Can You Treat A Urinary Tract Infection At Home

Soothe Your Infection With Ginger Tea

• Add 2 tablespoons of fresh crushed ginger to boiling water.
• Let it simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.
• Strain it and drink 2 to 3 cups a day. Add honey for a better taste.

Ginger has antimicrobial properties that work against a variety of bacterial strains.20

While chewing on a piece of ginger will also have positive effects, its best to consume it as a tea to treat your UTI. The more liquid you drink, the faster you flush out UTI bacteria.

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How Can You Cure A Uti

For all the anti-antibiotic people out there, I have bad news. You cant cure the infection with natural remedies. Sorry. Though there are natural solutions that might help prevent UTI , all the unsweetened cranberry juice in the world wont actually help you. In fact, in the study Cranberry juice fails to prevent recurrent urinary tract infection, cranberry juice cocktail had the exact same effect as a placebo in recurrent UTIs. Barbosa-Cesnik C, et al. . Cranberry juice fails to prevent recurrent urinary tract infection: Results from a randomized placebo-controlled trial. DOI: Though you probably guessed that from the study title.

The only way to totally get rid of a UTI is with antibiotics. If youre experiencing symptoms, its best to get to the doctor quickly. Theyll test your urine, and if its indeed a UTI, youll get a weeklong course of antibiotics. Usually, your symptoms go away in a few days and you can enjoy pain-free peeing again. But you must continue your antibiotics until youve completed the prescription.

What Are Potential Side Effects Of Antibiotics For Uti

In addition to the notable side effects weve already covered, there are a few more potential antibiotic side effects youll want to know about.

Most antibiotics can cause some degree of stomach upset like nausea, vomiting, and/or diarrhea. If you have severe diarrhea or diarrhea that lasts for 2 or more days, let your healthcare provider know. Diarrhea is a common side effect while taking antibiotics and just after finishing them. But in some cases, diarrhea from antibiotics can be a sign of a more serious infection caused by Clostridium difficile bacteria.

Some people are also sensitive to antibiotics, which could result in a minor reaction like a rash or a more serious reaction like anaphylaxis. If you notice difficulty breathing or major skin changes after taking an antibiotic, get medical help right away.

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Dont Take Leftover Medicine

Dr. Propst maintains that she typically does not recommend home remedies for the treatment of UTIs. But she also cautions you should also avoid digging around in your medicine cabinet and taking any old leftover antibiotics that you might have stashed there. Those antibiotics may not work at all for UTIs, she says. They may not even get to the bladder.

Plus, you run the risk of contributing to the growing problem of antibiotic resistance. The bacteria youre trying to kill off might survive the mismatched or old antibiotic and survive, but then it may be harder to find another antibiotic that can get rid of it.

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Can You Treat A Uti Without Antibiotics

Antibiotics are an effective treatment for UTIs. However, the body can often resolve minor, uncomplicated UTIs on its own without the help of antibiotics.

Complicated UTIs will require medical treatment. These UTIs involve one or more of the following factors:

• changes in the urinary tract or organs, such as a swollen prostate or reduced flow of urine

More severe risks of using antibiotics include:

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Urinary Infections In Children

A urinary infection in a child needs to be investigated as it may indicate a more serious condition.

The most common urinary system condition is urinary reflux. With this condition, the bladder valve isnt working properly and allows urine to flow back to the kidneys, increasing the risk of a kidney infection.

Urinary reflux and the associated infections can scar or permanently damage the kidney, and can also lead to:

• high blood pressure
• toxaemia in pregnancy
• kidney failure.

Urinary reflux tends to run in families, so its important to screen children as early as possible if a close relative is known to have the problem.

What Are The Causes Of Utis

The presence of bacteria in the urinary tract is the most common cause of UTIs. The bacteria are typically introduced in the urethra and make their way to the bladder, where they multiply. The urinary tract typically fights any foreign body automatically, but these defenses sometimes dont work and fail altogether. When the urinary tract is defenseless against bacteria, then it has the potential to multiply and result in an infection.

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What Is The Urinary Tract

The urinary tract makes and stores urine, one of the body’s liquid waste products. The urinary tract includes the following parts:

• Kidneys: These small organs are located on back of your body, just above the hips. They are the filters of your body removing waste and water from your blood. This waste becomes urine.
• Ureters: The ureters are thin tubes that carry urine from the kidneys to your bladder.
• Bladder: A sac-like container, the bladder stores your urine before it leaves the body.
• Urethra: This tube carries the urine from your bladder to the outside of the body.

Avoid Holding Your Pee

Avoid holding in your urine, as this can encourage bacterial growth. Try not to wait more than 3 to 4 hours to pee, and completely empty your bladder each time.

This is even more important if youre pregnant as pregnancy puts you at an increased risk for a UTI. Holding your pee can further increase the risk.

