What foods should you eat during a urinary tract infection. Which beverages can help alleviate UTI symptoms. How can you adjust your diet to speed up UTI recovery. What foods and drinks should be avoided when dealing with a UTI.

Understanding Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs)

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are common bacterial infections that can affect any part of the urinary system, including the kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra. While UTIs can occur in anyone, they are more prevalent in women. Recognizing the symptoms and seeking prompt medical attention is crucial for effective treatment and preventing complications.

Common UTI Symptoms

• Strong, persistent urge to urinate
• Burning sensation during urination
• Frequent passing of small amounts of urine
• Cloudy or strong-smelling urine
• Blood in urine (appearing red, pink, or cola-colored)
• Abdominal pain and pressure
• Pelvic pain (in women)
• Nausea and fatigue
• Fever and chills (indicating a possible kidney infection)

When experiencing these symptoms, it’s essential to consult a healthcare provider promptly. UTIs are typically treated with antibiotics, but dietary changes can complement medical treatment and help alleviate symptoms.

Hydration: The Key to Fighting UTIs

Proper hydration plays a crucial role in managing and preventing urinary tract infections. But how much water should you drink when battling a UTI? Experts recommend consuming at least 12 8-ounce glasses of water daily during an active infection. This increased fluid intake helps flush bacteria from the urinary system, potentially speeding up the healing process.

The Truth About Cranberry Juice

For years, cranberry juice has been touted as a natural remedy for UTIs. However, scientific evidence supporting this claim is mixed. Some studies suggest that cranberry juice, extract, or supplements may help reduce the risk of recurrent UTIs, particularly in women. The potential benefit is attributed to compounds called proanthocyanidins, which may prevent bacteria from adhering to the urinary tract lining. While drinking cranberry juice is unlikely to harm, its effectiveness in treating active UTIs is limited. Water remains the best beverage choice for those with a UTI.

Dietary Recommendations for UTI Recovery

While no specific diet can cure a UTI, certain foods may support your body’s natural defense mechanisms and complement medical treatment. Incorporating these foods into your diet might help alleviate symptoms and promote faster recovery.

Berries: Nature’s UTI Fighters

Berries, particularly cranberries, blueberries, and raspberries, contain compounds that may help combat UTIs. These fruits are rich in proanthocyanidins, which are believed to prevent infection-causing bacteria from adhering to the urinary tract lining. While more research is needed to fully understand their effectiveness, including a variety of berries in your diet may offer some protective benefits against UTIs.

Probiotic-Rich Foods

Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that can support your body’s natural defense systems. Incorporating probiotic-rich foods into your diet may help fight off infections, including UTIs. Some excellent sources of probiotics include:

• Plain Greek yogurt
• Kefir
• Sauerkraut
• Kimchi
• Pickles (naturally fermented)
• Kombucha

These foods introduce good bacteria to your digestive system, which can help maintain a healthy balance and potentially reduce the risk of UTIs.

High-Fiber Foods

A diet rich in fiber can support overall urinary tract health. Fiber helps promote regular bowel movements, which can reduce pressure on the bladder and potentially minimize the risk of bacteria entering the urinary tract. Additionally, some types of fiber may help remove harmful bacteria from the body. Include these high-fiber foods in your diet:

• Whole grains (oats, quinoa, brown rice)
• Legumes (beans, lentils, chickpeas)
• Nuts and seeds
• Fresh fruits (especially berries)
• Vegetables (broccoli, Brussels sprouts, carrots)

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids may help reduce inflammation associated with UTIs. Cold-water fish like salmon, mackerel, and sardines are excellent sources of these beneficial fats. For those who don’t consume fish, plant-based sources such as flaxseeds, chia seeds, and walnuts can be good alternatives. However, if considering fish oil supplements, it’s important to consult with a healthcare provider before adding them to your regimen.

Foods and Beverages to Avoid During a UTI

Just as certain foods can support UTI recovery, others may exacerbate symptoms or interfere with treatment. Understanding which foods and drinks to avoid can help manage discomfort and promote faster healing.

Sugar: A UTI’s Best Friend

Why is sugar problematic during a UTI? Sugar can feed the bacteria causing the infection, potentially worsening symptoms and prolonging recovery time. It’s crucial to limit or avoid foods and beverages high in sugar, including:

• Sodas and sweetened beverages
• Candy and confectionery
• Baked goods
• Sweetened yogurts
• Processed foods with added sugars

Be mindful of hidden sugars in seemingly healthy foods like flavored yogurts, granola bars, and fruit juices. Opt for unsweetened alternatives whenever possible.

Alcohol: A Urinary Irritant

Consuming alcohol during a UTI can irritate the bladder and potentially worsen symptoms. Alcohol is also dehydrating, which counteracts the goal of increasing fluid intake to flush out bacteria. It’s best to avoid all types of alcoholic beverages, including:

• Beer
• Wine
• Spirits
• Cocktails

Caffeine: A Double-Edged Sword

While caffeine can increase urine production, which may seem beneficial for flushing out bacteria, it can also irritate the bladder and potentially worsen UTI symptoms. Consider reducing or eliminating caffeine intake from sources such as:

• Coffee
• Tea
• Energy drinks
• Chocolate

If you typically consume caffeinated beverages, gradually reduce your intake to avoid withdrawal symptoms, and replace them with water or herbal teas.

Spicy and Acidic Foods

Spicy and highly acidic foods can irritate the bladder and urethra, potentially exacerbating UTI symptoms. While dealing with a UTI, it’s advisable to avoid or limit:

• Hot peppers and spicy seasonings
• Citrus fruits (oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruits)
• Tomatoes and tomato-based products
• Vinegar-based dressings and condiments

Instead, opt for milder, bland foods that are less likely to cause irritation. The BRAT diet (Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast) often recommended for gastrointestinal issues can also be suitable for UTIs, providing easily digestible nutrients without irritating the urinary system.

The Role of Vitamin C in UTI Management

Vitamin C is known for its immune-boosting properties, but can it help with UTIs? Some studies suggest that vitamin C may make urine more acidic, creating an inhospitable environment for bacteria. While more research is needed to confirm its effectiveness in treating UTIs, incorporating vitamin C-rich foods into your diet is generally beneficial for overall health.

Vitamin C-Rich Foods to Consider

• Bell peppers
• Broccoli
• Brussels sprouts
• Kiwi fruit
• Strawberries
• Leafy greens (spinach, kale)

While citrus fruits are high in vitamin C, their acidity may irritate the bladder during a UTI. Opt for less acidic sources of vitamin C when dealing with an active infection.

The Importance of Proper Hygiene in UTI Prevention

While diet plays a significant role in managing UTIs, maintaining proper hygiene is equally important in preventing future infections. Incorporating these practices into your daily routine can help reduce the risk of recurrent UTIs:

• Wipe from front to back after using the bathroom
• Urinate before and after sexual activity
• Avoid using irritating feminine products (douches, powders, sprays)
• Wear breathable, cotton underwear
• Change out of wet swimsuits or workout clothes promptly
• Stay hydrated throughout the day

By combining good hygiene practices with a UTI-friendly diet, you can support your body’s natural defenses against urinary tract infections.

When to Seek Medical Attention for a UTI

While dietary changes can complement UTI treatment, they should not replace medical care. Urinary tract infections can lead to serious complications if left untreated. When should you consult a healthcare provider for a UTI? Seek medical attention if you experience:

• Persistent symptoms lasting more than a few days
• Severe pain or discomfort
• Blood in the urine
• Fever or chills
• Back pain (which may indicate a kidney infection)
• Nausea or vomiting

Remember, antibiotics are typically necessary to treat UTIs effectively. A healthcare provider can determine the most appropriate treatment based on your symptoms and medical history.

Natural Remedies to Complement UTI Treatment

In addition to dietary changes and medical treatment, some natural remedies may help alleviate UTI symptoms. However, it’s important to consult with a healthcare provider before trying any alternative treatments. Some potentially beneficial natural approaches include:

D-Mannose Supplements

D-Mannose is a type of sugar that may help prevent bacteria from adhering to the urinary tract walls. Some studies suggest it might be effective in preventing recurrent UTIs, particularly those caused by E. coli bacteria. However, more research is needed to confirm its efficacy and safety.

Herbal Teas

Certain herbal teas may have properties that support urinary tract health. Consider trying:

• Uva Ursi: This herb has traditionally been used for urinary tract issues, but should only be used under medical supervision due to potential side effects.
• Marshmallow Root: May have a soothing effect on the urinary tract.
• Dandelion: Acts as a natural diuretic, potentially helping to flush out bacteria.

Always consult with a healthcare provider before using herbal remedies, especially if you’re taking medications, as some herbs can interact with conventional treatments.

Probiotics

In addition to consuming probiotic-rich foods, some people find relief from UTI symptoms by taking probiotic supplements. These may help restore the balance of good bacteria in the urinary tract and gut, potentially reducing the risk of infection. However, more research is needed to determine the most effective strains and dosages for UTI prevention and treatment.

By incorporating these dietary strategies, maintaining good hygiene, and working closely with your healthcare provider, you can effectively manage UTI symptoms and support your body’s healing process. Remember, while diet and lifestyle changes can play a supportive role, proper medical treatment is essential for resolving urinary tract infections and preventing complications.

What to Eat (and Avoid) During a UTI

A burning sensation, abdominal pain, and cloudy urine are all signs of a potential urinary tract infection (UTI). This uncomfortable infection can affect any part of your urinary system—kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra—however, most UTIs involve the lower urinary tract (specifically, the bladder). The painful symptoms of a UTI are not only annoying, but they can also be dangerous—leading to serious consequences if the infection reaches the kidneys. The first step to feeling better is contacting a doctor, but there are some ways you may be able to relieve UTI symptoms in addition to following a professional care plan. Before we get into foods and drinks for UTIs, let’s cover some basics:

UTI Symptoms

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are typically more common in women, but anyone can experience them. If you suspect you have a UTI, monitor for these symptoms:

• Strong, persistent urge to pee
• Burning sensation when urinating
• Passing frequent, small amounts of urine
• Nausea
• Cloudy urine
• Red, pink, or cola-colored urine (signs of blood in the urine)
• Foul-smelling urine
• Pain and pressure within the abdomen
• Pain during intercourse
• Fever and chills
• Pelvic pain, in women (around the center of the pelvis and around the pubic bone)

UTI Treatment

UTIs aren’t fun for anyone and the symptoms can worsen over time if left untreated. If you suspect you have a UTI and are experiencing any of the aforementioned symptoms, don’t suffer in silence. Reach out to a qualified medical provider like DispatchHealth as soon as possible to avoid any exacerbations.

In many cases, doctors will prescribe antibiotics to treat a UTI. In addition to following the care plan provided by your physician, sticking to a certain diet can help you manage those uncomfortable UTI symptoms and speed the healing process at home. With that in mind, DispatchHealth has put together a helpful guide on what to eat/drink (and what to avoid) with a UTI.

What to Drink for a UTI

Can you treat a UTI by drinking cranberry juice? The answer behind the infamous cranberry juice cure is mixed. In some clinical studies (primarily with women), the consumption of pure cranberry juice, cranberry extracts, or cranberry supplements helped reduce the risk of repeated UTIs. In any case, however, the benefit to drinking cranberry juice for a UTI is small. So, what should you drink for a UTI instead? Water is by far the best beverage choice for someone with a UTI. Drinking at least 12 8-ounce cups of water each day while you have an infection will help flush the bacteria from your system and can speed up the healing process.

