What Causes Bladder Infections (UTI or Cystitis)?

A bladder infection is also known as a UTI – urinary tract infection, or, cystitis. It is an infection anywhere in the urinary tract. UTI’s can be caused by wiping feces into the vaginal opening (back-to-front wiping), or unhealthy bacteria being pushed into the vaginal tract during sex, or regularly making your body wait too long to pee, or by having an unhealthy bacterial flora in your gut and vagina to start with.

Symptoms can include a drawing or sore sensation in your lower belly, or area around your pubic bone or uterus (the bladder sits behind the uterus). You may have a burning or stinging sensation when you pee. Or you may feel the need to pee often, but then not much comes out, or your urine is milky or cloudy. You may also experience shakiness and fever.

NOTE: Here’s something that is seldom known, even by doctors… a spasming urethra can feel exactly like a UTI! The urethra (tube that urine passes through) is muscle tissue, just like the rectum, and it too can go into cramp or spasm. If you suspect this might be happening, make sure you’re taking adequate magnesium and potassium and see a pelvic floor physiotherapist or specialist for exercises that can stop this from happening.

what causes bladder infections

Natural Remedy For Bladder Infection (UTI or Cystitis)

My own mother suffered from recurring cystitis or bladder infections for years and kept having to see the doctor and fill prescriptions, along with trying many different natural remedies, until she found a book called, Natural Remedies for Cystitis that gave her the idea of using Baking Soda to make the bladder environment alkaline. She had tried the Cranberry remedy, to make it very acidic, but this did not work for her, whereas the alkaline solution worked very well. Over time she worked out the protocol listed below – which her MD then asked for a copy of!

BUT, after using this protocol to eradicate her UTI and then taking Natren Healthy Trinity probiotics DAILY for 4 months, she no longer got cystitis – because her own bacterial flora was strong enough to prevent infection.

Experimenting with probiotics, she found that she could stay clear of bladder infections if she took 1 Tbsp. Megadophilus, and 1 Tbsp Digesta Lac by Natren for 6 weeks or more (Bifido Factor would constipate her). Later reinforcing this with Natren’s Healthy Trinity capsules, she was able to stay clear for a year or two at a time – without any other intervention. If she traveled, or stopped taking probiotics for a while, got run-down from overwork, then she may contract a mild UTI, which the protocol below quickly solved.

PREVENTION & MAINTENANCE

So the first thing you can do to prevent cystitis, if you get recurrent infections, is to take 1 Healthy Trinity probiotic capsule per day, ongoing.

Make sure you wipe away from your vagina after bowel movements, and wash both yourself and your partner with natural soap (or coconut oil if sensitive to soap) and water before and after sex. Drink plenty of filtered water and don’t make your body wait too long to pee!

If you currently have cystitis, then follow my Mum’s protocol below, depending on how severe your infection is, use one of these 2 treatment regimens:

1. Saturation Treatment – for severe infection
2. Moderate Treatment – for moderate to mild infection

1. SATURATION TREATMENT

Use this treatment where there is painful drawing sensation after peeing, blood in your urine, and/or fever.

First day:

  • Take 1/2 teaspoonful of baking soda (Sodium Bicarbonate) in 3 ounces of water on an empty stomach (2 hours after food).
  • Follow this by drinking a full 8 ounce glass of plain water.
  • Go to bed with a hot water bottle or heating pad over your lower abdomen.
  • When you have to pee again, repeat the dosage above (on empty stomach) after urinating.

Keep repeating the dosage, on an empty stomach, until the drawing sensation is gone, and fever will also be gone.

DO NOT EAT DURING THIS PERIOD.  You don’t want to mess up your digestion and the remedy works best on an empty stomach.

When the drawing sensation is gone, wait half an hour before eating (then eat as much as you like!)

Do not take another dose until 2 hours after eating.  If symptoms return and you feel the drawing sensation again, repeat the procedure as above. Note: I have never needed to – in my worst scenario I only needed to do the saturation treatment once.

Lastly, take a reduced dose of 1/4 teaspoonful of baking soda in 3 ounces of water, followed by 8 ounces of plain water, before you go to bed (on an empty stomach; 2 hours after food). And apply the vaginal probiotic paste (see below).

Second Day:

  • First thing in the morning, half an hour before you eat, take 1/4 tsp. baking soda in 3 ounces of water, followed by 8 ounces of plain water.
  • Two hours after lunch, take the next 1/4 tsp. dose of baking soda in 3 ounces of water, followed by 8 ounces of plain water.
  • Right before bed (on an empty stomach – 2 hours after food), take the final 1/4 tsp. dose of baking soda in 3 ounces of water, followed by 8 ounces of plain water. And apply the vaginal probiotic paste (see below).

