Natural Cure for Cystitis

Are you seeking a natural cure for cystitis?

Cystitis, medically meaning an inflammation of the bladder, can be either bacterial (more common – the urinary tract infection that afflicts many people, especially women, in their lives) or interstitial cystitis (IC).

Interstitial cystitis has no known cure, though many treatment options exist. Bacterial cystitis, generally caused by the bacteria E. coli, can be remedied through various home or natural therapies, however, so that patients need not resort to antibiotics (the most widely prescribed conventional treatment).

The efficacy of the treatment will be determined by the patient’s immune response to the initial infection. Some individuals have a very vigorous response, and their immune system eliminates the infection in a matter of hours. For these patients, a mild treatment may speed the process along.

Others have a weak immune response and find that they tend to have recurring infections which respond better to more drastic treatment. Subsequently, if they take measures to build up their immune resistance, the chances of a relapse will be diminished.

As you attempt to find a cure for cystitis, here are some pointers to take note of. Sugar may encourage bacteria to multiply, so remove it from your diet temporarily until the inflection clears up. Drink extra fluids, including a minimum of 8 glasses of water. Add lemon juice, which acts as an antiseptic, as do some herbal teas described below. Your goal will be to flush out the urinary tract system, so as to rid the body as rapidly as possible of the infection-causing agents.

Drink apple cider vinegar or cranberry juice, which can restore the bladder’s pH, and stop harmful bacteria from adhering to the bladder’s wall, respectively. These are useful tools as you attempt to find a cure for cystitis. Cranberries have substances called proanthocyanidins, which reduce the E.coli’s ability to form the finger like projects called fimbriae that allow them to catch hold of and adhere to the bladder wall. Drink as much cranberry juice as you can stand, and add servings of cranberry sauce and relish to your meals.

Baking soda will also restore alkalinity, as will fresh organic vegetables (which will most likely be easier to add to the diet). Again, all juices should be unsweetened so as to not create a favorable environment for the pathogens.

As part of a natural cure for cystitis, it is important to avoid caffeine, chocolate, and alcohol, which may irritate the bladder more.

Continue to cleanse the system by introducing one or two therapeutic herbs such as goldenrod, cornsilk, horsetail, hydrangea, juniper berries, and pipessewa leaf. Other choices are listed below. These herbs act to increase the flow of urine, disinfect the urinary tract, and purge the kidneys and bladder of impurities. Again, these herbal remedies are useful additions to a natural cure for cystitis.

Herbs and Herbal Remedies Useful for a Natural Cure for Cystitis

• Goldenrod - Can be taken as a tea, and acts as a mild diuretic.
  
  
• Pipsisewa - Can also be taken as a tea, which stimulates the removal of bacteria from the system, as well as accumulated waste products. The herb contains hydroquinones, which disinfect the urinary tract.
  
  
• Usnea - a type of lichen and herb often used in Chinese medicine, which has soothing antiseptic properties, mostly via its main active ingredient, usnic acid.
  
  
• Buchu - Acts as a soothing diuretic and antiseptic in the urinary system, in large part due to its principal constituents, diosphenal and mucilage.
  
  
• Marshmallow root - A potent demulcent, marshmallow root also has mucilate, and has been used to soothe irritation and inflammation for centuries. Make a thick slippery tasting tea which can be taken up to three times per day.
  
  
• Cleavers - A traditional tonic for the urinary tract, which helps relieve burning in the bladder and urethra.
  
  
• Corn silk - A soothing diuretic which can be taken as a tincture or tea.
  
  
• Horsetail - astringent and mild diuretic, with tissue healing ingredients.

In trying to effect a cure for cystitis, it is also important to take preventative measures to ensure that re-infection does not occur. Take vitamin C, which boosts immunity, as well as beneficial probiotics to replenish the good bacteria in the system if you have caved in and taken antiobiotics. Probiotics can be found in certain yogurts and in kefir, a form of cultured milk available in health food stores.

Avoid re-infection by not resisting the urge to urinate, and of course by practicing excellent hygiene, especially after sexual intercourse, when the transmission of E.coli between partners or introduction from another source may occur. Prevention is as important as trying to find a cure for cystitis.

Other treatments (primarily for interstitial cystitis as urinary tract infections (UTI) can generally be simply treated as described above) include oral medications, bladder distension, bladder instillation (or bladder wash), sacral neuromodulation (for severe cases only that do not respond to other treatments), and bladder training once relief from the pain caused by IC has been obtained.

Specific methods to bladder training vary, but the premise lies in the idea that better bladder control can be learned by practicing certain relaxation or distraction techniques and having the patient urinate on a very set schedule in order to reduce overall frequency and feeling of urgency.

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