Foods to Eat for a UTI

In order to recover from a UTI as soon as possible, you may want to try consuming the following foods:

• Berries. Although researchers are still studying their effectiveness, it’s believed that eating cranberries, blueberries, and raspberries can help fight off a UTI. They contain proanthocyanidin, which has been shown to prevent infection-causing bacteria from adhering to the lining of the urinary tract.
• Probiotic-rich foods. Try incorporating foods like plain Greek yogurt, pickles, and sauerkraut into your diet, since they contain good bacteria that can help combat an infection.
• High-fiber foods. Foods that are high in fiber—such as bananas, beans, lentils, nuts, oats, and other whole grains—can help remove harmful bacteria from your body. They also encourage regular bowel movements, which can help relieve some bladder pressure.
• Salmon. Cold-water fish contain omega-3 fatty acids, which can help reduce inflammation caused by a UTI. Fish oil supplements are another great alternative for individuals who don’t eat fish; always consult your doctor before adding any supplements to your diet.

Things to Avoid: Sugar & UTIs

Adjusting your diet for a UTI involves more than introducing certain foods and drinks; it also means abstaining from things. Not sure where to start? Here’s a simple rule of thumb to follow: Avoid sugar for a UTI. Sugar is laced in an overwhelming amount of commercial foods and drinks these days. Unfortunately, it can also aggravate an infection. To cut back on these sugary delights and boost your care plan for a UTI, avoid:

• Carbohydrates
• Soda
• Alcohol (beer, wine, and liquor)
• Artificial sweeteners 

Although there’s no evidence that artificial sweeteners can worsen a UTI, they have been shown to exacerbate bladder symptoms for individuals with chronic interstitial cystitis, so you may want to avoid them. Other foods and beverages to avoid with a UTI include:

• Spicy foods. Certain spicy foods can irritate the bladder. Instead, try sticking to a bland diet—like the “BRAT” diet—when you have a UTI. 
• Citrus. Although they’re high in immunity-boosting vitamin C, highly acidic fruits like oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruits can irritate your bladder and aggravate UTI symptoms.
• Caffeinated drinks. It’s important to stay hydrated when you have a UTI, but stay away from coffee and other caffeinated beverages. When in doubt, choose water!

At-Home Treatment for UTIs

Did you know that getting treatment for a UTI doesn’t have to require a visit to a doctor’s office or even an urgent care clinic? Thanks to DispatchHealth’s in-home service, you can receive the on-demand acute care you need without leaving the house. Within a few hours of requesting service, one of our teams will come directly to your home, perform an examination, and recommend an appropriate course of treatment, all for an affordable price. We’ve partnered with leading health insurance providers—including Medicare and Medicaid—to ensure that your care is covered under your current plan. And we also offer an affordable flat rate for individuals without insurance.

Contact DispatchHealth today to arrange a visit—you can do so over the phone, through our mobile app, or on our website. We look forward to providing you with the relief you need.

Sources

DispatchHealth relies only on authoritative sources, including medical associations, research institutions, and peer-reviewed medical studies.

Sources referenced in this article:

1. https://www.eehealth.org/blog/2019/05/what-to-eat-during-a-uti
2. https://www.everydayhealth.com/urinary-tract-infections-pictures/foods-and-drinks-that-may-irritate-your-bladder-1028.aspx
3. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/urinary-tract-infection/symptoms-causes/syc-20353447
4. https://nortonhealthcare. com/news/5-power-foods-for-better-urinary-health/
5. https://www.yinovacenter.com/blog/eat-to-beat-urinary-tract-infection

Can Essential Oils Help To Safely Get Rid of UTIs?

Not another urinary tract infection! Anyone who’s ever gotten a urinary tract infection (UTI) — and that’s most women — know how irritating and perilous it can be. Some of us are also prone to recurrent UTIs, where infections keep coming.

Fortunately, there are steps you can take to keep UTIs at bay.

One of them is aromatherapy, or using high-quality essential oils to aid your body and mind. If you’re prone to UTIs or are actively battling an infection, it can be helpful to use oils in a supportive way, says Heidi Chesla, a medical aromatherapy specialist in and around Baltimore and an instructor to physicians at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

Symptoms of UTIs

The all-too-common condition of a UTI happens when bacteria typically found around the anus migrates into the sterile urethra (the tube where pee flows out) or bladder and starts to multiply.

Symptoms include a burning sensation (especially while urinating), the need to pee frequently, the urge to go even if you’ve just emptied your bladder, cloudy or bloody urine, and pain or pressure in your lower abdomen.

RELATED: Urinary Tract Infections (UTI) Symptoms

See a Doctor for Needed Drugs to Treat Infection

UTIs are potentially dangerous, because if the bacteria migrate further upwards, they can enter your kidneys and cause a serious infection there. For this reason, Chesla recommends that when you have a UTI you see your physician to get it treated.

Treatment for UTIs typically involve a short course of oral antibiotics, such as trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole (Bactrim, Septra).

Your doctor can also instruct you how to best prevent recurrent UTIs. For example, people should stay well hydrated, urinate before and after sex, and women should always wipe from front to back (and even use different sheets of toilet paper for each side).

RELATED: Herbal Remedies for Natural Pain Relief

Fact or Myth: UTIs Can Be Treated With Essential Oils

Essential oils can be used to both support healing and make you feel better when you have a UTI. “You don’t want to use them in place of a drug,” Chesla says. But essential oils are uniquely helpful because chemical constituents within the aromatic oils create physiological responses in the body, and because “there’s a direct connection with the sense of smell and the limbic system in the brain, where your emotions arise,” she says.

Essential oils have not been scientifically studied for UTIs. However, some small studies have shown they can help battle other types of bacterial infections. For example, a review published in December 2019 in Complementary Therapies in Medicine on topical aromatherapy for the skin infection MRSA found significantly lower level of new MRSA emergence compared to routine care.

RELATED: All You Need to Know About Essential Oils and Cancer

How Is Aromatherapy Used?

Aromatherapy uses quality essential oils that are cold-pressed or steam-distilled from plants to support your mind and your body, according to the National Cancer Institute. The oils can come from a plant’s leaves, bark, or peel. Different plants have different oils that have varying effects on the mind and the body.

Essential oils can be inhaled, massaged into the body, rubbed onto the skin, or put in a bath. If you do rub them directly onto your skin, you’ll want to dilute them in a carrier oil, such as fractionated coconut oil (Chesla’s favorite), almond oil, or avocado oil.

Using essential oils if you are prone to UTIs can support your body and help you feel better, Chesla says.

Is Aromatherapy Safe?

Using essential oils, ideally in conjunction with your physician, is very safe, Chesla says. Sometimes, an allergic reaction or skin irritation or rash can occur, especially if you put the oil directly on your skin. This is why experts advise that you dilute the oils with a carrier oil before massaging them into your skin.

You also don’t want to swallow essential oils, because this increases the chances of an allergic or other negative reaction.

The safety of essential oils, not to mention their effectiveness, holds only when you use high-quality, pure and natural products, she says. “Most of what’s on the market as essential oil actually have synthetic ingredients, some of which can be irritating. People need to be aware of that and stay away from these,” Chesla cautions.

Since essential oils are not considered to be drugs by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the products are not regulated by the FDA. Therefore, it is crucial that you buy oils from a manufacturer who is concerned about quality.

It’s up to each person to take care about where they get their oils from. This might mean paying a little more, since cheap oils are unlikely to be of high enough quality to give you the results you want, Chesla says.

Related: Vegetarian Diet Linked to Lowered Risk of Urinary Tract Infection

Look for Companies That Test Essential Oil Quality

The best companies hire an independent third party to test each batch of oil as it is made. The tests they perform are called gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) reports. They show how much of each bioactive compound is present in the oil.

Also, because oils can degrade over time, good manufacturers also print an expiration date on the label, Chesla says.

The results of these tests should be made available to you, either on the company’s website or sent to you if you phone and ask. Chesla recommends that you take the report to your doctor, who should recognize the chemical components. That way if there are any concerns with interactions with other medicines you might be taking, your doctor will be informed.

The Best Essential Oil Blends to Prevent UTIs

If you’re wondering how to use essential oils for UTIs, the best approach is to apply them to the areas of your body most affected, Chesla says.

People prone to recurrent UTIs can try to stave them off by applying a blend of oils to the skin of their lower abdomen and lower back, she says. You’ll want to mix the oils into a carrier oil before you do this.

The blend Chesla recommends are a few drops, in equal parts, of the essential oils cypress (Cupressus sempervirens), juniper berry (Juniperus communis), and cedarwood (Juniperus virginiana). The cypress and juniper berry help to move fluid through your system, while the cedarwood helps kill germs. Rub a small amount of the blend onto your lower abdomen and lower back twice each day, in the morning when you wake up and two hours before bed. (You don’t want fluid moving through you — making you need to pee — too close to bedtime.)

Aromatherapy When You’re Battling an Active UTI

If you have an active infection and are working with your physician to combat it, aromatherapy can assist these medical efforts, Chesla says.

You can continue using the same blend as you use for prevention, but add a few extra drops of cedarwood. Tea tree oil (Melaleuca) can also battle bacteria, so you can substitute this for the cedarwood if you desire. You’ll need to source this oil extremely carefully, though, because so much of what is sold as tea tree oil is actually synthetic, Chesla says.

Chesla also recommends supporting your painful abdomen by massing it with a blend of equal parts clary sage (Salvia sclarea), geranium (Pelargonium graveolens), and lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), again mixed into a carrier oil. Clary sage can have anti-spasmodic effects, while the others are said to induce calm.

Lowering Stress Can Help With UTIs

Stress plays a role in so many of our bodily conditions, so it’s not surprising it may be involved with recurrent UTIs. A review published in February 2017 in Current Opinion in Urology points to this potential link between emotional stress and bladder symptom.

Here, too, aromatherapy may help, because soothing scents can calm the stress response down, Clesla says. Good oils for de-stressing include lavender, sandalwood, and vetiver, alone or in combination.

Find an Aromatherapy Practitioner

You can locate a certified aromatherapist near you on the websites of two national organizations, the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy and the Alliance of International Aromatherapists.

Or you can buy oils directly from an online company or from a store that sells quality brands. Be sure to buy only from companies that carefully source and test their products.

10 Foods Your Bladder Will Fall in Love With

If you have a sensitive bladder, you will not have to miss out on tasty foods this fall. The key is to know which foods are more likely to irritate your bladder and which ones are more likely to soothe. In general, you will want to avoid coffee, alcohol, citrus fruits, tomato-based products, artificial sweeteners and spicy foods. Read on to learn about 10 bladder-friendly foods.

1. Pears. They are good fall fruits that generally begin to ripen in September and sometimes October depending on the region. Pears are a good source of fiber and about 100 calories per serving. 
2. Bananas. Typically available in grocery stores year-round, bananas are great as snacks, toppings for cereals or in smoothies. 
3. Green beans. At about 31 calories per 1-cup serving, green beans will add some color to your plate. You can eat them raw, add them to salads or roast them with a little olive oil.
4. Winter squash. Do not let the name fool you. Winter squash are available in both fall and winter. Squash varieties include acorn, butternut and spaghetti. 
5. Potatoes. Need a bladder-friendly comfort food when the weather cools down? Try white potatoes or sweet potatoes (yams). 
6. Lean proteins. Examples include low-fat beef, pork, chicken, turkey and fish. Especially when baked, steamed or broiled, they are unlikely to bother your bladder. 
7. Whole grains. Quinoa, rice and oats are just a few examples of whole grains. They come in many varieties and are generally not expensive.
8. Breads. Overall, breads are bladder-friendly and a nice addition to meals. Bread is also great for delicious turkey sandwiches after Thanksgiving.
9. Nuts. Almonds, cashews and peanuts are healthy snacks and rich in protein. 
10. Eggs. Also rich in protein, eggs are on several lists as one of the “least bothersome” foods for bladder conditions. 

