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Medical Forum / General / Alternative / October 2006Urinary tract infection
Is there any alternative to antibiotics that can cure a UTI I have yet to find anything other than antibiotics that work. > Is there any alternative to antibiotics that can cure a UTI I have yet > to find anything other than antibiotics that work. Why are you looking for an alternative if antibiotics work? > > Is there any alternative to antibiotics that can cure a UTI I have yet > > to find anything other than antibiotics that work. > > Why are you looking for an alternative if antibiotics work? I am interested to see if there is an alternative. >>>Is there any alternative to antibiotics that can cure a UTI I have yet >>>to find anything other than antibiotics that work. >> >>Why are you looking for an alternative if antibiotics work? > > I am interested to see if there is an alternative. Ok, fair enough. I wouldn't know any though. > Is there any alternative to antibiotics that can cure a UTI I have yet > to find anything other than antibiotics that work. Patently our distant ancestors had ways to survive them, since UTIs happen often enough in nature that making them lifelong would require *some* kind of defense. No proof, but I suspect that cranking up the fluid intake and suffering through until the inflammatory response brings enough of the usual immune reactions to the tissues (e.g. bladder lining) to deal with them is about all you get. Certainly utterly miserable and a fair chance of residual scarring, but Nature isn't always concerned with making us happy as long as we live to reproduce.  Signaturebegin signature.exe A: Because it messes up the order in which people normally read text. Q: Why is top-posting such a bad thing? A: Top-posting. Q: What is the most annoying thing on usenet? > Is there any alternative to antibiotics that can cure a UTI I have yet > to find anything other than antibiotics that work. Here are a couple of articles from the medical literature for your consideration on cranberry. Good luck and have a great day. Roman Cranberry Juice and Adhesion of Antibiotic-Resistant Uropathogens Howell A. B., PhD, and Foxman B., PhD, "Cranberry Juice and Adhesion of Antibiotic-Resistant Uropathogens", JAMA, June 19, 2002, Vol. 287, Num. 23, pp. 3082-3083 "Urinary tract infections (UTIs) account for more than 11 million physician visits annually in the United States and have become increasingly resistant to first-line antibiotic therapy. ... Methods. Thirty-nine uropathogenic P-fimbriated E coli isolates were obtained from women aged 18 to 39 years with clinically diagnosed, culture-confirmed UTIs. Isolates were incubated for 20 minutes in urine collected over a 12-hour period from healthy women before and after consumption of 240 mL of commercial cranberry juice cocktail, and in cranberry proanthocyanidin extract (pH 6.5) (2-fold dilution series). ... Results. Urine after cranberry juice cocktail consumption (average pH 6.2) prevented adhesion of 31 (80%) of the 39 isolates and 19 (79%) of the antibiotic-resistant isolates in all bioassays, while preconsumption urine (average pH 6.2) failed to prevent adhesion in any of the samples. Antiadhesion activity was evident in the urine within 2 hours and persisted for up to 10 hours following cranberry juice cocktail ingestion. The extracted proanthocyanidins inhibited adhesion of all isolates at concentration ranging from 6 to 375 µg/mL, demonstrating potent in vitro anitadhesion activity against these antibiotic-resistant strains. ... Conclusions. These data suggest that consumption of cranberry juice cocktail may offer protection against both sensitive and resistant strains of P-fimbriated E coli by a mechanism that is not likely to increase selective pressures associated with antibiotic resistance. In light of the evidence that antibiotic usage is a contributing factor in development of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxalzole-resisant uropathogenic E coli, further trials are warranted to explore the use of cranberry juice as an alternative strategy to prevent UTIs and potentially reduce the rate of antibiotic resistance." Randomised trial of cranberry-lingonberry juice and Lactobacillus GG drink for the prevention of urinary tract infections in women Kontiokari T., Sundqvist K., Nuutinen M., Pokka T., Koskela M., and Uhari M., "Randomised trial of cranberry-lingonberry juice and Lactobacillus GG drink for the prevention of urinary tract infections in women", BMJ (British Medical Journal), June 30, 2001, Vol. 322, Num. 0, pp. 1571-1573 "OBJECTIVE: To determine whether recurrences of urinary tract infection can be prevented with cranberry-lingonberry juice or with Lactobacillus GG drink. Design: Open, randomised controlled 12 month follow up trial. SETTING: Health centres for university students and staff of university hospital. PARTICIPANTS: 150 women with urinary tract infection caused by Escherichia