UTIs can be caused by poor hygiene, impaired immune function, the overuse of antibiotics, the use of spermicides, and sexual intercourse. The most common cause, accounting for about 90 percent of all cases, is the transfer of Escherichia coli bacteria from the intestinal tract to the urinary tract.
For those of you who have experienced a UTI, there isn’t much you wouldn’t do to avoid another one. While I personally have never had a UTI, my patients have told me how symptoms like pain, burning, nausea, and even bloody urine can be debilitating, and for those who get chronic UTIs, the fear of infection can be enough to prevent engagement in any activities that could trigger one. For people who get them frequently, sometimes a specific cause cannot even be pinpointed. This can be frustrating and scary.
Fortunately, there are a few methods of natural UTI treatment and prevention that have worked extremely well for my patients, to the point where they no longer worry about getting a UTI.
These treatments don’t require a prescription, are inexpensive, and are completely drug-free. While your doctor may not know about them, I hope this article will help you completely avoid UTIs—or at least significantly reduce their frequency and severity. I recommend working with a Functional Medicine practitioner who is focused on treating the root cause of your UTIs.
UTIs can be debilitating, but it is possible to get relief without requiring a prescription. Check out this article for five ways to cure UTIs without antibiotics. #functionalmedicine #wellness #chriskresser
What Is the Standard Treatment for a UTI?
Doctors typically use antibiotics to treat UTIs, and the type and duration depend on your health condition and the type of bacterium found in your urine. (2) Commonly prescribed antibiotics are:
- Trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (Bactrim)
- Amoxicillin
- Ampicillin
- Ciprofloxacin (Cipro)
These antibiotics are often unnecessary and may cause more problems in the future by destroying the beneficial bacteria that prevent pathogenic bacteria from growing. Long-term use of antibiotics can also lead to antibiotic resistance in strains of bacteria like E. coli in the gut, and a UTI caused by these bacteria will be even more challenging to eliminate and can cause more serious issues like a kidney or bladder infection.
Furthermore, antibiotics do very little to prevent the infection from happening in the first place. So, while drugs may be an easy fix for the short term, in the long run, you will continue to be susceptible to UTIs, and these infections may be worse than if you had never taken a course of antibiotics in the first place!
Curing and Preventing UTIs Naturally: D-Mannose
Treating UTIs with D-Mannose
D-mannose is by far the most effective supplement for both treatment and prevention of UTIs. Similar to glucose in structure, D-mannose is a naturally occurring sugar that is found in a number of fruits, including apples, blueberries, and cranberries. (3) This sugar is the reason that cranberry juice has been commonly recommended as a UTI treatment, though it is far easier to get the recommended dosage from a supplement. D-mannose is effective because it attaches to E. coli bacteria, causing them to stick to each other and preventing them from sticking to the walls of the urinary tract. (4) The bacteria can then easily be eliminated from the body during urination.
D-mannose, even in large quantities, does not cause any adverse effects, and cannot be metabolized the way other sugars can, meaning this supplement is safe for people with diabetes and others who are avoiding sugar for any reason. This treatment is also safe for children and the elderly.
Symptom relief can be seen as quickly as the following day, and most symptoms of UTI are generally resolved after 48 hours of treatment. Additionally, taking D-mannose during a time where you feel you are most prone to UTIs, such as before intercourse or during prolonged antibiotic treatment, can help prevent a UTI from ever developing in the first place. This is especially helpful for those who are prone to chronic UTIs and want to be able to engage in normal life activities without fear of infection.
The typical dose of D-mannose for UTI treatment is 500 mg, in capsule or powder form, taken with or in a glass of water or juice every two to three hours for five days. It is a good practice to continue taking the supplement even after symptoms have diminished to ensure complete elimination of the bacteria in the urinary tract. This dose can also be taken as a preventive, or prophylactic, method.
While there has not been any peer-reviewed research to support the effectiveness of D-mannose in treating or preventing UTIs, clinical and anecdotal experience suggests it is highly effective for the majority of infections, both acute and chronic. Some of my patients who have used D-mannose as a UTI treatment method have even described its effects as “miraculous”—so it’s definitely worth a shot!
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Four Alternative Treatments for Chronic UTIs
One caveat with D-mannose is that it is only effective with UTIs caused by E. coli infection. While this accounts for about 90 percent of cases, 10 percent will not benefit from this treatment. In this case, supplements that help disrupt biofilms can be useful in treating and preventing UTIs.
Biofilms are an accumulation of microorganisms and their extracellular products forming structured communities attached to a surface such as the lining of the urogenital tract. (5) The development of a biofilm can make infections extremely hard to treat, since they commonly return shortly after treatment is stopped.
The antibacterial resistance of pathogenic biofilms is one of the major reasons why those who get a UTI are highly susceptible to getting more in the future—if the biofilm is not completely eliminated, the infection will eventually return at some point.
1. InterFase Plus and Biofilm Defense
This is why the use of biofilm disruptors can be helpful for preventing the recurrence of chronic UTIs. The biofilm disruptors that I recommend to my patients are InterFase Plus from Klaire Labs or Biofilm Defense from Kirkman. These contain specialized enzymes to disrupt the biofilm matrix embedding potential of pathogens, and dissolve the sugar and fibrin components of most pathogenic biofilms. By destroying the biofilms, the recurrence of UTIs despite proper hygiene can be reduced. (6)
2. Lauricidin
Lauricidin is another supplement that may help in treating UTIs, particularly those that are caused by types of bacteria other than E. coli. Lauricidin (a proprietary form of monolaurin) has antiviral, antifungal, and antibacterial activity, and is specific against pathogenic bacteria so it won’t disrupt beneficial bacteria in the gut. It is highly effective at combating gram-positive bacteria in the families of: (7)
- Streptococcus
- Staphylococcus
- Corynebacterium
- Listeria
- Bacillus
- Clostridium
It works by disturbing the integrity of the bacterial cell membrane, blocking replication and making it easier for the immune system to destroy the pathogen. Lauricidin is only helpful, however, for UTIs not caused by E. coli, which is gram-negative and has a different kind of outer cell membrane than gram-positive bacteria.
