Recurring utis, how to do with it?
My wife has 4 utis in 2 years. She has to go to the bathroom frequently during the day and night. The symptoms couldn't be controlled with antibiotics. How do you deal with recurring utis? Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks!
David, long term use of antibiotics could be contributing to the problem. They are indiscriminate killers and destroy all bacteria including the beneficial ones that are normally present in the digestive and urinary tracts. I recommend a good probiotic like Ultimate Flora from Renew Life. The women's 90 Billion CFU (colony forming units) has specific strains of bacteria for urinary health. After the colony is repopulated it can be maintained with fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir or kombucha. It's possible that the two of you could be passing bacteria back and forth so you may need to take a probiotic as well. For her immediate symptoms, try D-Mannose. It's a component of cranberry available as a capsule that can be used to avoid the excess sugar intake from drinking cranberry juice. It stops the bacteria from adhering to the bladder wall. Be aware that sugar in all its forms (including flour) feeds bad bacteria, yeast, fungi and other pathogens. Making sure her diet is free from these things will help starve out the unwanted guests. Adding garlic to your diet may also help because it is a prebiotic and feeds the beneficial bacteria. One excellent resource is Phyllis Balch's Guide to Nutritional Healing. It's widely available and even has an online edition I think. Finally, Dr. David Perlmutter is an authority of the microbiome and its effect on immune health. He has written some articles on Paleohacks so try searching that or reading some of his books. I hope this helps!
Has she tried herbal medicine? I know a herbal medicine called diuretic and anti-inflammatory pill is effective in treating UTI. Maybe she could give it a try.
Recurring balanitis and coating on tongue?