7 Foods That Stop UTIs In Their Tracks

Urinary tract infections, or UTIs, are infections of the kidneys, bladder, and urethra. These infections are 10 times more common among women than men, with more than half of women experiencing a UTI at least once in their lifetime. Most of the time, a doctor will prescribe antibiotics to treat these infections. For some patients, though, a UTI will recur within 6 months of the initial episode. In these cases, complementary treatment may be necessary, including a diet rich in antioxidants and polyphenols. Let’s look at 7 of the best foods to add to your diet to combat frequent UTIs.

1) Water

Water is one of the best and simplest ways to treat a UTI and to prevent future infections. Among other health benefits, drinking sufficient water can help flush out the harmful bacteria setting up camp in your bladder.

2) Blueberries

Blueberries are packed with those antioxidants and polyphenols that help your body fight infections. They also prevent bacteria from binding to cells in the urinary tract, and boost your immune system. Add blueberries to smoothies and desserts or eat them whole.

3) Dark Chocolate

Dark Chocolate is another snack that is rich in antioxidants. It’s lower in sugar than milk chocolate, but it’s still chocolate, so use it sparingly.

4) Garlic

Garlic is often touted as a natural antibiotic. Raw garlic is best, but you can try garlic tea if you don’t feel like eating a garlic clove. Or you can add it to a vegetable smoothie for an extra boost.

5) Cranberry

Cranberry is the most commonly recommended UTI remedy, but it doesn’t work the way you think it does. Rather than curing the infection, it works to prevent bacteria from attaching to the bladder and worsening the infection.

7) Hibiscus

If we can include water and omega-3s in a list of food-based remedies, herbs (or to be more specific, flowers) can be included too. Hibiscus is one of the best known anti-UTI herbs. Drink it as tea or take it in pill form like Harmony (Amazon), which combines hibiscus with the beneficial D-mannose sugar from cranberries.

6) Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Omega 3 will address certain nutrient deficiencies that may be weakening your immune system. They will also help reduce inflammation and ease irritation. Find Omega 3 fats in cold water fish like salmon, or use fish oil supplements like Viva Naturals Triple Strength (Amazon).

While you’re recovering from a UTI, be sure to avoid foods and beverages high in sugar and/or acid. Orange or tomato juice, soda and sugary juices, and sweet junk food can prolong the infection and even make it worse. If symptoms don’t get better after a week, visit Christian Health Centers for patient-focused, affordable healthcare.

10 Diet Changes Your Bladder Will Love

Whether you are living with incontinence or caring for a child or parent who is, diet is a key factor in promoting a healthy bladder that often goes overlooked. While abs may be made in the kitchen, the same goes for incontinence – what you eat and drink, and what you don’t, directly affects your bladder.

If you’re wondering how to calm an irritated bladder, you’ve come to the right place. And don’t worry, you won’t have to give up all of the good stuff – we’ve included some tasty snack and meal ideas you can easily add into your weekly grocery haul.

1. Stay Hydrated

Staying hydrated is one of the most important steps you can take to improve your bladder health, unfortunately it’s also one of the most overlooked. It may seem counterintuitive to drink more fluids if you are living with incontinence, however reducing water intake can actually increase the incidence of incontinence. Drinking less water may initially decrease the need to urinate but ultimately increases the risk for urinary tract infections (UTIs), which in turn, increases the frequency with which you need to urinate.

2. Eat More (Healthy) Carbs

Who doesn’t love hearing to eat more carbs? (Just make sure they’re the healthy ones) Filling your diet with foods high in whole grains such as oatmeal, whole grain breads, and cereal and brown rice will help to keep your bladder and bowel movements regular.

Recipe Tip – Mix in fruits and nuts with your oatmeal for a tasty, filling breakfast.

3. Increase Your Fiber Intake

Eating more fiber-rich foods is one of the tastiest tips for promoting bladder health. Fiber is an essential part of an effective overactive bladder diet, and can be found in an array of foods from the beans and lentil family as well as some of the whole grain foods you’ve already added to your grocery list.

Recipe Tip – Black beans are a great addition to many of your existing meals. Love eating a quesadilla? Add black beans to your chicken quesadilla for a meal packed with fiber – extra points for making it on a whole grain wrap! Do you crave pasta? Try lentil pasta for your next spaghetti night – you won’t even notice the difference!

4. Go Bananas for Fruit!

We’ve all heard that cranberries and cranberry juice are great for bladder health – don’t forget about the other tasty fruits and fruit juices that also help to improve bladder function.  Apples, bananas, berries (strawberries, blueberries) and pears are all healthy, filling snacks that are also high in fiber.

Recipe Tip – Smoothies are a great way to get a wide variety of nutrients into one tasty drink. Mix in a banana, berries, spinach (you won’t even taste it!), oats and a bit of apple juice for the ultimate bladder health smoothie!

5.

But Avoid Citrus

Citrus fruits (and juices) such as oranges and pineapples are on the list of foods  to avoid with overactive bladder. These fruits are high in acid and have been known to cause bladder irritation. Tomatoes (which are also a fruit!) are also high in acidity and should be avoided.

Recipe Tip – If you love tomato sauce on your (lentil) pasta, try swapping it out for a lighter sauce made of olive oil, garlic, oregano and feta.

6. Eat Your Veggies!

Adding more vegetables to your diet is great for many reasons – one of which is improved bladder health. Vegetables such as kale and cauliflower are high in vitamin C and calcium to support kidney function while corn and potatoes are high in magnesium which help your bladder to fully empty.

Recipe Tip – Get an air fryer! Air fryers are a great way to add tasty, crispy veggies to any meal. Grab your veggies (sweet potatoes, green beans, asparagus), toss with some light olive oil and garlic and you’re ready to go!

7.

Cut Back on Caffeine

We had to get to the areas to avoid at some point. Foods and drinks high in caffeine often act as diuretics, which encourage the release of water in urine – meaning you’ll have increased urges to visit the bathroom. Going cold turkey on all caffeine can be rough – go for small changes at first such as swapping out your afternoon coffee with an herbal tea. Be sure to also avoid all caffeine after 7 p.m. – this will help limit the urge to get up at night to visit the bathroom.

8. Go Easy on the Alcohol

Among beverages to avoid, alcohol falls near the top of the list.  Similar to drinks high in caffeine, alcohol also acts as a diuretic and will increase your urine production. While drinking alcohol,  you may also be less aware of your urge to use the restroom, causing an increased risk of leakage or accidents.

9.

Be Mindful of Dairy

While vitamin D is actually great for bladder health, lactose is a pain point for many individuals. Food and drinks high in lactose can cause loose stool and may irritate the colon. Opt for dairy-free alternatives that are high in vitamin D such as eggs, almond milk and salmon.

Recipe Tip – Love to cook but many of your favorite recipes require whole milk? Swap out milk for almond or soy milk – you won’t even notice the difference! Vanilla almond milk is also great for adding extra flavor to your oatmeal or whole grain cereal.

10. Cool It on Spicy Foods

Spicy foods may taste great but as many of us have experienced, they often lead to an upset stomach. Similar to caffeine, spicy foods work to  irritate the lining of the bladder causing an increased urgency to rush to the bathroom. If you love spice, you don’t have to entirely eliminate it from your diet, but do your best to cut back on foods such as spicy mexican dishes, hot wings, and horseradish. While there is no direct cure for incontinence, updating your daily diet to include just some of these tips will drastically help to improve your bladder health. Weight loss, one of the best ways to positively affect your incontinence, may also be an added benefit to the food swaps listed above.

Urinary Tract Infections: Foods that fight bacteria

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Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) affect millions of people every year. They occur when bacteria infects our urinary tract, causing unpleasant and sometimes painful side effects.

Although UTIs are traditionally treated with antibiotics, alongside this course of treatment there are also many at-home nutritional strategies available to help treat infections – and prevent them from reoccurring!

If you’re suffering from, or you’ve recently had, a UTI, then try out these top tips for keeping the infection at bay.

1. Increase your vitamin C intake

Evidence from John Hopkins Medicine has shown that your vitamin C intake can be linked to a reduced risk of UTIs.

Vitamin C is thought to work by increasing the acidity of the urine, thereby killing off the bacteria that causes infection. In fact, a study by Universidad de Colima in Mexico found that pregnant women who ingested 100mg of vitamin C a day (which is about 2 oranges!) cut their risk of contracting a UTI by more than half.

Stock up on fruit and vegetables if you’re looking to up your vitamin C intake – oranges, grapefruits, kiwis and red peppers are all great sources.

1. Incorporate more probiotic foods into your diet

Probiotics are beneficial microorganisms that are consumed through food or supplements, and they’ve been found to promote a healthy balance of bacteria in our guts.

The most common probiotic strain, Lactobacillus, was found to increase UTI prevention in women, whilst another study found that a person’s increased intake of probiotics, alongside their prescribed antibiotics, reduced the risk of recurrent UTIs.

In addition to this, whilst antibiotics do a great job of fighting off infections in the body, they can disturb and upset our gut bacteria. One study found that increasing our probiotic intake after a course of antibiotics helped restore healthy levels of gut bacteria, allowing our bodies to continue fighting off infection and other illnesses effectively.

You can take probiotics as a supplement, or incorporate certain foods into your diet that are rich in probiotics. Fermented foods, such as kefir, kimchi, and probiotic yogurt are all good sources, and so are dark, leafy vegetables (like spinach and kale) and mushrooms.

1. Take supplements (alongside a well-balanced diet)

There are other supplements you can take to help you battle regular UTIs:

• Garlic extract has been found to have antimicrobial properties. One study has noted that this may contribute to preventing UTIs by blocking bacteria growth.
• Cranberry extract can prevent bacteria from settling in the urinary tract, and the formation of a UTI.
• D-Mannose is a type of sugar that is naturally produced in cranberries, and it has been linked to both treating and preventing UTIs.

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This is the Ideal Diet For Dogs With UTIs

For dog owners, there is nothing more heartbreaking than realizing that your canine companion has been fighting a sickness for weeks without you knowing. Sadly, urinary tract infections are an infection that can cause discomfort for sometime before signs and symptoms come to light. Regardless, if your pet has been diagnosed with one or more UTIs or you are simply a concerned pet owner who wants to prevent them occurring, there is hope! Studies have shown that a specific diet will help your dog from dealing with recurring UTIs; read on to learn how easy it can be to implement!

A urinary tract infection is able to occur anywhere in the urinary tract, and they often spring up while your canine’s immune system is already busy fighting other illnesses. Typically, UTIs are birthed by a particular strain of bacteria called E. Coli that collects on the exterior of the urinary tract and then moves inward, sometimes as far as the bladder or kidneys. Depending on how deeply the bacteria populates the bladder or kidneys, this can create serious ramifications like kidney stones. These are crystals that form in the urine and allow even more bacteria to gather, exacerbating the initial issue.

Almost every sign or symptom of a urinary tract infection is a painful experience for your pup; be vigilant in observing your pet and bringing them to the veterinarian for official diagnosis and treatment.

Some of the most commonly occurring symptoms of UTIs in the lower urinary tract are:

• straining to urinate
• more frequent attempts at urination
• accidents after a history of being housetrained
• excessive licking
• bloody urine
• and extremely odorous or discolored urine.

For more intense upper urinary tract UTIs that have moved beyond the bladder and into the kidneys:

• you may observe that your dog’s appetite is being affected to the point of vomiting or losing weight.
• UTI may cause your dog to become extremely lethargic, feverish, and have a tender or painful abdomen when untreated.

If your pet is exhibiting signs of either an upper or lower urinary tract infection, it is essential to get them to a care provider as soon as possible. While UTIs are generally fairly common for female dogs to experience, they often can be life-threatening for male dogs.