3. Nattokinase
Nattokinase is another enzyme that has been shown to dissolve biofilms. (8) Produced by the bacteria found in the fermented food natto, this enzyme is proteolytic and can help break down the fibrin proteins that maintain the structure of biofilms.
Because of its fibrin-breaking ability, it’s important that nattokinase supplements are not taken by people with bleeding disorders, or by people who are taking Coumadin (warfarin), aspirin, or any other drug that influences blood clotting, unless supervised by a physician.
4. Apolactoferrin
Apolactoferrin (or lactoferrin) is one more supplement that I recommend to my patients with recurrent UTIs. This multifunctional protein lactoferrin is a component of the immune system with antimicrobial activity, and is part of the innate defense, found mainly in secretions and mucosal surfaces. (9)
Lactoferrin has been shown to block pathogenic biofilm development by binding to iron and causing the bacteria to “wander” across surfaces instead of forming cell clusters and biofilms. (10, 11) One study found that the amount of E. coli bacteria in the kidneys and bladder of mice was significantly reduced 24 hours after oral lactoferrin treatment, compared to a control group. (12) More research is necessary to demonstrate the effectiveness of lactoferrin in treating UTIs, but I believe it is worth trying, especially if dealing with chronic UTIs.
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I have been diagnosed with morganella morganite. I have taken 2 antibiotics with no help. Tests still show positive. I take d mannose but UTI persists. I have no symptoms. Grateful for that….over the yrs , I have had many infections with symptoms. I also drink pure cranberry juice and take Vitamin C. Any suggestions?
D-mannose, cranberry, and Vitamin C won’t help you: as a matter of fact, the latter two will make you worse.
You want to make your urine more alkaline, not acidic, which is what cranberry and Vitamin C do.
Antibiotic-resistant infections can generally be killed with (good quality, potent) olive leaf extract, raw garlic, and cayenne pepper. Vitacost brand OLE is excellent.
If I give you links this will go into moderation and not post, but you can click on my name for more info.
Hi Bekah,
Can you recommend a dosage for the garlic, OLE and cayenne pepper? How much? How many times a day?
If you click on Bekah’s name you’ll be linked to her website where all the protocols are detailed. Good luck!
Hi Chris,
After reading your article, I ended up buying the Monolaurin supplement you recommended to treat my GBS. Reading all the research that’s been done about how it can deactivate strep b, I can’t find any studies on how much is needed to really knock GBS on the head. Ive started on 1/4 tsp twice a day and aiming to build from there..I’m 18 weeks pregnant and I don’t won’t anymore antibiotics to treat this especially in labour.
I haven’t seen him answer comments in the 8 months I’ve been monitoring this comment stream.
The biofilm supplement will never reach the bladder unless you remove intestinal Candida first..and I guarantee you that you have intestinal Candida.
Thanks for taking the time to reply.. I looked at your page and also wondered if I can take charcoal while pregnant. Can you recommend dosage and a brand ? Im based in Australia..I’m also been taking Comvita olive leaf extract ( Aussie grown ) once a day now for a few days and the Lauricidin for 4 days and I have been feeling the dieing off effects everyday- headaches, muscle aches, flu like systems. I was wondering if milk thistle would be okay to take to help with the detoxing ? ..I have also been taking high quality probiotics for 2 months now- 2 a day, fermented garlic juice , organic apple cider vinegar – with the mother. some times lemon water in the morning 30min before breakfast and slippery elm. How am I doing lol I hope I’m getting somewhere with all this.
Is it that giant 3.5 gram horse pill with 66 mg of oleuropein?
My Australian ladies use Herbs of Gold brand: those capsules are much smaller, but contain 100 mg of oleuropein, each.
Yes, activated charcoal IS safe to take while pregnant: simply follow the timing instructions carefully. It will remove Candida without symptoms, so if you can take something gentle that helps you clear your bowels, you can take a big dose of charcoal and it will sweep through your gut removing Candida from the intestinal walls without any die-off at all. Then, you can take larger doses of OLE and they will begin treating your UTI instead of the Candida.
Activated charcoal is an inert substance that works by volume, similar to fiber. Think of it like magnetic fiber: it travels through you without ever being absorbed into your bloodstream, but it draws things to itself like a magnet. Because it works like that, it takes Candida off the intestinal walls through your whole system, unlike chemical Candida-killers, which are absorbed into your bloodstream in the small intestines, and leave most of the Candida in your system untouched. Because of that ‘magnetic’ action, you want your gut to be as empty as possible when you take it, so it’s only glomming onto Candida, and not…other things.
Any drug store brand of activated charcoal made from hardwood bark or coconut shell is fine, and when you take it on an empty gut, you want to take about 2500 mg with 16 oz water. (Roughly 1/2 teaspoon) That will pick up a LOT of Candida, but if you’re having a strong die-off reaction to just one of those Comvita horse pills..you’ll need to repeat that dose a time or two.
Please don’t hesitate to e-mail me, or join the group (and read the instructions in the blog posts carefully!!!)..I would really like to monitor your case closely while you do this. I don’t like you having such strong die-off response to so little OLE: that means your Candida is severe, and you don’t want all those toxins in your bloodstream while you’re pregnant, burdening the placenta.
(I’m not going to suddenly demand payment: I never charge anyone. Ever. I’ve been where you are, pregnant with a UTI that wouldn’t die. There’s a blog post on that.)
It’s the liquid form of 66mg ole..
I got my urine results back from my midwife and she said its all clear..I have had worse die offs then what I’m experiencing now, and I have noticed since yesterday it’s tapered off, I woke up with a mild head ache this morning..I was also reading that the Lauricidin I’m also taking can cause die off..
