Holistic/Alternative Approaches for Treating Urinary Tract Infections

Cranberry JUICE not cocktail. My girls 2 & 4 only get Ocean Spray 100% juice. They make it with blueberries, grapes, pomegrante and apples too. No sugar added just fruit juices. My family swears by this stuff. My older daughter had UTI when she was 2 and we had been out of the juice a week or two before hand. I now buy it on sale 5 at a time.

I am prone to UTIs and what has worked best for me is cranberry pills taken with water (or 100% cranberry juice) and eating lots of blueberries. Blueberries actually are the best fighter, but it's kind of hard to find blueberry juice or pills.

I have used a doctor for 14 years who is an MD and is also a homeopathic practitioner and uses nutritional supplements, etc. He cured my chronic UTI that all the urologists had said was incurable and their medicine just made it worse.

I've also used him to treat my daughters who have many food allergies and ear infections. He's made life so much better for them and was the one who figured out the source of their problems. He's very bright, experienced and very up to date on clinical research, etc.

His name is Dr. Mitch Fleisher and his website is www.alternativemedcare.com and his number is ###-###-####. You can visit him in person sometimes and sometimes do phone appointments. He has patients from all over the nation. It can take several months to get an appointment. Once you're a patient, they'll take care of after hours care, too.

Hope this helps -
J. (mom of 2)

Try cranberry juice twice a day. I attended a lecture by Dr. Low Dog, who works under the famous Dr.Weil. They use integrative approaches to medicine like herbs etc. For an adult she recommended 8 oz twice a day. For a child I would think probably 4 ounces. just dilute it with water. The cranberry creates a slick inner surface of the bladder so that bacteria slough off and don't attach.

I had a similar issue with my daughter many years ago and after multiple antibiotics, I started giving her 500 mg of vitamin C a day and lots of fluid. She never had another UTI.

Cranberry juice is accepted through scientific testing to cure bladder infections and to prevent them. Have her drink some every day, and it should help a lot.

YES! An herbal suppliment called Uva Ursi. I used it the last time I had a terrible urinary tract infection, and it worked beautifully. I recommended it to a freind who gets them frequently. She has been successful with it as well. D-Mannos is the type of sugar found in crannberry juice. This is a preventative and I have found that it does not do the trick completely. If it were me, I would buy organic 100% cranberry juice and offer this to your daughter mixed with water and perhaps a bit of apple juice (just to give it a more pleasant taste)- I would do this from time to time, whenever your daughter is drinking something other than mamma milk (or formula). And I would keep the uva ursi on hand and offer it when your child flares up. I would NOT be offering anti biotics. Good luck!
PS. There are naturopathic doctors available in MD, a few in the Maryland DC suburbs. You might try contacting one of them on the issue. :)

Like almost everyone else, I am going to suggest cranberry juice, as it has worked for me. However, I would also suggest yogurt, if she is not already eating some, because it contains beneficial bacteria that will help to fight off the bad stuff. A long (or just really potent) course of antibiotics can actually strip the body of the good bacteria, along with the bad. The yogurt helps the body to recolonize with good bacteria.

I also agree with those who mentioned trying different wipes and making sure that you are wiping front-to-back. Furthermore, I would perhaps seek a second opinion from a different pediatrician, one who is less likely to prescribe antibiotics on long-term basis. Prolonged use of some antibiotics can actually cause changes in both baby teeth and adult teeth.

Best wishes.

I can say that having her drink more cranberry juice does work as long as she drinks it on a regular basis. I know this because I myself had that problem growing up and into adult hood. Wasn't until recently I learned of the juice and its effects. The only way I can prevent them is by drinking this juice (normally I try to have at least 2 glasses a day) and also these can lead to or from yeast infections and if she is a freguent eater you should try cutting back on cheese and bread. My daughter (3 years old now) had some when she was a baby but I started giving her the cranberry juice and watching what she ate and we haven't had any problems with it since. Hope this helps. Good Luck.

