7 Actionable Urinary Tract Infection Treatment Tips That Work Like a Charm
A Urinary Tract Infection, commonly referred to as a UTI, is an infection in any part of the urinary system such as kidneys, bladder, or urethra. This type of infection is most common in women, and it’s a very common infection.
The most common area people get UTIs is in their bladder or urethra, and if they have it in their kidneys, it’s much more serious. There are many different causes of UTIs such as sex, diabetes, poor personal hygiene, blocked urine flow, problems urinating, and so much more.
UTI are easy to get treated. If you can and see a doctor, they’ll most likely prescribe you any of the following medications:
- Levofloxacin
- Ciprofloxacin
- Cephalexin
- Trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole
- Macrobid
- Nitrofurantoin
- Fosfomycin
This list of antibiotics that are commonly used to treat UTIs goes on. Not everyone likes using antibiotics as a first step in healing. If you are one of those people, there are so many different options for at-home treatment, there are so many ways to do it!
Here are 7 ways to treat a UTI at-home:
- Drinks lots of water
Staying hydrated is one of the best things you can do for your body, and if you have a UTI, it can help treat it too. Not only does it treat a UTI, but it can also prevent them in the future.
Water helps your urinary tract organs push out waste from the body while providing you with vitamins and electrolytes. Also, drinking lots of water helps to dilute your urine and helps you to urinate more often which makes it more difficult for bacteria to meet those organs.
- Don’t hold in your urinate
If you feel like you have to urinate, don’t hold it in. Urinating often creates pressure on your urinary tract which helps to clear it out. By going when you need to, you reduce the amount of time that bacteria is still in your urinary tract system. If that bacteria sits in your urinary tract for too long, that’s where you can start to develop an infection. So if you have to pee, don’t wait for anything!
- Cranberry juice
As strange as it sounds, drinking cranberry juice while you have a UTI is a natural way to treat them. Cranberry has a lot of healing properties that can help to treat bodily infections – it doesn’t just work on UTIs. If you decide to try out cranberry juice for treating a UTI, we suggest you use pure, unsweetened cranberry juice – stay away from cranberry juice cocktail). Using the purest form of cranberry juice is what’s going to help you see results.
- Take probiotics
Probiotics are a form of healthy bacteria known to help with digestion and keeping your body detoxed. Taking probiotics or drinking something with probiotics in it can help get rid of UTIS, as well as keeping your urinary tract clean and free from the bad bacteria.
It’s been studied that there’s a group of probiotics named lactobacilli that can treat and prevent UTI’s by doing the following things:
- Prevent harmful bacteria from sticking to your urinary tract system
- Produce hydrogen peroxide in your urine which acts as a natural antibacterial agent
- Lowers your pH in your urine, which makes it harder to get another UTI
People who take this probiotic supplement have noticed a difference when using it to treat and prevent a UTI. Another way you can get probiotics in your system is by eating yogurt, kefir milk or yogurt, and certain cheese. If you have any sort of UTI or tract infection, these are easy ways to get good bacteria in your body that will treat your UTI and prevent more from happening.
- Vitamin C
Vitamin C is a great antioxidant for the body and can help improve your bodily functions. Vitamin C is a great way to treat a UTI at-home and naturally. When combined with the nitrate in your urine, vitamin C kills bacteria. Similar to probiotics, it can help to lower the pH in your urine resulting in UTI bacteria cells forming in your urinary tract system.
In a study from 2016, there was a group of 38 women who took vitamin C and probiotics while they had UTIs 3 times a day for 20 days. After the 20 days, they stopped taking both supplements for 10 days and then repeated that same cycle for the next 3 months. The results stated that using cranberry juice in addition to vitamin C is an effective at-home remedy to treating a UTI.
- Wipe front to back
We know you learned this when you were young, but that doesn’t mean everyone does it. It’s common that UTIs come from improper wiping and getting feces bacteria in the wrong place. After you use the bathroom, make sure you wipe the front first, then back, and use separate pieces of toilet paper. This prevents bacteria from transferring back and forth and can prevent you from getting more UTIs.
- Practice healthy sex habits
Don’t worry, we’re not going to have ‘the talk’ with you. But we do want to tell you that your after-sex habits can cause UTIs. Sexual intercourse brings bacteria in places it shouldn’t be, that’s why you need to practice healthy habits. Here are ways to avoid UTIs from sex:
- Urinate before and after sex
- Use protection
- Wash yourself before and after
If you practice healthy sex habits, your chances of getting UTIs from sex are far less likely. This is something simple and easy you can do to prevent UTIs.
Our Final Thoughts
Treating a Urinary Tract Infection isn’t as scary or hard as it seems. People oftentimes get freaked out when they have a UTI, but we’re here to tell you that they are much more common than you would think! Not only can improper personal hygiene cause them, but it can also happen just from not peeing enough. There are so many ways to treat UTIs without having to see a doctor, and there are the top 7 ways to treat them at home!
Deepa Mahar is an independent blogger and admin of DeepAdvices who is exploring the beauty of the blog writing from a variety of subjects and books to health, science and others. She believes the blog would be helpful to the reader in the context of knowledge. She is post-graduated with a degree of Biotechnology.
