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How do you treat and prevent a UTI? UTI stands for “Urinary tract infection” and is quite popular among women aged between 20 and 40. The human body is delicate, especially with some systems that are sensitive to germs. This is one of the most common infections, and doctors often treat this infection with medicines.
Around 60% of women get infected with a UTI, while only 10% of men get infected. Most women get infected with a UTI once in their lifetime because of hygienic and environmental issues. Before you think about this infection, let’s discuss some essential information and how to recognize it.
What is a UTI?
Urine is the body’s waste product, and the urinary tract prepares and stores urine. It’s divided into two sections; upper urinary tract and lower urinary tract. The upper section includes the kidney and ureter, while the lower one comprises the bladder and urethra.
Microbes in the urinary tract cause urinary tract infections. Your urine can reach the bladder, and you will feel symptoms. People often neglect the systems, but one should take them seriously to keep the urinary tract free from bacteria.
Symptoms of Urinary Tract Infection
Every infection shows some symptoms to let us know the body’s current situation and when it needs medical attention.
Let’s go through some signs you may experience when going through a UTI.
- Frequent urgency to urinate
- uncontrollable urine
- Burning and painful sensation in the tract
- Urine with a strong smell that is difficult to get rid of
- Blood drops in urine
- Nausea and vomiting frequently
- Abdominal pain
- Muscle ache
A person experiencing severe infection may also go through low-grade fever and cramps in the abdomen.
It’s essential to provide immediate attention to this infection. Because of untreated conditions may lead to grave problems. For example, an upper UTI may get worse when not treated with medicine. Long-lasting issues can damage the kidneys and other organs around the tract. Severe infections take time to treat. Thus, they require complicated treatments. You can also experience adverse side effects.
Most infections are not severe. However, they can damage the other systems of your body if not adequately treated. It can also bring mental changes and mood swings as the infection increases. If you are experiencing any symptoms on the list above, immediately consult a doctor before the symptoms worsen.
Causes of a UTI
After listening to urinary tract infections, the first thing that must cross your mind is the cause. Countless bacteria live around our sexual organs that can enter the tract and cause an infection. Once the bacterium is inside the body, it messes up the urinary tract, and you may feel pain while releasing urine. Women are more exposed to urinary tract infections than men because of a smaller urethra than males. In addition, germs can attack the system of women because of the short distances they travel to the urinary tract.
Here are some causes that may cause an infection in the urinary tract.
- Poor personal hygiene
- Bowel irritation
- Side-effects of contraception
- kidney stones,
- complicated pregnancy
- Blocked urine
- sexual intercourse with new partners
- Diabetes
- immobility
- Weak immune system
- Use of tampons
- Consumption of heavy anti-biotics
- menopause
These are the causes of a UTI, and you can avoid this infection from entering the body by maintaining sanitation. During pregnancy, a UTI is only not harmful to the mother but to the baby and can create complications while delivering. Some women develop mild symptoms, and it’s easy to treat them with medicines in a few days.
Treatment of a UTI Medically and Naturally
The intensity of the treatment depends on the condition of the infection. People with normal urinary tract get healthy after treatment, while complicated procedures require time. Look at some treatments medically and naturally suitable for a UTI.
Medical Treatments:
Antibiotics
Antibiotics are the effective treatment doctors prescribe to cure the infection. It is the standard treatment for a urinary tract infection that stops the issue right away. Doctors usually ask patients to consume medicine for three days because excessive use can make drugs useless. In addition, bacteria eventually become resistant to drugs. Doctors are working on reducing traditional antibiotics as they can negatively impact your health. After diagnosis, your doctor will advise you to take medicine, and symptoms will ease within a day or two.
Intimate Wash
The primary reason for getting this infection is poor hygiene. Suppose you do not practice good hygiene, the possibility of catching urinary tract infections increases. The best way to respond to medical treatment is to use an intimate wash to clean the body from bacteria. Use certified and medically approved wash to reduce the burning sensation and pain around the infected area by keeping it clean. Change underwear frequently, especially after sex and working out, because bacteria love dark, damp, and contaminated sites. Also, use products that don’t have unfamiliar smells and chemical ingredients in them.
Vitamin C Supplements
Medical experts proved that vitamin C supplements play an essential role in eliminating bacteria from the urinary tract. In addition, it reduces inflammation and burning sensation by providing you relief. Eating fruits and vegetables will provide you with vitamin C, especially citrus fruit, berries, and bell peppers. A healthy diet makes it more difficult for germs, illnesses, and injuries to keep you down. It’s a successful treatment approach, and doctors recommend it because of its long-term and reaching benefits. Vitamin C enhances your immunity system and makes you more resistant to germs. Thus as women get older, they should take the best multivitamins for women. Men are not immune from a UTI, so they should also add multivitamins to their diet as they age.
Intravenous Treatment
Sometimes, infections get complicated, and become resistant to antibiotics. It happens when it’s a long-lasting or repetitive infection with the same prescribed medicines. Here, doctors adopt intravenous treatment to kill the bacterium without causing further trouble.
This treatment is suitable when the infection has reached your kidneys and needs immediate attention. The medicine gets injected into the veins, but you must consume some drugs to make the body respond to treatment.
