How to Treat a UTI at Home

Do you have urinary burning and frequency? It's probably a UTI!

No one likes a UTI. Burning and urgency are nobody's friend, and untreated, a UTI can move to the kidneys and wreak havoc. If you don't have the time, the money, or the nerve to see a pee pee doctor, you can try to treat this uncomfortable condition at home.

Things You'll Need

• LOTS of water
• Cranberry or blueberry juice
• Garlic
• Yogurt
• Heating pad or hot water bottle
• Ibuprofen

Instructions

1. Take the day off from work or school if you can. You won't be able to perform to the best of your abilities if you're in pain and running a fever, and you'll be chained to the bathroom for most of the day.

2. 

   Drink as much water as you can stand. This will (hopefully) flush away much of the bacteria in the urinary tract. Try for at least one glass an hour for 12-16 hours.

3. 

   Urinate every time you feel the urge, and make sure you empty your bladder each time. Holding it in, or not finishing the job once it's started, is a good way to make your infection worse.

4. 

   Drink cranberry or blueberry juice when you need a break from water. A glass every 2-3 hours is ideal. Make sure to get 100% juice, though, and not a "cocktail" which might only have a tiny bit of juice and a lot of corn syrup and coloring. If you can't find the juice, eat the fresh or frozen berries instead. A common folk remedy, cranberry juice acidifies the urine and creates a less hospitable environment for those nasty bugs. Several studies have found that blueberry juice has similar properties.

5. 

   Gnaw on some garlic. Add it to soup (chicken noodle is, of course, comforting when you're under the weather), to salad, or to any main course you like. Garlic has strong anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-viral properties.

6. 

   Eat a few cups of yogurt with live cultures. Re-colonizing your body's good bacteria may give you some relief from your unwanted visitors. It's also a good idea to continue eating yogurt if you end up taking antibiotics, because the constant addition of new, friendly bacteria will help prevent the dreaded yeast infection. Trust me, that is the LAST thing your need when recovering from a UTI.

7. 

   Take a nice, hot shower. Fevers are one way the body fights infection, and raising the body temperature artificially accomplishes the same thing.

8. 

   Take some ibuprofen (as well as being a pain killer, it's also an anti-inflammatory). Repeat as often as necessary per package directions (usually every 4 hours).

9. 

   Relax with a hot water bottle or heating pad.

10. 

    If you caught the infection early enough, and it's not too severe, you should notice a significant improvement within about 24 hours. If not, though, you should suck it up and see a doctor, no matter how poor, busy, or embarrassed you might be. If the infection is untreated and moves to the kidneys, it can be very dangerous.

11. Continue drinking lots of water and juice, and urinating frequently, for several days, until you're sure the infection has been flushed out.

Tips & Warnings

• An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Holding it in when you have to go, wearing thongs, wet bathing suits, or super tight pants, and not drinking enough are all things to avoid. You should also pee before AND after sex.

• If you have kidney disease or your immune system is compromised for any reason, see your doctor immediately instead of trying to self-treat.

• If you seem to be getting frequent bladder infections, call your doctor. You may have mis-diagnosed the problem, or there might be an underlying condition causing these frequent infections.

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