Home Remedies For UTI

A urinary tract infection (UTI) can be very painful and debilitating. Your first port of call should be your health professional, but there are also some useful home remedies for UTI to help alleviate the symptoms.

Causes of a UTI

UTIs, are infections which occur along the urinary tract, which includes the urethra, bladder and kidneys.

The urinary tract removes waste and excess water from the body, pretty important function, so you want it to be working efficiently!

In the USA, UTIs are the most common hospital-associated infection¹

People of any age and sex can develop a UTI; however, some people are more at risk than others, with women more likely to develop UTIs than men.

This due to anatomical differences; the urethra is shorter in women than in men. The urethra is also closer to the anus in woman, making it easier for bacteria (such as ecoli) to be transferred.

UTI’s can be caused by a number if things, including:

Poor hygiene
Impaired immune function
Overuse of antibiotics²
Spermicides
Sexual intercourse
Ecoli infection (trasnferring from intestinal tract to urinary tract)
Not emptying the bladder properly
Urinary catheters
Incontince of the bowel
Blocked flow of urine
Kidney stones
Some ftypes of contraception
Pregnancy
Menopause
Procedures involving the urinary tract (such as a cervical smear)

A pretty long list so it’s no wonder it’s a common occurence!

Symptoms of a UTI

Frequent urination
Strong smelling urine which can be cloudy, bloody or both
Burning and/or pain when urinating
Nausea and vomiting
Aching muscles and abdominal cramps

If a catheter is present, diagnoses is more tricky as sometimes the only symtptom that shows is a fever.

If you develop any of these symptoms, you should always seek medical advice.

Acute pyelonephritis is a severe kidney infection which develops suddenly and as well as any of the above sypmtoms you can also experince.

Upper back and side pain
High fever
Shaking
Chills
Fatigue
Mental changes (due to toxins in the body

Emergency treatment should be sought straight away for these symptoms.

Firstly, see your health professional to have a diagnosis made.

This is usually done by testing a urine sample to assess the presence of white blood cells, red blood cells, and bacteria.

The urine is collected using the “clean catch” method.

The person cleans their genital area and then collects a urine sample mid-flow. This is to prevent bacteria from getting caught in the sample from around the genital area.

Your doctor may send you for further testing if you have frequent UTI’s

Always check with your health professional before using any home remedies.

Water

water for healing Yes, this wonderful FREE fluid is possibly one of the most effective ways to help with UTI’s and should be your first port of call.³

Water helps to flush away the bacteria causing the infection, in effect aiding a faster recovery.⁴

How much water? Well there are differing opinions but a rule of thumb is least 64 ounces of liquids with at least half of this being water. (Check with your physician about how much you should drink to be safe).

Urinate Frequently

Every time you urinate, you’re flushing away toxins and bacteria.

Even if you don’t feel the need, try and squeeze some out!

Drink Baking Soda

Baking soda can help neutralize the acidity of your urine because of it’s alkaline properties (urine is acidic). It helps to ease the discomfort of passing strong acidic urine.

1 tsp of baking soda to an 8oz glass of water, mixed well and taken in the morning once a day. Because of the high levels of sodium in baking soda, don’t take for more than a week and check with your physician that it’s safe to do so.

There are many common herbs you can use as an infusion to help with UTI’s. A diuretic helps your body get rid of unneeded water and salt through the urine.

Parsley
Ginger
Dandelion
Nettle
Celery seeds⁵

These are the more common ones and most stores now stock these herbal teas.

Snack on a handful of celery seeds once or twice a day, after a meal since celery seeds can also help digestion.

Other diuretic foods⁶

Chocolate (the good stuff, made naturally with cocoa beans!)
Lemon juice
Pineapple
Blueberries
Grapes
Cherries
Peach
Cucumber
Asparagus
Beets
Leafy greens: lettuce, spinach, dandelion, parsley, kale, cilantro
Seaweed
Pumpkin
Green beans
Artichokes
Onions
Garlic
Leeks

As always, check with your physician that it’s safe for you to take any diuretic herbs.

Warming Heat

Finally, the old-fashioned hot water bottle is one of my favorites for easing pain and discomfort.

The inflammation that accompanies the painful urination can cause cramping and discomfort.

Applying a gentle heat can help relax the muscles and alleviate the cramping. You can buy microwave heat pads, but my preferred method is a hot water bottle, hot, but comfortable to the touch.

Wrap the bottle in soft dish towel, lie down and place it over your lower abdomen. To increase the contact, press lightly, as much as is comfortable for you.

Repeat as often as you need.

If you’ve used any home remedies for UTI which you’d like to share, please add a comment below.