Cranberries

I just bought my first container of unsweetened cranberry juice yesterday (just cranberry/water) to help protect against UTIs in light of my grade 1 cystocele. Thanks for the info about not using a "sugar added" version. I had my first UTI in eight years a few weeks ago and don't want that to become a regular part of my life. Hopefully lots of water, fully emptying one's bladder, plus cranberry juice will keep the UTIs away. Good luck with Cran-actin. I hope it works for you!!

Hi discouraged,

Yes, the cranberry info has been around for quite some time now. Works for some, but not for all.

sevilla

Discouraged, the good doctor's blog adds this little tidbit: "They also found that individuals who consumed cranberry products twice a day received more protection than those who took them less often." It wouldn't have occurred to me to have a glass of CJ twice per day. Thanks again for the heads up on this.

And the reason why it not works for some is that it creates an acidic environment that can aggravate the pain and burning inside the bladder,it was the case for me.
I had also to cut chocolates,coffee,teas,oranges,lemons and cranberries until my UTI was completely under control.D-Manose works better for me.
Making sure that you pee the residual urine stagnated inside the bladder by urinating a couple of times a day in all four did wonders for me!

Yes, total and complete emptying of the bladder is the only thing that can eliminate UTI's in the end. I have known more than one person who was plagued with them for years, before someone (NOT the doctor, I might add) gave them a helpful suggestion about taking extra steps at least once per day to make sure every last drop was drained. - Surviving

I like crane-actin.
Here's something I've learned the hard way though. When you use a natural cure to solve a problem, you must catch it at the very beginning and then continue to use the natural cure well beyond resolution of your symptoms. If you quit as soon as you feel better, the critters in there that were causing the problem repopulate and then you are worse off!
I had a recurrent mastitis infection in one breast this last year. I refused to treat it with antibiotics and instead did things like eat tons of garlic and vitamin C. But it would come back. and then I would knock it down again and then it would come back again. When you have something like a recurrent UTI it's not actually recurrent. It's the same uti that just didn't ever go away- you knocked it back, then it surged. Over and over.
I did a few things to get rid of my infection once and for all.
1. I did some thinking. I went through this exercise: If you would like to take the time to connect to your physical problem and discover how it's reflecting your emotional or psychological state, find some quiet time when you won't be disturbed and ask yourself:

When was the first I felt this pain?
What was going in my life?
What emotions did I feel at the time?
Really try to connect to your emotions and thoughts, no matter how ridiculous or "out there" you may judge them to be. Experience the full force of the emotion - cry, laugh, be angry - do whatever you need to do.

Using body symbolism as a method to connect to old emotional pain can be an effective method for energy healing in a very personal and holistic way. It can also help you understand your mind body connection and strengthen your self knowledge. Give it a go and see what comes up - you may be surprised!

2. I made a get better plan and stuck with it for two months. I figure 6 weeks will do it, but I went a little beyond.

Not a UTI but still applies

Thank you, Alemama for these thoughts. I think they are wonderfully apposite. Last Friday marked the one year anniversary of the day my eldest brother’s wife left him. It happened a week before his 70th birthday. He went for counselling, but did not really want to talk about it with anyone other than that. His friends were very supportive and admitted to opinions about his wife which I don’t think he really wanted to know, although they would have been reassuring to his own personal worth. He rang me, announced his news, more or less asked reassurance that I still loved him, would be there for him if he got into any strife, but certainly did not want to discuss his marriage, his ex-wife and how he was really feeling. Ok, I thought I could do that.

Then six months later he had the heart attack that he should not have had. He was under regular doctor’s care, showing no signs, just out of the blue. I went and stayed with him until he was on the mend and he mended amazingly quickly (about 10 days and he was back to work) for someone who had had a triple by-pass. He definitely did not want to discuss his ex and his pain. OK, we didn’t.

Last week, I wondered about my brother and how he was managing knowing this anniversary was pending. But you know I didn’t ring. He would not want reminding. On the Friday I went and had a pub lunch and ordered something that I normally know very well to avoid. I came home to tummy ache, distended intestines, bad, bad prolapse. That night my brother rang, we both knew what about, it was in the air between us, we both pretended it wasn’t. He gets comfort just from knowing I’m there. Me, on the other hand I get comfort from knowing he’s there for me, but also feel some of his pain so I do something silly and get bad prolapse because I repress talking about it all for his sake. Now I realize what my acquiescence is doing to me, I will not bother him with it, but will do what you suggest.

Best wishes, Fab