Thanks for taking the time to help me out. I will go and buy some charcoal today and start tomorrow morning on a empty stomach, and I need to wait 2 hours before taking any supplements or food?
Yes! Take it first thing, when your gut is as empty as possible, and only have water in the 2 hours following.
On the test..when you’re taking something like OLE to kill an infection, you have to test the first urine of the morning to get a true read, because any other time of day it may not show up.
Use home test strips (cheap on Amazon!) to check yourself first thing in the morning, and keep taking OLE, and minced, unheated raw garlic if you can, until your morning tests are crystal clear for 3 days running, then taper down.
I promise you that infection isn’t completely dead yet, not on those doses of OLE, when you still have die-off.
Hi Bekah,
Hi took my first lot of charcoal this morning. I had to go out for a few hours so didn’t have a chance to take my supplements until I got home. I still had some dying off symptoms while I was out ..Once I got home I Had a good bowel movement not long after taking the ole and Lauricidin. I also just had some raw garlic..I’m thinking I should repeat this again tomorrow, and report back..
No die-off after the OLE? Did you increase your dosage? Keep building upward steadily with the OLE, and remember the die-off is cumulative, so take your larger doses in the morning, and slightly smaller doses in the evening until you build to 4×4.
Don’t let up when you feel like the UTI symptoms have stopped: it is *imperative* go continue at full strength until a first morning’s test has been crystal clear for 3 days straight (watch it past the 2 minute mark!), then you taper slowly down.
I took the same amount 15ml 66mg should I take 30ml tomorrow morning, then 15ml in the evening. I don’t feel any different then what I was already feeling today, mild headache and tired come the afternoon..I did notice today that I have a little bit of vaginal discharge that had a light green tinge to it, I have been occasional using a mix of coconut oil and bicarb soda and inserting it while in the shower, could that have something to so with it? .. I’m having trouble getting uti strips here at the chemists I’ll have to just order some online but I’m not sure which ones to get. Amazon will take weeks to deliver and most of the time they don’t send to Australia..
…That’s all you’re taking in a whole day?
I have people build up gradually to around 1500 mg of oleuropein per day, to kill an active UTI.
To kill one that’s well-rooted and antibiotic-resistant, you take that AND raw garlic.
Sorry I took 2x 15 ml.. I’ll up my dose. I don’t know why the label recommend such tiny amounts..
The daily dosage recommendations on the bottle are for daily health maintenance, not active infection treatment. The liquid forms are exponentially more expensive than the capsule ones: have you been able to locate that Herbs of Gold brand, with 100 mg oleuropein per capsule?
I’m pretty sure my local organic shop has it. I’ll have to stick with what I got the 1lt bottle of comvit was $50 . I have spent so much money this week on health stuff. Just had another dose of charcoal will have a bigger dose of ole and garlic and see how I feel .. Thanks
I have experienced recurrent UTI’s for 29 years and even when I did not have the active infection, I still experienced frequency. Waking 6 times at night. I recently test positive for UTI so I bought Cran Rx from Walgreens. It has 500 MG of D-Mannose and cranberry. I took this every 2 hours for a week and then 3-4 times a day for another week and then once daily until the sensation went away. I also took Biofilm Defense for a week on 2 different occasions. Even after all this I still had to wake 6 times a night to use the restroom. Recently, I started taking Monolauren 1,100 MG once daily. I have been on it for 6 days and have noticed a significant improvement in waking. It has reduced to 2-3 times a night now. I will continue taking it for a few months and I am hopeful that this will improve also.
I have been having UTI’s for many years now, they went away for a while, but they have come back with a vengeance! Every single time that I have intercourse, I get one. They come on very quickly and I have bleeding and the urgency to urinate. I also get spasms. They are very painful and I have tried taking the cranberry pills & the D-Mannose. The last time I was on Bactrim, and they cultered and it came back that I had E-coli, so they put me on Macrobid. I am suffering from these so often that I am willing to do almost anything to stop them…..please tell me what you think that I should try….I have heard about drinking parsley tea. But haven’t tried it yet. Thank you for your time.
Click on my screen name for help, my dear!
And mix a rounded teaspoon of cinnamon into 8 oz steaming hot water, let steep for 20 minutes, pour your cinnamon tea into a mug and discard the grounds.
Drink at least 3x a day.
I’ve been on several antibiotics for almost a month because of UTI infected by Enterobacter Aegrogenes. I’ve been on Amoxicillin, Septra and Cipro to kill it but none of them works and the intensity of symptoms are almost same. As I had E. coli and Enterobacter, I’m still taking D-Mannose for prevention and I started to take Odorless Garlic hoping it might work. I wonder if you can give me advise to make my life back to normal.
Hello everyone…I need help. I have so many issues since I received gardasil injections. CNS and peripheral neuropathy. I’ve seen every specialist, and it’s the same thing…We can’t find anything wrong with you. As if things couldn’t get any worse..I had a tonsillectomy at 22 and was put on antibiotics and steroids. I’m 24 and haven’t felt the same since. I’ve taken so many probiotics and nothing seems to help. 2 weeks ago, I was prescribed Cipro for my first UTI. That was the biggest mistake yet. I hadn’t been warned of Cipro toxicity. The first 2 days I felt so much better and now I have so many crazy debilitating symptoms. I went to the ER with chest pain, legs and hands numb and tingling, sharp stabbing pains, abdominal pain, and blurred vision. I also have this bizarre feeling like there’s something in my throat (lump). He told me there’s nothing wrong with me. My mom asked him about Cipro toxicity and he said that I was too young to have this. He wanted to give me steroids and thank god my mom was there…she said absolutely not!!! We left immediately. I’m trying to find a good holistic practitioner here in the Kansas City area, which is very challenging. I’m not crazy and just want to feel better. I feel like my whole body is infected with yeast. If anyone has any experience with this, please let me know. I don’t eat processed food and never fast food. I just had my first dose of IV glutathione. Please help me!!!
