Urinary Tract Infection - UTI - Ur Terribly Irritating

If you have ever had one, you will know what I’m talking about.  Symptoms of an Urinary Tract Infection or UTI can be very irritating.  Symptoms may vary if you are a man, woman, child or are elderly, and even in location of the infection in the tract. The most common sign of a UTI is the frequent urge to urinate, along with pain or burning on urination. Urine may appears cloudy and occasionally reddish if blood is present, and even an unpleasant odor. Women usually feel pain in their lower abdomen and feel like their bladder is full. In more widespread infections, women may also have a vaginal discharge, if their urethra is infected. Men suffer similar symptoms such as urgency, fullness and pain, but may also include rectal, testicular, penile, or abdominal pain. UTIs in children are more evident, with blood in the urine, abdominal pain, fever, and vomiting as well as the same urgency with urination.  UTIs in the elderly often give off  mild symptoms or no symptoms of a UTI until they become weak, lethargic, or confused. 

The common treatment for an Urinary Tract Infection is a 10 day round of antibiotics.  Depending on the type and severity of the infection, and age and condition of the individual, antibiotics may be administered by mouth or by IV. 

My mother is 89 years old, and lives in a Nursing Home.  She is in a wheel chair and needs assistance with her toileting activities.  Because of her inactivity, lack of appropriate amounts of water consumed, and the fact that she must wear a sanitary undergarment, she is predisposed to UTIs, and was getting them very often – at least once a month.  When she would get one, the staff would notice she would be very lethargic, and uncharacteristically confused.  By that time the infection had set in and required immediate attention, and off she would go to the hospital for IV antibiotics. 

As I mentioned, you could go to the doctor and take the prescribed round of antibiotics. However, women, if you have ever taken a long course of antibiotics, you might have noticed at the end you had a vicious bout of Yeast Infection! That is because antibiotics do more than kill the infection, they kill ALL the good bacteria and flora that are supposed to live in your body, which keeps the yeast at bay. Without them, the yeast is allowed to over grow and creates all kinds of problems – a round of antibiotics should ALWAYS be followed with a round of probiotics.

So a better alternative, and one I use on my mother now, that keeps her UTI-Free, is something everyone can do, and is readily available and can be used and modified for men, women, children and the elderly!

Step 1: Go to the Health Food store and purchase Pure Cranberry juice – no you can’t get the ‘from concentrate’ kind from the grocery store – it has sugars and that creates other problems. Get two bottles. This kind is rather bitter, and if you can stand it, don’t add to it, but for kids, you may need to add some honey. Drink 4-5 cups per day.

Step 2: Temporarily replace your toilet tissue with flushable baby (or adult) wipes. Men, also use after urination. This keeps the area clean better than paper.

Step 3: Purchase 3 types of Essential Oils – Lemon, Peppermint, and Oregano. You are using these oils for medicinal purposes, so you don’t want to get low quality or perfume quality essential oils. Go to an herb shop, not a natural food store, as they will be more knowledgeable and have quality oils. Let them know you will be putting the Lemon and Peppermint oils in drinking water, so you want PURE oils that can be consumed. If you are unable to locate consumable quality oils, you can try the link provided at the end of the article. In a gallon of drinking water (purified or distilled) add 10 drops of peppermint oil and 15 drops of lemon oil. Shake before each pour. Try to drink a gallon of this water every two to two and a half days. As you drink the water, the antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal properties of these oils will be absorbed into the body, as well pass through the urinary tract as it moves through, killing the infection

Place a drop of Oregano oil on the bottom of each foot once in the morning, and once before bed. Oregano oils is a very powerful and hot oil. You don’t want to drink it, as it will be too hot. But Essential oils are absorbed through the skin and into the blood stream in seconds and will begin to kill the infection. Great way to apply it for kids too.

If you are prone to UTIs you can do this as maintenance as I do for my mother. I have a jug of water in her room with peppermint and lemon oil in it. When I visit, I pour a glass for her and have her drink it. I also put a drop of oregano on the bottom of her feet when I can. This has kept her UTI free for months now and that means no antibiotics and no more painful yeast infections as a result.

Having the power to address serious conditions like this at your fingertips helps keep medical costs down and help build our immune systems. By helping our body with naturally occurring medicinals, we assist our bodies immune system to fight the infection, so it will be stronger and more prepared to do battle the next time.

For more information on using essential oils to address health concerns, visit www.ahealthstrategy.com. For the oils mentioned in this article, you can find them at www.mydoterra.com/victoriaedge. DoTERRA oils are certified pure, therapeutic grade CONSUMMABLE essential oils.