Does Cranberry Juice Prevent Urinary Tract Infections?

When it comes to your urinary wellness, you may have heard that cranberry juice can give you a boost. True, cranberry juice can benefit your sexual health, and overall wellbeing, in a number of ways, but that’s not to say that you should proceed without caution. There is also a fair share of risks when it comes to indulging in the tangy, often bitter, red liquid, so you need to weigh up the pros and cons.

 

Let’s start with the benefits of drinking cranberry juice. According to award-winning wellness writer Hope Gillette, ‘There is significant evidence to suggest drinking cranberry juice can help prevent urinary tract infections (UTIs), though there are no guidelines on how much juice should be imbibed to stave off those unpleasant episodes. In the early stages of investigation into the benefits of cranberry juice, experts thought the drink made urine more acidic, therefore creating an environment where bacteria responsible for a UTI were unable to grow. That thinking has now been modified; instead of just creating more acidic urine, scientists feel cranberry juice—and other juices as well—can help prevent bacteria from sticking to the walls of the urinary tract system. The exact mechanism behind this is not clear. Some studies have shown cranberry juice alters the bacteria itself, and other studies have indicated the potent juice leaves behind a slippery coating in the body’s system.’

 

However, while the most well-known benefit of cranberry juice is to urinary health, there are other systems in your body that can benefit from the power of cranberries:

 

1. Overall Health: Gillette explains, ‘Cranberries are rich in antioxidants and phytochemicals, substances thought to help promote a healthy immune and cardiovascular system.’

 

2. Oral Health: By decreasing the number of bacteria present on your gums, unsweetened cranberry juice can also help prevent a build-up of dental plaque in your mouth.

 

3. Kidney Stone Prevention: Gillette points out, ‘Cranberries contain quinic acid, a substance medical experts feel helps prevent the formation of kidney stones; however, at the same time, cranberry juice also contains the chemical oxalate, which contributes to kidney stone formation.’

 

Moving on to the negative side of drinking cranberry juice, it’s important to not that this remedy is not a cure-all for everything that ails your urinary system. Gillette details, ‘One instance in which cranberry juice is not recommended is in cases of  interstitial cystitis (IC). Also known as painful bladder disease, interstitial cystitis occurs when the lining of the bladder becomes damaged and allows urine to come into contact with sensitive tissue. By drinking cranberry juice, which is very acidic, people with interstitial cystitis can find the condition aggravated, and unfortunately, because IC is commonly misdiagnosed as a UTI, cranberry juice is often the first thing women reach for when symptoms occur.’

 

Let’s look at some other risks associated with drinking cranberry juice:

 

1. Oral Health: Yes, while cranberry juice has been shown to prevent the build-up of plaque, it may also do some damage to your pearly whites. ‘While some evidence suggests the juice can keep bacteria out of the mouth, due to its high acidity, too much cranberry juice may cause the enamel of the teeth to wear thin,’ says Gillette. ‘Not all juices are pure juice, either, and those with high sugar content will be just as bad for teeth as soda.’

 

2. Diabetes and Digestive Health: ‘People who are diabetics and those with sensitive stomachs should proceed with caution when it comes to cranberry juice consumption,’ Gillette warns. ‘Too much cranberry juice may cause stomach upset, diarrhoea and elevated blood sugar levels.’

 

3. Heart Health: Gillette comments, ‘In some reported cases, cranberry juice has also been shown to interfere with certain heart medications. The wrong combination of juice and medication may lead to life-threatening internal bleeding.’

Categories: cranberry juice, drinking cranberry, health gillette, interstitial cystitis, kidney stone, oral health, prevent urinary, Risks, tract infections, urinary tract

Homosexuality, Sex Drive and PMS: Why Do You Blame Hormones?

Hormones are confusing and downright irritating little devils. You know you have them, and you know they wreak havoc on your sexual health and emotional wellness, but do hormones get given the blame too often? Over the years, hormones have been blamed for everything from causing cancer to encouraging homosexuality, but contrary to popular belief, hormones might not have as much influence over your wellbeing as you think, and the influence they do have is not so scary. Let’s take a look at some of the more ridiculous myths associated with hormones.