I’m so sorry that all this happened to you!
I would do a complete gut cleanse by clearing out with magnesium citrate (pretend you’re prepping for a colonoscopy) and then sending several large doses of activated charcoal through. (2500 mg with 16 oz water, once an hour for 3 hours)
Then I’d wait 2 hours after the last charcoal dose and eat and take olive leaf extract (Vitacost or Swanson) and drink strong cinnamon or ginger tea and start rebuilding the gut with l-glutamine and probiotics.
I would also contemplate suing some doctors….
for UTI’s women should really look into the practice of yoni steaming, vagina steaming with herbs. It’s an ancient tradition used for 1,000’s of years by many indigenous tribes stemming from the east to the west. There is so much information on this subject, you easily Google search it. Also, definitely listen to the instructions here of doing candida cleanses.
Sounds like you have Lyme disease activated by the Gardasil, the same thing happened to my daughter in law. When you have Lyme, everything seems to go wrong in your body. I would suggest finding a “Lyme Literate MD” to get tested.
Hi,
I’m 17 weeks pregnant and since then I have had 2 uti due to step b which showed up in my urine culture. The Antibiotics are not working as I have a feeling I still have a uti, my symptoms are always a feeling of unwellness and cloudy urine and some lower cramping… I have been taking orthoplex multiflora probiotics for a month now.. What herbs do you recommend to stop this from reacurrring .. Thanks
Olive leaf extract will stop it..but it will kill all the intestinal Candida you didn’t know you had, first.
Click on my screen name and look for the post on pregnancy and UTI’s.
I’m so grateful to have found this website which is packed with information!
I’ve had 4 UTIs in the past 7 years, and I’ve been dealing with urgency and mild pain in the bladder area for the past three days. I’ve been tested twice in the past 2 days for a UTI, and both tests came back negative. The 2nd doctor sent my urine sample to a lab for additional diagnosis of the bacteria, and I have not heard back yet. In the meantime, he prescribed Cephalexen and told me to take it only if symptoms worsen. I have not taken the drug, as I have been able to maintain my symptoms and not worsen.
As I said before, I have had 4 “traditional” utis in the past 7 years – those tests came back “positive”. This “uti” is stumping me because the urgency isn’t anywhere near what I have experienced in the past; I am able to wait until my bladder is full from having been drinking at least 16 oz. of water every hour. And any burning I am having is very mild and tolerable.
I took 1/2 clove of garlic last night, and I have taken 3 today. Also, I have been taking about a tsp of colloidal silver every three hours. Yesterday and today, I woke up VERY hot several times during the night (like my body was fighting something off). However, I do not have a fever.
I am constipated and the pressure from my poop sitting in my lower intestine (sorry to be uncouth) creates uncomfortable pressure and urgency on my bladder.
Oh, and I wanted to add that the last time I tried baking soda in water several years ago, the start of my uti went full-blown in 30 minutes. So I am terrified of baking soda and water! Sorry!
Help? Thank you so much.
That’s strange about the soda water..
Given your symptoms, I would immediately take a laxative, like magnesium citrate, and then take 2500 mg of activated charcoal with 16 oz water when your gut is empty. Wait an hour and repeat, then wait two hours and drink cinnamon tea and take minced garlic with a glass of water and a little something to eat. The charcoal will cleanse the Candida from your intestinal walls so the garlic and cinnamon can go straight to killing the UTI, and then I would repeat the laxative/charcoal the next day just to be sure you got all the Candida, and then begin rebuilding with probiotics. If you can find some good quality olive leaf extract, that’s the best thing to kill the UTI while not harming the probiotics.
Thank you very much for this information. I truly appreciate it!
If you click on my screen name you’ll find a lot of info, and if you contact me I can add you to a closed FB group to support you through a cure. There are some naturally healed veterans in there, cheering the new people along.
Yes please send me an invitation to the closed group!! I am so tired of dealing with this pain!!! Please!!!
If I post a link here, the comment will automatically go into moderation for 24 hours, but if you click on my name, that will take you to the website I made on curing UTI’s naturally.
I’ll go put a link in the sidebar to the group.
There are women in the process of curing themselves, and women who’ve already done it in there.
You CAN beat this.
I had an infection that wouldn’t die for over 4 years..but I finally figured out how to kill it. Now I’ve helped about 200 women kill their antibiotic-resistant UTI’s, and it’s not with some super-duper product I want to sell you, either.
Most of what you need is probably in your pantry right now.
On June 21 I went to the hospital because I was getting sharp pains all over my chest area .. Doctor said I had inflammation in my lungs and UTI . he prescribe me with some antibiotics called Azithromycin and Sulfameth also and inhaler for my lungs .. I took those for about a week , I drink plenty of waters and hardly eat junk food , it’s now July 15 and I still get a little pain in chest area . I think having a UTI infected my lungs also think I still have the UTI .my urnie is clear and doesn’t hurt when I go to the barthtoom . is there anything else I can try ? I’m tired of having chest pains
It’s possible that you could have developed either pneumonia or have something similar to it. You might consider a follow up visit, or maybe even a visit to an emergency room if you are having chest pain. Many times a pneumonia, which is an infection in the lungs, can be more difficult to treat. I am just guessing, based on your symptoms,but never ignore ” chest pain”. It could also be something else. Even if you don’t have very good insurance, you will need to follow through with another visit either to your regular doctor or a pulmonologist ( lung doctor). You didn’t say that your bladder was still bothering you, and mentioned ” chest pain”…don’t delay in getting into a medical person who can diagnose you properly.
