Is there any way to cure a UTI infection without going to the doctor? I've tried the cranberry juice thing. It makes me feel better, but it doesn't CURE it.

What can be done to prevent them besides drinking plenty of water?

I don't get UTI's but I use earthclinic.com for my first line of defense in any issue. Here's a link to their bladder infection page. Looks like ACV is a good possibility--which I use for many many other ailments with great success. Maybe give the suggestions a try. Drink extra water though while you're using ACV internally.

http://earthclinic.com/CURES/bladder_infection.html

From what my doctor told me, cranberry juice (not the sweetened kind) and H2O are a great preventatives, and will certainly help the healing process, but it won't cure it. I don't think I would mess around a UTI; I think it can become pretty serious if left untreated. If you are trying to avoid a hefty office visit bill, maybe see if your doctor will call in a prescription for you. Mine did the last time I had one, and it saved me a lot of time & money. Hope you feel better soon!

I get frequent UTI infections. They will not go away without antibiotics. In fact I apparantly had one when I was pregnant that remained untreated and it ended up going up into my kidneys and caused me to go into labor early. Don't mess around with it.

In the meantime if it is causing you a lot of pain you can purchase a medicine called AZO. It will turn your pee orange but gets rid of the pain almost completely.

Hope you feel better soon.

Aime

i have developed a tendency toward UTI's since i've gotten older...I think my bladder, etc has "dropped" with age and change in hormones. Anyway, I began using Cranberry Capsules about one year ago and they have helped tremendously. I began purchasing them at Walmart but ended up getting a higher number of milligrams (for a good price) from vitacost...

here is a link to what I've been using...and if you develop UTI symptoms, take 2-3 daily until gone: (this is a 4 month supply..with added Vitamin C!)

http://www.vitacost.com/NSI-Cranberry-Extract/pd_section-pr#ProductReviews

Aww, I am so sorry that you have that. I (had) a tendency to them but since I've taken some measures, I haven't had them anymore.

Cranberry is a wonderful, wonderful thing! I take the one by AZO because it includes a probiotic, and what I found out is that one problem that can happen is that if your intestinal flora are imbalanced, they need to migrate somewhere else, and guess where that conveniently is? LOL

So that leads me to the second thing, reducing or eliminating sugar. I had noticed when I really overate sweets, (I have a sweet tooth), I would get one. Some people (doctor included) thought there was no connection, but I never thought that. And it seems I was correct. So try that, at least for now while you're curing it. :)

There is a third thing that is helpful, which is apple cider vinegar and honey. I use Braggs natural cider vinegar that has the so-called "mother" in it (protein enzyme molecules). I use 2 tsp. vinegar, and 1 tsp. honey, and 1/3 cup lukewarm water. It tastes somehwat as if I'm drinking lemonade, as it's really not bad at all with honey.

Fourthly, I take herbal capsules that I buy from Mountain Rose Herbs called Urinary Tract Support that includes uva ursi, marshmallow, cornsilk, quackgrass, and a wee bit of kava and goldenseal. They're made by Eclectic Institute. If you want to buy single herbs, at least get the marshmallow, cornsilk, and uva ursi. Those are specifics for UTI's.

At least for the duration of the infection, give up on caffeine, as it is a diuretic, firstly, and can cause spasm of the bladder muscle, secondly (thus pain). if you do want to keep drinking it, get at least 2 cups of water for every 1 cup of tea/coffee/soda.

Wear only white pure cotton p a n t i e s and not t h o n g s as I found out that at times it is possible that UTI's get caused by bacteria that migrate up the thong to the front. :(

Parsley tea is another good thing to drink, and easy to make. You finely chop a handful of fresh parsley, and pour very hot (not boiling) water over it. let it steep at least 20 minutes. This is good with honey, very fresh tasting.

Keep warm over your kidneys and get plenty of rest while you have this. It seems so trivial at times, but it isn't, and it can lead to a kidney infection. So it is OK just now to be babying yourself.

For now, showers are better than baths.

getting good protein and leafy green vegetables, and no sweet fruits is also important for the nutrition needed for the body to fight the infection. Even seemingly tart citrus fruits are alkaline in the body.

If I did EVERY single thing listed here, (no sugar, flooding myself with fluids, taking herbal means) and it didn't go away in 2 days, I'd go to the doctor. I am a major proponent of natural health most all of the time, BUT there are those times that allopathic medicine excels in, and one of those is bacterial infection. Just because I know it can lead to kidney infection, is the reason that I would feel so cautious. And if such a thing happens, one can make sure to take plenty of probiotics while on the antibiotic, and when off it.

Praying that you feel better soon,
Mommy4Jesus

Don't post often..but this is a subject near and dear to my heart. (Well, maybe not "dear" but I've had a number of UTIs in the past 3yrs. I am here to tell you that you CAN cure a UTI without going to the doctor for an antibiotic. www.UITReport.com has a step by step process for eliminating the UTI. It's a 12 hour process..each hour you're drinking or taking something. This really works! I've used it for the past 3 UTIs. I'm talking full blown UTI (urinating blood and blood clots). It costs money to download the booklet...can't remember off the top of my head what it was, BUT VERY, VERY worth it! Print it out and keep it safe for furture use.

Once the UTI is gone, take 2 tablets daily of AZO cranberry tablets. Once I cleared the last UTI, I've taken AZO daily and have not had a reacurrence for months.

UTIs are miserable! I feel your pain.

HTH

Autumn

You are going to think I'm nuts. It works for me though--baking soda and water. It tastes terrible but it will take the pain away (for me anyway) in a very short time. I've been able to cure several this way. I always do this as soon as I know that I have one though. I think the measurement is like 1 tsp baking soda to 8 oz. water. Good luck!