Bladder Infections

You think you have to urinate, but when you try, you produce just a few dribbles and that little bit also stings. The area above your pubic bone aches, as does your lower back.

Women are particularly familiar with such symptoms, nearly half will suffer one or more episodes of urinary tract infections at some point in their lives. Sexual intercourse raises the risk, using a diaphragm and spermicidal jelly and so does delaying urination after sex.

If you have, or think you have, a urinary tract infection, see your doctor, untreated, such infections can travel to the kidneys, where they cause more severe illness and possibly permanent damage. Pregnant women with urinary tract infections are more likely to deliver premature and low-birth-weight infants.

DRUG TREATMENT

Antibiotics
Co-trimoxazole (trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole; Septrin), ciprofloxacin (Ciproxin), levofloxacin (Tavanic), cefixime (Suprax).

Side effects: diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, headache, vaginal yeast infection, allergic reactions; others that vary with the specific antibiotic used.

HERBAL REMEDIES

Cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon)
These can help prevent urinary tract infections and may also help cure them. Some people think that just drinking cranberry juice can acidify the urine. It can, but you have to drink a little over 1 litre to achieve this effect. But cranberries do prevent Escbericbia coli bacteria - the ones that most frequently cause urinary tract infections - from adhering to the urethra and bladder.

If bacteria can't stick, they get washed out by urination and can't infect tissue. The same antistick chemical is also present in blueberries. Don't substitute berries for your antibiotics when you have an infection, but, if you have recurring infections, try drinking just over 1 litre of unsweetened cranberry juice per day.

Typical dosage for the concentrated juice extract: one 300- to 400-milligram capsule morning and evening.

Uva Ursi (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi)
Also known as bearberry, mountain box and kinnikinnik, this low growing shrub has long been used to prevent and treat urinary tract infections as its leaves containing arbutin, which acts against E. coli and increases urination. A study of women prone to bladder infections showedthat uva ursi prevented infection. Germany's Commission E, has approved it for inflammatory disorders of the urinary tract.

Typical dosage: up to nine 400- to 500-milligram capsules per day, or 30 to 60 drops of tincture diluted in a cup of water three times per day, or 120 millilitres of strong tea three times per day (soak 10 grams of dried leaves in 1 litre of cold water for 24 hours; remove leaves and simmer liquid down to 1/4 litre).

Caution: not recommended for use beyond seven days unless under medical supervision. Do not use while pregnant, or if you have kidney disorders or inflammatory conditions of the gastrointestinal tract. Overdose can produce stomach ache, nausea, vomiting and ringing in the ears (tinnitus).

Goldenrod (Solidago virgaurea)
This herb, known since ancient times, is popular for treating bladder infections, and it is considered to be one of the safest and most effective herbs for increasing urine flow and inhibiting bacteria. It also decreases the inflammation and painful spasms that can accompany bladder infection.

Typical dosage: 2 to 3 cups of tea per day (steep 1 teaspoon of dried herb in 1/4 litre of hot water for 10 minutes).

Oregon Graperoot (Berberis aquifolium)
Oregon graperoot also has a place in traditional treatment of bladder infections. Studies show that berberine may kill many types of bacteria, including E. coli, and prevent bacteria from adhering to the bladder lining.

Typical dosage: 1 teaspoon of tincture three times per day.

Caution: Do not use if you are pregnant.

Echinacea (Echinacea purpurea, E. angustifolia, E. pallida)

Both antibacterial and anti-inflammatory, echinacea also boosts the immune system, which can be helpful to people with recurrent bladder infections.

Typical dosage: up to nine 300- to 400-milligram capsules per day; or up to 60 drops of tincture three times per day.

Caution: if you're allergic to other members of the aster family , such as ragweed, you may be allergic to echinacea. Start with small doses and build up slowly.

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)

Dandelion is one of the best herbs for increasing urine flow. Although it won't kill bacteria, it helps to rid the urinary tract of microbes simply by washing them out. It's popular among herbalists because it also contains potassium.

Typical dosage: 1 cup of tea morning and evening (steep 1 to 2 teaspoons of dried root in1/4 litre of hot water for 10 to 15 minutes); or 30 to 60 drops of tincture three times per day.

Horsetail (Equisetum arvense)
Commonly used in medicine for blood in the urine and urinary stones. It's a mild diuretic that works without depleting electrolytes, so you don't get that 'washed out' feeling. Also known as shave grass.

Typical dosage: up to six 400- to 500-milligram capsules per day; or 15 to 30 drops of tincture three times per day; or up to 6 cups of tea per day (steep 2 teaspoons of dried herb in 1/4 litre of hot water for 10 to 15 minutes).

Marshmallow (Althaea officinalis)
This marsh-growing plant has a root, the compounds of which can coat the urinary tract and prevent further inflammation, thus easing pain.

Typical dosage: up to six 400- to 500-milligram capsules per day; 1 cup of tea per day in three divided doses (steep 1 to 2 teaspoons of dried root in 1/4 litre of hot water for 10 to 15 minutes); or 20 to 40 drops of tincture up to five times per day.

Guelder Rose (Viburnum opulus)
and Black Haw Bark (V. prunifolium)
Often used as treatments for menstrual cramps, both of these barks are antispasmodic, meaning they will help with cramps in the bladder or lower back.

Typical dosage: 1 cup of tea up to three times per day (steep 1 scant teaspoon of dried herb in 1/4 litre of hot water for 15 minutes).

Caution: Do not use either herb if you have a history of kidney disease or kidney stones.

Sweetcorn Silk (Zea mays)
Soothes the urinary tract, sweetcorn silk is easy to obtain in summer; when it's not sweetcorn season you can take it in capsules or tincture.

Typical dosage: 2 to 3 cups of tea per day (steep 1 teaspoon of dried herb or 2 teaspoons of fresh herb in litre of hot water for 15 minutes); or up to six 300-milligram capsules per day; or 20 to 60 drops of tincture up to three times per day, taken with a glass of water.

PREVENTING RECURRENT BLADDER INFECTIONS

If you tend to get bladder infections over and over, here are some things you an do to keep them away.

Drink lots of fluids, at least eight glasses per day. One beverage you might want to include is cranberry juice.
Urinate often, at least every three hours during the day. If you drink liberally, this should come naturally. The goal is to flush the bladder and urethra (the tube that drains the bladder) frequently, thereby washing out any bacteria.
If you use a diaphragm and spermicidal jelly, consider switching to another form of birth control. Discuss these options with your doctor.

MAKING USE OF THE GOOD BACTERIA

Whether or not you want to picture this, our skin and mucous membranes are normally colonised by millions of bacteria. These `good' bacteria perform many functions, including an ability to prevent `bad' microorganisms from taking hold. In the case of urinary tract infections, they seem to prevent Escherichia coli from sticking to the urethra (a first step in establishing an infection).

Lactobacilli, the kind of bacteria present in live-culture yogurt and kefir and in acidophilus supplements can help prevent bladder infections. Preliminary research suggests that taking such bacteria with antibiotics hastens elimination of E. coli. And it can help prevent the chances of getting thrush, a vaginal yeast infection - a common adverse effect of antibiotic treatment.