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How to combat bladder infection
When you get a burning sensation while passing urine, feel the need to urinate frequently, or when you see blood in your urine, then you have a urinary infection and need to call your doctor immediately. Women usually tend to suffer from urinary infections more than men.
Bladder infections are usually treated with antibiotics, which mostly work but also have their own set of problems. They destroy the friendly bacteria in the intestines, which help the body make vitamin B.
If the infection has just begun and is not very severe, or if you are prone to getting bladder infections, some of these natural remedies may help.
Cherries: Eating a cup of fresh cherries every two hours helps ease the burning sensation in the urine. Garlic: It’s known to have antibacterial properties. Eating four to five cloves of raw garlic a day helps combat urinary infections. You can chop it finely and gulp it down with warm water or make garlic pickle in lime juice and eat it daily for a week.
Vitamin C: Taking high doses of vitamin C may also help relieve a person of urinary infection. About 2,000 mg, two to three times a day is recommended. Since this is a high dose, consume it under your doctor’s
supervision. If you are suffering from kidney stone or are prone to forming kidney stones, you must avoid taking vitamin C supplements. Water: Drinking large amounts of fluids obviously helps as it dilutes the toxins in the urine and flushes the system. Drink one litre of water first thing in the morning on an empty stomach and another six to eight glasses during the day. This habit will prevent the recurrence of your problem.
Avoid alcohol: Alcohol is a diuretic and promotes dehydration. This may lead to further infection as there will be less fluid in your system.
Herbal tea: You can make this tea at home with some lemon rind and cinnamon. Take one teaspoon each of the above ingredients and boil it in a litre of water for five minutes. Strain it and drink while it is hot.
Diet: For a couple of days, at the outset of the symptoms of bladder infection, avoid eating any type of protein. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables (raw or partially cooked) for about two days. This would take the load off digestion and direct your energy to fight off the infection.