coli randomly allocated into three groups. Interventions: 50 ml of cranberry-lingonberry juice concentrate daily for six months or 100 ml of lactobacillus drink five days a week for one year, or no intervention. Main outcome measure: First recurrence of symptomatic urinary tract infection, defined as bacterial growth >/=10(5 )colony forming units/ml in a clean voided midstream urine specimen. RESULTS: The cumulative rate of first recurrence of urinary tract infection during the 12 month follow up differed significantly between the groups (P=0.048). At six months, eight (16%) women in the cranberry group, 19 (39%) in the lactobacillus group, and 18 (36%) in the control group had had at least one recurrence. This is a 20% reduction in absolute risk in the cranberry group compared with the control group (95% confidence interval 3% to 36%, P=0.023, number needed to treat=5, 95% confidence interval 3 to 34). CONCLUSION: Regular drinking of cranberry juice but not lactobacillus seems to reduce the recurrence of urinary tract infection. ... Up to 60% of women have a urinary tract infection at some point in their life. Sexual activity is the most important risk factor for urinary tract infection. At least a third of women with urinary tract infection will experience a recurrence during the following year, with recurrence being most common in the age groups 25-9 and over 55 years. The bacteria causing urinary tract infection arise from the stools. Dietary changes can alter the balance of faecal bacteria. Vaccinium berries and products containing lactobacilli have been shown to act against the coliform bacteria that cause most urinary tract infections. Cranberry juice prevents bacteriuria in elderly women, and locally administered lactobacilli prevent recurrences of urinary tract infections. ... In the United States, over 11 million women each year receive antimicrobials for urinary tract infection, costing over $1.6bn (£1100m). Antimicrobial treatment and prophylaxis has resulted in increasing resistance to antimicrobials among uropathogenic bacteria. Cranberry juice provides an alternative tool for prevention of urinary tract infection that could result in decreased use of antimicrobials. ... Action of cranberry juice: The berries of Vaccinium species such as cranberries and blueberries contain condensed tannins called proanthocyanidins. These can prevent the expression of the P fimbriae of E coli. Proanthocyanidins are stable phenolic compounds that are widely distributed in nature, and some of them possess antiviral, antibacterial, antiadhesive, or antioxidant properties. By inhibiting bacterial cell wall synthesis and cellular expression of adhesion molecules they inhibit bacterial adhesion to cellular surfaces. Tannin profiles differ between berries, and proanthocyanidin molecules of cranberry extracts consist mainly of epicatechin. The commercial product used here consisted mostly of cranberries (V oxycoccos) but also lingonberries (V vitis-idaea), which to our knowledge have not been analysed for proanthocyanidin concentrations. E coli is the most common uropathogenic bacterium, and its P fimbriae are thought to be the most important virulence factor in causing urinary tract infection. The blocking of fimbrial adhesion by cranberry juice prevents E coli and other gram negative bacteria from colonising the uroepithelial cells. The juice may help to prevent urinary tract infection either by selecting less adhesive bacterial strains in the stool or by directly preventing E coli from adhering to uroepithelial cells, or by both of these mechanisms. Our finding of no increase in recurrences after stopping cranberry prophylaxis supports the theory of bacterial selection in the stool." Inhibition of bacterial adherence by cranberry juice: potential use for the treatment of urinary tract infections Sobota, A. E., "Inhibition of bacterial adherence by cranberry juice: potential use for the treatment of urinary tract infections", Journal of Urology, May 1, 1984, Vol. 131, Num. 0, pp. 1013-1016 "Abstract: Cranberry juice has been widely used for the treatment and prevention of urinary tract infections and is reputed to give symptomatic relief from these infections. Attempts to account for the potential benefit derived from the juice have focused on urine acidification and bacteriostasis. In this investigation it is demonstrated that cranberry juice is a potent inhibitor of bacterial adherence. A total of 77 clinical isolates of Escherichia coli were tested. Cranberry juice inhibited adherence by 75 per cent or more in over 60 per cent of the clinical isolates. Cranberry cocktail was also given to mice in the place of their normal water supply for a period of 14 days. Urine collected from these mice inhibited adherence of E. coli to uroepithelial cells by approximately 80 per cent. Antiadherence activity could also be detected in human urine. Fifteen of 22 subjects showed significant antiadherence activity in the urine 1 to 