Suppose you’ve experienced a Urinary Tract Infection (UTI). In that case, you might agree that there’s likely a personal hell where these burning, itching, deeply painful, and pressure-filled sensations are ever-present.
And while conventional approaches recommend taking a synthetic cranberry-filled vitamin to alleviate symptoms, or worse, an antibiotic that can destroy the gut for a year or more, those won’t touch the root cause of why you’re getting UTIs.
If you want to stop getting UTIs once and for all, here are some great places to start:
1. I recently spoke with a young woman who had recently engaged in sex for the first time, and she didn’t know to go to the bathroom after intimacy. So while many of us have had guidance on this, for those who haven’t, it is always best to go to the bathroom shortly after intercourse. Along this same line, condoms often have allergen ingredients and can cause irritation and or UTI. Never use spermicides, and look at Lamb Skin condoms for protection or Smartwomanschoice.com as another form of birth control.
2. Assess and fix your gut. Your gut health directly impacts the amount of inflammation your body experiences – including inflammation as a reaction to Urinary Tract bacteria. When your gut lining is intact and healthy, your immune response is efficient, and you’re less likely to experience the negative symptoms of a UTI. Many find the UTIs calm down by removing processed foods and wheat and keeping sugars under 40g daily.
3. Drinking Alkaline water. There’s a tremendous amount of false information on why we need to be alkaline over acidic. This myth was created in the early 2000s when a green drink that supported the secondary metabolism of the liver was released to the public. The ingredients in the green drink helped the secondary metabolism of the liver and allowed it to work again. This made people healthy, not the “alkalization of the body.” The first part of your stomach and digestive pathway must be acidic to break down foods and purify them. When this becomes more alkaline, it allows for viruses and bacteria to build. Over time this can change the ph of your urinary system and enable the bacteria to build, causing UTIs. We often recommend three tablespoons of apple cider vinegar daily to counteract this.
4. Hydrate more than you think you need to. It’s true that often with a UTI, you experience the sensation of an urgent need to pee! And while this might be just that – a sensation without physical elimination, giving your body adequate hydration daily can keep colonies of bacteria moving and prevent build-up in the tract. If you find you are running to the bathroom, try a pinch of Redmond Real Salt in your water. This helps keep fluids in the tissue and kidney instead of your bladder forcing a run!
5. Maintain proper hygiene without eliminating the microbiome. As a society, we’ve become obsessed with things being clean and disinfected. Of course, there’s a time and place for cleanliness, but in general, we have adopted habits that wipe out the good bacteria and the bacteria that could cause issues (but often never does!) Washing your body regularly while using quality products that don’t irritate or strip the microbiome of the skin is an excellent way to stay clean. And less is more when it comes to the more sensitive areas of our bodies near Urinary Tracts!
6. If you are in the middle of a full-on UTI, try these helpful hints –
- Use a heating pad or hot water bottle on the lower abdomen to relieve pain and discomfort.
- Drink apple cider vinegar diluted in water, which can help balance the pH of the urinary tract. Heat it if you want some warm love.
- Grab some dandelion tea from Gia Herbs or Traditional Medicinals, which has diuretic properties and may help flush out bacteria.
- Grab our Healthy Bladder Supplement Protocol with products to help your bladder stay healthy.
If you have had this UTI journey for a bit and a round or two (or more) of antibiotics, it is time to address your Gut Health. Check out our blog here for simple steps you can take now!
Want to go deeper? Check out our Lymphatic Protocol and our Gut Healing Protocol
