Toronto-Centre Naturopathic Medicine is a Toronto naturopathic clinic dedicated to providing safe and effective treatment of a wide variety of health conditions using natural therapies and the principles of naturopathic medicine.
Urinary tract infections (UTI) are well treated using naturopathic medicine. A urinary tract infection is an infection of your urethra, urinary bladder or kidneys (the urinary tract).
Urinary tract infections (UTI) typically occur when bacteria, often Escherichia coli (E. coli), enter the urinary tract through the urethra and multiply in the urinary bladder. Bacteria may enter the urinary tract through sexual intercourse and poor hygiene after bowel movements. Serious complications can occur if infection spreads to your kidneys (pyelonephritis), including permanent kidney damage.
Professional healthcare should be sought out if you have symptoms of a urinary tract infection (UTI).
Symptoms of a urinary tract infection (UTI)
Possible symptoms of a urinary tract infection (UTI) include:
• Strong, persistent urge to urinate
• Burning sensation on urinating
• Passing frequent, small amounts of urine
• Blood in urine (hematuria) or cloudy, strong-smelling urine
Other symptoms and signs of urinary tract infections (UTI) vary depending on which part of the urinary tract is affected, and may include:
• Pain at the pelvis, low abdomen, upper back or side (flank)
• Fever
• Shaking and chills
• Nausea
• Vomiting
Treatment of urinary tract infections (UTI) at Toronto-Centre Naturopathic Medicine
At Toronto-Centre Naturopathic Medicine, the goals of urinary tract infection (UTI) treatment are to reduce intensity and frequency of pain and other symptoms, resolve infection, manage possible side effects of conventional medications and prevent recurrence.
Conventional treatment for urinary tract infections (UTI) may include a variety of medications, including antibiotics and pain medications, which may have short- or long-term side effects. For this reason, you may choose to try natural treatment to possibly avoid use of conventional medications, or together with conventional medications in order to decrease dosages of conventional medications required to manage your urinary tract infection symptoms.
Naturopathic treatment of any chronic health concern must be recognized as a process that involves identifying specific treatment goals, a thorough understanding by your naturopathic doctor of all factors affecting your health, including physical, psychological, emotional and lifestyle factors, development of a comprehensive treatment plan and execution of that plan through periodic monitoring and adjustment.
At Toronto-Centre Naturopathic Medicine, a typical approach to treating urinary tract infections (UTI) may be to use botanical (herbal) medications as antibiotics and for immune system support, use of botanical (herbal) medicines or nutritional supplements to soothe irritated tissue of the urinary tract, and identification and addressing of underlying factors in your lifestyle (e.g., sexual activity patterns, use of particular birth control methods) or general health (e.g., compromised immune system activity, kidney stones, diabetes mellitus) that may cause urinary tract infection (UTI) recurrence.
Where appropriate, a number of therapeutic options are available, to be used alone, or more often in a complementary fashion, including:
• Nutritional supplements
• Botanical (herbal) medicine
• Lifestyle counseling
• Diet therapy
• Homeopathic medicines
• Acupuncture
References
Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Urinary Tract Infection [Online]. [cited 2010 Jan 18]; Available from: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/urinary-tract-infection/DS00286 .