Cranberry juice is probably one of the most popular natural remedies for urinary tract infection. Cranberries act like a sponge by soaking up bacteria and helping to dispose of it. In one recent study, pregnant women who drank an 8-ounce glass of cranberry-flavored cranberry juice daily for 24 weeks eliminated their need for antibiotics. The women who did not drink cranberry juice experienced a milder infection, but no longer required treatment.
Vitamin C for the treatment of urinary tract infection
Vitamin C, in particular, can be useful for promoting healing and preventing recurring urinary tract infections. In some studies, pregnant women took vitamin C supplements during their pregnancy. The nutritional benefits of vitamin C consumption is particularly important during the second and third trimester. Women who ate foods that had a significantly lower vitamin C intake had a higher incidence of recurrent UTI.
Another natural remedy for preventing bacteria from clinging to the bladder and causing painful urinary tract infections is to eat plenty of yogurts. Studies says that probiotics, which are good bacteria that occur in the digestive system and help prevent yeast from growing, specially when the mother is on a diet for the prevention or treating of UTI. There are several brands of yogurt that contain probiotics.
One study found that women who ate more than the suggested daily allowance of calcium had a higher risk of having a urinary tract infection. However, there was no significant effect of calcium on either infection or the severity. What is the connection between eating lots of calcium and another common ailment affecting women? It may be the bacteria.
Probiotic supplement to prevent infections
During one study, mothers who ate calcium rich foods were found to transfer to their babies, via birth control pills, some of the bacteria that caused infection. So while it’s important to get plenty of calcium from foods such as dairy products, it’s also best to supplement with a probiotic to prevent infections.
When it comes to preventing UTI from recurring, some studies have found that natural supplements may decrease the occurrence of recurrent infections by 70 percent. In one study, mothers who took a course of antibiotics experienced a slight, but statistically insignificant, decrease in the amount of antibiotics they administered to their infants during their first eight months of life.
The antibiotics, caused a disruption of the normal bacterial flora in the infant’s reproductive tract. The disruption caused by antibiotics to the normal bacteria in the digestive system allowed the bad bacteria to grow unchecked. This led to a large number of bacteria-filled urinary tracts for the infant to combat.
In a second study, even though antibiotics still weren’t given to the infants, but the antibiotics weren’t given at all to the mother. The results of this study showed that women who took a course of antibiotics while pregnant experienced a nearly 70 percent reduction in the number of UTI-causing bacteria.
Antibiotics to eliminate the UTI bacteria
That just goes to show how important it is to get to the root of urinary tract infections – whether they are caused by bacteria or something else. Antibiotics may work to eliminate the bacteria that cause urinary tract infections, but they certainly can’t do anything to help stop recurrences.
Another thing you can do to prevent recurring urinary tract infection is to drink cranberry extract, daily. Cranberry juice contains an abundance of antioxidants which serve as a type of defense mechanism for your body against harmful bacteria.
Drinking two cups of cranberry extract every day does have a profound impact on the body’s immune system and is a great preventative measure. You can add cranberry extract to your daily diet by either drinking it in juice form or taking capsules.
Finally, another study showed that adding cranberry juice to a woman’s diet can help her avoid having another UTI. Women who drank three cups of cranberry juice everyday were less likely to develop another urinary tract infection during the follow-up period.
Not only was the juice helpful in preventing bacteria, but it did help to increase the amount of good bacteria that the body has. This makes sense since having a balance of good and bad bacteria is what keeps you from getting sick so often.
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