Suffering from Urinary Tract Infections? Cranberry is the Solution!
Urinary tract infections can be mild, severe, or anywhere in between, but they all have one thing in common. They are very uncomfortable, and can make urination difficult, or even impossible at times. There are ways that a urinary tract infection can be treated and prevented, so that this condition goes away and does not come back. The secret to great urinary tract health, and this includes your kidneys and bladder, is a small red berry called the cranberry. Cranberry juice when taken regularly can help prevent and ease any urinary tract infections symptoms. Humans have used cranberries and their juice to treat urinary tract infections and problems since almost the beginning of time, and science has proven that cranberry works wonders at stopping and getting rid of urinary tract infections.
Cranberries pack a very tart punch. In addition, they contain compounds called proanthocyanidins, or also known as PACs, and these compounds make it harder for bacteria to stick in the urinary tract and bladder walls. This stops the bacteria from multiplying, so that no resulting infection occurs. At one point scientists theorized that the high acidity of cranberries and cranberry juice killed off bacteria, but further studies have shown that instead the bacteria can not stick as well, and so can not reproduce. Medical studies have shown cranberry juice taken regularly will eliminate chronic urinary tract infections and keep new ones from occurring. Cranberry juice has been proven to work even on resistant bacteria strains that do not respond to antibiotic treatment and are very hard to eliminate completely. After you drink cranberry juice, your body shows the effects on bacterial adhesion for the next ten to twelve hours. This means that a glass of cranberry juice every twelve hours could eliminate the need for antibiotics completely.
The causes of urinary tract infections are bacteria, most commonly a bacteria called Escherichia coli, or E. coli. Antibiotics for urinary tract infections can be prescribed, but this treatment causes other problems and medical conditions instead. Antibiotics not only kill off harmful bacteria like E. coli, they also kill off large numbers of beneficial bacteria in your body as well. This means the normal system of checks and balances in your body can be thrown out of balance. For many women this is why it is common to develop a yeast infection after taking antibiotics, because the natural beneficial bacteria keep the yeast in balance, and when antibiotics are used the bacteria dies and the yeast can multiply.
Drinking plenty of water, as well as two glasses of cranberry juice, every single day will help relieve the symptoms of urinary tract infections while eliminating the bacteria that causes these infections. If you do not drink enough fluids, urine will sit in your kidneys and bladder and the bacteria can multiply. The longer it is until you urinate the more the bacteria can reproduce. Drinking plenty of water will ensure that your kidneys, bladder, and entire urinary tract stays flushed out often. The cranberry juice will prevent the bacterial production during times when there is urine in your system.
Cranberries and their juice have been used for hundreds, even thousands, of years to treat urinary tract infections, and that is because this treatment works naturally. In addition, cranberry juice is full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and bioflavonoids as well. These components help boost your immune system and will help fight off infections before they can become severe. Cranberry juice can help you have great urinary tract health while preventing and treating urinary tract infections.
The information supplied in this article is not to be considered as medical advice and is for educational purposes only.
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Urinary Problems29 Jan 2009 |
Cranberries are filled with antioxidants and have long been considered a very valuable ally for our health. In addition to these antioxidants, cranberries contain hippuronic acid. This compound has been shown in some studies to make it much more difficult for the bacteria that causes urinary tract infections to attach to the bladder wall (because this acid works to acidify the urine). This lowers the risk of getting a UTI in some cases. However, once you have a UTI, cranberries in any form will do little to help treat it, and can actually exacerbate painful urination, one of the main symptoms associated with a UTI. This pain is caused by irritation and inflammation of the urethra and urethral opening. The best thing to do is to go to your doctor for proper antibiotic treatment (he or she will take a culture to confirm the UTI), and, in the meantime, take an over-the-counter urinary pain relief medication like Cystex® to help calm the symptoms. Cystex® Urinary Pain Relief Tablets is the only over-the-counter (OTC) medication that has a dual-action formula, with both a pain reliever to help with the discomfort and burning, as well as an antiseptic to help keep the bacteria in check and the infection from worsening before you can get into your doctor’s officeFebruary 13th, 2009 at 11:37 am
I swear by cranberry juice. I've always been prone to urinary tract infections and I drink cranberry juice in some form or another every day. While it's not a total cure all as I still get them on occasion, it definitely helps all the way around.January 30th, 2009 at 8:42 pm