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Recurrent Bladder Infections
By Dr. Jonathan V. Wright
If you get recurrent bladder infections, diet change, vitamins and minerals, and herbal supplements will help you to reduce the frequency considerably, or eliminate them entirely. Some of the supplemental items are useful as acute treatment, also.
"Mainstream" medical treatment for recurrent bladder infections is usually limited to antibiotics when infection recurs and mechanical dilation of the urethra as a possible preventive measure.
In nutritional and natural medicine, there are several basic prnicipals to reducing or eliminating recurrent infection of any kind. These include the elimination of sugar and refined carbohydrates, the identification, avoidance and possibly desensitization of allergies and the use of supplements to boost the efficiency of the body's immune response. All of these approaches are relevant to the control and elimination of recurrent bladder infections.
Refined sugar and other refined carboyhdrates reduce the ability of white blood cells to fight germs. As little as one teaspoonful of sugar can have a adverse effect for several hours. If you sugger from recurrent bladder infections, please eliminate sugar and refined carbohydrates.
Food allergies always plays play an important part. Self-observation for identification of food allergy is usually not very helpful in recurrent bladder infection and "regular" scratch testing for food allergy is unreliable. You might want to contact the American Academy of Environmental Medicine or the International Federation of Electrodermal Screeners for a referral to a health care professional skilled and knowledgeable in the identification of food allergies and sensitivities. I"ll give you the phone numbers at the end of this brief.
Zinc, vitamin C, vitamin A and thymus gland extracts and concentrates are all useful in boosting immunity and preventing and fighting infections. For initial treatment for adults, I usually recommend zinc picolinate, 30 milligrams daily, vitamin # in the ascorbic acid form, 1 or 2 grams, three times daily, vitmain A, 25,000 units daily and two or three capsules containing thymus polypeptides daily. These quantities can be tapered downward over several months treatment, particularly after food allergy identification, avoidance and desensitization has been completed and refined sugar and carbohydrates eliminated from the diet.
Whenever individual vitamin and mineral supplements are used, it's wisest to use a good general multiple vitamin and mineral supplement also.
Herbal medications are useful both in the rpevention of recurrent bladder infection and the treatment of acute infection. The two most oftena nd widely available in nuatral food stores are cranberry concentrate and juice, and uva ursi, also called bearberry.
Cranberry contains mannose, a carbohydrate which prevents the usual bladder infecting bacteria from "sticking" in the walls of the ureters, bladder and urethra, so the normal flow of urine can rinse them away before infection takes hold. To help prevent recurrent infections, use one capsule of cranberry concentrate or eight ounces of unsweetened cranberry juice withe ach meal. If you feel an infection coming on, increase the unsweetened cranberry juice to as amuch as you can drink for several days. If you're using cranberry concentrate in capsules, take at least 3, four time daily, until the problem subsides.
Uva ursi can be used at the same time as cranberry and gives an extra dimension of protection against recurrent bladder infection. I usually recommend one capsule with each meal for prevention and 3 capsules four times daily if acute infection returns, the same squantities as cranberry.
If unsweetened cranberry juice, cranberry concentrate and uva ursi are used promptly at the first sign of acute bladder infection returns, the same squantities as cranberry.
Because of differences in age, sex, metabolism, or potential allergy, these diet and supplement therapies may not be suitable for you. Consult a health care professional skilled in nutritional and natural therapies. To locate one near you, you might call the American College of Advancement in Medicine at 800-532-3688 or the American Association of Naturopathic Physicions at 206-323-7610. And now for the other two phone numbers that I promised you earlier: the American Academy of Environmental Medicine is at 913-642-6062 and the International Federation of Electrodermal Screeners is at 800-258-2172.
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