatomical abnormality (meaning its in an abnormal place), a prostate infection or rectal intercourse.

causes

Some of the causes of a UTI could be

1.  Bacterial infection (most common is Escherichia coli)
2. Chlamydia or mycoplasma bacteria
3.  Sexual intercourse
4. Viruses
5. Poor diet
6.  Trauma to the urethra from childbirth
7. Surgery
8. Catheterisation

signs and symptoms

Symptoms that can occur if you have this condition are:-  

• Increased urinary frequency which your doctor will refer to as dysuria.
• Night time frequency of urine, referred to as nocturia
• Lower abdominal pain
• Chronic pelvic pain
• Urge to urinate which lasts the infection
• Possible pain during sexual intercourse
• Foul smelling urine, also can be dark and frothy
• If your kidneys are affected you may have a fever, chills, low back pain

complicaitons 

Recurrent UTI’s can lead to bladder infection and some go on to involve the kidneys  which hav more serious consequences. If the kidneys are involved then you could see abscess formation, chronic progressive kidney damage and even leading to kidney failure (Murray & Pizzorno, 2012) 

Chronic Interstitial Cystitis (IC) & Painful Bladder Syndrome (PBS) may also be present which is not due to infection these can also overlap with endometriosis, recurrent UTI’s chronic pelvic pain, overactive bladder,, and vulvodynia (a chronic pain or discomfort around the opening of your vagina (vulva) for which there’s no identifiable cause and which lasts at least three months).

OTHER URINARY TRACT COMPLICATIONS ARE 

Cystitis, Chronic Interstitial Cystitis, Painful Bladder Syndrome, Pyelonephritis, Glomerulonephritis, Nephrotic Syndrome, Nephritic Syndrome, Diabetic Kidney/ Neuropathy), Renal Calculi/Kidney Stones, Renal Dialyses – Peritoneal Dialysis or Haemodialysis.

diagnosis 

Microscopic examination of the urine is needed. What will be looked for is the white blood cell (WBC’s) and bacteria,. The urine may need to be cultured to find out the type of bacteria so that the correct  treatment can be given. The most common bacteria is Escherichia coli. 

what your doctor will offer you

1. Your doctor will ask you about your medical history. Try to give as much detail as you can of previous infections, how many times this has happened, if you were given anti-biotics and the results from that as well. Any fever or malaise, give as many symptoms as you can so that your doctor can do a good job for you and rule out other illnesses/pathologies that overlap a UTI.

Such as Kidney Infections (pyelonephritis)

You may be offered antibiotics if it is a bacterial infection, but you may want to explore a more natural approach to ensure that your gut flora is kept intact, as it’s been found that antibiotics and harbour and promote recurrent bladder infections. One of the most important protective shields of healthful bacteria is to protect the lining of the urethra. Antibiotics wipe this protective shield away. You may want to ask for some friendly bacteria to re-recolonize your bladder lining.

After your first culture, it’s worth making sure that your doctor offers a follow up 7 to 14 days later to ensure that it has been resolved.

Get educated!

Urinary Tract Infection can be recurrent and lead to other complications so make sure that you get educated. Knowledge is power. Start to write a healthy diary and note your daily symptoms so that you can ensure that you have a full history of possible recurrence. Also, make note of what helped you to get on top of the infection or bacterial growth.

Key areas to help yourself with are to:-

1. Reboot. Give your body a break and wipe the slate clean.
2. Try some cranberry juice, fresh is best. Or cranberry extract
3. Increase your vitamin C, magnesium and vitamin D.
4. Take some Omega 3 and we recommend an algae-based clean omega 3 to help with inflammation
5. Citrate may also be very helpful.
6. Micromax to recolonize your good bladder and gastrointestinal tract bacteria.

A big part of why the body is here in the first place could be a number of reasons. If you want to get on top of your UTI then you may want to look for a complete protocol. We offer this in our Ultimate Health program that is a 360 look at giving your body a break and we have a full list of the protocol for UTI so that you have all the knowledge.   So consider a reboot and look to give your body a break. Regular breaks so that you give your body the best chance to beat infections and boost your immune.

Take the next step to prevent illnesses & health issues,

Join Ultimate Health, Your Journey Starts Here!

At Ultimate Health we look for prevention and treating the cause. We always start by wiping the slate clean with a Reboot and then looking to help support your body to heal using natural proven principles. Naturopathic solutions and a protocol that supports your body and every system that it runs. We help you to manage the many multifunctional influences that can cause conditions like this in the first place. Detoxification is key, as well as reducing internal inflammation, getting conscious about your health and finding out what is actually healthy for you.  If you need a map we have the One Clear Path to support your entire journey to your Ultimate Health.

Here are the Pathways we use to support you:

1. Detoxification
2. Group Support
3. One to One consultations
4. Whole-Food Plant-Based Diet
5. Meal Plans that are done for you
6. Education on the Real Truth about What is Actually Healthy, not just what the media tells you is “Healthy“.

credits

1. Pexels for the main photo

References

1. Murray, M. and Pizzorno, J. (2012). The encyclopedia of natural medicine. 3rd ed. New York: Atria Paperback, p.471.