I'm sorry to hear this. Antibiotics are the worst. I had ONE course of antibiotics 2 years ago and have been FAR FAR worse even since. That is 2 years and I have now got a much worse case of yeast than I have ever had in my life. Hence why cheating hurts me so much now and it takes so long to ever improve after one.
I have also suffered UTI's before I think. I went through a time when I was getting rid of a lot of toxins and some of them of course were being shunted through those areas and I was in some distress. I kept wanting to go to the toilet, but could barely get anything out (excuse too much info here) and I had pain also.
I was also getting them when cheating, because of the increased toxicity in those areas. For me, it was not dehydration, but either intake of toxins, or elimination of toxins. I drink fluids, but am careful not to overdo fluid intake as there are deteriments to this practise too that many people do not know about. I am not sure whether you do this or not, but to anybody who is onto the 8 glasses or more a day of water? You may want to check these out.
Water, How Much is Too Much?
From: Do You Really Need Eight Glasses of Water a Day? http://www.mercola.com/2004/may/5/eight_glasses_water.htmAnother Reason Why Women Can Retain Water
Explains Why Too Much Water Can Harm Marathon Runners http://www.mercola.com/2000/may/14/women_water_marathons.htmCarrying around water bottles and drinking alot of it during the day appears to be the "in thing" and has been for sometime now, but I still consider it a more new age "health practice" but is it completely normal and healthy? I've always found it a little unnatural, at least long term anyway. I think it maybe ok short term when somebody is trying to flush something out, but it does appear there are impacts long term.
The body is actually very good at giving signals of when it's hungry and thirsty. Animals also listen to their body and will act accordingly. We take it to the extreme and start drinking copious amounts of water during the day to try and meet this quarta of 8 glasses a day - regardless of any thirst signals or not.
Why We Don’t Need to Drink 8 Glasses of Water A Day
From: Drink At Least 8 Glasses Of Water A Day -- Really?Source: Dartmouth Medical School
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/08/020809071640.htmAdmittedly however, cheating on sweets etc will cause an increase in yeast. Yeast apparently put out toxins/alcohols. Alcohol dehydrates. This is why sometimes people when they are going through die off can feel drunk. The increase in alcohols temporarily increases from yeast dying. It is not surprising too that a person could develop UTI's from candida infections either, or the toxins as it grows or dies. Or other toxins in those areas.
Jeanie, I hope this article might be of some help to you with what you are suffering:Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) Causes & TreatmentsBy Bee WilderRevised January 31, 2006
The urinary system consists of the kidneys, ureters (tubes from the kidneys), bladder, and the urethra tube (drains urine from the bladder to the outside of the body). The key elements in the system are the kidneys, a pair of purplish-brown organs located below the ribs toward the middle
The kidneys remove excess liquid and wastes from the blood in the form of urine, keep a stable balance of salts and other substances in the blood, and produce a hormone that aids the formation of red blood cells.
Narrow tubes, called ureters, carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder, a triangle-shaped chamber in the lower abdomen. Urine is stored in the bladder and emptied through the urethra tube.
Normal urine is sterile. It contains fluids, salts, and waste products, but it is free of bacteria, viruses, and fungi.
An infection occurs when microorganisms, usually bacteria from the digestive tract, cling to the opening of the urethra and begin to multiply. Most infections arise from one type of bacteria, Escherichia coli (E. coli), which normally lives in the colon. Prevention of this kind of bacteria is best achieved by women wiping front to back after a bowel movement.
In most cases, bacteria first begin growing in the urethra. An infection limited to the urethra is called urethritis. From there bacteria often move on to the bladder, causing a bladder infection (cystitis). If the infection is not treated promptly, bacteria may then go up the ureters to infect the kidneys (pyelonephritis).
Microorganisms called Chlamydia and Mycoplasma may also cause UTIs in both men and women, but these infections tend to remain limited to the urethra and reproductive system. Unlike E. coli, Chlamydia and Mycoplasma may be sexually transmitted, and infections require treatment of both partners.
The urinary system is structured in a way that helps ward off infection. The ureters and bladder normally prevent urine from backing up toward the kidneys, and the flow of urine from the bladder helps wash bacteria out of the body.
In men, the prostate gland produces secretions that slow bacterial growth. In both sexes, immune defenses also prevent infection. But despite these safeguards, infections still occur.