It is important to note that once the E.Coli bacteria has been hosted by your dog, the chances of a recurring infection are significantly higher. So how can you reduce the likelihood of your pet contracting a UTI in the first place, and prevent a recurring infection? 

Studies have revealed that cereal heavy diets are shown to increase alkaline levels in the urine, enablingenable the perfect environment for strains of bacteria like E. Coli to thrive and crystalize. Cereals and other grains also cause inflammation and other issues that contribute to strain on the body and immune systems. With the Volhard diet you can control how alkaline or acidic the diet needs to be. Volhard tested their diets and other ingredients for pH- so watch for this video to be released online soon!

The best diet to prevent UTIs is a raw food diet, full of whole foods that contain B12 vitamins, Vitamin C and minerals that will support your dog’s immune system. Vitamin C can only do its work when biologically available and not synthetic essential amino acids are present in every meal the dog gets. Supplementation with B vitamins and antioxidants in times of stress, as well as offering cooling foods such as raw fruits, vegetables, and yogurt to reduce the symptoms of urinary tract infection. Foods that are known to aggravate UTIs include asparagus, spinach, raw carrots, tomatoes, and dairy products.

Additionally, one of the largest determining factors in your dog’s ability to fight off UTIs will be their hydration levels. If your dog eats 100% dry food all day you are counting on them to drink enough water to stay hydrated. Providing them a hydrated diet is a sure way to make sure their water intake is sufficient to flush the kidneys and ureters.

If you find yourself suspecting a urinary tract infection in your dog, speak to your veterinarian about your dog’s diet. It may be enough to simply increase their water intake, and to switch over to a minimally processed, whole food, fresh, hydrated diet with fresh meat. Ensure that you are avoiding dog foods that have a carbohydrate filler and are 100% processed. Protein-heavy diet we are describing has fresh meat and it will be the primary ingredient. A diet that leads with protein will increase the acid levels in the urine, which creates a hostile environment for unhealthy and unwanted bacterias. 

No matter what you feed you should make sure that your dog is getting a significant amount of Omega 3’s, which is a fatty acid that is an extremely important factor in a thriving and ready-for-battle immune system. Omega 3’s are found in high quality fish and flaxseed oils. Raw food diets also contain certain types of live digestive enzymes and live probiotics which are microbiome supporting nutrients unable to be found in any other type of diet. There are no live probiotics in dry food or it would have to be refrigerated to keep them alive.

By implementing a nutritionally balanced, fresh, natural diet with raw protein, you will set your dog up for a healthy immune system and a urinary tract that is not disposed to infections or hosting hostile bacteria. 

90,000 Sexually transmitted infections – Medical Center Altamed-C

What sick and healthy people need to know about sexually transmitted infections (STIs)

Diagnostics of genital infections over the past decade has stepped forward. In this regard, all of humanity started talking about sexually transmitted diseases. As is often the case, they quickly became overgrown with so many rumors and fictions that it became very difficult to find and find out the truth in a heap of information about them.

In this section, we will talk about the majority of latent genital infections – gonorrhea, chlamydia, trichomoniasis, myco- and ureaplasmosis, gardnerellosis.We will try to tell as truthfully and objectively as possible about the features of these diseases, their symptoms, ways of transmission, diagnosis and treatment.

How STIs get infected

As the name implies, the causative agents of this group of diseases are sexually transmitted. Sexual transmission includes not only classical sexual intercourse between a man and a woman, but also oral-genital, and anal, and oro-anal intercourse. For oral sex, it does not matter “who does it to whom”, infection is possible in any scenario.In group sex, partners can become infected from each other through the use of the same condom.

The likelihood of transmission of infection with different types of sexual activity is somewhat different, but this does not matter much, since in any case the risk of infection is quite high.

Asexual transmission of STIs is extremely unlikely. In fact, only one non-sexual route of transmission matters – a pregnant woman infects her child with them during childbirth.

None of the pathogens of a sexually transmitted disease is transmitted by kissing, using shared linen, towels, bathtubs, swimming pool , etc.p.

STI Prevention

Condom

The condom is considered the classic method of preventing STDs. The vast majority of people are convinced that consistent condom use solves all problems at once. Unfortunately, this is not entirely true.

The reliability of a condom as a means of preventing sexually transmitted infections is 90%. At any time, a microcrack may appear on the condom, through which infection will occur. This crack can only be seen under a microscope.

In addition, cases of slippage of condoms are not uncommon, mainly when the size is incorrectly selected or when it is used incorrectly.

In addition, although there are special condoms for the tongue and something like a film for various options for oral sex, they are not widely used and there are hardly many people who use such means all the time. Meanwhile, the causative agents of STIs, as already mentioned, are transmitted through oral sex.

In a word, the use of a condom is completely justified and absolutely necessary in case of casual sexual intercourse and short love affairs.Meanwhile, with regular sex life, from the point of view of STI prevention, it does not matter at all whether a condom is used or not, in any case, every 10 sexual contact can be considered unprotected, and if there are infections, they will certainly be transmitted.

Antiseptics

The use of antiseptic solutions is another type of prevention of sexually transmitted infections. For this purpose, both the simplest means are used – solutions of potassium permanganate, medical alcohol, and special preparations – miramistin, chlorhexidine and analogs .

The external genitals are treated with these solutions, the mouth and throat are caressed, and they are introduced into the urethra, into the vagina or into the rectum after intercourse. However, when the solution is injected into the urethra, the mucous membrane of the urethra and its valve apparatus can be injured, which is fraught with complications.

The preventive effect of antiseptics is less than that of a condom, and amounts to about 50–70%. It’s not much, but it’s still better than nothing. In addition, with oral sex, as we have already said, they are practically the only way to avoid infection.

The means that somewhat reduce the likelihood of contracting STIs also include vaginal spermicides, artificial lubricants with an antiseptic or spermicidal effect, and various gynecological suppositories. All of these drugs can kill a certain amount of bacteria, as a result of which the likelihood of their transmission through sexual contact is somewhat reduced. On the other hand, one cannot seriously count on this.

Antiseptics, spermicides and all the other drugs mentioned can be used quite effectively to prevent STIs from contracting at the same time as a condom.But they are in no way suitable for this purpose on their own, both for casual short-term relationships, and for regular sexual activity.

Prophylactic antibiotics

Preventive use of antibacterial drugs makes sense only in one situation – if, within a maximum of two days after sexual intercourse, it turns out that the partner is sick with some specific disease. At the same time, there is no doubt about the name of the disease and the very fact of its presence. In this situation, it makes sense to take an antibiotic under the supervision of a doctor to prevent the development of this infection.After that, two weeks later, a control analysis is done by PCR with full preparation.

In any other situation, prophylactic antibiotics do not make sense. If you don’t know or be sure of the name of the disease, there will be far more harm than good from taking medication. The causative agents of different STIs are sensitive to different drugs. Taking medications to prevent them all is almost the same as using a guillotine for a headache.

So how can you avoid getting an STD?

In response to this question, it would be appropriate to recall a joke – the most reliable remedy for a venereal disease is a glass of water … instead of sexual intercourse.

Any form of sexual activity (with the exception of masturbation) is associated with the risk of contracting STIs. It will not work to be 100% secure, no matter what they do. But you can significantly reduce your chances of getting infected by living a regular life with a long-term sexual partner whom you fully trust.

STI symptoms

The incubation period of for almost any sexually transmitted disease ranges from 1-2 days to a week. After this period, a man has symptoms of urethritis, expressed in varying degrees (burning, stinging during urination and discharge), in women – urethritis and colpitis (burning when urinating, vaginal discharge).

If infection occurs through oral sex, angina often develops. If infected during anal sex, proctitis, an inflammation of the rectum, may develop. But after a few days, the bacterium will spread throughout the body, linger on the genitals and cause inflammation.

But often the symptoms of STIs are very minor, so much so that the person does not pay attention to them. Even more often, there are no symptoms at all. A person becomes a carrier of infection.

Even with pronounced signs of the disease after a few days, a maximum of a week or two, they significantly weaken or disappear. Most people who have not gone to the doctor before this moment calm down and forget about everything that happened.

But the pathogen has not disappeared from the body. From this moment on, he is like a time bomb, and no one can predict when and how he will manifest himself. Most chronic inflammatory diseases of the genitourinary organs begin this way.

All the time, starting from the moment of infection with a genital infection and regardless of the severity of symptoms, a person will be dangerous to all his partners, and will spread the disease further and further.

Complications of STIs

Some time after infection, and it can be weeks, and maybe years or even decades, complications of the disease develop.

For men, the most serious complication of genital infection is prostatitis – inflammation of the prostate gland.

The development of prostatitis can be manifested by the appearance of pain or discomfort in the perineum, but most often it is not noticed by a man. The danger of the situation lies in the fact that the genital infection penetrates the gland very deeply, and the peculiarities of the structure and blood supply of the prostate make it extremely difficult for the accumulation of effective concentrations of antibiotics in the deep tissues of the prostate gland. This greatly complicates the treatment of the disease, and the prostate gland at the same time becomes the main receptacle of the infection, from which it spreads and infects all organs of the small pelvis.

Read more about these processes in the materials on chronic prostatitis published on the site.

In women, genital infections are associated with another problem. Getting into and developing in the vagina, these bacteria always cause disruption of the normal microflora of the vagina . As a result, in addition to genital infections, opportunistic bacteria also develop, which often cause endometritis, adnexitis, cystitis and other inflammatory diseases. In this case, the treatment of a genital infection often provokes an exacerbation of another disease.

STI diagnostics

There are many methods for identifying the causative agents of STDs, in principle they can be divided into several groups.

Microscopic Methods

The first group – microscopy of discharge from the urethra, mucous plug of the cervical canal, epithelium of the vaginal wall, urethra, etc., everything that is simply called a “smear”. This method can detect gonococci and Trichomonas, sometimes experienced doctors using special methods determine chlamydia and ureaplasma, gardnerella is visible in large numbers, but no more.

The advantages of the method are its simplicity, speed, low cost. The disadvantage is low information content. With microscopy, it is easy to confuse one pathogen with another, and even easier not to see it at all or to take something else for it. In many ways, the value of the method depends on the experience of the laboratory assistant, but the final diagnosis, based only on the results of microscopy, can never be made.

Blood tests

The second group of methods is associated with blood tests .There are various methods aimed at identifying the causative agent of STIs or its “traces” (antigens or antibodies) in human blood. The methods are not cheap, but the test results are accurate and come quickly.

These analyzes should always be done in controversial or unclear cases, as well as to monitor the dynamics of the course of the disease, but it is hardly reasonable to start diagnostics with them. First, it takes a lot of time from the moment of infection for antigens or antibodies to pathogens to be in the blood, at least 2 weeks or a month.Secondly, the “traces” of infections are not always specific. The antibodies to chlamydia found in the blood are not necessarily associated with pathogenic chlamidia trachomatis, they could have formed when a pulmonary form of chlamydia, harmless to humans, entered the body.

In addition, a small amount of bacteria in the body, which does not cause inflammation, does not cause the appearance of antigens and antibodies in the blood. As a result, the analysis comes negative, while there are bacteria in the body.

Cultural methods

The third group of diagnostic methods is cultural methods, or crops .The meaning of these research methods is as follows. The test material (usually discharge or scrapings from the urethra or vagina) is applied to a nutrient medium for microorganisms. A day later, a colony of microorganisms grows on it. By the appearance, color, shape and consistency of this colony, it is possible to accurately identify the pathogen, as well as to determine its sensitivity to various antibiotics.

