Urinary Tract Infections (UTI)

So UTI's have been on the increase oncampus and thought i would gather more information on this infection and share how i have managed to avoid it.

Possible signs of a urinary tract infection

•A burning sensation when you urinate
•Feeling like you need to urinate more often than usual
•Feeling the urge to urinate but not being able to
•Leaking a little urine
•Cloudy, dark, smelly or bloody urine

Tips on preventing urinary tract infections

•Drink plenty of water to flush out bacteria. Drinking cranberry juice may also help prevent urinary tract infections.
•Don't hold your urine. Urinate when you feel like you need to.
•Wipe from front to back after bowel movements.
•Urinate after having sex to help wash away bacteria.
•Use enough lubrication during sex. Try using a small amount of lubricant (such as K-Y Jelly) before sex if you're a little dry.
•If you get urinary tract infections often, you may want to avoid using a diaphragm as a birth control method. Ask your doctor about other birth control choices.

Home Remedies:

Treating Urinary Tract Infection With Water
One of the best home remedies for urinary tract infections is to simply drink lots of water. By drinking lots of fluids, you will force yourself to urinate more often, which will help your body flush out the bacteria that is causing the infection. A recommendation is to drink 6-8 large glasses of water per day.

Using Vitamin C as a Natural Cure for Urinary Tract Infection
Increasing your daily Vitamin C intake can help increase the acidity of your urine, which can help prevent bacterial growth. Therefore, if you suffer from frequent UTIs, taking 1000mg of Vitamin C per day has been shown to be quite effective at preventing recurring infections.

Cranberry Juice as a Natural Remedy for Urinary Tract Infection ****
Cranberry juice contains high concentrations of Vitamin C and Quinolic Acid, both of which are known to help treat UTI since they help prevent bacteria from anchoring onto bladder walls. Therefore, if you have UTI, drinking 12 to 24 oz of cranberry juice can be very effective. As a preventive measure against urinary tract infections, drinking at least 3 oz per day works quite well.

Herbal Remedy for Urinary Tract Infection Using Echinacea
Echinacea is an herb that contains a number of substances which help fight infections including UTI. You can either drink an Echinacea tea once per day after lunch or dinner, or consume high-quality 300mg Echinacea capsules or tablets once per day. Echinacea capsules can be found in many health stores.

Treatment:
The antibiotics most often used to treat urinary tract infection are pills typically taken for three days, and sometimes as long as 10 days, depending on the bacteria causing the infection, the drug used your medical history:
•trimethoprim (Trimpex)
•trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (Bactrim, Septra, Cotrim)
•amoxicillin (Amoxil, Trimox, Wymox)
•nitrofurantoin (Macrodantin, Furadantin)
•ampicillin
•ciprofloxacin (Cipro)
•ofloxacin (Floxin)
•norfloxacin (Noroxin)
•Levaquin (levofloxacin)

How serious are urinary tract infections?
Urinary tract infections can be painful. But medicine can keep them from becoming a serious threat to your health. The kidneys can also be infected, which can be a more serious problem. Kidney infections usually require an antibiotic for a longer period of time and are sometimes treated in the hospital.

Urinary Tract Infection UTI