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 infection (cystitis) is well treated using naturopathic medicine. Cystitis describes inflammation of the bladder, which can cause pain and irritation. Most commonly the inflammation is caused by a bacterial infection (the reason the term is often used as a synonym for a urinary tract or bladder infection), but may also be caused by complications of other illnesses (e.g., gynecologic cancers, pelvic inflammatory disorders, endometriosis, Crohn’s disease), certain medications (primarily chemotherapeutic agents), radiation therapy or potential irritants such as feminine hygiene sprays, spermicidal jellies or long-term catheter use. The cause of interstitial cystitis (chronic bladder inflammation) is unclear. If untreated, a bladder infection can spread to the kidneys.
Professional healthcare should be sought promptly if you have symptoms of a urinary tract infection.
Symptoms of urinary tract infection (or non-infectious cystitis)
Possible symptoms of urinary tract infection (or non-infectious cystitis) include:
• Strong, persistent urge to urinate
• Frequent passing of small amounts of urine
• Burning sensation on urinating
• Blood in the urine (hematuria)
• Cloudy or strong-smelling urine
• General pelvic discomfort
• Sensation of pressure in the lower abdomen
• Low-grade fever
In children, new episodes of bed-wetting (enuresis) may be a sign of a urinary tract infection (or non-infectious cystitis).
Naturopathic treatment of urinary tract infection (or non-infectious cystitis)
At Toronto-Centre Naturopathic Medicine, the goals of urinary tract infection treatment are to reduce the pain and discomfort, urinary frequency, identify and address the cause of the infection, manage associated health conditions, manage other possible side-effects of conventional treatments and prevent recurrence.
Conventional treatment for urinary tract infection is generally antibiotics. Treatment for non-infectious bladder inflammation varies dependant on the underlying cause, if known (e.g., discontinuation of irritant feminine hygiene spray), but includes pain management medications. Treatment of chronic bladder inflammation includes oral or intra-bladder medications or bladder distention or surgery.
These treatments may have short- or long-term side effects or complications. For this reason, you may choose to try natural treatment to possibly avoid use of conventional treatments, or together with conventional treatments in order to limit conventional treatment required to treat your urinary tract infection (or non-infectious cystitis) 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 and other causes of cystitis may be to first identify and address underlying factors in your lifestyle (e.g., insufficient water intake, delaying urinary voidance, frequent tub baths, poor genital hygiene, use feminine hygiene products) or general health (e.g., hormonal imbalance, enlarged prostate gland, stone in the bladder, compromised immune system, prolonged use of bladder catheters) that may be contributing to your symptoms, reduce discomfort and inconvenience caused by symptoms using hydrotherapy or acupuncture, resolve infection, if appropriate, using botanical (herbal) medicines and prevent recurrence by increasing immune system activity (by use of botanical [herbal] medicines).
Where appropriate, a number of therapeutic options are available, to be used alone, or more often in a complementary fashion, including:
• Diet therapy
• Botanical (herbal) medicines
• Nutritional supplements
• Homotoxicological medicines
• Homeopathic medicines
• Acupuncture
• Cleansing protocols
• Bowen Therapy
• Lifestyle counseling
References
Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Cystitis [Online]. [cited 2010 Jan 13]; Available from: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cystitis/DS00285 .