I had to hear from both patients and colleagues the phrase – “the accuracy of cultural research methods is 100%.”Unfortunately, this is not entirely true. Indeed, if by this method it was possible to identify the causative agent of STIs, then we can certainly say that it is in the patient’s body. But if the pathogen could not be identified, this carries almost no diagnostic information. Perhaps it is not in the body. And it is possible that it exists, but there is not much of it. In order for bacteria to grow on a nutrient medium, a sufficiently large number of them is required. But the disease exists, even if only one bacterium lives in the body.In this case, it cannot be detected by this method.

The cultural method for diagnosing STIs can sometimes provide invaluable information. This is especially true in cases of repeated ineffective treatment of the disease. But this method should be applied strictly according to certain indications, especially in the light of the fact that its cost is rather big, and the execution time is quite long.

DNA diagnostics

Finally, the fourth group of methods for laboratory diagnostics of STDs is the so-called DNA diagnostics.These methods are based on the detection of microorganism DNA in the test material. They should not be confused with DNA diagnostics of a person, which is carried out to determine kinship or various genetic diseases, all this has nothing to do with our conversation.

The most common method of DNA diagnostics is polymerase chain reaction (PCR) . Under the influence of a number of reagents, the DNA of the pathogen increases many times and becomes noticeable for the equipment carrying out diagnostics.It is enough to be only a few pathogens in a test tube for the test to give a positive result. The accuracy of the PCR method today is 97% – the highest accuracy compared to microscopy, which cannot always give the correct answer even by 60%.

In fact, today only PCR can be a reliable method for the qualitative diagnosis of genital infections. Regardless of which institution you turned to to be checked, I recommend insisting on a PCR analysis, and if you are denied this, it is better to go to another place.

Unfortunately, you have to pay for all good things, and the PCR test for genital infections is no exception.

Preparation for analysis

If we are talking about the acute form of the disease, there are no questions – there are so many pathogens that it will not be possible to detect them by any method of labor. But much more often you have to do tests for a person who is not worried about anything or almost nothing. In such cases, if there are genital infections in the body, then in small quantities, and there is always a risk that not a single bacteria will get into the test tube that is sent for analysis.

Special training is being undertaken to maximize the number of suspected bacteria. It is not so difficult, but it greatly improves the diagnostic accuracy.

4-5 days of sexual abstinence . During this time, bacteria have time to accumulate in large quantities in men in the prostate gland, in women in the vagina.

Do not urinate for 2-3 hours before testing . The stream of urine washes away most of the bacteria from the urethra, so urinating before testing reduces the accuracy of the test.

Provocation on the eve of the analysis . Provocation is necessary in order to slightly reduce the body’s immunity, increase inflammation in the urogenital organs and thus increase the number of bacteria in the body. The easiest and most reliable way of provocation is alimentary provocation. It implies the consumption of alcohol and spicy food on the eve of the analysis (a classic example is two bottles of beer and two salty roaches).

For women, if possible, an STI test should be done immediately after menstruation , when minor spotting remains.This is usually 4-5 days of the cycle.

STI treatment

The final choice of treatment methods always remains with the doctor, in this you will have to completely trust him. You should not prescribe treatment yourself – there are too many different points that only a professional can take into account. You will only waste your time and health. I will dwell on just a few important points that the patient needs to remember.

Antibiotic therapy

Sexual infections can be effectively treated with antibiotics only.All other treatments are practically ineffective. Only in special cases does it make sense to treat STIs without antibiotics, for example, with a massive allergic reaction or liver problems.

Each genital infection is sensitive to certain groups of antibiotics. This sensitivity is fairly standard, and if we are talking about the first attempt at treating STIs, there is no need to culture the infection to determine its sensitivity to antibiotics. If a person has already taken antibiotics before, such an analysis is necessary before starting the next course of treatment.

Immunomodulatory therapy

As a rule, all modern people to one degree or another suffer from a decrease in the general immunity of the body. The immune system aims to prevent foreign bacteria from entering the body, which include genital infections. Therefore, stimulation of the immune system can significantly improve the effectiveness of treatment.

On the other hand, excessive influence on the immune system is also not always beneficial for the body. Therefore, the doctor, when prescribing treatment for STIs, each time individually decides on the need and type of immunomodulators.

Local treatment

Local procedures in the treatment of STDs contribute to the destruction of bacteria on the mucous membranes of the genital tract. For this purpose, men are given instillation (washing) of the urethra, women – sanitation of the vagina, if necessary, instillation of the urethra and bladder.

Local procedures can destroy a large number of STI pathogens in the body, which significantly increases the effectiveness of antibiotic therapy. Given the fact that local procedures have practically no negative effect on the human body, they are almost always used in the treatment of genital infections.

On the other hand, in women, vaginal sanitation to a large extent inhibits the normal microflora. Therefore, these procedures should not be carried out in an excessively large number and after them the restoration of microflora is required.

Physiotherapy

Low-intensity therapeutic laser radiation in combination with drug therapy and local treatment (if necessary) gives almost 100% results.

Elimination of side effects of drugs

In the treatment of STDs, strong antibacterial drugs in large doses must be used, otherwise the treatment runs the risk of being ineffective.Such a scheme often causes the appearance of side effects of antibiotics, primarily the phenomena of intestinal dysbiosis. This should be taken into account when drawing up a treatment regimen, and all side effects of drugs should be compensated for.

Treatment of complications of STIs

Complications of STDs are all kinds of inflammatory diseases of the genital organs , caused both by the genital infection itself and by opportunistic flora.

Treatment of complications should be carried out simultaneously with the treatment of the genital infection itself.At the same time, in the preliminary examination, comprehensive data should be obtained not only about the sexual infection itself, but also about the accompanying opportunistic flora.

The only exception is cases of STI treatment in women, accompanied by a pronounced violation of the vaginal microflora. As a rule, it is completely pointless to engage in the restoration of microflora against the background of antibiotic therapy, therefore, the course of treatment of vaginal dysbiosis is carried out separately after the end of antibiotic therapy.

How and when to be treated

Treatment should be provided to all sexual partners without fail. If the analysis by PCR for genital infection is positive, full treatment of STIs is carried out, if negative, then a short prophylactic course is sufficient. This is calculated on the possible presence of an extremely small number of pathogens in the body, which is not detected by any analyzes.

If one of the sexual partners does not start treatment, there is no point in treating all the others.Sooner or later, reinfection will occur, and everything will have to start over.

Ideally, all partners should start treatment at the same time, day in and day out. Then, during the treatment, sexual activity with the use of a condom is allowed. If there is a break between the start of treatment for one and the second partner, it is better to give up sex at all during this time. The likelihood of reinfection at this time is extremely high, and the condom does not give, as already mentioned, a 100% guarantee of prevention.

Lifestyle during STI treatment

Treatment of genital infections is always associated with the use of potent drugs.They are completely incompatible with alcohol, and it is better to refuse to drink it altogether.

At the same time, it is better to try to eat as much dairy as possible and all other products containing live bacteria.

Do not limit yourself to drinking – during treatment you need to drink at least 2-3 liters of fluid per day. Moreover, it must be juice, non-carbonated mineral or plain pure water. You should try to drink less soda, tea and coffee.

During sexual intercourse during treatment, it is imperative to take all possible measures to prevent transmission of infection.As already mentioned, if one of the partners has already begun to be treated, and the other has not yet, it is better to give up sex life at all for this time.

Control diagnostics

At the end of the treatment, control diagnostics should be carried out. It shows how effective the treatment was.

In 2-3 weeks after the end of the course of treatment, the first control analysis is carried out. If it is negative, a second control test is performed after another 2 months. If his result is negative, after another 6 months, a provocation analysis is performed.If its result is negative, then the doctor has the right to declare you recovered from the disease. From this point on, you can refuse to use a condom during sex (if, of course, the partner has all the same good results).

If at least one test result is positive, the course of treatment will have to be repeated. Practice shows that a well-chosen course of treatment for uncomplicated genital infections is effective in 80–95% of cases.

All analyzes for control diagnostics should be carried out by the PCR method.At the same time, the dynamics of antibodies in the blood can be monitored – their titer should become less than a month from a month and completely disappear six months after the end of treatment. Performing smear microscopy or culture as a control diagnosis is ineffective for the reasons described above. In women, all tests should be done immediately after menstruation.

The above-described method of control diagnostics is the maximum and should be carried out completely for serious genital infections – gonorrhea, chlamydia and trichomoniasis.When treating less serious genital infections, you can immediately conduct a provocation test and limit yourself to obtaining only its results.

Conclusion

Each sexually transmitted infection has its own characteristics, but in general, all these diseases have a lot in common. The key to successful treatment is the interest in the success of both the patient and the treating doctor. Do not hesitate to ask your doctor any questions: it is his direct responsibility to answer them and explain everything to you.

I don’t think it’s worth proving the fact that it is much easier to avoid STIs than to get rid of them. Therefore, do not neglect the rules for the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases and regularly undergo the necessary examination. And if you have the slightest suspicion, immediately consult a doctor.

BASED ON THE ABOVE, PAY ATTENTION TO THE CONCLUSIONS:

1. Do not underestimate any of the sexually transmitted infections.
2. Any unprotected intercourse with an unfamiliar sexual partner, regardless of the age of limitation, the presence of clinical manifestations, is a reason for laboratory diagnosis of STIs.
3. It is necessary to treat STIs by a doctor (urologist, dermatovenerologist). Self-medication can lead to disastrous results, and also greatly complicate further treatment by a specialist.
4. A regular sexual partner, the use of a condom, as well as timely use of personal prophylaxis are good protection against sexually transmitted infections.

Minolexin® capsules 100 mg instructions for use

International non-proprietary name or group name: minocycline

Trade name: Minolexin ^®

Dosage form: capsules

Composition per capsule:

Active ingredient: minocycline hydrochloride dihydrate (calculated as minocycline) 50.0 mg or 100.0 mg.

Excipients: microcrystalline cellulose (73.5 mg / 147.0 mg), povidone K-17 (8.75 mg / 17.5 mg), potato starch (7.0 mg / 14.0 mg), magnesium stearate (1.75 mg / 3.5 mg), lactose monohydrate (up to the mass of the capsule contents 175.0 mg / 350.0 mg).

Hard gelatin capsules:

for 50 mg: water (13-16%), quinoline yellow dye (0.5833-0.75%), sunset yellow dye (E110) (0.0025-0.0059%), titanium dioxide (0 , 9740-2.0%), gelatin (up to 100%).

for 100 mg: water (13-16%), titanium dioxide (2.0-2.1118%), gelatin (up to 100%).

Description:

Hard gelatin capsules No. 2 with a yellow body and cap (for a dosage of 50 mg), No. 0 with a white body and a cap (for a dosage of 100 mg). The contents of the capsules are yellow powder.

Pharmacological group: Antibiotic – tetracycline.

ATX code: J01AA08

Pharmacological properties

Pharmacodynamics

Semi-synthetic antibiotic from the tetracyclines group.It has a bacteriostatic effect on cells of sensitive strains of microorganisms due to reversible inhibition of protein synthesis at the level of 30S ribosome subunits. Possesses a wide spectrum of antibacterial activity.

Sensitivity of microorganisms:

Aerobic gram-positive:

Some of the microorganisms below have shown resistance to minocycline, so laboratory sensitivity tests are recommended prior to use.Antibiotics of the tetracycline group are not recommended for the treatment of streptococcal and staphylococcal infections, unless the sensitivity of microorganisms to minocycline is shown.