Stay Hydrated
Hydration is the key to a healthy body, but we often neglect this factor and suffer from different infections. The first sign an infected person experience when going through a UTI is pain while urinating, making people drink less water. Keep your body hydrated as much as possible because urination pushes bacteria out of the tract and washes the system effectively. The more you drink water, the more difference you will notice. After a day or two, you can feel at ease in pain.
Cranberry Juice
According to the research, cranberries can cure infection and remove bacteria from the walls. If you have diabetes, adopt unsweetened cranberry juice to push germs out of the body. There is evidence that cranberry juice reduces infection from the urinary tract leaving no adverse effects on the body. It’s also a preventive measure when you want to create a shield between the body and bacteria.
Probiotics
Probiotics are essential, especially to promote a healthy digestive system and immunity. Another reason some people catch urinary tract infections repetitively is because of a weak immune system. Probiotics make your body healthy and play a massive role in treating a UTI.
It helps to replace harmful bacteria with good ones and keeps your system healthy. Also, probiotics prevent infection from entering the tract. Greek Yogurt and Kefir provide natural sources of probiotics. It would help if you made probiotics a natural part of your diet.
Change of Diet
Diet is a crucial factor and keeps the body resistant to infections. So pay closer attention to it. By adding more plant-based foods to your diet, then anti-oxidants can make the immune system robust. A robust immune system can also prevent microbes from entering the urinary tract. Consume healthy food and reduce junk food from your diet because it will constipate you, which invites bacteria. In addition, processed food brings inflammation and wall damage that can worsen the infection.
Prevention of a Urinary Tract Infection
We discussed the reasons for suffering from urinary tract infections earlier, but how can you prevent them? If you are getting this infection repeatedly, it signals you need to improve your diet and hygiene. In addition, a change of lifestyle can prevent this painful infection from returning. By adopting these tips, you can avoid a UTI and live a healthy life.
Never Hold Urine
Never hold urine for hours to prevent the urinary tract from catching an infection. People have it to save time or because of an inconvenience, but it can severely affect your health. Urinary tract bacteria stay in urine, and when you hold it, it climbs in the tract. Always release it whenever you feel the need to urine. By urinating immediately, you can keep your urinary tract healthy. Holding pee can also damage the urinary tract as you get older and lead to incontinence and surgical treatment.
Proper Wipe
After using the washroom, always wipe yourself properly from front to back. It’s essential to keep your hygiene on point to prevent infection from repeating. People experience pain again because of ineffective cleaning, and bacteria can travel to other body parts. For example, after urinating, bacteria attach themselves to the genitals.
Avoid Tampons
Tampons are popular among the young generation but are not healthy for the urinary tract. In addition, Tampons imbalance the pH level, and you may feel irritation after wearing them. Avoid tampons as much as possible, and never wear scented products. Whether wearing pads or tampons, always use medically approved products to prevent harmful bacteria from growing. Avoid using powders and perfumes in the genital area to keep irritation away.
Soft Clothes
Use soft underwear if you want to maintain hygiene. Sweat builds up inside when you wear tight clothes and changes into harmful bacteria. Use cotton panties and loose clothing to let air pass through the garment. Always choose soft and premium material underwear to wear for infection prevention. Also, avoid bubble baths because fragrant shampoos and cologne irritate the tract. It also increases the chances of infection and is unsuitable for the genitals.
Birth Control
Birth control pills are the reason many women are suffering from severe urinary tract control. While attempting any sexual activity, ensure you are using the right contraception. Spermicide-lubricated condoms promote the growth of bacteria inside the urinary tract. It’s better to choose water-based lubricants and avoid vaginal dryness, as it can damage the internal veins. If catching an infection after every few months, then try to switch birth control methods. It will make a difference and prevent a UTI from returning.
Drink Plenty of Water
You need to drink lots of water to clean the urinary tract from bacteria. Don’t consume sugary drinks because they will create other problems in your body. Instead, use cranberry juice to wash away any bacteria trying to enter your urinary tract. Water and cranberry juice are not harmful, and you can add them to your regular diet. Experts recommend at least eight glasses (64 ounces) of water daily, but this is the minimum amount of water you should drink. You should at least set a goal to drink your weight in kilograms for optimal health. So if you weigh 185 pounds, drink (185 lbs divided by 2.2) 84 ounces of water daily.
Final Thoughts on UTI – How to Treat and Prevent Urinary Tract Infections
People are suffering from great difficulty because urinary tract infections spread rapidly in the younger generation. It’s not about adults; babies get UTIs because of poor hygiene and tight clothes.
By adopting these remedies, you can reduce the rate of a UTI without going through complicated treatments. Consult your doctor if you are hesitant before trying treatments to minimize infection. Discuss several ways to treat a UTI with your doctor.
Antibiotics can clear up the tract within a few days, but to eliminate the infection from the body, continue to take medicine as prescribed by the doctor. Once the infection has cleared, incorporate a healthier diet and preventive hygiene. If you are susceptible to a UTI, you must be more cautious than most. In conclusion, adopt preventive measures to live a healthy life. If you or someone you know is looking to improve your health, share this article on Facebook or Twitter so that others can learn more about self-care.