Thanks for your comment Helen , yes next month I’m going to see a different Doctor . I’m not sure the first doctor I saw didn’t know what was wrong with me exactly .. I don’t think it’s pneumonia I don’t have cough or any of the pneumonia symptoms I’m pretty sure having the UTI is causing my lung/chest pain. I heard the UTI Infection can infect different organs in the body . so I’m thinking I’m still have the infection . I’ve been drinking plenty of waters and cut off sugary drinks since UTI feeds on sugar . if you know any different home remedies for UTI let me know thank you
I just got diagnosed with a Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) last Thursday and got my lab result this past Tuesday with Staphylococcus epidermidis bacteria and blood in my urine.
Since I have had CDIF 9 times after using antibiotics, I can’t take any antibiotics. I have been taking cranberry extract 12,600 twice a day for 4 years which has prevented me from having any UTI’s. Three months ago I had lithotripsy to break up kidney stone and I don’t know if that had anything to do with me getting a UTI.
I have been drinking cranberry juice 4-5 times per day alternating with lemon juice and water. Just read about apple cider vinegar and going to start 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in a cup of water 3-4 times per day. 1 teaspoon of baking soda was also recommended which I haven’t started yet.
I just ordered Lauricidin from Med Chem Labs 8 oz which will arrive Monday 7/18/16. I’m hoping this will work on the Staphylococcus epidermidis bacteria.
Does anyone have any other recommendations to fight this type of bacteria? I’ve read that it can be tough for antiobiotics to fight let alone for me to find natural ways. I’m having severe burning, urinating every 15-20 minutes and getting up every hour at night and am thoroughly exhausted.
I forgot to add what dosage of Lauricidin should I take to fight off Staphylococcus epidermidis bacteria and how many times per day? There are 3000 mg Monolaurin in a single teaspoon.
Do not pass ‘Go’, do not collect $200, go directly to the kitchen and drink baking soda water, man!
1/2 tsp in 8 oz water. Repeat in half an hour.
Mince 2 fat cloves of raw garlic and swallow the little pieces with the baking soda water, It will help with the taste and the odor and also help the garlic be absorbed into your system, while raising your urine pH, which will slow that bacteria down and greatly reduce your pain.
As in, you could be pain-free in a few hours if you take that dose of 2 garlic cloves and baking soda water, then take another clove with the next dose of soda water.
After the second dose, wait 45 minutes and do it again, with a clove of raw garlic. Wait an hour and do it again.
That will slam the brakes on this thing while you order some olive leaf extract.
If you doubt me, google it. But for the love of heaven, order Swanson or Vitacost olive leaf extract immediately.
I’ve been where you are. Click on my screen name.
Bekah, I’ve been taking cloves of garlic daily, apple cider vinegar in reverse osmosis water, lemon juice and water, lauricin 1/4 scoop 3x’s per day. It also was recommended that I take grapefruit seed extract for a UTI so I have been taking 15 drops 3x per day. The frequency of urination has gotten better but the burning has continued. I just dropped a urine off today so waiting to see if any of this is helping.
Just saw what you said about baking soda and I will start tonight. I never bought D-Mannose since I didn’t have E coli infection.
I would appreciate any other suggestions!
Thanks!
When you take raw garlic and do NOT experience significant relief, that’s a sure sign of an intestinal Candida overgrowth. It acts like a deflector, shunting garlic through so it barely makes it into the bloodstream at all.
The lemon water and vinegar are also interfered with by Candida: it likes the acidity.
What you need is to cleanse your gut with something like milk of magnesia, and then you need to take activated charcoal while your gut is empty: that takes Candida out when nothing else will. 3500 mg with 16 oz water, repeat one hour later, then wait 2 hours and take olive leaf extract and raw garlic.
Put 1/4 tsp of baking soda in 8 oz water and drink that 5-6x a day. That will soothe the UTI pain immensely and discourage Candida, too.
Oh, and STOP the cranberry juice and d-mannose! They don’t help at ALL against staph: they’re actually making you worse!
I agree with the comments made,and would like to suggest that you drink copious amounts of water ( preferably spring water and if you can’t get that, water that is free of fluoride and chlorine. in addition to what she said. What you want to do is to flood that bacteria out of your system.
If you meant that you have had C diff 9 times and can’t take antibiotics.
Please get re tested to be sure that you are cured of c diff. I know that it can seem as if it is gone,but it can lie dormant and reappear.
I’m only a nurse …not a doctor. I have had UTI’s before. Also, try to avoid smoking , caffeine, and too much sugar, and possibly get re checked for the c diff…and do follow up with a gastro specialist and or a urologist. Best wishes on your recovery.
Yes I’m getting retested for CDIF since urologist tried me on injection of gentamicin thinking it wouldn’t go through the intestines. My gastroenterologist said it would.
Hae? have tried to use all the antibiotics but its not getting better…….it healed at a time but it gfot back again….what should i avoid which brings it back please advice
Am am 4 weeks post partum with a uti. I had antibiotics in the hospital durring labor for GBS and a round of antibiotics 5 days after for double mastitis. I don’t want to take more antibiotics but need no know what natural remedies are safe to use while breast feeding. Please help! Feeling miserable.
Click on my screen name!
And drink a glass of baking soda water right away!
1/2 tsp sodium bicarbonate in 8 oz water.
Is it bad if I’m feeling pain in my lower back now? Read that it could be a kidney infection. Will these treatments help that? I’ll call my doctor just in case.
Definitely see a doctor! Kidney infections are no joke, I’ve had two and been hospitalized both times
Yes, that’s a bad sign, and yes, these things will help with that! I would do both, starting baking soda water and cinnamon tea and minced garlic when you eat, which will give you relief within an hour, and take antibiotics, too.
Once the infection has spread up the ureters, it can be too late to use natural methods only, because all of them kill Candida as well as UTI bacteria, meaning that they get to your kidneys and bladder more slowly than an antibiotic, which passes right by Candida without even blinking.