• Bacillus anthracis
• Listeria monocytogenes
• Staphylococcus aureus
• Streptococcus pneumoniae

Aerobic Gram-negative:

• Bartonella bacilliformis
• Brucella species
• Calymmatobacterium granulomatis
• Campylobacter fetus
• Francisella tularensis
• Haemophilus ducreyi
• Vibrio cholerae
• Yersinia pestis

Minocycline susceptibility testing is strongly recommended for the microorganisms listed below:

• Acinetobacter species
• Enterobacter aerogenes
• Escherichia coli
• Haemophilus influenzae
• Klebsiella species
• Neisseria gonorrhoeae
• Neisseria meningitidis
• Shigella species

Optional:

• Actinomyces species
• Borrelia recurrentis
• Chlamydia psittaci
• Chlamydia trachomatis
• Clostridium species
• Entamoeba species
• Fusobacterium nucleatum subspecies fusiforme
• Mycobacterium marinum
• Mycoplasma pneumoniae
• Propionibacterium acnes
• Rickettsiae
• Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum
• Treponema pallidum subspecies pertenue
• Ureaplasma urealyticum

Pharmacokinetics

Food intake does not significantly affect the degree of absorption of minocycline.Minocycline has a high lipid solubility and a low Ca ²⁺ binding affinity. It is rapidly absorbed from the digestive tract in proportion to the dose taken. The maximum concentration of minocycline in blood plasma (C _max ) after oral administration of 200 mg is 3.5 mg / l and is achieved (t _max ) after 2-4 hours.

Binding to blood proteins is 75%, the effect of various diseases on this parameter has not been studied.

The volume of distribution is 0.7 l / kg. Minocycline penetrates well into organs and tissues: 30 – 45 minutes after ingestion, it is found in therapeutic concentrations in the kidneys, spleen, eye tissues, pleural and ascitic fluids, synovial exudate, exudate of the maxillary and frontal sinuses, in the fluid of the gingival grooves. It penetrates well into the cerebrospinal fluid (20 – 25% of the level determined in plasma). Passes through the placenta, enters breast milk.

With repeated administrations, the drug may accumulate. It accumulates in the reticuloendothelial system and bone tissue. In bones and teeth forms insoluble complexes with Ca ²⁺ . Undergoes intestinal-hepatic recirculation, 30-60% of the dose taken is excreted with intestinal contents; 30% is excreted by the kidneys within 72 hours (of which 20-30% – unchanged), with severe chronic renal failure – only 1-5%. The half-life (T _1/2 ) of minocycline is approximately 16 hours.

Indications for use

Minocycline hydrochloride is used to treat the following diseases, subject to the sensitivity of pathogenic microorganisms:

• Acne
• Skin infections
• Spotted fever, typhoid fever, typhoid fever, Q fever (coxiellosis), vesicular rickettsiosis and tick-borne fever
• Respiratory tract infections
• Lymphogranuloma venereal
• Ornithosis
• Trachoma (infectious keratoconjunctivitis)
• Conjunctivitis with inclusions (paratrachoma)
• Non-gonococcal urethritis, infections of the cervical canal and anus in adults 90 250
• Cyclic fever
• Shankroid
• Plague
• Tularemia
• Cholera
• Brucellosis
• Bartonellosis
• Inguinal granuloma
• Syphilis
• Gonorrhea
• Yaws (tropical granuloma, non-venereal syphilis)
• Listeriosis
• Anthrax
• Angina Vincent
• Actinomycosis

In the case of acute intestinal amebiasis, minocycline may be used as an adjunct to amoebicidal drugs.

For severe acne, minocycline can be used as adjunctive therapy.

The use of minocycline is indicated in asymptomatic carriers of Neisseria meningitidis for the eradication of meningococci from the nasopharynx.

To prevent the emergence of resistance, the use of minocycline is recommended in accordance with the results of laboratory tests, including serotyping and determination of the sensitivity of pathogens.For the same reason, the prophylactic use of minocycline is not recommended in the case of a high risk of meningococcal meningitis.

Clinical experience has shown the efficacy of minocycline in the treatment of Mycobacterium marinum infections, however, these data are currently not supported by the results of controlled clinical trials.

Contraindications

• Hypersensitivity to minocycline, tetracyclines and other components of the drug
• Porphyria
• Severe hepatic and renal failure
• Leukopenia
• Pregnancy
• Breastfeeding
• Systemic lupus erythematosus
• Children under 8 years of age (period of tooth development)
• Simultaneous reception with isotretinoin
• Lactase deficiency, lactose intolerance, glucose-galactose malabsorption

Carefully:

Dysfunctions of the liver and kidneys, simultaneous use with hepatotoxic drugs.

Use during pregnancy and lactation:

It is recommended to prescribe minocycline during pregnancy only in cases where the expected benefit from taking it to the mother outweighs the potential risk to the fetus.

During treatment with minocycline, breastfeeding is suspended.

Method of administration and dosage:

Inside, after eating. It is recommended that you drink enough liquid (possibly milk) to reduce the risk of irritation and ulceration in the esophagus.

The initial dose of the drug Minolexin ^® is 200 mg (2 capsules of 100 mg or 4 capsules of 50 mg), then 100 mg is taken (1 capsule of 100 mg or 2 capsules of 50 mg) every 12 hours (twice a day).

The maximum daily dose should not exceed 400 mg.

Infections of the genitourinary system and anogenital area caused by chlamydia and ureaplasma: 100 mg (1 capsule 100 mg or 2 capsules 50 mg) every 12 hours for 7-10 days.

Inflammatory diseases of the pelvic organs in women in the acute stage: 100 mg (1 capsule of 100 mg or 2 capsules of 50 mg) every 12 hours, sometimes in combination with cephalosporins.

Primary syphilis in patients with hypersensitivity to penicillins: 100 mg (1 capsule 100 mg or 2 capsules 50 mg) twice a day for 10 to 15 days.

Gonorrhea: 100 mg (1 capsule of 100 mg or 2 capsules of 50 mg) twice a day for 4-5 days, or 300 mg once.

Uncomplicated gonococcal infections (excluding urethritis and anorectal infections) in men : initial dose – 200 mg (2 capsules of 100 mg or 4 capsules of 50 mg), maintenance dose – 100 mg (1 capsule of 100 mg or 2 capsules of 50 mg ) every 12 hours for at least 4 days, followed by a microbiological assessment of recovery 2-3 days after stopping the drug.

Uncomplicated gonococcal urethritis in men: 100 mg (1 capsule 100 mg or 2 capsules 50 mg) every 12 hours for 5 days.

Acne: 50 mg (1 capsule of 50 mg) per day, a long course of 6-12 weeks.

While taking the drug, due to the anti-anabolic effect inherent in the drugs of the tetracyclines group, an increase in the level of urea in the blood plasma may be observed. In patients with normal renal function, this does not require discontinuation of the drug. Patients with severe renal impairment may develop azotemia, hyperphosphatemia, and acidosis.In this situation, it is necessary to control the level of urea and creatinine in the blood plasma, and the maximum daily dose of minocycline should not exceed 200 mg.

The pharmacokinetics of minocycline in patients with renal insufficiency (creatinine clearance less than 80 ml / min) is currently insufficiently studied to conclude that dose adjustment is necessary.

In case of impaired liver function, the drug should be used with caution.

Children over 8 years of age with infections caused by pathogens sensitive to minocycline: the initial dose is 4 mg / kg, then 2 mg / kg every 12 hours.

Side effects:

The spectrum of adverse events associated with taking minocycline does not differ from other tetracyclines.

From the digestive system: anorexia, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dyspepsia, stomatitis, glossitis, dysphagia, hypoplasia of tooth enamel, enterocolitis, pseudomembranous colitis, pancreatitis, inflammatory lesions (including fungal) in the oral cavity and anogenital , hyperbilirubinemia, cholestasis, an increase in the content of “liver” enzymes, liver failure, including terminal, hepatitis, including autoimmune.

From the genitourinary system: vulvovaginal candidiasis, interstitial nephritis, dose-dependent increase in plasma urea.

On the part of the skin: baldness, erythema nodosum, nail pigmentation, pruritus, toxic epidermal necrosis, vasculitis, maculopapular and erythematous rash, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, exfoliative dermatitis, balanitis.

From the respiratory tract: shortness of breath, bronchospasm, exacerbation of asthma, pneumonia.

From the musculoskeletal system: arthralgia, arthritis, limitation of mobility and joint swelling, discoloration of bone tissue, muscle pain (myalgia).

Allergic reactions: urticaria, edema angioedema, polyarthralgia, anaphylactic reactions (including shock), anaphylactoid purpura (Purpura Shenlein – Genoch), pericarditis, exacerbations of systemic lupus, pulmonary erythematosus infiltration, accompanied by pulmonary erythematosus.

From the side of hematopoiesis: agranulocytosis, hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, leukopenia, neutrocytopenia, pancytopenia, eosinopenia, eosinophilia.

From the side of the central nervous system: convulsions, dizziness, numbness (including limbs), lethargy, vertigo, increased intracranial pressure in adults, headaches.

From the senses: tinnitus and hearing impairment.

From the side of metabolism: thyroid gland: a single case of a malignant neoplasm, discoloration (according to the results of pathomorphological studies), dysfunction .

Others:

Discoloration of the mouth (tongue, gums, palate), discoloration of tooth enamel, fever, color of secretions (eg, sweat).

Overdose:

Symptoms: Dizziness, nausea and vomiting are most common. Treatment: No selective antidote for minocycline is known at this time.

In case of overdose, it is necessary to stop taking the drug, provide symptomatic treatment and supportive therapy.Minocycline is excreted in small amounts by hemo- and peritoneal dialysis.

Interaction with other medicinal products:

Preparations of the tetracycline group reduce the prothrombin activity of blood plasma, which may necessitate a decrease in the doses of anticoagulants in patients , who are on anticoagulant therapy.

Due to the fact that bacteriostatic drugs affect the bactericidal effect of penicillins, simultaneous administration of drugs of the penicillin and tetracyclin groups should be avoided.

The absorption of tetracyclines is impaired when taken simultaneously with antacids containing aluminum, calcium, magnesium or iron-containing drugs, which can lead to a decrease in the effectiveness of antibiotic therapy.

There have been cases of end-stage renal toxicity with the simultaneous administration of methoxyflurane and drugs of the tetracyclines group.

The simultaneous use of antibiotics of the tetracyclines group and oral contraceptives can lead to a decrease in the effectiveness of contraception.

You should avoid taking isotretinoin immediately before, simultaneously and immediately after taking minocycline, since both drugs can cause a benign increase in intracranial pressure.

The simultaneous administration of drugs of the tetracyclines group with ergot alkaloids and their derivatives increases the risk of developing ergotism.

Special instructions:

With prolonged use of minocycline, the cellular composition of the peripheral blood should be regularly monitored, functional liver tests should be performed, and the concentration of nitrogen and urea in serum should be determined.

When using contraceptive drugs with estrogens during therapy with minocycline, additional contraceptives or their combinations should be used.

There may be a false increase in the level of catecholamines in the urine when they are determined by the fluorescent method.

When examining a biopsy of the thyroid gland in patients who have been receiving tetracyclines for a long time, one should take into account the possibility of dark brown staining of tissue in micropreparations.

While taking the drug and 2-3 weeks after stopping treatment, diarrhea caused by Clostridium difficile (pseudomembranous colitis) may develop. In mild cases, it is sufficient to discontinue treatment and use ion-exchange resins (cholestyramine, colestipol), in severe cases, it is shown to replace the loss of fluid, electrolytes and protein, the appointment of vancomycin, bacitracin or metronidazole. Do not use drugs that inhibit intestinal motility.

To avoid the development of resistance, minocycline should be used only in accordance with the results of a study of the sensitivity of pathogenic microorganisms.If susceptibility testing of microorganisms is not possible, the epidemiology and susceptibility profile of the microorganisms in the specific region should be taken into account.

In the case of sexually transmitted diseases, if there is a suspicion of concomitant syphilis, before starting treatment, it is necessary to carry out studies by microscopy in a dark field. Serological diagnostics of blood serum is recommended at least once every four months.