Hi! Sorry to hear of your little ones infections. When my youngest was suffering from recurring ear infections my mom introduced me to Silverbiotics. I remember reading somewhere in the paperwork that the healthfood store gave her with it, that it is good for all types of infections. Here is the website for the company that makes it in case you want to check it out: http://www.silverbiotics.com/index.html

Everybody is going to say "cranberry juice" and they are right--the only trouble is, commercially manufactured cranberry juice contains a whopping amount of corn syrup. It has to--regular cranberry juice is so tart it would make your mouth pucker. I'm very prone to UTIs, but I've found that cranberry and Vitamin C pills, plus lots of water, are an almost foolproof way of staying well. Obviously your little girl can't take pills, so I'd ask around to see if there's any other way to get the beneficial effects of cranberries into her without all that sugar. If not--well, give her juice. But it's a question worth asking...You're right to not want her on antibiotics full time. I just finished reading a piece about all these drug-resistant bacteria we are breeding due to over-use of antibiotics. Scary stuff.

Hi, Christianne, I can certainly understand your concern over long term use of antibiotics!Melaleuca manufactures a product called CranBarrier. Folks get great results! All of their products are made with health, safety, and prevention in mind. You can check out melaleuca.com; saferforyourhome.com; and http://www.thewhycircle.com/nkboecker. Good luck! N. B.

While I know that cranberries work well, one writer is correct in that many, not all, contain lots of sugar, which is what triggers them for me. Juices, sodas, breads, cereals, etc. You can get some organic cranberries from stores and mix it in a blender/processor with natural applesauce. You could try to find a chewable cranberry supplement, Melaleuca makes one called Cranbarrier, which works well. Lok at Melaleuca.com or e-mail me to get more information: ____@____.com

I know your post was from 2008, but I have to respond and hopefully it will send you the msg! I had the same deal going on- went to a couple of urologists, tried a mild preventative antibiotic, tried laying off the caffeine, chocolate, spicy foods, alcohol, etc. Tried peeing after sex, blaa blaa blaa, every single piece of advice. Then I discovered I have an aunt who had the same problem. She has a doc who told her about this herbal pill called "Cysta-Q" that you have to order online (might be in stores by now?) but it seriously saved my life. It's like a miracle for constant bladder infections and hyper-sensitive urethras! Go to their website and read about it. Anyhow, you can take it every day with your vitamin, or you can take it whenever you feel the burning coming on, which is when I take it. It's got Quercetin (sp?) in it, which I think is the magical ingredient that helps flush your system of bacteria. I'm trying to share this with everyone I know, because my life is no longer miserable from this!

Hi Christianne,

I have five children, 3 girls and my 13 year old and 5 year old use to get UTI's all the time. I keep them on a soy diet, since they both are lactose intolerant. I also recommend a multivitamin. I give both of them Vita Lea from Shaklee and Flavomax which is a grapeseed and pumpkin seed extract to help fight off infections.

J. Z.
Independent Shaklee Distributor
www.shaklee.net/Z.

Please be careful with a soy diet. To some people it can be more harmful than helpful. Cranberry juice of course would help if used on a regular basis. Yogurt like other people have said. But if none of these work, I suggest trying acupuncture. They have tiny needles for kids or they can just do acupressure instead. Of course it will take at least a couple of months to see real results, so you can do cranberry juice and yogurt in the meantime and wipe only front-to-back which I'm sure you are doing anyways. But acupressure/acupuncture would be a good long term solution.

Hi.
I've heard that drinking cranberry juice is good for that.
Some other ideas (you may have heard before):
- wearing loose clothing. Let the area breathe alot, so consider having her wear light weight pjs/outfits.
- Perhaps changing the type of diaper you use? I used LUVS a few times and noticed that the outer covering was more plastic like and less breathable then Huggies or Pampers. I personally prefer Pampers.
- changing the type of baby wipes you use?
- when changing diapers wipe front to back. Use the wipes in the front area only once.
- Don't use baby powder.
- Give her showers instead of baths.

M.

My sister's daughter suffered with UTI's until she learned that it was her laundry supplies that were the casue. We use laundry products without harmful chemicals, toxins and caustic ingredients. In addition, we use UT support supplements that are patented/patent pending through a wellness company. If you would like more info, please email me directly at ____@____.com. I'd be happy to share our info with you anytime.

Take care,
N. =) SAHM homeschooling 3 boys 12,7 &2yrs old and married to Mr. Wonderful for almost 15yrs. Have you heard of Angel Food? Check out www.angelfoodministries.com for a better and less expensive way to buy groceries. We love it!

hi christianne,
i'm sorry to see that prophylactic antibiotics for this sort of thing is still being prescribed, and happy that you are looking for alternatives.
cranberry juice and lots of water are your first line of defense.
good luck!
khairete
S.