Natural UTI Relief

A urinary tract infection occurs when bacteria lodge themselves in portions of the urinary tract, such as the kidneys, bladder or urethra, and multiply. This can cause pain and burning while urinating and can result in serious and life-threatening infections when left untreated, particularly in the kidneys. While antibiotic drugs are often prescribed, a person may wish to use natural methods to speed recovery and prevent recurrence of these painful infections.

Vitamin Supplements

• When used in combination with antibiotics, certain vitamins may boost the effectiveness of medications and speed healing. These include an enteric-coated pill (which prevents stomach acid from destroying the pill) of bromelain and trypsin, two enzymes that help to heal infections. According to a study published in Prevention magazine, taking these enzymes at 400 milligrams per day for two days helps to heal 100 percent of UTIs, compared to those who received a placebo, whose infections only healed 46 percent of the time.

  Vitamin C, taken daily at 5,000 milligrams or higher, is also recommended for recurrent or especially severe UTIs. Vitamin C has been shown to prevent the growth of E. coli bacteria, the chief bacteria that cause UTIs. The vitamin also increases the acid level in the urine, which does not promote bacteria growth in the urinary tract.

  Vitamin A, when taken at 10,000 to 25,000 international units (IUs) per day, has been shown to reduce the risk of a number of infections, including UTIs.

Herbal Remedies

• Drinking unsweetened or lightly sweetened cranberry juice at 10 ounces per day has also been shown to reduce UTIs, especially in the elderly (Prevention.com). Researchers theorize this is because cranberry keeps E. coli from attaching to the walls of the bladder. An additional option that has been shown to have similar results is eating or drinking blueberry juice.

  Several other herbs, prepared as teas, have been shown to clear the urinary tract of bacteria, including asparagus, birch, couch grass, goldenrod, horsetail, java tea, lovage, juniper and nettle (Prevention.com).

  Horseradish extract also may help to kill the bacteria that cause UTIs, and can be ingested in oil forms. Goldenseal and uva ursi herbs may also be used in teas, liquid tincture or in pill form to destroy bacteria in the urinary tract.

Holistic Methods

• Those with recurrent UTI infections may see some relief through acupuncture. When compared to other methods (such as no treatment at all or placebo acupuncture), acupuncture was shown to reduce the number of recurrent infections by half (Prevention.com).

  Sitz baths (in which a person soaks in a tub of hot water while the legs are elevated), may also be helpful in relieving the pain associated with the UTI.