9 Tips to Prevent UTIs Naturally

If you’ve ever suffered from a urinary tract infection (UTI), you know that it is no fun at all. It’s painful, and the frequent urination can be very disruptive to your day and to your sleep. It’s important to see your doctor as soon as you suspect a UTI, because if left untreated it can turn into a kidney infection.

Are you prone to UTIs? I bet that in addition to other tips from friends and doctors, you’ve had at least one person recommend cranberry juice or supplements to help prevent them. It’s not news that cranberries contain compounds that can help prevent UTIs, but conventional wisdom has been that concentrated cranberry supplements pack more protective punch than a glass of cranberry juice. A new study in The Archives of Internal Medicine suggest that the juice may actually be better.

The study was a meta analysis, meaning that researchers looked at several studies on cranberry and UTIs. The studies used different amounts of cranberry juice or used cranberry supplements taken once or twice a day. You’d probably expect that taking a concentrated cranberry pill twice a day would be most effective in preventing UTIs, but it turns out that regular cranberry juice drinkers had less frequent UTIs than folks taking supplements.

The only trouble with these results is that in the cranberry juice trials, they aren’t sure how much cranberry folks were consuming. There’s a big difference between cranberry juice cocktails – sweetened with sugar, high fructose corn syrup, or juice – and straight 100 percent cranberry juice.

Thanks to some medical problems I had as a child, I have struggled with UTIs for almost three decades. On the next page, I’ll share some of the techniques that have helped me reduce my UTI frequency over the years.

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Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
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Patricia T.

9:37AM PST on Mar 8, 2013

Thanks

March 8
send a green star

Michele W.

10:27AM PST on Mar 3, 2013

Thank you

March 3
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Fred H.

7:33AM PST on Mar 2, 2013

Thank you Becky, for Sharing this!

March 2
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Magdika Cecilia P.

11:32PM PST on Mar 1, 2013

thank you

March 1
send a green star

11:31PM PST on Mar 1, 2013

Sally A.

8:31PM PST on Feb 17, 2013

thank you for the tips. I did not know to avoid sugar while having this. I will also switch to the 100% cranberry juice.

February 17
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JL A.

9:06AM PDT on Nov 3, 2012

good to know

November 3
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Duane B.

5:49AM PDT on Nov 3, 2012

Thank you for sharing.

Jasmine Santa M.

12:03PM PDT on Oct 18, 2012

I have been prone to Urinary Tract Infections my whole life. I've probably tried every home remedy that I could find out on the market today!!!! (DO NOT drink Cranberry Cocktail--theres a lot of sugar in it and it will just aggravate your condition further.) Cranberry Juice has a dry taste for me, so I haven't always been a huge fan of it. I have to add water to it when I drink it, because I just can't take the taste.

If you are like me, you have to use the Lady Soma Cranberry Supplement. This was a great alternative. In the morning when I take my regular vitamins I take two of these and I don't have to worry about it when the time comes. I have made it part of my regular routine so that my body is prepared if another Urinary Tract Infection is lurking in the shadows. These Lady Soma Cranberry pills are small and easy to swallow as well as not having any taste. Good Luck!