Happened to me, I ignored the pain because I didn’t know what it was and it ended up being the worst kind of kidney infection. I had to get a IV stuck in my arm and was double over with all these pain meds. Don’t ignore your signs & symptoms!
I’m in the same boat as you, I did some research on Lauricdin and it sounds like it could be the cure to my reacuring uti due to step b . Im waiting to hear from my natural path about how much I need to take. I can keep you posted if you like
I just took a UTI test strip test and tested positive for Leukocytes and negative for Nitrates. I’ve just gotten over a very bad head cold and am going through menopause. Can either of these things skew the results? If not, what bacteria am I fighting here and which natural remedies should I start with?
You most likely have a UTI. When it turns purple but the lower pad doesn’t turn pink, that means you have a UTI caused by a gram positive bacteria, like staph, strep, or enterococcus.
Good quality olive leaf extract and raw garlic are the best natural antibiotics to fight those with. (Cranberry juice and d-mannose are completely useless against every bacteria except E. coli, and you don’t have that.) Wait, when did you take the test? Was it the first morning’s urine?
A test taken in the afternoon can be falsely negative for nitrites because they’re more easily flushed out than leukocytes, so if it wasn’t a morning test, re-test in the morning.
If you didn’t have any UTI symptoms and the strip turned a faint tan color, it would probably be inflammation, but turning purple indicates a UTI about 95% of the time.
The UTI test strips are the key to resolving UTI issues, and we would like to have a supply on hand. What brand/source would you recommend for cost-effective purchases?
A timely reply would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
You can get some on Amazon: there’s a bottle of 100 strips for about $10, called “mission urinalysis 10 reagent test strips”. Those work quite well, in my experience. I’d give you a link, but then this post would go into moderation.
Can these strips show up strep b?
Oh yes, the leukocytes pad (the one that turns purple) will turn color in response to it, but not the nitrites pad (the one that turns pink).
I have also had utis for years. I rely heavily on Dmannose when I feel one coming on. However, I have found that utis, especially reoccurring utis, are a symptom of digestive disorders. Usually when I have a Uti, I have a lot of bowel movements that will occur as well. I have been able to prevent having a Uti by keeping myself constipation free. I have limited my sugar intake and eliminated nonfermented wheat products from my diet. Eat your good fats, meats and vegetables!
Hi, my ten year old has been on a low dose (50 mg) nitrofurantoin for almost five years now due to chronic UTI’s only once did her UA show E. coli. Since she was about 5 she began have foul smelling urine, urgent bathroom runs (she couldn’t even stand up because of the urgency), and incontinence. She never has had a fever or pain thankfully. After finishing a round of antibiotics within 3 days she would have another Full blown UTI. So, the urologist recommended the low dose to give her bladder a break to heal. That was only supposed to happen for about 1-1/2 years. That then turned into 3 years and now they are saying maybe puberty will help.
About a month ago she was tested for allergies and we found out that she has a dairy allergy. We took her totally off all dairy and after two weeks we took her off her nitrofurantoin per the ND recommendation. Only four days later she had all her classic symptoms of a new UTI. We started her on D-mannose but she continued to have symptoms. I then took her in for a UA and it looked clear. We have had to start the nitrofurantoin again because her symptoms were getting bad. We would like to get her off of the antibiotics but don’t know we’re to go next. Do you have any recommendations? I am curious to try the biofilm disrupters but wondering about dosages for a 10 year old.
I had an E. coli infection for almost 5 yrs, and it would be back full-blown on the morning of the 3rd day after stopping antibiotics. All they did was keep me symptom-free without killing it.
I was completely cured by cayenne pepper in a few days, and symptom free by the 3rd dose. I took 1/4 tsp every 4 waking hours, from an old jar I’d had since I got married. You can put it in a spoonful of honey.
It seems to be a no-fail cure for a particular sub-strain of E. coli: I’ve had a number of other women with E. coli infections be cured by it, and a few who weren’t. It’s worth a shot, because what it works on seems to the one that’s so resistant to antibiotics: it also worked for a woman in the Caribbean who’d had an antibiotic-resistant E. coli infection for 3 years.
Make sure she’s got some food in her stomach, and chase it with a glass of baking soda water, 1/2 tsp in 8 oz water.
Thanks Bekah. If she has another UTI caused by E. coli I will try that. However she normally has UTIs caused by other bacteria and so D-mannose and such doesn’t work for her. :/
Oh, I thought you said that a culture showed E. coli..in that case, she needs good quality olive leaf extract, and raw garlic.
Click on my screen name.
Hi Bekah, I followed your link. That info is helpful however I guess I didn’t mention in my earlier post that when we did her testing she has no issues with candida. That surprised our ND and me since she has been on antibiotics for so long. So, what is the olive leaf extract for? Is it for yeast or for the UTI bacteria? If that would help with the bacteria we may try it. Thanks!
It kills both! It’s both a powerful natural antibiotic, and it’s anti-fungal. The key is to get Vitacost or Swanson brand capsules: many brands are weak and ineffective.
Google ‘olive leaf extract’ and check it out.
Hi again Bekah, I went back and read more. Thanks! Can you tell me how she should take the oel? In water? Also, do you have a recommendation of dosage? I know it said its really safe but where should we begin? Thanks!
I would start her on one Vitacost capsule with breakfast and one with lunch, and see how she feels. I’ll be very surprised if she doesn’t have some signs of die-off: Candida is insidious.
If she doesn’t have Candida, the infection will respond quickly with a decrease in symptoms and test results.
If she feels no difference and the test results don’t change, she has Candida with a biofilm, in which case she’ll need to take activated charcoal when her gut is empty to sweep out the Candida, and then the OLE will get into her bloodstream and begin killing the UTI.
I can’t tell you how many dozens of women have started out saying, “I don’t have Candida” and ended up messaging me about headaches, nausea, and the runs, saying, “How is this possible?!”
