4 Simple Ways to Deal With Urinary Tract Infection
Are you feeling some discomfort in your lower abdomen, specifically some heaviness and a dull ache in it? Or, do you always find that urgent need to rush to the toilet to pee, but when you do, you feel there's something not normal?
These are signs that you might have a urinary tract infection or UTI. Suppose you are one of the many women suffering from frequent UTI, meaning you experience such about two or more times in six months. In that case, you can do something to stop the growth of UTI-causing bacteria known as E. coli in the urinary tract.
UTI is an infection in any part of the urinary system, including the kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra. Women have a higher chance of getting the infection compared to men.
Some experts rank the lifetime risk of developing the disease as high as one in two, with many women experiencing recurring infections, sometimes even for years, as some studies show that about one in every ten men is likely to get a UTI in their lifetime.
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Cranberry contains tannin content that can help prevent E. coli bacteria, the most common cause of UTIs, from sticking to the bladder’s walls, where they can cause an infection.
Treat UTI with These 4 Easy Ways
Your doctor might prescribe you with antibiotics as they are the most common medicines to treat UTIs. If he does, be sure to take everything he prescribes, even if you start feeling better.
Aside from drinking lots of water to help eliminate bacteria from your body, here are 5 other simple steps you can take to deal with the infection:
1. Switch to Unscented Bath Products
As mentioned above, women, compared to men, are more likely to develop UTI because the female urethra is shorter. This is a small tube linking the bladder to the outside of the body.
Nevertheless, irritation and building up of bacteria around the urethra can be reduced if you use non-perfumed or unscented products that make contact and trigger a urethra infection.
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2. Drink Cranberry Juice
This is frequently promoted for UTI treatment and prevention. Specifically, the red berry has a tannin content that can help prevent E. coli bacteria, the most common cause of UTIs, from sticking to the bladder's walls, where they can cause an infection. Most studies have not proven, though, if it indeed functions much to lessen infections.
But one study from Canada's McGill University showed that cranberry enzymes actually restrict E. coli bacteria's ability to bind, leading to UTI, so the body can flush out microbes even before an infection takes place.
3. Avoid Wearing Tight Clothes
You may be fashionable and trendy by wearing skinny jeans, tights, and pantyhose. Regrettably, though, these outfits may encourage the infection to take place.
According to experts, E. coli bacteria build-up and multiply in "moist, warm environments and tight clothing materials."
4. Practice Hygiene
Do you still remember what your mom taught you when you as a little girl? After using the washroom, "wipe from front to back." There's a reason for this. If you wipe properly as your mother taught you, you will prevent bacteria from making its way to infecting your urethra, especially after a bowel movement.
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Oct 23, 2020 08:00 AM EDT