 

1. Hormones in food can make you turn homosexual: Award-winning wellness writer Hope Gillette notes, ‘Contrary to the some people’s belief female hormones used to promote chicken growth will turn a man homosexual, the fact is there are no studies supporting this theory…All in all, the only issues ever examined for a link to hormone use in poultry were those related to early onset of puberty, and no substantial evidence was ever found.’ According to CornellUniversity, ‘Steroid hormones in food were suspected to cause early puberty in girls in some reports. However, exposure to higher than natural levels of steroid hormones through hormone-treated meat or poultry has never been documented. Large epidemiological studies have not been done to see whether or not early puberty in developing girls is associated with having eaten growth hormone-treated foods.’

 

2. Hormones lower your sex drive: While Andrew Goldstein, MD, director of the Centres for Vulvovaginal Disorders in Washington, DC, admits that hormones do have an impact on your libido, he argues that relationship or emotional issues – not hormones – are often the primary driving force behind a lack of libido. Other contributing factors include stress, depression, poor body image, and lack of sleep. When it comes to a low sex drive, your underlying causes may be different to other peoples’. However, if you’re an older woman going through menopause, hormones do have quite a bit of influence on your libido. Gillette explains, ‘Decreasing levels of oestrogen can cause vaginal dryness, making intercourse uncomfortable. A loss of female hormones can also desensitise a woman’s female organs, making arousal difficult and thus leading to a lack of sexual desire. Some post-menopausal women actually experience an increase in libido, but this is attributed to a lack of pregnancy anxiety rather than hormonal fluctuations.’

 

3. Hormones lead to mood swings: Gillette details, ‘PMS, the condition attributed to drastic mood swings during hormone fluctuations, only affects approximately 15% of women. For the rest of the population, emotional changes are probably just the result of a bad day or a cumulative response to a series of bad days. This doesn’t mean that hormones won’t cause mood swings; it just means not every mood swing is hormone-related.’ Nanette Santoro, MD, director of the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology at Montefiore Medical Centre and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, adds, ‘Every study done on women with PMS shows their circulating levels of hormones are normal, but some researchers believe that certain hormone metabolites in the brain cause the mood changes – or that some women just metabolise hormones differently. No one knows for sure.’

 

4. Urinary tract infections cause hormone fluctuations: Lauren F. Streicher, MD, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at NorthwesternUniversity’s Feinberg School of Medicine, asserts that true urinary tract infections (UTIs) occur due to bacteria in your urinary tract system that usually builds up due to sex or lack of hygiene. Gillette weighs in, ‘Hormone fluctuations will have no direct effect on bacterial growth.’

Categories: early puberty, Homosexuality, hormone fluctuations, hormone treated, hormones, md director, Mood Swings, Myths, Sex Drive, steroid hormones, tract infections, urinary tract

Urinary Tract Infections: Your Questions Answered

Most people will contract a urinary tract infection at some point in their lives, but what can you do to spot the signs and prevent them? Here are some of the answers to the most common questions regards UTIs.

How do you get a urinary tract infection?

An infection in the urinary tract is most commonly caused by bacteria in the digestive tract which is spread to the urethra, which then travels up the urinary tract to the bladder and sometimes the kidneys. It can also be caused by bacteria and microorganisms which are transmitted through sexual intercourse.

Does having a urine infection mean you can’t get another one again?

This isn’t true; in fact, once you get one, you’re more susceptible to them later on. Nearly 20 per cent of women who get a urinary tract infection get another one later in life, and 30 per cent of those who have had two will get a third. Around 80 per cent of those who’ve had three will have a fourth, and four out of five women get another infections within 18 months of the last one.

How can you tell if you have an infection?

There are a number of symptoms to urinary tract infections, including frequent and urgent needs to urinate, but not making it to the toilet in time; a painful burning sensation when you urinate; cloudy or reddish-coloured urine; urine that has a strong smell, and soreness in the lower back or side. If you have a fever, nausea, vomiting or back pain accompanying your symptoms, you may well have a kidney infection. You should speak to your GP if you have symptoms as they can prescribe medication to clear the infection.