Perhaps one in one hundred women haven’t had a significant Candida overgrowth.
Has she ever been on anti-fungals?
No, she has never been on antifungals. I was shocked when she showed no candida too.
They tested her stool, right?
The thing about these tests is, they look for living cells passing out of the body, and just because they aren’t passing out right then doesn’t mean that they aren’t adhered to the tissue walls in there. Candida grows on the intestinal walls, so a negative stool test simply means that Candida isn’t present in the stool, not that it isn’t growing on the walls.
A urine culture can also be clear while a UTI is still present, simply because the cells aren’t passing out of the body at the time the culture was taken.
You can make and give her cinnamon tea right now, and see what kind of response she has. Cinnamon is a great yeast-killer. Mix 4 tsp cinnamon into 24 oz steaming hot water, and let it steep for 20-25 minutes, then pour the infused water off the grounds, leaving them in the bottom.
Give her that tea to drink, 6 oz at a time, twice a day for 2 days, and if she has any Candida without a biofilm, she’ll have a die-off response.
It will also noticeably reduce any UTI symptoms she has.
Okay, so at the moment she is back on her low dose of nitrofurantoin because we didn’t know what else to do and she was having symptoms that the D-mannose didn’t help with. So, we may try taking her off and giving her a try on these things. Thank you for taking time to answer my questions!
Oops I forgot to mention. The testing we used was electrodermal screening.
I actually do have a candida overgrowth and may try your suggestions here. I have been taking Phytostan and haven’t experienced the die off symptoms.
Most yeast-killers are absorbed into the bloodstream in the small intestines, leaving the Candida in the large intestines unaffected. So, if it’s concentrated in the large intestines, what you’re taking has no effect on it, regardless of whether or not it has a biofilm.
This is where activated charcoal comes into its glory, because it is never absorbed by your body, passing all the way through the digestive tract killing Candida the whole way.
I have a daughter who has suffered from these infections since she was five also. She is now in high school and still has not completely conquered this horrible pain that always pops up to ruin a school play or a birthday or family holiday. She also took the nitrofurantoin daily for a while, but it stopped working and the side effects were not worth it. It has gotten better over time- she went a whole year without an infection, but then had three the next year. It definitely feels like the infection is not fully away or dormant. Over time we learned that her chronic constipation was a huge factor because it put pressure on the bladder and prevented it from emptying fully. Also, holding because of the fear of the pain became a habit that made things worse. Then, the flora in the gut was so disrupted by the antibiotics that her immune system was weak and not able to fight infections as well. The last infection she had required three rounds of two different antibiotics to get rid of it completely. Since then, she is taking very large amounts of probiotics and digestive enzymes and taking supplements to support urinary system. The bacteria was not E. coli last time, but I am very interested also in the biofilm disrupters mentioned here as I have been reading about how the bacteria holds on and hides. I am so sorry your daughter is suffering with this also and I hope you find answers. It is so hard and I have found so few people understand what awful pain/discomfort our daughters are in and how disruptive it is in their lives.
My 87 year old mother has Alzheimer’s Disease and in February came down with her first ever UTI. She just had her 5th one, which averages out to one a month. The past 3 times she also got a yeast infection. The effects of these UTI on her are so dramatic; she sleeps most of the day, she has trouble eating, can barely walk, she leans, she itches, cries, etc. It’s been terrible. The first 4 times we have followed the typical antibiotic treatment. My sister and I just couldn’t see having her take it again. With every round of antibiotics we can see her weakening. We decided to search Dr. Mercola’s site and found his recommendation and your article on D-Mannose. We decided to give it a try….Unbelievable results!! Within a day, she was talking more than she has in months, maybe even a year…..initiating sentences, smiling, laughing and more alert. We are so very grateful for D-Mannose! Thanks so much for your article. We intend to continue the dose for a while, to make sure the UTI does not return. Is there any time limit on how long we should do the 500 mg every 2-3 hours?
I had chronic UTIs for years. They were so bad it was like peeing volcanic acid, and had lots of blood. Docs put me on antibiotics, but it would come back a week or two later. They suggested prophylactic antibiotics, but my yeast situation was wildly out of control. I started calling in sick to work and doing a cycle of unsweetened cranberry juice and water all day long to get rid of the infection, but it was making my stomach really upset and was generally q giant bummer. I started dreading sex with my husband because I knew I would get an infection right after.
Then I talked to a naturopath who told me about dmannose. It changed my life. I could get an infection cleared up within four hours. I took a teaspoon of powder in a glass of water before bed every night for about a year, and did some general detox work around that time. Now, I don’t take the dmannose unless I get an infection, which is maybe once per year, when I’ve been on a sugar bender.
What is this? I see a flashing line in my line of vision in my right eye. Flashing blue, orange and white zig zag lines. It’s not around my eye. Do you have any idea what could have caused this?????? The cayenne pepper?
That sounds like a detached retina…
Are you on any prescription meds? How are you doing overall? How’s your blood pressure?
Bekah, Thanks for getting back to me. Of course, I posted to YOU right away about my vision because I had just taken a dose of cayenne pepper! I knew it wasn’t a detached retina; unfortunately, I’ve had one of those before. I then Googled it; (it only lasted about three minutes): “They’re called opthalmic migraine, and they are not harmful, although when you first get them…….. the panic! It’s a temporary narrowing of the blood vessels to the eyes. Please don’t worry, not harmful at all.” http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/archive/index.php/t-88621.html I’m doing better! I have to drink a small amount of coffee each morning or else I’ll get the caffeine withdrawal headache. I always suffer the consequences :/ My blood pressure is fine. I’m up to three capsules of OLE. The burning is diminishing, PTL! I’m staying on your protocol and hoping for a quick recovery. Thank you, I have learned a lot.
Wow, a visual migraine! That must be surreal.
