Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)

The urinary tract is the body's filtering system for removal of liquid wastes.
Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) is a bacterial infection that affects any part of the urinary tract.
The kidneys can also be infected which can be a more serious problem. Kidney infections usually require an antibiotic for a longer period of time and are sometimes treated in the hospital.

Because of a shorter urinary tract, women are especially susceptible to bacteria than men. The bacteria may invade the urinary tract easily and multiply, as the bacteria have shorter distance to travel. Although most UTIs are not serious, they can be a painful nuisance. Many women may have several infections throughout their lifetime. Fortunately, these infections are easily treated with antibiotics. Some women are more prone to recurrent UTIs than others and for them it can be a frustrating battle.

Treatment and Prevention Of Recurrent UTI

What Causes Urinary Tract Infections?

The most common cause of UTIs are bacteria from the bowel that live on the skin near the rectum or in the vagina, which can spread and enter the urinary tract through the urethra. Once these bacteria enter the urethra, they travel upward, causing infection in the urinary tract.

The female anatomy can make women more prone to urinary tract infections in sexual intercourse. During sexual activity, bacteria in the vaginal area are sometimes massaged into the urethra.

Another cause of bladder infections or UTI is WAITING TOO LONG TO URINATE. The bladder is a muscle that stretches to hold urine and contracts when the urine is released. Waiting too long past the time you first feel the need to urinate can cause the bladder to stretch beyond its capacity. Over time, this can weaken the bladder muscle. When the bladder is weakened, it may not empty completely and some urine is left in the bladder. This may increase the risk of urinary tract infections or bladder infections as the urine becomes NUTRIENT essential for the growth of the bacteria.

Other factors that also may increase a woman's risk of developing UTI include pregnancy, having urinary tract infections or bladder infections as a child, menopause, or diabetes.

What Are the Symptoms of Urinary Tract Infections?

Symptoms of UTI or bladder infection are not easy to miss and include a strong urge to urinate that cannot be delayed, which is followed by a sharp pain or burning sensation in the urethra when the urine is released. Most often very little urine is released and the urine that is released may be tinged with blood. The urge to urinate recurs quickly and soreness may occur in the lower abdomen, back, or sides.

This cycle may repeat itself frequently during the day or night--most people urinate about six times a day, when the need to urinate occurs more often a bladder infection should be suspected.

When bacteria enter the ureters and spread to the kidneys, symptoms such as back pain, chills, fever, nausea, and vomiting may occur, as well as the previous symptoms of lower urinary tract infection.

Important Facts to note.

* Urinary tract infections are much more common in adults than in children, but about 1%-2% of children do get urinary tract infections. Urinary tract infections in children are more likely to be serious than those in adults and should not be ignored.


* Urinary tract infection is the most common urinary tract problem in children besides bedwetting.


* Urinary tract infection is second only to respiratory infection as the most common type of infection.


* These infections are much more common in girls and women than in boys and men younger than 50 years of age. The reason for this is not well understood, but anatomic differences between the genders (a shorter urethra in women) might be partially responsible.


* About 40% of women and 12% of men have a urinary tract infection at some time in their life.

Food Supplements

Food supplements are concentrated sources of nutrients or other substances with a nutritional or physiological effect whose purpose is to supplement the normal diet. They are marketed 'in dose' form i.e. as pills, tablets, capsules, liquids in measured doses etc.

There are several main groups of food supplements which can be considered:

* Vitamins and co-vitamins
* Essential minerals
* Essential fatty acids
* Essential amino acids
* Glyconutrients
* Phytonutrients

Several ranges of food supplements are known:

* additives which repair a deficit to "normal" levels
* additives which appear to enhance a food
* supplements taken in addition to the normal diet

Many physicians today disagree with the premise that foodstuffs need supplementation, but accept that - for example - added calcium may provide benefit, or that adding folic acid may correct a nutritional deficiency especially in pregnant women.

Foods and food supplements can be used to achieve a defined health goal. A common example of this use of food supplements is the extent to which body builders will use amino acid mixtures, vitamins and phytochemicals to enhance natural hormone production, increase muscle and reduce fat.