Third Day:

  • Take 1/8 tsp. baking soda in 3 ounces of water, followed by 8 ounces of plain water in the morning, half an hour or more before you eat.
  • Two hours after lunch, take the next 1/8 tsp. dose of baking soda in 3 ounces of water, followed by 8 ounces of plain water.
  • Right before bed (on an empty stomach – 2 hours after food), take 1/4 tsp. dose of baking soda in 3 ounces of water, followed by 8 ounces of plain water. And apply the vaginal probiotic paste (see below).

Fourth day:

  • Take 1/8 tsp. baking soda in 3 ounces of water, followed by 8 ounces of plain water in the morning, half an hour or more before you eat.
  • Right before bed (on an empty stomach – 2 hours after food), take 1/8 tsp. dose of baking soda in 3 ounces of water, followed by 8 ounces of plain water. And apply the vaginal probiotic paste (see below).

Fifth Day:

  • Right before bed (on an empty stomach – 2 hours after food), take 1/8 tsp. dose of baking soda in 3 ounces of water, followed by 8 ounces of plain water. And apply the vaginal probiotic paste (see below).

YOU’RE DONE!

For ongoing prevention, take 1 Natren Healthy Trinity capsule per day. If you cannot swallow pills then take the Natren probiotics in powder form.

home remedy for bladder infection

2. MODERATE TREATMENT

For a less severe case of UTI/cystitis, where there is the painful drawing sensation after peeing, but no blood or fever.

  • Take 1/3 teaspoonful of baking soda (Sodium Bicarbonate) in 3 ounces of water on an empty stomach (2 hours after food). Follow this by drinking a full 8 ounce glass of plain water.
  • Go to bed with a hot water bottle or heating pad over your lower abdomen.
  • When you have to pee again, repeat the dosage above (on empty stomach) after urinating.
  • Keep repeating the dosage, on an empty stomach, until the drawing sensation is gone.

DO NOT EAT DURING THIS PERIOD.  You don’t want to mess up your digestion and the remedy works best on an empty stomach.

When the drawing sensation is gone, wait half an hour before eating ( then eat as much as you like!)

Do not take another dose until 2 hours after eating. If symptoms return and you feel the drawing sensation again, repeat the procedure as above.

Right before bed, take a reduced dose of 1/4 teaspoonful of baking soda in 3 ounces of water, followed by 8 ounces of plain water, (on an empty stomach; 2 hours after food). And apply the vaginal probiotic paste (see below).

Second Day:

  • First thing in the morning, half an hour before you eat, take 1/4 tsp. baking soda in 3 ounces of water, followed by 8 ounces of plain water.
  • Two hours after lunch, take the next 1/8 tsp. dose of baking soda in 3 ounces of water, followed by 8 ounces of plain water.
  • Right before bed (on an empty stomach – 2 hours after food), take the final 1/4 tsp. dose of baking soda in 3 ounces of water, followed by 8 ounces of plain water. And apply the vaginal probiotic paste (see below).

Third Day:

  • Take 1/8 tsp. baking soda in 3 ounces of water, followed by 8 ounces of plain water in the morning, half an hour or more before you eat.
  • Right before bed (on an empty stomach – 2 hours after food), take 1/8 tsp. dose of baking soda in 3 ounces of water, followed by 8 ounces of plain water. And apply the vaginal probiotic paste (see below).

YOU’RE DONE!

Vaginal Probiotic Paste for UTI

Using this Natren probiotic paste* in your vagina will also help heal the infection and establish a healthy (protective) bacterial flora in your vagina.

Apply once nightly before going to bed.

  • Sanitize your work area prior to making the paste, with sanitizing wipes or a white vinegar & water solution.
  • First wash your hands for 20 seconds with soap and warm water and dry hands thoroughly. Have finger protectors or medical gloves handy since you will be making a paste to insert into vagina.
  • Use Natren’s Megadophilus (dairy or dairy-free). Place 1 teaspoon (1 capsule equals ½ teaspoon, so open 2 capsules and follow the same directions) in the palm of your clean, washed-and-dried hand. Add a few drops of filtered unchilled water to form a smooth lump-free paste (avoid adding too much water, which will make the preparation too runny).
  • With your index finger protector or medical glove on your hand, scrape up the paste and insert into your vagina. Ideally, do it last thing before bed, so you don’t need to urinate and the paste can work undisturbed for at least a few hours.

Also take 1 serving Megadophilus orally, 3x/day. Or 2 capsules Healthy Trinity orally, per day.

This procedure should be followed for 1 to 2 weeks until improved urinary and vaginal health has been reached. This recommendation for healthy vaginal and urinary tract flora is due to the unprecedented change in the status of women’s vaginal and urinary tract microbiome. This regimen may also assist with fertility problems.

For ongoing prevention, take 1 Natren Healthy Trinity capsule per day. If you cannot swallow pills then take the Natren probiotics in powder form.

*Updated from original work with Dr. Calvin J. Hobel MD Miriam Jacobs Chair and Director Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Pediatrics, UCLA School of Medicine.