Home Remedies for Urinary Tract Infection

Home remedies for urinary tract infection is the extra hand that you need in treating your mild UTI. Before we get started on home remedies for UTI, let us first discuss on what this urinary system condition is, the causes and symptoms.

What is a Urinary Tract Infection or UTI?

A urinary tract infection or UTI is a common infection or the urinary system that is caused by either any of the following: bacteria, a fungus or a parasites. There are many types of urinary tract infections depending on the place that the pathogenic organism exists in. Some other urinary tract infections are “pyelonephtitis” (kidney infection), urethritis (urethral infection), ureter infection and cystitis (bladder infection).

UTIs are very common and some of the infections even go un-noticed for some time until symptoms really take peak.

The common urinary tract infection causes are the following:

• Most common type of bacteria is E. coli (this bacteria dwells in the colon)
• Other types of bacteria are: klebsiella, pseudomonas, enterobacter, proteus, staphylococcus, mycoplasma, chlamydia, serratiaand neisseria
• Funguses such as candida and cryptococcus
• Parasites like trichomonas and schistosoma

Risk Factors:

• Women have a higher risk at acquiring UTI than men because women have shorter urethras (the organ that connects the urinary bladder to the genitals)
• Frequent sexual intercourse
• Contraceptive spermicides and diaphragms
• Women who reach menopause (the loss of estrogen starts to thin the lining of the urinary tract which increases the risk of UTIs)
• Pregnancy (could pose a dangerous threat when acquiring this infection for both the mother and baby)

Urinary Tract Infection symptoms:

A urinary tract infection at times, doesn’t show off any signs and symptoms but when it does the symptoms include:

• A strong urge to urinate even after the bladder has already been emptied
• Passing small amounts of urine
• A burning feeling during urination
• Strong pungent smelling urine
• Urine that appears cloudy
• In women, pelvic pain
• In men, rectal pain
• In more severe cases, urine that has a bright pink to cola color, which is the sign of blood

Diagnosis of urinary tract infections are confirmed by a medical doctor. The doctor will start off by getting a sample of your urine. This will give the confirmation that you really do have a urinary tract infection. Urine tests that the doctor will have you do are the following:

• Urinalysis – evaluates the different components of the urine sample
• Urine culture – this involves incubating and growing the bacteria that is in the urine
• Clean-catch sample – another term is “mid stream” in which the patient is instructed to urinate and after a few seconds, to position the container to start catching the urine
• Collection with a catheter – a catheter is inserted into the bladder to collect the urine. This technique is normally used for young children, elderly or hospitalized patients
• Ultrasounds – this is a non-invasive imaging test that can be seen through a screen to see the structures of the urinary tract
• X-Rays – also used to screen structural abnormalities of the urinary tract. This procedure should not be used in pregnant women due to harmful risks to the fetus
• Intravenous pyelogram (IVP) – a special x-ray for the kidneys in which a contrast dye is injected into the vein and eliminated through the kidneys. As the dye passes through the urinary tract this will show any abnormalities.

After diagnosis of a urinary tract infection, your doctor will give you treatment and medications to help cure this medical condition. You can try asking your doctor if UTI natural remedies are also appropriate to help out with the treatment.

Here are some home remedies for urinary tract infection:

1. Pure cranberry juice. This type of juice is a very effective and widely used urinary tract infection remedy. Try drinking a 12 ounce glass of pure cranberry juice an hour before breakfast time. Cranberry juice is very successful in cleansing the bladder and kidneys of pathogens that can cause a UTI. (Could also be one of the many natural urinary remedies)
2. Bladder and kidney cleansing tea or kidney detox tea. You can purchase this urinary tract infection treatment at any local market or herbal stores. Try taking this cleansing tea an hour before bedtime. This type of tea will help you flush out your system and help you in digestion of your food while you sleep.
3. Tomato juice. Drink a 10 ounce glass of tomato juice in between breakfast and lunch. Tomato juice is a very powerful alkalizing supplement that helps in balancing the pH level.
4. Baking soda. Get a mixture of a half cup of baking soda and 8 ounces of water. Take a drink of that once you start to notice the first signs of a UTI. Baking soda will rise the acid-base balance in the acidity of your urine.
5. Echinacea capsules. Take in at least 2 capsules of Echinacea three times a day to fight the infection.
6. Oregon grape root capsules. You could also take in 2 capsules of this three times a day to get rid of the infection.
7. Vitamin C. This is one of the best UTI natural remedies. This vitamin helps prevent in the growth of bacteria because it creates an acidic environment in the bladder and the urinary tract. Citrus fruits are a smart idea to add to your daily diet for a good source of Vitamin C.  

UTI home remedies could really help out in treating your existing urinary tract infection. Make sure to consult your doctor before trying out these home remedies for urinary tract infection to be safe in treating this medical condition.

Invest a little of your time in reading all about the ebook below that could do wonders for your UTI problem. You can also read about successful stories of other people who have suffered from this urinary system condition and defeated it. Be astonished and kick your UTI problem out the door!