How often have you made another health excuse on your leave application because you were embarrassed to state that the cause of your absence is a UTI? UTI stands for Urinary tract infection. It is a bacterial infection that lines the urinary tract or bladder and in extreme cases, even the kidneys. It affects both men and women. But research suggests that it is likely to affect women 30x more than their male counterparts because a shorter urethra allows the bacteria to reach the bladder more easily.

Have you experienced a UTI? Photo Credits: Freepik

It is a topic that is often uttered in hushed whispers but affects millions every day. At You Care, we believe that we need to break this stigma and openly discuss the root causes, symptoms, and lifestyle tips we can adopt to keep UTIs at bay.

UTIs can be characterized by a deep burning sensation while you pee or have an urge to pee but are unable to pee enough. If you have experienced this before, you know exactly how painful it can be. While some women get it rarely, for many others, it is recurrent. Let’s dive into the topic and educate ourselves on the appropriate lifestyle changes we can make to heal and prevent it from progressing to an even more complex infection or a kidney condition.

Symptoms: There are two kinds of UTI: Grade 1 and Grade 2

Grade 1 symptoms:

• Painful micturition (the act of urination)
• A burning sensation while urinating
• Urge to constantly urinate, but the actual output is quite less
• Turbid or cloudy urine, sometimes with a pinkish hue
• Muscle aches and general weakness
• Heaviness in the pelvic region

Grade 2 symptoms:

They will be similar to Grade 1 but can be more more severe and accompanied by fever.

Grade 2 Urinary Tract Infection, also known as cystitis, is a condition that affects the urinary tract. Grade 2 UTIs require the care of a Urologist. Urologists are doctors who specialize in the treatment of conditions affecting the urinary tract, including UTIs. They are able to prescribe the appropriate antibiotics to treat Grade 2 Urinary Tract Infections and prevent future infections. This along with the necessary changes in your lifestyle including nutriton, exercise, emotional health and sleep can bring about an improvement in UTIs and prevent changes ot recurrent infections. If Grade 2 UTI is left untreated, it can lead to kidney damage, sepsis, and other severe conditions.

What causes a Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)?

Lack of water

90% of your blood is water. Even a single percent drop in hydration causes innumerable problems in the human body. While a low water intake creates a perfect environment for bacteria to grow in the urinary tract lining, an adequate intake enables flushing out of these bacteria through urine. Most women go low on water intake due to the lack of infrastructure and access to public toilets. Plan your water intake at places they have access to toilets (office or home).

Holding your pee for a long time

Your urine is toxic waste and needs to be flushed out. When urine is retained within our system, we allow bacteria to grow. Avoid holding on to your pee.

If you are diabetic or have low immunity

If you are diabetic and need to urinate frequently but don’t, you are at an increased risk of having an infection. Similarly, those with low or compromised immunity need to take special care to keep UTIs at bay.

Female condoms and intrauterine devices

For sexually active women, using female condoms (that have spermicides in them) or intrauterine devices can make them vulnerable to UTIs.

Anal sex

Anal sex followed by vaginal sex could be one of the causes of UTI because it increases the likelihood of the bacteria from the anus entering the urinary tract.

Post-intercourse hygiene

Having intercourse and not washing your private parts immediately can cause bacteria to push back into your urethra and increase the risk of UTIs. The best way to tackle this is to urinate post intercourse and wash.

Poor gut health

An imbalance between your good and bad gut bacteria can. Good bacteria are responsible for preventing and healing UTIs. Due to the rampant use of antibiotics, most bacteria have now become antibiotic-resistant and hence such medications do work on them anymore.

13 tips for UTI relief

The most common fix used is antibiotics, which may be necessary in severe cases like Grade 2. But in most cases, it can be healed through natural remedies. Antibiotics can not only create a bigger problem but also fail to address the root cause of infection and hence the infection may recur again and again.

• Hydrate, hydrate, and hydrate to prevent the growth of bacteria and flush them out of your system.
• Cut down on caffeinated drinks because coffee and tea don’t count as water. They act as diuretics, flushing water, leaching minerals out of the system, and rendering the body acidic. An acidic medium gives bacteria the soil they need to grow. As a thumb rule, follow every cup of tea or coffee with one glass of water to balance its diuretic effects.
• Don’t hold onto your pee. Always empty your bladder. Listen to your body’s biofeedback.
• ​​Paranoid about using a public toilet? Always squat and pee.
• Maintain good genital hygiene and keep it clean and dry. Moisture promotes bacterial growth.
• Pee and wash after sex.
• Always wipe front to back to prevent bacteria from the anus from entering the urethra.
• Wear cotton undergarments that give your vagina free space to breathe.
• Add prebiotics and probiotics to your meals to boost good gut bacteria and keep UTIs at bay.
• Get that Vitamin C to boost your immunity and fight the bacterial infection.
  Some of the richest sources include raw fruits and uncooked vegetables like lemon, orange, kiwi, mango, papaya, watermelon, the berry family, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, bell peppers, tomato, broccoli, green turnip, spinach, moringa, peppers, cabbage, potato, parsley, thyme and so on. Amla or Indian gooseberry has 20x more Vitamin C than oranges.
• Add cranberries or cranberry extract for relief.
  In pain due to a UTI? A mixture of cranberry extract, lemon water, and ½ tsp sodium bicarbonate. Lemon and bi-carbonate make the urine and blood alkaline. This provides relief within 1-2 hours, especially for a Grade 1 UTI. If it is Grade 2, follow this along with getting yourself checked by a doctor in case of a fever.
• Eat two to three pods of garlic since it is highly antibacterial.
• Do you use contraceptives? Observe caution.
• Avoid the use of douches, vaginal washes, and soaps. The more products you use, the more you disturb its pH and microbiome.

Disclaimer: None of what is shared above is a replacement for medications. In most cases, antibiotics might be required and is a better thing to do. But in case you are recurrently suffering from UTI, you want to start looking at root causes to prevent it. Also, if you are on an antibiotic dose prescribed by your doctor, do not forget to complement it with a B-complex and a good-quality probiotic supplement. Your doctor will prescribe it to you.

ALSO WATCH: Episode 117 – All you need to know about Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)

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