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Drink lots of fluids. The Mayo Clinic encourages drinking cranberry juice, as it may be able to fight off infection. However, it also warns to not drink cranberry juice when taking blood-thinners, such as wayfarin or Coumadin, as that could lead to bleeding. Avoid coffee, alcohol, citrus juices, caffeinated soda and spicy foods. The book Healing with Vitamins also recommends avoiding guava juice and all sodas. It also recommends neutralizing the acids in urine by adding a teaspoon of baking soda to 8 oz. of water twice a day.
The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods also recommends drinking blueberry juice, herbal teas and fresh fruit and vegetable juices diluted 50% with water. Michael Murray, N.D., encourages drinking 64 oz. of liquids per day when dealing with cystits: 32 oz. or more should be water and at least 16 oz. should be unsweetened cranberry or blueberry juice.
An increase in fluid intake will lead to more frequent voiding of the bladder. As soon as the urge arises, relieve yourself, as holding it in can exacerbate the problem. Also empty the bladder as soon as possible following sexual intercourse. -
In addition to cranberry juice, Healing with Vitamins recommends eating cranberry products. Avoid foods that contain caffeine, such as chocolate. Other foods that may cause problems include fruits such as citrus, apples, cantaloupe, grapes, peaches, pineapple, plums, strawberries and tomatoes. Spicy foods may also cause cystitis.
Amino acids may also contribute to bladder infections. Avoid foods that contain aspartate, tryptophan, tyramine, and tyrosine. Foods included in this group include avocados, bananas, prunes, raisins, lima beans, onions, cheese, yogurt, sour cream, chicken livers, corned beef, nuts, chocolate, mayonnaise, soy sauce, rye bread, saccharin and aspartame. -
Some doctors recommend increasing the daily dose of Vitamin C. Healing with Vitamins recommends taking 1,000 milligrams of Vitamin C per day.
Cranberry supplements are often touted as being helpful with cystitis. These can be found in pill form in vitamin and natural health sections of many stores. Products such as CranMax and AZO are designed to both prevent and ease cystitis symptoms.