Periodic laboratory diagnostics of body functions is required, including hematopoietic and renal functions, as well as the state of the liver.

Algorithms for action in the event of some side effects:

If superinfection develops, minocycline should be discontinued and adequate therapy prescribed.

In case of increased intracranial pressure, minocycline should be discontinued.

Diarrhea is a common antibiotic disorder. In the event of diarrhea during treatment with minocycline, an urgent need to consult a doctor.

Antibiotics of the tetracycline group cause an increase in sensitivity to direct sunlight and ultraviolet radiation. If erythema occurs, the antibiotic should be discontinued.

Influence on the ability to drive vehicles and work with mechanisms:

Care must be taken when driving vehicles and engaging in other potentially hazardous activities that require increased concentration of attention and speed of psychomotor reactions, due to the fact that minocycline has such a side effect as dizziness (see.section “Side effects”).

Form of issue

Capsules 50 mg and 100 mg.

10 capsules in a blister strip made of polyvinyl chloride film and aluminum foil.

2 or 3 blister packs, together with instructions for use, are placed in a cardboard box.

Expiry date

2 years. Do not use after the expiration date.

Storage conditions:

In a place protected from moisture and light, at a temperature not higher than 25 ^o C.Keep out of the reach of children.

Terms of dispensing from pharmacies

On prescription.

Name and address of the legal entity in whose name the registration certificate was issued to the organization accepting claims:

JSC “AVVA RUS”, Russia, 121614,

Moscow, st. Krylatskie Hills, 30, bldg. nine.

Tel / fax: (495) 956-75-54.

avva.com.ru

Production site address:

JSC “AVVA RUS”, Russia, 610044, Kirov region., Kirov, st. Luganskaya, 53a.

Tel .: +7 (8332) 25-12-29; +7 (495) 956-75-54.

90,000 Urinary tract infections

Urinary tract infection

What is urinary tract infection

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is a generic term for infections of the urinary system caused by microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses and fungi. Bacteria are the most common cause of UTIs. Usually bacteria enter the urinary tract through the urethra and are quickly eliminated through urination before settling and causing symptoms.However, sometimes bacteria overcome the body’s natural defenses and cause infection. An infection of the urethra is called “urethritis” and a bladder infection is called “cystitis.” The bacteria can travel up the ureters and infect the kidneys. A kidney infection is called pyelonephritis.

What causes a urinary tract infection?

Most UTIs are caused by bacteria that normally live in the intestines. The vast majority of UTIs are caused by the bacteria Escherichia coli (Escherichia coli).In addition, microbes called “chlamydia” and “mycoplasma” are common causes of infections of the urethra, prostate and, less commonly, the bladder. They are sexually transmitted and require simultaneous treatment of both sex partners.

The urinary tract has different mechanisms to prevent infections:

• Where the ureters meet the bladder, there are valves (urethrovesical junction) that usually allow urine to flow only from the kidneys to the bladder.
• Urination washes away and carries away germs that are trying to enter the urinary tract.
• In men, the prostate gland produces a secretion that inhibits the growth of bacteria.
• In both men and women, the immune system also plays a protective and protective role against infection.

However, despite the above mechanisms, UTI can still occur. Some bacteria have a strong ability to adhere to the walls of the urinary tract and multiply, causing infections.

How common is urinary tract infection in adults?

Imp is the second most common type of infection in humans. In particular, women are very susceptible to developing UTIs for anatomical reasons, as the female urethra is much smaller than that of men, allowing bacteria to enter the bladder faster. In addition, the female urethra is only a few centimeters from the vagina and anus, where germs usually exist.

Women are at greater than 50% risk of developing at least one episode of UTI in their lifetime.UTIs are less common in men than in women, but when they do occur, they are usually more severe and require long-term therapy.

What are the risk factors for developing a urinary tract infection?

Although any of us can have an episode of UTI, there are still some risk factors (factors that increase the chances of developing a UTI):

• Poor hygiene. This applies both to the lack of daily hygiene of the anogenital area and to the use of inappropriate hygiene products (for example, the use of aromatic foam baths that can cause irritation, intravaginal products that alter the vaginal flora and destroy the body’s defense system, etc.).etc.).
• Bad urination habits. It is a very common practice — especially among women — to delay urinating when you are out and avoid going to the toilet, no matter how intense the urge to urinate may be. In addition, men sometimes follow the same practice, mainly for professional reasons (eg truck drivers). Even when women decide to go to a public toilet, they urinate while standing; as a result, the pelvic floor muscles do not relax and, thus, the urinary mechanism does not function normally.This practice can lead to opportunistic UTIs. They need to be treated correctly by combining the indicated pharmacotherapy with a change in daily urination habits; otherwise, there will be frequent relapses and relapses.
• Sexual behavior. Sexual intercourse is the most common cause of UTI. After intercourse, most women have a significant amount of bacteria in their urine, which is usually excreted within 24 hours. The same is true for men, so both sexes need to urinate after intercourse.In addition, anal sex increases the risk of developing a UTI. Another reason why sexual activity is a risk factor is the use of aromatic or non-aromatic lubricants that irritate and alter the normal defenses of the human body. Finally, the rise in temperature in this region due to high friction during prolonged intercourse promotes the multiplication of microbes.
• Contraception: The use of a diaphragm or spermicidal contraceptive agents promotes the growth of bacteria.Women who are susceptible to UTIs should try a different method of contraception.
• Stagnant Urine. There is a strong belief in urology that wherever there is stagnation of urine, an infection lurks. This reinforces the above arguments about the crucial role of regular bladder emptying. Any obstruction of the urinary tract of any origin that impedes the flow and full excretion of urine – such as stones and prostatic hypertrophy – will sooner or later lead to a UTI.This is why post void residual urine (PVR) is the determining factor for UTIs. In addition, obstruction of the kidneys or ureters causes pyelonephritis. It should be emphasized that lithiasis is a common cause of infections, since stones cause microtraumas, which actually become the “gateway” for bacteria, and the stones themselves become infected; as a result, all treatments fail because antibiotics cannot penetrate the stones.
• Neurogenic Bladder. Patients with neurological problems such as spinal cord injury or multiple sclerosis have urinary problems. The result is the inability to empty the bladder completely, leading to a UTI.
• Urocatheter. The catheter is used in patients with inability to urinate; for example, in men with urgency due to prostatic hypertrophy. As an external foreign body to the human body, urocateter is a potential cause of infection.
• Diabetes mellitus. Imp are often found in patients with diabetes mellitus. When diabetes is poorly controlled, high urine sugar levels become “food” for bacteria. In addition, this disease is often associated with bladder neuropathy.
• Congenital diseases of the urinary tract, immunosuppression in cancer patients, and AIDS are less common causes of UTI.

What are recurrent UTIs?

Many women often suffer from UTIs.After the first episode of UTI, about 20% of young women will have recurrent UTIs. Each new episode increases the risk of relapse. Thus, there are women who have 3 or more episodes of recurrent UTIs each year. With the right treatment and a focus on prevention, these relapses can stop within 1–2 years in some women.

Men are less likely to develop UTIs than women. Recurrent UTIs usually occur in men with other comorbid conditions, such as prostatic hypertrophy, chronic bacterial prostatitis, diabetes mellitus, or neurogenic bladder (with paraplegia).

Urinary tract infection and pregnancy

Pregnant women are at a higher risk of developing UTIs than other women. It is also more likely that bacteria will enter the kidneys and cause pyelonephritis. This is due to the pressure exerted by the fetus on the mother’s urinary tract (mainly the ureters), causing obstruction and stagnation of urine. Imp during pregnancy can cause serious problems, and given that antibiotics should be avoided during this period of a woman’s life, there are recommendations for periodic prophylactic urine testing during the gestational period.

How serious can a urinary tract infection be?

Most UTIs are not serious. In fact, if women are treated early, when the first signs and symptoms appear, the UTI can subside even without the need for pharmacotherapy – simply by consuming large amounts of water and excreting urine. More severe are kidney infections called pyelonephritis. Only in very rare cases can a UTI be life-threatening, that is, when bacteria enter the circulation and cause a generalized blood infection called “septicemia” or “bacteremia.”

What are the signs and symptoms of a urinary tract infection?

UTI symptoms vary by age and gender. In young women, UTIs manifest with urinary frequency, burning sensation, low abdominal or genital pain when urinating, and sometimes there may even be blood present, especially towards the end of urination. Older men and women may complain of fatigue, tremors, and abdominal pain, especially with fever. The urine may appear cloudy, dark, or bloody, very often with an unpleasant odor.In patients using a catheter, the only symptom may be fever, with or without tremors, which cannot be attributed to any other cause. UTIs do not usually cause fever, unless the bladder is infected. Fever can be a sign that an infection has reached the kidneys (pyelonephritis) or the prostate gland (acute prostatitis), infections that are life-threatening and require pharmacotherapy and immediate hospitalization.

How is a urinary tract infection diagnosed?

Urinalysis (urinalysis) is required at any time of the day, regardless of food intake.A general urinalysis shows the presence of bacteria in the urine. In case of suspicion (pyosphere> 2-4), your doctor will recommend urine culture, which takes 48 hours for bacteria to grow in the laboratory. Once the bacterial strain is identified, the antibiogram will determine which antibiotics are indicated against the specific bacterial strain. The urine sample should be carefully collected in a special sterile container purchased from a pharmacy, after thoroughly washing the genital area. For recurrent urinary tract infections, your doctor may request additional specialized screening tests (such as ultrasounds of the kidneys and bladder) to determine if there is a specific problem in the urinary tract.

How is urinary tract infection treated?

Precautions are the first thing we should all keep in mind:

• Copious fluid intake, gradually consumed throughout the day
• Urination at first urge, rather than delaying emptying of the bladder (always in a seated position for women)
• Urination is required after each sexual intercourse
• Correct hygiene of the genital area

Most bacterial UTIs are treated with antibiotics.The doctor will determine the correct antibiotic and the duration of therapy based on the patient’s history, the bacterial strain involved, and the antibiogram. In some cases, when there is concomitant pathology with certain diseases of the urinary tract (for example, lithiasis or prostatic hypertrophy), the cause of the UTI should be treated a second time. Most patients are treated at home with oral medications. For severe febrile infections, hospitalization is usually required to ensure that the patient receives intravenous medication and hydration.In particular, when pyelonephritis is diagnosed and the flow of urine to the bladder is difficult, the therapist will recommend special therapy.

When does the need for special therapeutic treatment arise?

In addition to general precautions (preventive measures), treatment of UTIs may include some additional measures on a case-by-case basis:

Recurrent urinary tract infections in women

According to the patient’s history, the doctor may give some guidance to reduce the episodes of UTI.For example:

• Low dose antibiotic, every day for 6 months or longer
• One dose of antibiotic before or after each sexual intercourse

Infections during pregnancy

Even if there are no symptoms, a urinary infection during pregnancy should always be treated to avoid any potential risk to both mother and baby. Under no circumstances should pregnant women receive medications without a doctor’s prescription, as many antibiotics are unsafe for use during pregnancy.

Infections in men

UTIs in men often result from obstruction of the flow of urine due to stones or prostatic hyperplasia. In the case of an infection of the prostate gland, therapy is usually required for a long time in order to eliminate the bacteria (from 15 days to even 6 months).

90,000 Drug-resistant infections could trigger another pandemic

18 November 2020 Rome – Amid a sharp rise in antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which could lead to a new pandemic with serious consequences for human health, agri-food systems and economies around the world, FAO is calling on people from all sectors: from farmers to cooks, growers to consumers, step up efforts to prevent the spread of drug-resistant microbes.

