Ya’ll know I’m all about preventative wellness and plants over pills so I figured I’d touch upon this common ailment that often affects women and mamas….the urinary tract infection (or UTI for short). Here are some tips for natural ways to relieve the infamous urinary tract infection.
What Is a Urinary Tract Infection?
When bacteria enters the urinary tract (typically through the urethra) and multiplies you have a UTI . Typically infections start in the urethra or bladder but they can affect any area of the urinary tract including the ureters and kidneys if not treated in a timely fashion.
Thought to be most often caused by E. coli, other bacteria, viruses, and fungi can also create an infection.
Women are eight times more likely to contract a UTI than men ¹ but other risk factors include being pregnant (because of changes in the pelvis), immune system dysfunction (especially autoimmune and metabolic conditions), and post menopause (due to less estrogen) ²
What are some symptoms?
Most common symptoms include:
Frequent urination (but not much comes out)
Pain or a burning sensation in the vagina when urinating
Cloudy or foul-smelling urine
NATURAL REMEDIES
Dietary Options
Sugar-Ditch it. It’s highly inflammatory and bacteria just love feed off of it. (aka-not a great option when dealing with UTI's)
Drink More H2O. It helps to flush things out of the body with ease. I love my Corksicle water canteen!
Eat more fermented foods like sauerkraut and kombucha to help increase the healthy bacteria in your gut.
Ditch the processed foods that are filled with fillers, lack nutrients, and are often high in sugar.
Increase your Vitamin C intake with a quality supplement or with foods such as broccoli or kale.
Add D-Mannose to your water and ingest. D-mannose is known to help make it harder for bacteria to stick to the walls of the bladder. Here’s a good source to keep on hand if you find yourself dealing with UTI’s frequently.
Plants/Herbs
Tumeric Tea is great for UTI's and is known for it's amazing anti-inflammatory properties.
Cranberry is often a well known option but buyer beware, you want organic so that you don't get caught with added sugars in your cranberry juice...or if you like super easy, grab a capsule!
Parsley is a known diuretic and great for detoxification. You can make a tea by steeping 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley in 1 cup of boiling hot water for about 5 minutes. If you like easy peasy conveniences like me, grab yourself a top quality dietary version of parsley essential oil, place 1 drop in a tea cup and add boiling hot water!
At the end of the day there are a ton of natural options you can do to help get relief but you need to do what is best for your body and weigh the risks vs benefits. If you are not finding success with such natural options then seek advice from your medical professional.