If the infection seems to have cleared, do I need to finish my medication?

Yes, you always need to finish the course of medication you’ve been prescribed. Sometimes the symptoms seem to have disappeared, but the bacteria will still be in your system so you need to finish the antibiotics to clear in. Even if the symptoms don’t appear straight away, you will be at an increased risk of another infection very quickly.

Are urinary tract infections harmful to pregnant women?

If the infection is caught and treated early, then it isn’t generally of any harm. However, pregnant women are more likely to find that the infection spreads to their kidneys which can cause kidney damage, high blood pressure and an increased risk of premature delivery. If you suspect you have an infection and you’re pregnant, you should speak to your GP as soon as possible.

Is drinking cranberry juice a good way to prevent an infection or is that an old wives’ tale?

Cranberry juice and vitamin C make your urine more acidic, which makes it more difficult for bacteria to thrive. Cranberry juice also have a unique factor which prevents bacteria from adhering to the bladder surface, so it can be useful in preventing the infection from growing.

Why do some people get regular infections?

Some women are more prone to infections than others because the cells in the vaginal areas make it easier for bacteria to invade. If you’re menopausal, you’re also at an increased risk because of the thinning tissues covering the urethra make this area less resistant to bacteria. Irritation from sex, tampons, douching or feminine deodorants can also give bacteria a chance to grow. Practicing good feminine hygiene can help limit the bacteria from spreading, along with drinking plenty of water and urinating when you need to rather than waiting.

Categories: Bacteria, cranberry juice, increased risk, infection, Pregnant Women, question, Symptoms, tract, Tract Infection, tract infections, urinary tract, urine infection

Six Natural Remedies for Fighting Urinary Tract Infections

Of all the reasons you might visit a doctor, urinary tract infections (UTIs) are the second most common each year. While UTI can affect male wellness, they’re far more known for impacting your sexual health as a woman. More than eight million women go to the GP for UTI treatment every year, and 20% of these women will find that a UTI affects their wellbeing a second time. When that rolls around, these women will know it instantly, as you never forget the symptoms of a UTI: First you suddenly and frequently feel the need to use the toilet, and then you find you can squeeze out only a little bit of urine. This would only be annoying, if not for the burning sensation in your bladder and/or urethra that accompanies this lack of urination. Extreme cases can even lead to fever, chills, back pain, and blood in your urine. However, the good news is that you can try a number of home remedies to prevent or treat a UTI.

 

1. Baking Soda: If your UTI lasts for longer than two days, you need to get medical attention. If left untreated, a UTI can infect your kidneys and turn into a much more serious problem. However, before you let it get to that point, you can ease your infection – or nip it in the bud – by adding a teaspoon of baking soda to a glass of water. The baking soda works to neutralise the acidity in your urine which, in turn, speeds along your recovery.

 

2. Cranberry Juice: Cranberries have special properties for fighting UTIs, with many studies demonstrating that drinking cranberry juice helps to prevent the infections. UTIs are caused by bacteria that bed down in your bladder, but cranberry juice prevents this from happening, and also has a very mild antibiotic affect. To keep your bladder infection-free generally, you only need drink as little as four ounces of cranberry juice a day. However, if you already have a UTI, or tend to get them on and off, you should aim to drink at least two to four glasses a day. That said, cranberry juice is not a replacement for doctor-prescribed antibiotics in treating your infection.

 

3. Blueberries: The bacteria-inhibiting properties in cranberries are also found in blueberries. It’s easy to add more blueberries to your diet – just sprinkle a handful over your cereal in the morning, and let the flavourful, good-for-you berries do the rest!

 

4. Pineapples: An enzyme found in pineapples, known as bromelain, has been shown to be a key ingredient in fighting UTIs. In one study, researchers gave UTI sufferers bromelain alongside their usual round of antibiotics, and this got rid of their infection.