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What Is A Urinary Tract Infection

• A urinary tract infection is any infection that affects the urinary tract, which includes the urethra, bladder, ureters and kidney.
• Urethritis is an infection of the urethra .
• Cystitis is an infection of your bladder.
• Lower urinary tract infection involves the bladder and urethra.
• Pyelonephritis is when kidneys become infected.
• Pyelonephritis symptoms include abdominal or back pain, feeling sick or vomiting, a high fever or chills, or cloudy or bloody urine which need urgent medical attention.

How To Get Rid Of A Uti In 24 Hours

Are you experiencing painful urination and a constant need to run to the bathroom? If so, then youre already wondering how to get rid of a UTI in 24 hours. The seven home remedies in this article can help.

If youre still experiencing symptoms after 24 hours, then you need antibiotics. To get your hands on them, youll need to visit the doctor.

The doctors at Oxford Urgent Care will provide you with prompt treatment and relief. Check out our contact information and visit our office as soon as possible to remedy your UTI.

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What Studies Say About Urinary Tract Infections

Okay, before we get to this amazing find, lets review what we know about UTIs. According to the National Institute of Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse , a UTI is the second-most common infection in the human body. Anyone can get one, but women seem to be more at risk.

UTIs can be a serious problem. According to recent research, women with UTI infections are at a higher risk of dying or having complications if they develop bladder cancer. Symptoms are often believed to be due to the UTI and the bladder cancer is not diagnosed until it is too late.

However, other studies have some good news. One study of over 28,000 women found that if women with recurrent UTIs could find out the cause of their UTIs, they can simply eliminate whatever is causing the UTIs and easily avoid antibiotic-use or expensive medical care. The studys findings are good news, as they mean that women do not have to suffer with repeated hospital visits or frequent UTIs.

Do I Really Have To See A Doctor For A Uti

It may seem unnecessary to see a doctor for such a common illness. Why not just let it go and treat it on your own? Dr. Elizabeth Rice, a licensed naturopathic doctor and primary care physician at Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine, has tips for natural treatments, but says you always have to be careful. A partially treated or mistreated UTI can quickly become a serious condition known as pyelonephritis , so care must always be taken when treating UTIs naturally.

If youre just starting to feel or see potential UTI symptoms, you can try a few natural remedies to try to flush out the bacteria and reduce inflammation before the infection really takes hold, Rice says. Increase your intake of fluids to help flush the bladder. But if the symptoms persist more than a day, or get worse, you have to go to the doctor.

Going to the doctor may be a bit annoying, but a UTI that morphs into a kidney infection is way worse than an afternoon in the waiting room. Kidney infections can lead to potentially life-threatening sepsis or permanent kidney damage. Seeing a doctor to prescribe antibiotics may ultimately help you avoid a lifetime of medical complications.

You know your body best, so listen to it. You may not run to the doctor after one weird-feeling pee. If you start to have mild symptoms, here are a few natural choices that may help you out.

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Symptoms Of A Uti Vs Yeast Infection

The symptoms of these two conditions provide the first clues to tell them apart. While they may have some symptoms in common, there are others that stand out as unique.

A urinary tract infection is characterized by: pain or burning sensation during urination, feeling the urge to urinate more often but having a hard time emptying your bladder and a bad smell to your urine.

The urge to urinate will never seem to go away with a UTI, but when you sit on the toilet, you may only experience frustrating painful drips of relief. With serious UTIs, you could also experience a low-grade fever and pain in your lower back.

Vaginal yeast infections are primarily characterized by itching, burning and a white clumpy discharge, similar to cottage cheese. Your vulva and vagina may be swollen, red and sore. And if you attempt to have sex, itll likely be painful.

To make it clear, the key differences here are: UTI symptoms are primarily an increasing urge to urinate with no relief, while yeast infections cause an itchiness, burning and clumpy white discharge.

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How Do You Diagnose A Dog Uti Infection

Once again if youre noticing any of the previously mentioned symptoms in your dog, its important to take them to the veterinarian for a check-up.

Your vet will do a physical examination to make sure there are no congenital problems that are predisposing them to urine pooling or other factors that could be leading to an infection.

Firstly, they need to perform a urinalysis to check the urine for infection.

The urinalysis will be able to tell the veterinarian a lot of information about whats going on in your dogs urine to rule in or out a urinary tract infection or if its just inflammation or something else going on. The urinalysis will test for:

• Urine specific gravity or USG
• pH
• Blood
• Protein

If the urinalysis shows an infection, your veterinarian should recommend running a urine culture. This will help identify what type of bacteria is present and which antibiotic will work against it.

You dont want to put your pet on an antibiotic for a presumed UTI but you dont even know if there is a true infection or if its just inflammation.