Keep up the good work, and remember that Candida die-off is cumulative, so be careful with that OLE! It can start with a headache you don’t pay much attention to, and then it hits you like a ton of brick.
If you start getting that, take a charcoal capsule or two in short order, because it can escalate quickly into feeling too sick to swallow anything. Charcoal will stop die-off quickly, just don’t take too much until your bowels loosen up.
Let me know how you do!
Whenever I get a UTI, it comes on with a vengeance! I got one six days ago. For the first two days, I took D-mannose with drops of Lugol’s iodine and cranberry juice. I didn’t find the usual relief, but decided I wasn’t taking enough D-mannose and often enough.
The next day, I upped my dose and still didn’t find relief. For the next two days, I kept up with the D-mannose and added colloidal silver, four tablespoons a day. That didn’t help.
My UTI woke me up at 4am yesterday, and while searching the web, I found these instructions. 🙂 I ordered Swanson’s Super Strength OLE with Amazon’s same day delivery 🙂
Yesterday, I took four doses of the honey with cayenne pepper, garlic and baking soda, adding a dose of OLE when it arrived at 8pm. (Hallelujah!)
I woke up at 3am today, needing to go to the bathroom. No pain. I was so happy 🙂 But at 5am, now I have pain. (What’s going on?)
Do you have any other suggestions? I also ordered the UTI strips, but they won’t arrive until next week. Thank you for your time.
Fully killing a UTI is rarely a straightforward issue. Since the bladder is the last stop fluid makes on the way out of your body, any problem between your stomach and your bladder slows the full cure of a UTI.
What you just started doing will greatly relieve your pain because raising your pH and beginning to kill Candida slows down a UTI, but the UTI pathogens typically will take longer to kill completely. The important thing is to keep going through the bumps, and gradually increase your OLE doses even while the UTI pain is dwindling. You have to keep taking it until tests of the first urine of the morning (after a full night’s sleep) have been crystal clear for 3 days running.
Hang in there!
Thanks, Bekah. You’re a wonderful cheerleader for all of us 🙂
After lunch and now after dinner, I felt nauseous and then had diarrhea after taking 3 OLE, 2 garlic cloves and cayenne. Is this candida die off? I never thought I had candida.
On a brighter note, I think the dry mouth I’ve been contending with for the past eight years is going away. 🙂 Happy July 4th!
Oh yes, that’s die-off! You’re going to be surprised at how much of that you have, and at what changes you see in your body after you kill it.
You’ll want to start taking some charcoal now that you’re thoroughly loose: it greatly shortens the amount of time it takes to kill off your Candida, and makes it possible to kill it all the way through your gut. You’ve read all about how to take it properly, yes?
Bekah, I was up all night with diarrhea :-/ I had lots of time to read through several of your comments and learned that yes, I have candida! That was a shocker. Never had the common symptoms (but a bloated tummy!) At 4am, I read about the charcoal and took some. I have reminders set for throughout the day. PTL, I have one of those capsule makers, so I can capsulate the cayenne and charcoal. I didn’t think I’d ever be able to get that cayenne/honey mixture down again. 😛
How can we all thank you enough? XOXOXO
Anyone who can start a post with “diarrhea all night” and end it with “thank you” has my deepest respect. 😀
I’m just glad you’re already to that stage and didn’t have a migraine complete with vomiting, which can be an unpleasant interlude between first taking Candida-killers and the diarrhea.
(This is why you build up gradually, ladies and gents. You never know what’s lurking in there until you poke it with a stick.)
Have you clicked on my screen name yet? There’s lots more info, there.
Hey, Girl! I upped my OLE to 5 Vitacost capsules at dinner yesterday and was awakened by nausea in the middle of the night. Ka-Boom! Out both ends 😛 Today, I took 5 OLE, garlic and cayenne pepper at breakfast. I hear gurgling, but nothing’s moving. Should I up my OLE to 6 at lunch? #feelingbrave #diecandida
Such a gutsy lady…
Sorry I didn’t see the notification for this sooner, and I’m glad I e-mailed you earlier when I thought I hadn’t heard from you yet today!
I have had MS for the past 33 years and have done very well until 2 years ago. I started having urine retention which lead to to perform self cath 2 times a day. Since then I have had recurrent UTI’s. Mainly E.coli but not always. Being a retired RN,
I am as clean and hygienic as I can possibly be. I have been on numerous antibiotics which help only to recur a week or two later. I have been taking cranberry extract triple strength, wash my hands all the time, wipe front to back etc. I am so frustrated. Please give me a guiding hand. The only help my urologist can give is another antibiotic. Should I be taking a probiotic as well? Please advise. Thank you!
It may be that your vaginal flora has gotten out of balance due to antibiotics, and you’re getting re-infected from that source. (In which case you’ll need to do a course of overnight vaginal suppositories with coconut oil) Or, it could be due to the same issue in your gut: dysbiosis from the antibiotics. A course of good quality olive leaf extract alternated with activated charcoal will clear that out, and then you can re-populate with probiotics.
Thank you for your quick response. After reading the information you had written regarding recurrent E.coli UTI’s, I sent a text off to you and went to our health food store and purchased D-Mannose 500mg, Monolaurin 500mg, and ultimate Flora probiotic for vaginal and urinary health. I was planning on taking D-Manolaurin (3) 500mg tabs TID. The other two supplements I was planning to take (1) tab BID for each supplement for 5 days, is this correct? Or do I need to pick up olive leaf extract and charcoal and not take the supplements mentioned above? Thank you!
Well, I’ve seen one comment from someone who said that Lauricidin helped her…but out of all the women I’ve been contacted by who’ve tried those biofilm supplements, none of them said they saw any benefit from them.
I can promise you, though, that you’ll see results from good quality olive leaf extract. It kills every kind of bacteria, and fungal pathogens. If you get it from a local store, look for Swanson brand. Do NOT buy Gaia: they’re lousy.