 

5. Water: It sounds simple, but drinking plenty of water is a key preventative measure for most conditions, including UTIs. If you tend to get urinary tract infections, you should aim to drink about eight eight-ounce glasses of water every day, so that you urinate at least every four to five hours. Drinking buckets of water can help you fight off any UTIs you may currently have, so try to drink a full eight ounces of water every hour. This will help flush out bacteria by making you go to the toilet more frequently. Another way water can help when you have a UTI is to use it in a hot water bottle. Putting the water bottle on your lower abdomen can help to ease any pain caused by the infection.

 

6. Vitamin C: For patients who develop recurrent urinary tract infections, some doctors prescribe at least 5,000 mg or more of vitamin C a day. This is because vitamin C acidifies the urine.

Categories: baking soda, blueberries, cranberry juice, fighting utis, infection nbsp, infections utis, tract infections, urinary tract, urinary tract infection (UTI), vitamin c, Water

Which Complementary Therapies are OK for Kids?

Recent studies have shown that more and more parents are turning to complementary wellness methods instead of medical treatments for their kids. Some do it to guard their children’s wellbeing against the side effects of medications, while others have lost faith in their doctors. Whatever your reason for choosing alternative therapies for your children, you should bear in mind that although some seem safe and effective for kids, others are inappropriate or downright dangerous.

According to Dolores Mendelow, MD, clinical assistant professor of paediatrics and communicable diseases at the University of Michigan Medical School. ‘There is a huge place for complementary and alternative medicine in paediatrics. In terms of complementary medicine, we’re using acupuncture, dietary supplementation, and herbal or botanical therapies. Parents can ask doctors if certain alternative therapies will hurt a child. It’s a good opportunity to open up a dialogue about this with your physician. And doctors need to learn more about them.’ It’s important to ask the right questions because all children are different, and so what affects your child may not affect another. That said, there are certain therapies that, generally, get the green light:

1. Honey for a cold: Dr Mendelow asserts, ‘Over-the-counter medicines like Sudafed aren’t helpful for the common cold, but honey and buckwheat are. However, if your child is younger than 12 months old, you should never give them honey. Another effective treatment for colds is eating elderberry fruit, or taking extracts of it, but if your child is on chemotherapy this should be avoided.

2. Acupuncture for migraine: When it comes to treating migraines, acupuncture has a good track record. This alternative therapy also has known benefits in easing nausea symptoms associated with chemotherapy treatments. If you’re considering acupuncture for your child, make sure you look for a practitioner who has lots of experience treating kids.

3. Cranberry for frequent urinary tract infections: Your child may be more prone to urinary tract infections (UTIs) if he or she has a habit of holding their urine. If your child’s doctor has ruled out an underlying kidney problem, cranberry juice or extracts can be a natural way to prevent the irritating infections.

4. Probiotics for diarrhoea: If taking antibiotics is causing your child to experience diarrhoea, probiotics can be especially helpful. You’ll find these beneficial bacteria in drinks, in foods like yogurt, and in supplement form.

5. Yoga and tai chi for stress relief and anxiety: There is a real connection between the mind and the body which, when tapped into, can do wonderful things for your child’s health. Asthma is a common condition amongst children and, if your child is afflicted by it, he or she may benefit from taking a yoga class. Alongside prescribed medicines, yoga can help asthmatic patients breathe better and remain calm during an attack, in addition to providing general stress reduction. Moreover, research shows tai chi helps reduce the risk of depression and anxiety in teens.

So those are the green-light treatments, but from which therapies does Dr. Mendelow advise parents to stay away?

1. High-velocity chiropractic treatments: In general, chiropractors are great as general practitioners, they do a lot of nutrition counselling, food avoidance, and gentle manipulation,’ Dr. Mendelow notes, but she also believes that forceful “crack the neck” kinds of therapy are inappropriate for kids.

2. Creatine: Bodybuilders often swear by this high-protein supplement but it can harm the kidneys. Therefore, if you have a teenager who has started to lift weights, make sure they avoid creatine.

3. Ma huang: You might turn to this Chinese medicine to control your child’s asthma or boost their athletic performance, but it can lead to heart palpitations and cardiac problems and is considered extremely dangerous for kids.

Categories: acupuncture, alternative therapies, Child, Child Wellness, dr mendelow, green light, Kids, Tai Chi, Therapies, tract infections, urinary tract, yoga