Never use an antibiotic without at least a urinalysis!

Antibiotics have a time and a place, but if were using them inappropriately, they will affect your pets gut health and can cause other health issues down the road by upsetting your dogs important microbiome.

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Can Utis Be Prevented

These tips can help prevent UTIs:

• In infants and toddlers, change diapers often to help prevent the spread of bacteria that cause UTIs. When kids are potty trained, its important to teach them good hygiene. Girls should know to wipe from front to rear not rear to front to prevent germs from spreading from the anus to the urethra.
• School-age girls should avoid bubble baths and strong soaps that might cause irritation. They also should wear cotton underwear instead of nylon because its less likely to encourage bacterial growth.
• All kids should be taught not to hold it when they have to go. Pee that stays in the bladder gives bacteria a good place to grow.
• Kids should drink plenty of fluids but avoid those with caffeine.

Who Gets Urinary Tract Infections

Anyone can get a urinary tract infection, but they are more common in women. This is because the urethra in females is shorter and closer to the anus, where E. coli bacteria are common. Older adults also are at higher risk for developing cystitis. This increased risk may be due to incomplete emptying of the bladder. There are several medical conditions that can be related to this, including an enlarged prostate or a bladder prolapse .

If you get frequent urinary tract infections, your healthcare provider may do tests to check for other health problems such as diabetes or an abnormal urinary systemthat may be contributing to your infections. People with frequent UTIs are occasionally given low-dose antibiotics for a period of time to prevent the infection from coming back. This cautious approach to treating frequent UTIs is because your body can develop a resistance to the antibiotic and you can get other types of infections, such as C. diff colitis. This practice is used very infrequently.

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What Exactly Is A Uti

Unsurprisingly, a UTI is an infection of the urinary tract. Bacteria has gotten into the urinary tract system, which is normally sterile. To put it in less pleasant terms, when material from the lower intestine gets into your urethra, it causes a bladder infection.

Though that sounds horrid, its not uncommon. Sometimes, it can be caused by a lack of proper hygiene, but most of the time it occurs from sex, using a diaphragm, or just being a woman. The Mayo Clinic lists female anatomy as a risk factor for the illness. So, if youre simply walking around town with a vagina, you very well might get a UTI.

The infection itself might be caused by the E. coli bacteria, which goes up the urethra. Sometimes, it hangs out in this urinary hallway without infecting anywhere else. More often, the bacteria gets into the bladder, causing frequent painful peeing, discharges, blood in your urine, and pelvic discomfort. Its not a good time, but a bladder infection is rarely serious, especially if you get treatment right away.

Uti Tests And Diagnosis

If you suspect that you have a urinary tract infection, go to the doctor. Youll give a urine sample to test for UTI-causing bacteria.

If you get frequent UTIs and your doctor suspects a problem in your urinary tract, they might take a closer look with an ultrasound, a CT scan, or an MRI scan. They might also use a long, flexible tube called a cystoscope to look inside your urethra and bladder.

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How Are Urinary Tract Infections Treated

You will need to treat a urinary tract infection. Antibiotics are medicines that kill bacteria and fight an infection. Antibiotics are typically used to treat urinary tract infections. Your healthcare provider will pick a drug that best treats the particular bacteria thats causing your infection. Some commonly used antibiotics can include:

• Nitrofurantoin.
• Doxycycline.
• Quinolones .

Its very important that you follow your healthcare providers directions for taking the medicine. Dont stop taking the antibiotic because your symptoms go away and you start feeling better. If the infection is not treated completely with the full course of antibiotics, it can return.

If you have a history of frequent urinary tract infections, you may be given a prescription for antibiotics that you would take at the first onset of symptoms. Other patients may be given antibiotics to take every day, every other day, or after sexual intercourse to prevent the infection. Talk to your healthcare provider about the best treatment option for you if you have a history of frequent UTIs.

What Are Urinary Tract Infection Risk Factors

There are many risk factors for UTIs. In general, any interruption or impedance of the usual flow of urine is a risk factor for a UTI. For example, kidney stones, urethral strictures, an enlarged prostate, or any anatomical abnormalities in the urinary tract increases infection risk. This is due in part to the flushing or washout effect of flowing urine in effect, the pathogens have to go against flow because the majority of pathogens enter through the urethra and have to go retrograde to reach the bladder, ureters, and eventually the kidneys. Many investigators suggest that women are far more susceptible than men to UTIs because their urethra is short and its exit is close to the anus and vagina, which can be sources of pathogens.

People who require catheters have an increased risk as the catheter has none of the protective immune systems to eliminate bacteria and offers a direct connection to the bladder. Catheters that are designed to reduce the incidence of catheter-related infections are available , but are not used by many clinicians because of short-termed effectiveness, cost, and concern about antibiotic resistancedevelopment in bacteria.

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