3 hours after drinking 15 ounces of cranberry cocktail. It is concluded that the reported benefits derived from the use of cranberry juice may be related to its ability to inhibit bacterial adherence. ... Cranberry juice. Three preparations of cranberry juice were used in this study: 1) cranberry cocktail, 2) cranberry concentrate and 3) freshly prepared juice. The freshly prepared juice was obtained by crushing the berries in a blender followed by centrifugation at 10,000 g for 30 minutes to express the juice. For the adherence assay, the juice was either used full strength or diluted with glass distilled water. ... The degree of inhibition ranged from greater than 97 per cent in undiluted juice to approximately 30 per cent at a dilution of 1:100 for both kinds of cells. All 3 preparations of cranberry juice significantly inhibited adherence up to dilutions of 1:100. ... it was demonstrated that pure cranberry juice, either as a commercial concentrate or freshly prepared, is a strong inhibitor of bacterial adherence. Experiments designed to determine the concentration of juice necessary for inhibition produced the most striking results. At dilutions up to 1:100 a significant inhibition of adherence was observed and in the undiluted form inhibition in excess of 97 per cent was observed." > > Is there any alternative to antibiotics that can cure a UTI I have yet > > to find anything other than antibiotics that work. [quoted text clipped - 100 lines] > a significant inhibition of adherence was observed and in the undiluted > form inhibition in excess of 97 per cent was observed." Most doctors will prescribe cranberry juice and plenty of water for UTIs; in my experience they also prescribe them as a prophylactic measure for people prone to UTIs.. However these infections can be dangerous, particularly if they are recurrent, and sometimes antibiotics are the best and safest answer. See your doctor; they may advise simple washing out with water and cranberry juice; if it's more serious, they may not. > However these infections can be dangerous, particularly if they are > recurrent, and sometimes antibiotics are the best and safest answer. Why can these infections be dangerous if they are recurrent? >> However these infections can be dangerous, particularly if they are >> recurrent, and sometimes antibiotics are the best and safest answer. > > Why can these infections be dangerous if they are recurrent? Scarring, for one. Persistent inflammation of the urinary tract can result in scar tissue which at best reduces elasticity and at worst can cause blockages. Lower UTIs can progress up to kidney infections, which (besides being no fun at all) can result in permanent kidney damage. A high rate of urinary flow at all times (Army research suggests an optimum of something like two liters a day) helps prevent UTIs and renal calculus -- always the best solution. If a lower UTI gets going, pushing fluids helps prevent the infection from working its way up to the kidneys along with the other benefits of dilution. Pyridium is, as always, good for symptomatic relief and seems to speed healing despite having no antibacterial effect itself. Signaturebegin signature.exe A: Because it messes up the order in which people normally read text. Q: Why is top-posting such a bad thing? A: Top-posting. Q: What is the most annoying thing on usenet? Richard, Recurrent UTI's aren't dangerous. Men and women have had them ever since Adam and Eve. Here is a website that will help you understand UTI's and at the bottom is a link for Naturopathic Treatment that is VERY helpful... http://www.urologychannel.com/uti/index.shtml My advice is to go to the health food store, GNC, or Wal-Mart and buy a bottle of cranberry. It has no sugar... just full strength cranberry. I take a cranberry cap every night before bed and it keeps me from having any urological issues. Now, that's not to say another UTI won't happen. I don't know your situation... if you are getting them or your wife/girlfriend. If it is you, it could be as simple as your not drinking enough water and that you need cranberry caps and water to help with your UTI's. If it's a wife/girlfriend, there are tips on the link above that will help her with the prevention of UTI's. Good luck to you, Richard. I know how uncomfortable those infections can be. > > However these infections can be dangerous, particularly if they are > > recurrent, and sometimes antibiotics are the best and safest answer.Why can these infections be dangerous if they are recurrent? > > However these infections can be dangerous, particularly if they are > > recurrent, and sometimes antibiotics are the best and safest answer. > > Why can these infections be dangerous if they are recurrent? Be careful as antibiotics have their own set of risks. Good day. Roman Linda A. Johnson, "Common antibiotic can raise cardiac risk, study says", Toronto Star, September 9, 2004, Link: http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_T