How to treat urinary tract infections: follow this simple home remedy to feel better now - Natural Medicine - Brief Article

IF YOU'RE EXPERIENCING THE FREQUENT painful urination that characterizes a urinary tract infection (UTI), turn to cranberries. These tiny tart fruits contain compounds that prevent UTI-causing bacteria from adhering to the interior walls of your bladder, explains Shiva Barton, N.D., a naturopath in Cambridge, Mass. Drink two to three 8-ounce glasses of no-sugar-added cranberry juice. If you don't like its sour taste, take four 400 mg cranberry extract capsules throughout the day, he says. Also avoid sugary and caffeinated drinks and alcohol, which can aggravate an infection, Barton says. If symptoms don't clear within two days, call your doctor; a UTI can develop into a kidney infection.

Once you're had more than one UTI, you're more prone to getting them regularly. To head off recurrences, drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of liquids a day to encourage urination, Barton says; frequent urination washes away UTI-causing bacteria. Also urinate after sex to flush out any bacteria introduced into your urinary tract.

COPYRIGHT 2003 Weider Publications
COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group