Is it possible to cure a bladder infection without antibiotics?

Hi Tracey, Yes! I treat bladder infections in my patients all the time. A bladder infection can definitely spread to the kidneys if left untreated and this is very dangerous. I highly recommend seeing a naturopath who can prescribe something for you and make sure your infection clears up. To give you an idea of what natural treatment for a bladder infection can look like, here are some things that I do with my patients: (1) Absolutely no sugar (including honey -- all sweeteners; all foods with sugar or sweetener of any kind in them) until they are 100% better. Sugar really brings the immune system down and feeds the bacteria causing the infection. (2) Concentrated cranberry juice (no sugar - from a health food store). This stuff tastes awful, but I have patients dilute it as per the label and drink throughout the day. (3) A herbal combination formula with herbs such as bearberry, uva ursi, goldenseal, parslely etc. (4) D-mannose - this is a naturally occurring sugar that comes in supplement form. The bacteria in the urinary tract attach themselves to this sugar and then get washed out as you urinate. (5) Probiotics - probiotics are the good bacteria in our body and with infection and a history of antibiotic use, these good bacteria get out of balance. There are many different kinds; some are better than others. A practitioner can recommend the right one for you. I do the "no sugar" rule with every patient but the other supplements vary from patient to patient. So go see a practitioner and your infection should clear up in no time. And you will have avoided antibiotics so you'll be less likely to get another infection! TC

Tracey:  Make sure you take care of it because a bladder infection can become dangerous if left untreated.  Sometimes an antibiotic is unavoidable.

Hi, Tina. Thanks so much for your response to my posting. It's very helpful. One questions, in avoiding sugar, should I also avoid things that naturally have sugar like fruit and foods that have a high glycemic index, like potatoes? Thanks again!

Tracey, Have you tried the BladderWell product from NativeRemedies? It worked well for my wife when she had the same issue a while back.

 

I treat people with urinary tract infections with Chinese herbal medicine.  You would want to do this with the help of a professional; there are several different formulas that work well for bladder infections, and the correct one should be chosen based on your exact symptoms as well as your overall constitution. 

As Tina does, I also counsel people to eliminate sugar (yes even natural sugars as much as possible) and drink unsweetened cranberry juice.

If symptoms are severe or don't clear up within 4-5 days I suggest seeing a doctor.  Antibiotics are rarely my first choice of treatment but they are excellent at what they do and are sometimes necessary.

is xylitol okay?