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What is Urinary Tract Infection
Urinary Tract Infection or simply called UTI is one of the most common infections in humans that affects the Urinary Tract Organs namely the Bladder, Kidneys, Urethra (the tubes that exit the urine from our body) and Uterus (The tubes that carry urine from kidneys to the bladder) (1,2).
These infections are caused commonly by Bacteria, sometimes by Fungi and rarely by viruses (3,4,5).
There are two types of UTI – Lower and Upper UTI. If the infection occurs to Urethra or Bladder, it is called as Lower UTI and if it occurs to uterus or Kidneys it is called as Upper UTI. Lower Urinary Tract Infections are common than upper Urinary tract infections because of the location of the urethra which acts as a convenient pathway for entry of microbes.
UTI is most common in women than men due to the presence of short urethra (6).
UTI Symptoms
Symptoms for Lower UTI (Infection of Bladder or Urethra)
- Burning (Pain) while urination
- Sensation of having urine urgently
- Frequent urination without much urine
- Urination with the strong odor
- Urine with pinkish red or brown-orange color
- Haematuria (Blood in urine)
- Pus in urine
Symptoms for Upper UTI (Infection of Kidneys or Uterus)
- Fever
- Chills
- Nausea and Vomiting’s
- Pain in back and sides of the upper abdominal area
Home Remedies for Urinary Tract Infection
Water can help you
Drink plenty of Water
The best and the easy thing that you need to do when you have a UTI is to drink Water.
Drinking water in adequate amounts helps in flushing out the infectious bacteria present in the bladder.
One can even consume juices too for flushing the harmful bacteria out. However, try to avoid citrus or acidic juices as they irritate the bladder and worsens symptoms.
Eat Fermented food
Eat fermented foods
Fermented foods provide a healthy environment in our body as they contain lots of beneficial bacteria, that colonize the urinary tract and helps to combat against harmful bacteria that attacks the urinary tract.
They help in controlling recurring Urinary Tract Infections.
Probiotic foods like Yogurt
Consume Probiotic Foods
Taking probiotic foods when you have a UTI can help your body to recover fast (7).
Normally we take antibiotics if we get a urinary tract infection. In such case along with harmful bacteria, many beneficial bacteria present in our body also dies.
The best way to rebuild such beneficial bacteria in our body is to take probiotic foods like Yogurt or Kefir.
Taking low sugar foods
Quinoa – Food with low sugar content
Consuming foods rich in sugar content increases blood sugar levels in our body which further favors the bacterial growth. So avoiding sugar-rich foods during UTI keeps the bacterial growth controlled.
Cranberry juice
Cranberry juice
The juice of cranberries works as a wonderful home remedy and can help you by preventing the spread of bacterial infection in the body when you have UTI (8).
Studies have proven that cranberry juice contains compounds that prevent the bacteria from attaching to bladder walls thus preventing the spread of bacterial infection. At the same time, cranberry juice also helps you to flush the bacteria present in the bladder out of your body (9,10).
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