ype1&c=Article&cid=1 A widely used antibiotic long considered safe dramatically increases the risk of cardiac arrest, particularly when taken with some popular drugs for infections and high blood pressure, a study found. The drug is erythromycin, on the market for 50 years and prescribed for everything from strep throat to syphilis. The new study shows the need for continuing research on the safety of older medicines, including how they interact with newer drugs, said researcher Wayne A. Ray, a professor of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville. Taken alone, erythromycin doubled the very low risk of sudden cardiac death among patients in the study. In patients taking other drugs that increase erythromycin's concentration in the blood, the risk of cardiac death was more than five times greater. That translates to six deaths for every 10,000 people taking erythromycin for the typical two-week treatment while on the other drugs. "This is an unacceptably high risk," Ray said. The study, in today's New England Journal of Medicine, said the danger seems to come from other drugs slowing the breakdown of erythromycin, which increases its concentration. At high levels it traps salt inside resting heart muscle cells, prolonging the time until the next heartbeat starts, and sometimes triggering an abnormal, potentially fatal rhythm. The findings show doctors should choose an alternative antibiotic, Ray said, at least when prescribing the drugs that interact. Amoxicillin, another popular antibiotic, showed no cardiac risk. In the study, funded by U.S. federal agencies and the drug company Janssen Pharmaceutica, researchers looked at 1,476 cardiac arrest deaths and studied each patient's medicine use. Only a small numberhad taken both erythromycin and any of the antibiotics or heart drugs carrying a risk. Still, three of them died. Statistically, it was extremely unlikely those deaths were due to chance, according to Ray and other experts. The deaths were in patients taking blood pressure drugs verapamil (sold as Verelan and Isoptin) or diltiazem (sold as Cardizem and Tiazac). Several other drugs were cited as potential risks. "Heavy antibiotic use may raise lymphoma risk", ABC News, November 19, 2005, Link: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory?id=1329863 Using antibiotics more than 10 times in childhood increases the likelihood of developing non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), a cancer that affects the body's lymphatic system, new research suggests. Dr. Ellen T. Chang of the Northern California Cancer Centre in Fremont and her colleagues also found a marginally increased NHL risk among heavy users of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil), but no association between the disease and any other types of medication. Given the rising incidence of NHL, Chang and her team note in the American Journal of Epidemiology, a number of studies have investigated whether certain medications increase the risk of the disease. But results have been inconclusive, with only strong immunosuppressive drugs consistently being tied to NHL. Because a number of medical conditions also may be associated with NHL, they add, the question of whether the drug or the underlying condition is involved has complicated matters further. To investigate, the researchers looked at data from the Scandinavian Lymphoma Etiology study, which included 3,055 patients with NHL who were compared with 3187 healthy subjects drawn from Danish and Swedish population registers. The "striking" association between antibiotic use and NHL was seen for all subtypes of the disease. High NSAID use increased overall risk of NHL and of diffuse large B-cell NHL, but did not increase the likelihood of any other type of NHL. The increasing use of antibiotics in the 20th century could explain the rise in NHL cases, if the drugs are in fact responsible for the association observed, Chang and her colleagues note. However, they add, their study was unable to determine if antibiotics and NSAIDs affected risk apart from the underlying inflammation, infections or susceptibility to infection. "Biologic data more strongly support the hypothesis that antibiotic use is an indicator of infection and consequent inflammation, which may increase the risk of NHL, and that high cumulative NSAID use is a marker of chronic inflammation," they conclude. SOURCE: American Journal of Epidemiology, November 15, 2005. > Is there any alternative to antibiotics that can cure a UTI I have yet > to find anything other than antibiotics that work. As stated in another post, cranberry juice concentration works most of the time as it cleanses. I have seen zero cases that are not zapped with oil of oregano, 5 drops, 3 times a day for about a week, maybe two. Oil of oregano kills the infection without upsetting other flora in the body. Cranberry juice is still good to "flush" the system. |
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