Drink a lot of Water
This may not sound like the most extraordinary remedy, but it is one of the most important things you can do when you have a UTI. It can help flush out bacteria, and (almost) more importantly, it gives you something to actually push out when you pee! A lot of home remedies for urinary tract infections are drinks because you should always be flushing fluid through your system to give it a helping hand in getting rid of the nasty bacteria.
Drink Soda
No, not soda as in a sugary soft drink, soda as in baking soda; that miraculous substance that can help anything from heartburn to, of course, UTIs. Baking soda is an alkaline substance – the opposite of acidic – which means it can help neutralize or lessen the acidity of your urine. If you find yourself resisting the urge to pee because of a burning sensation, baking soda can help ease the discomfort.
Enjoy Parsley Water
Aside from the fact that it makes a wonderfully refreshing after dinner drink, parsley water can help relieve a urinary tract infection and speed up the healing process by acting as a diuretic. Diuretics are used to treat a number of problems, and work by increasing the amount of sodium your kidneys excrete in urine. When they excrete sodium, they take water along with it, and the amount of fluid in your blood goes down. Less fluid means less pressure on the arteries, this is why it’s used to treat high blood pressure. In the case of UTIs we just want to encourage an increased amount of urine to keep flushing out bacteria and relieving discomfort. Parsley is thought to work by inhibiting a Na+-K+ (sodium and potassium) pump. By inhibiting the re-absorption, sodium levels rise. To balance out the concentration, kidneys excrete more sodium in the urine. More sodium means more water which means an overall increased output of urine.
Cucumbers
This is an easy one for me. I love cucumbers! I don’t know why, but they’re one of my favorite snacks. While other people dislike cucumbers in salads, I always look forward to eating them in mine. Thanks to their high water content, cucumbers are a great way to get to get extra fluid through your system when you find yourself having a hard time drinking enough water.
Avoid the 4 Cs
Chocolate, citrus, carbonation, and caffeine: these are 4 things that you should avoid if you find yourself getting UTIs frequently. All of them can irritate the lining of the bladder, and potentially make it easier for bacteria to adhere. Citrus will increase the acidity of your urine, which will make it even more painful to pee. When possible, try to steer clear of as much of these as you can, it’s not easy, but it can make life more bearable. On the other hand, some people can find citrus actually helps.
Use Heat
It’s not just peeing that hurts when you have a urinary tract infection, the inflammation and irritation can cause a constant, nagging discomfort that makes you feel painfully cramped up. When this happens, applying heat over your bladder can bring some serious relief. The gentle warmth will relax your muscles, melting away the pain caused by spasms or inflammation
Ginger Tea
No list dealing with any condition that involved any kind of inflammation would be complete without ginger. Its chemical make-up allows it to block prostaglandin synthesis, a process which creates little messengers (aptly called prostaglandins.) Prostaglandins communicate about a variety of biological processes, such as inflammation. They also transmit pain signals to neurons. It can therefore help to prevent inflammation, reduce current inflammation, and reduce pain. This is the same process for OTC anti-inflammatory, just without all the nasty side-effects!
By: Umaru Maryam Hadejia