During this World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (18-24 November), the Organization emphasizes that all actors, including the food and agricultural sectors, can contribute to addressing AMR, and provides recommendations for containing AMR.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) refers to the ability of microbes to resist the effects of drugs designed to suppress or kill them, or to multiply in the presence of drugs.This process proceeds faster as a result of the use of antimicrobial drugs designed to destroy unwanted pathogens in humans, animals and crops. In particular, the development of resistance is facilitated by the use of antimicrobial drugs for the treatment of humans and animals.

At least 700,000 people die each year from diseases caused by drug-resistant microbes. It is becoming increasingly difficult to treat a growing number of common diseases, including respiratory tract infections, sexually transmitted infections and urinary tract infections.Drug resistance is also an increasing threat to our agri-food systems and global food security.

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that human, animal and environmental health is more interconnected than ever. Pathogens in one area can exacerbate problems in other areas and significantly impede our work to prevent and address health threats to protect the world. AMR is one such global threat, potentially even more dangerous than COVID-19 infection.This problem is fundamentally changing the way of life.

“Like the COVID-19 pandemic, AMR is no longer just a threat that may appear in the future. This problem has already become a reality and concerns all of us,” said First Deputy General Director Maria Elena Semedo. plants are already dying from infections that cannot be cured even with the most potent antimicrobial drugs we have.Unless AMR is addressed, the next pandemic we face could be bacterial in nature and much more deadly if necessary drugs won’t work for her. “

FAO is working to tackle AMR in coordination with WHO and OIE as part of the One Health approach.

AMR in the context of food and agriculture

The agri-food sector has a key role to play in addressing AMR. In many parts of the world, antimicrobial drugs are much more commonly used to treat animals rather than humans, and as the world’s population and demand for food grows, their use is expanding rapidly.

AMR is escalating so rapidly that scientists are struggling to develop new antimicrobial drugs, and antimicrobial resistance itself threatens food systems, food security, food safety, health systems and the economy. The only solution is to take strategic action to ensure that the antimicrobials available to us continue to work. As FAO warned today, we can still reverse this disruptive trend, but there is not much time left for that.

On 23 November, FAO will host an event to formally unveil a new body of professionals who will tackle the problem through behavior change to promote the correct use of antimicrobial drugs and effective disease prevention. The members of this network of practitioners, through which farmers and others in the food chain, veterinarians, epidemiologists, AMR experts and behavioral scientists will share their rich experience, will work together to “fine-tune” the practices applied at the individual farm level. farms and at the strategic level to help contain the spread of AMR.

World Antimicrobial Awareness Week

Global Antimicrobial Awareness Week events and programs will take place around the world, including a timed Antimicrobials in Africa ”, an InfoPoint event for policymakers and the general public will be held in Brussels on 24 November to raise awareness of the urgent need to address AMR, and the Philippines will host a week-long Summit on“ AMR and the Approach “One Health” ”, as well as a series of webinars.

Take part in solving the SCP problem!

FAO today provided a summary of actions that each key group of key actors can take that is critical to addressing AMR:

Farmers:

1. Thoroughly wash your hands, shoes and clothes before and after contact with animals. This measure helps to destroy microbes that cause diseases in animals and humans.

2. Monitor the health of the animals. Healthy animals require fewer antimicrobials, which means lower treatment costs, increased food safety and income stability, and fewer animal deaths. When it comes to agriculture, the following steps can be taken to protect animal health:

• Maintain cleanliness in animal housing and surrounding areas.

• Reduce the risk of spreading germs. Take appropriate biosecurity measures.

• Follow the “all empty / all busy” principle to reduce the risk of new animals contaminating the farm animals.

• Store pet food in a dry place out of the reach of rodents, birds, insects and other animals that can carry bacteria and other germs.

• Do not stress animals .

• To maintain the health of animals and prevent diseases, provide them with quality food and clean water. .

• Vaccinate! Ask your veterinarian to help you get an important vaccination on time.

3. Seek help from veterinarians for correct diagnosis and treatment , as the use of the inappropriate antimicrobial drug carries the risk of developing resistant infections that pose a threat to animals, your family and yourself.

4. Spread information, not germs! Share with other farmers and residents your knowledge of why it is important to use antimicrobials responsibly.

5. Only use pesticides as a last resort: pesticides are not the only solution. Treat your plants with pesticides only as a last resort to fight disease.

Food Industry Employees and Customers:

1. Follow the “four steps” rule of food safety, to help reduce the spread of spherical infections and microorganisms that can cause disease in humans.

Cleansing – Wash your hands thoroughly before and after contact with food and livestock (especially after touching raw meat) and after using the toilet. Clean cooking surfaces regularly.

Cooking – Cook food thoroughly to kill dangerous germs. Do not reheat food multiple times.

Refrigeration – Keep food chilled to the correct temperature in the refrigerator and during transport.

Cross Contamination – Keep food preparation and storage areas clean to avoid cross contamination. Store and handle raw meat separately from other foods.

2. Discuss this problem! Discuss AMR with your colleagues, family, friends and local people. Encourage the development and implementation of workplace measures that will help reduce the spread of AMR.

3. Help make antimicrobial drugs effective for everyone! Follow your doctor’s advice about whether you or your family member needs to take antibiotics.Always consult a specialist before taking antibiotics.

Policymakers:

1. Prioritize SCP. Allocate resources to address SCP and achieve the goals set in the national SCP plan. Make sure SCP is firmly on the political agenda.

2. Engage stakeholders in strategic decision making. Engaging stakeholders at all stages of the food chain in the public and private sectors will help develop more effective policies and legislation.

Resource partners:

1. Support the work of three institutions on AMR. A multi-stakeholder trust fund on AMR, under the auspices of FAO, the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) and the World Health Organization (WHO), is designed to increase support to countries in addressing AMR using a One Health approach.Support triangular partners to reach more countries and coordinate efforts to address AMR.

2. Bridging knowledge gaps: Support research and projects on SCP that lack an evidence base.

Educators and researchers in health, agriculture, environment and veterinary medicine:

1. Promote the importance of AMR as a key issue within your educational setting : Make AMR mandatory curriculum.Conduct cross-cutting events, including lectures, webinars and workshops, to provide a better understanding of SCP diffusion across sectors.

2. Share knowledge internationally: invite researchers from all over the world to speak at your institutions and share their ideas.

Youth and student groups:

1. Don’t be silent! Within your student groups and associations, prioritize SCP as a priority and lead awareness-raising activities such as marches, discussions and events within your communities.

2. Share examples of your work: Share examples of your outreach work on social networks and when communicating with journalists. Encourage other groups to take action and to be supportive of the SCP problem.

Private Sector:

1. Support SCP-related activities in the workplace . Provide the necessary infrastructure for your people, businesses and other institutions to take action to tackle AMR.

2. Be a Responsible Producer: Make sure you and your suppliers dispose of waste and wastewater properly to help reduce the spread of superinfections.

NGOs and civil society groups:

1. Include AMR interventions in existing and new projects: Many measures to reduce the prevalence of superinfections have a positive impact on health, sanitation, disease control and waste management …Such measures can be inexpensive. Accept them as part of ongoing initiatives.

2. Establish a Dialogue: Discuss AMR and superinfects with co-workers and raise awareness of the need to maintain antimicrobial efficacy.

Veterinary Professionals

1. Start a Discussion on Best Antimicrobial Treatments for Animals: When visiting farms and dispensing medicines, discuss AMR and animal health with farmers to start a dialogue on this issue.

2. Become part of the SCP movement! Establish animal health clubs and groups, and hold meetings, join such clubs and socialize. Share examples of your work on SCP to inspire others to get excited about solving SCP.

90,000 6 prohibited foods for urinary tract infections

Urinary tract infections are usually caused by bacteria. However, by eating certain foods, we can greatly worsen our condition.

According to health info with reference to “Step to health”, experts told what foods should not be eaten for urinary infections.

Urinary tract infections are very common among women because their genitourinary tract is shorter than that of men and the immune system is more vulnerable to bacteria.

The most common symptoms are pain and irritation when urinating and frequent urge to use the toilet. In severe cases, the temperature may rise and blood may appear in the urine.

Risk factors that increase the risk of suffering from a urinary tract infection include:

Taking certain antibiotics.
Unprotected sex.
Intestinal bacteria.
The habit of enduring a long time before going to the toilet.
Eating certain foods.

In order to reduce these symptoms and prevent the development of a genitourinary infection, do not eat or cut down on the following foods:

Sugar

Foods with a high sugar content, such as commercial baked goods, create a favorable environment for bacteria to grow because they have something to “feed on”.This aggravates the symptoms of genitourinary infections and complicates treatment.

Also try to avoid purchased soft drinks, cookies and sweets.

Caffeine

It is a powerful stimulant that increases blood flow to certain parts of the body.

We also advise you not to drink tea, soda and juices in boxes, as they have the same effect.

Give preference to water or natural juices as they are diuretic and help reduce infection.Never drink alcoholic beverages, they strongly irritate the bladder!

Sour fruits

Orange juice has a beneficial effect on urination and helps eliminate bacteria from our body, but at the same time, citrus fruits, including grapefruits and limes, as well as pineapples irritate the urinary tract and can lead to inflammation of the bladder.

In this case, the symptoms of the infection may worsen and may be more difficult to cure.

Spices, sausages and sausages

If you suffer from bladder problems, stay away from sausages, sausages, hot snacks, and all foods that contain spices, including curry, chili, and cumin.

Like citrus fruits, these foods and spices irritate the bladder and increase acidity, disrupting the acid-base balance of the body, which provides an ideal breeding ground for bacteria.

Refined flour

Pasta, pizza, bread and other products made from white flour are very unhealthy. Not only when we suffer from a genitourinary infection, but in general always, because the body converts the substances contained in flour into sugar.

Eliminate all flour from your diet when you are sick and cut back on white flour products when you recover so you don’t risk getting sick again.

Red meat

Steaks, hamburgers and fried meats are included in the list of foods that should not, under any circumstances, be eaten with a genitourinary infection.

This is due to the fact that they acidify the body very strongly and contribute to the fact that bacteria do not die, but, on the contrary, multiply with a vengeance.

Try replacing red meat with chicken or fish.

A diet that will help normalize the acid-base balance of urine

Surely you are asking yourself what you can eat with a genitourinary infection. It is best if you eat a balanced diet of acidic and alkaline foods for 5 days.

This will help you balance the acid-base level in the body and destroy disease-causing bacteria, not only in the bladder or urethra, but also in other parts of the body.

These bacteria love moisture and warmth, which help them multiply quickly and live happily ever after. If we eat acidic foods, the urine also becomes acidic and bacteria grow in the bladder.

For the first two days, you need to eat both acidic and alkaline foods:

Eggs.
Fish.
Meat.
Whole grains (oats, rice).
Vegetable milk (oat, almond).
Olive oil.
Lemon juice.
Water.
Herbal infusions.

From the third to the fifth day, eat only alkaline foods:

Legumes.
Vegetables (especially potatoes, garlic and onions).
Fruit (other than citrus fruits).
Nuts.
Natural juices (e.g. cranberry).
Low fat dairy products.
Olive oil.

This diet is especially useful if you suffer from a genitourinary infection or other infectious disease. Try to stick to it strictly and do not give yourself any indulgences for a speedy recovery.

Helpful advice for urinary tract infections

A balanced and healthy diet alone is not enough to cure this infection.It is important to follow certain rules.

While our recommendations will prove to be more useful for women (who are more vulnerable to infection), men can also benefit from them:

Do not use scented soaps or talcum powder for intimate hygiene.

Take care of the hygiene of the genitals.

Thoroughly flush the genitals and the area around the anus after each visit to the toilet.

Do not wear too tight pants and tights.

Give preference to cotton underwear.

Change your underwear every day.

Take a shower before and after each sexual intercourse.

Drink plenty of fluids (at least 2 liters per day).