Ask Dr. Scott
Constant UTIs, rethinking care of the V
Q: Dr. Scott, my boyfriend and I are sexually active but I am the one who keeps getting urinary tract infections. What can we do to stop this?
A: That’s a great question! Since you’ve learned that the previous treatments with various antibiotic agents are often short-term at best, you need to understand the reasons for this problem. Once you do, you’ll know how to fix this discouraging aspect of your love life.
Conventional medical treatment for this problem involves the use of antibiotics, which may give short-term relief, but often does not. Recurrence commonly occurs as soon as antibiotics are stopped; resistant forms of bacteria can develop, and toxic side-effects are not uncommon. Such treatment also prepares the ground for further disruption of the ecology of the natural flora of your gastrointestinal tract and your genitourinary tract that are so closely connected, resulting in more symptoms.
In numerous studies it has been shown that the source of the urinary tract infection is from some organism in the bowel. It may be of some comfort to women afflicted with frequency and painful urination that the condition usually does not involve the bladder, but rather the urethra, the tube which carries the urine from the bladder to the outside world.
The urethra usually has resident bacteria, at the lower end. It is only when normal function alters that a spread occurs.
You can take heart because there are safer and more efficient methods of dealing with recurrent urinary tract infections. Treatment is best aimed at eradicating hostile organisms and also enhancing the natural defenses in the region. A logical first step would therefore be to help to normalize the bowel flora from whence the pathogenic organism spreads.
Three dietary elements are important in correcting recurrent urinary tract infections in women.
1. A reduction in refined carbohydrates, via a sugar-free, high-fiber diet. This has the effect of altering the chemistry of the urinary tract, as well as changing the ecology of your bowel flora.
2. Improved hygiene of the vagina and bowel is more important than you might think…always wiping from front to back, for example, frequent douching with a handheld shower, the regular boiling of any cloth used to wipe this region, the avoidance of foam baths or having sex in hot tubs, which can introduce bacteria into the bladder, and use of natural fiber underwear. Douche with unsweetened yogurt twice each day. Make sure the yogurt has not been pasteurized.
3. It is also important to take lactobacillus acidophilus by mouth each day to help balance the flora of the intestinal tract. This has a significant impact on the flora of the vagina. The acidophilus produce copious amounts of lactic, formic and acetic acids. These strongly inhibit other bacteria and micro-organisms which are not able to thrive in an acid environment. Tests show that a pH of 4.5 (acidic) lactobacilli thrive, whereas many other bacteria, including pathogenic (disease causing) ones such as streptococci and micrococcus die.
4. Use the herbal supplement Cranberry Complex that can quickly and effectively acidify the vagina. Take 400 mg of powdered cranberry concentrate twice a day.
It is important to know that bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Klebsiella, Proteus and Pseudomonas (as well as candida albicans) are your major culprits here. The normal urethral and vaginal flora of healthy females can competitively block the attachment of pathogenic bacteria to the surfaces of the genitourinary tract. It seems that something in the good flora prevents the invading bacteria from being able to adhere to the vaginal and urethral surfaces, and that this can helps prevent infections and restores normality once infection has taken place.
In addition, there is commonly an involvement of candida albicans overgrowth in cases of urinary tract infection, and the approaches listed above to combat this will be very helpful. The open ileo-cecal valve syndrome is frequently contributory to this problem, and must be corrected. (Cuthbert, 2014)
A recent case in our practice might give you some hope. A 35-year old woman developed burning on urination, slightly cloudy urine, and a feeling of heaviness in the bladder area. Her initial urge was to rush to the medical doctor for antibiotics. Yet, she knows that she often develops yeast infections after such treatment. So she decides to spend 24 to 48 hours treating this with our help and at home. Chiropractic structural corrections were made, and some nutritional supplement testing was done. During the initial period, she took ¼ of a Cranberry Complex capsule every 2 hours; went on a “sugar break”; began a high-quality probiotic, and douched with acidophilus and unsweetened yogurt. Her symptoms began to improve within 8 hours. By nightfall, she was much better. By the following evening she was nearly completely recovered. Treatment to the dysbiosis in her bowel kept this problem from ever recurring again.
In a case like this, many patients and their doctors would have rushed to use antibiotics. However, using common sense and some simple remedies, the woman was able to heal under her own power.
Dr. Scott Cuthbert is the chief clinician at the Chiropractic Health Center in Pueblo, Colorado, as well as the author of two new text books and over 50 peer re-viewed research articles.
