BLADDER INFECTIONS: HOW TO FIND RELIEF

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Perfumed Products. Scented toilet paper and soap, feminine deodorant sprays, and even bubble baths can contribute to cystitis. In fact, the FDA recently ordered bubble-bath manufacturers to print a cautionary label on their products warning of possible "irritation to the skin and urinary tract".

Laundry products. Bleaches, detergents, and fabric softeners can leave residues that may cause irritation and/ or allergic reactions.

Food and drink. Alcohol, spicy foods, coffee, tea, and other foods that contain caffeine—even chocolate!—can act as irritants to the urinary tract.

FIRST AID

The onset of a bladder infection is fairly easy to recognize, as it'll be heralded by the symptoms mentioned at the beginning of this article. If you feel UTI coming on, there are several things you can do that might nip it in the bud . . . or at least reduce your discomfort until you can get to a doctor.

Drink lots of water immediately, and keep on drinking it.

Some women get relief by drinking cranberry juice, since the acidic beverage makes urine less hospitable to infection—causing E. coli. Others, however, find that the juice increases the burning sensation accompanying urination . . . and prefer to stick to water.

Urinate as frequently as possible.

Try a tea of German (not Roman) chamomile, bearberry, and flaxseed. These herbs”which have been used for centuries to treat UTI—ease the pain by relaxing the urinary tract. (Bearberry dyes urine green, so don't be alarmed.)

Take Pyridium. This prescription drug is a urinary analgesic (pain killer) that will dye your urine bright orange and take the edge off that searing pain. However, it shouldn't be used by pregnant women or anyone with kidney problems. If you can't get to a doctor for a prescription, you might want to try one of the (almost equally effective) over-the-counter urinary analgesics . . . they're most often sold under the names Baridium or Azo-Standard.

A heating pad on the lower abdomen or a hot bath often helps, too.

PROFESSIONAL CARE

Of course, sometimes first aid won't work, and a visit to the doctor's office or emergency room is necessary. Professional treatment of a bladder infection involves three steps: determining that there are bacteria in the urine . . . testing their sensitivity (that is, discovering what will kill them) . . . and then attacking with an appropriate medication. The typical prescription for UTI is a sulfa drug, either Gantrisin or Azo-Gantrisin. Stubborn infections are sometimes treated with Macrodantin, a more expensive medicine.

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