Natural Remedy for Bladder Infections
Questions for Jonathon V. Wright, MD
Sweet Relief
Q: I am plagued by recurring bladder (and urinary tract) infections - also called internal cystitis - and often end up on antibiotics for them. Then I usually wind up getting a yeast infection. I’ve heard that cranberry juice is a good natural remedy for bladder infections, so I drink it like crazy when I feel the symptoms coming on, but it doesn’t always work. Can you suggest any other natural alternatives I can try?
JVW: About 90 percent of all bladder infections are caused by a strain of e.coli bacteria, not the deadly strain, thankfully, but one that causes problems, nonetheless. Because it can “stick” to the walls of the bladder, it is not easily rinsed out of your system by urination, and can cause this painful infection.
Antibiotics do kill the e.coli, but they also kill all the friendly bacteria that keep your system healthy and in balance, too. This explains why you get yeast infections when you take the antibiotics.
As far as natural alternatives to antibiotics go, you’re on the right track with cranberry juice, but you can do better. The ingredient in the cranberry juice that actually offers the protective, natural antibiotic effect is a simple sugar called D-mannose. It detaches the e.coli from the bladder walls and allows it to be washed away in the urine.
Despite being classified as a “sugar,” D-mannose is very safe. Very little of it is actually metabolized by the body. Large doses are washed away in the urine, and the amounts not excreted into the urine are so small that they do not affect blood sugar levels, even in diabetics.
The next time you feel symptoms coming on, you might want to consider taking ½ to 1 teaspoon of D-mannose dissolved in some water every two to three hours until your symptoms subside.
Your health food store should have it or can order D-mannose for you. You can buy it from the Tahoma Clinic Dispensary (253) 850-5661 located in Seattle, WA
A Bladder Infection Remedy So Safe Even a Baby Can Use It
Q: I am writing to thank you for saving me a lifetime of health problems. My son Noah was diagnosed with Grade 4 vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) at the age of 2 months. On release from the hospital and following his diagnosis of VUR, he was placed on prophylactic antibiotics.
My husband and I agreed to this course of treatment and continued it for a course of fifteen months in which time we noticed our son puffy and swollen, prone to colds and flu and stomach upset. During his antibiotic treatment, Noah also had eight “breakthrough” infections and had gone through three different types of antibiotics.
In the fall of 2000 my mother came to see you. By this time my husband and I were desperately trying to find an alternative to the antibiotic therapy. My mother mentioned Noah’s problem to you and you recommended that we try D-mannose and stopped giving him the daily antibiotics.
Since we started him on the D-mannose he has had NO urinary tract infections and his overall health has improved 100 percent. We noticed within a week of starting the D-mannose that his puffiness and swelling disappeared, as did his stomach upset. He is no longer prone to colds and flu (at least no more than any other healthy three-year-old) and you would never know that he has had any health problems.
I want to sincerely thank you for taking the time to listen to my mother tell you about Noah and for making the recommendation to try D-mannose. We are very grateful to have found a healthy and successful alternative to the antibiotics. Thank you very much.
- C.F., Alberta, Canada
“Wash Away” Bladder Infection With a Natural Simple Sugar.
Q: Can you give me some information about internal cystitis?
JVW: Internal cystitis is a bacterial infection of the urinary tract (also know as bladder and urinary tract infection) and is characterized by frequent need to urinate and painful urination.
At the Tahoma Clinic, we’ve found that women with internal cystitis are among the most allergic and sensitive individuals we work with. So very complete allergy/sensitivity testing, elimination, and desensitization are always the first steps and are usually very helpful.
Some people have told me they’ve had significant relief after a series of colonics given by a competent colon therapist. I can’t explain why this seems to help, since there’s no official research, but you might want to give it a try.
But the treatment I’ve found most effective in my patients is the natural (and quite safe) “simple sugar” D-mannose. D-mannose has the ability to detach the bacteria from the walls of the bladder without upsetting the balance of the friendly bacteria necessary for good health. After being loosened from bladder walls, the bacteria are then rinsed away by normal urination.
Despite being classified as a “simple sugar,” D-mannose is very safe. Very little of it is actually metabolized by the body. Large doses are washed away in the urine, and the amounts not excreted into the urine are so small that they do not affect blood sugar levels, even in diabetics.
For adults, ½ to 1 teaspoonful of D-mannose, dissolved in water and taken every 2-3 hours, will eliminate almost any bladder infection. It also has the great advantage of tasting very good!
