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Bladder inflammation
I am being treated with low-dose, long-term antibiotics for a bladder inflammation which had caused a frequent urge to urinate and incontinence. What can I do now to boost my body’s healing potential?
Urine is sterile, which means any infection in the urinary tract has most likely been introduced from outside the body. In men, a bladder infection is relatively rare but also alarming because it can lead to kidney disease. So, if you are male and have an infection that persists for more than two days, go straight to your GP.
Max Tomlinson, the London naturopath who has a special interest in men’s health, says you need to take a two-pronged approach to your condition now. Firstly, you can prevent further infection and, hopefully, eventually become drug free using diet and herbs. You also need to boost your immune system to help prevent reinfection.
He suggests the first thing you do is drink up to 1 litre a day of 100% organic cranberry juice. Cranberries will acidify the urine making it a more potent antibacterial agent and also contain hippuric acid which is itself a natural antibiotic. Cranberry juice can also prevent bacteria from sticking to the lining of urinary tract and breeding there.
The herb uva ursi (bearberry) contains a phytochemical substance called arbutin, which is one of nature’s best urinary antiseptics and you can start to boost your immune system by taking vitamin C in the form of ascorbic acid (take 500mg, every two hours). Eating more garlic and onions will help stimulate your immunity and cutting out sugar and alcohol will help deprive the bacteria of food. Cut down on coffee and dairy products too.
*Max Tomlinson practises at Pure Medicine in Harley Street. Call 020 7486 0908 for further information.