UTI Caused by Candida OvergrowthCandida lives in all mucus membranes, including the urinary tract, bladder and kidneys. Candida overgrowth in these areas cause the protective mucosal lining of the membranes to become damaged which allows bacteria to take hold and grow. This is candida’s role in causing infections.
Candida toxins also cause urinary tract, bladder and kidney problems because it puts out toxins, which are mainly alcohol, that make all of the body’s cells go rigid, including white and red blood cells. This decreases the normal functioning of all organs in the body, including the bladder, kidneys and immune system. Rigid cells also make it difficult for nutrients and hormones to enter them, and it decreases the cells’ ability to get rid of toxins.
Self-Care Measures to Reduce UTI & Ease SymptomsWhile taking teas or cranberry juice treatments ensure you are also getting enough electrolytes (minerals) from ocean sea salt while consuming more liquids. You need at least 1 ½ teaspoons per day, either added to foods or put under the tongue.
Sulfur is the treatment of choice and it is best obtained from foods, i.e. cabbage, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, eggs, onions, asparagus, garlic, etc.
While urinating pour a cup of warm water over the genital area. It will help relieve burning and stinging.
Apply coconut oil liberally to the entire genital area, and ensure you are also consuming coconut oil along with the candida diet.
Avoid caffeine because it is irritating to the urinary tract.
Keep the genital and anal areas clean and dry. Women should wipe from front to back. They should empty the bladder before and after intercourse, and wash the genitals well after intercourse.
Take a 20-minute hot sitz bath once a day, to which you have added 1 cup of undistilled unpasteurized vinegar like Braggs. A sitz bath is a bath taken in the sitting position, with enough water to only cover the hips and buttocks. It helps relieve the pain associated with UTI. Alternate a vinegar sitz bath with a garlic bath, using three large cloves of crushed raw garlic.
Do not delay emptying the bladder. Go to the bathroom as soon as you feel the urge, and do not “hold it”.
Do not use any kind of bubble bath products or soaps in bath water.
Wear white cotton underwear that gives full coverage, and avoid thongs! Synthetic panties breed bacteria quickly and do not allow for good air circulation. Recent research shows that rectal bacteria propagate up a thong, causing infection.
Use a biodegradable phosphate-free natural laundry detergent from the health food store. Never use vaginal deodorants, spray, or powders on delicate tissues.
Do not use any soap directly on the genital area. Cleanse the area with only water. Sanitary pads and panty liners may also breed bacteria if they are not made from unbleached, natural products, like cotton. If you suffer from frequent infections, use pads instead of tampons.
Use unbleached toilet paper. Colored or bleached paper can be very irritating to the genital area, especially the urethra.
Take all of the supplements recommended for treating candida, and also take extra vitamin C during treatment; 4,000 – 5,000 mgs in divided doses. Ensure it contains rutin and bioflavonoids.
Massage the calf muscles on both legs. Pain in this area indicates congestion in the bladder meridian.
Treatments for UTIGarlic Tea – Garlic contains a natural antibiotics and antimicrobial substances which kill bacteria responsible for many bladder infections. These properties are only contained in uncooked raw crushed garlic. Crushing garlic causes two components of garlic, alliin and the enzyme alliinase, to interact.
For candida sufferers who have not started on antifungals such as garlic, they may find they cannot tolerate the amount of garlic required to cure UTI because it causes severe die-off symptoms. Therefore, these people should use one of the other treatments (below).
To treat UTI drink 4 cups of garlic tea throughout the course of the day, for at least 4 days.
How to Make Garlic TeaBoil 4 cups of filtered water.
Remove the water from the heat.
Add 4 – 5 raw crushed cloves of garlic.
Add the juice of 1 lemon, or more, to taste.
Let it steep 20 minutes.
Drink it hot or cold. It can be heated up if you prefer it hot, but do not boil it.
Parsley Tea – Parsley tea is a very good treatment for UTI, especially for candida sufferers who cannot yet tolerate high amounts of garlic. Parsley tea has been a used traditionally to treat urinary tract infection, kidney stones and liver, bladder and prostrate problems. The Cherokee Indians, who learned of its medicinal value from the settlers, drank parsley tea for kidney and bladder pain, and dropsy (edema, or water retention).
Culpepper’s Complete Herbal & English Physician book states: “that using the whole plant is best, including the root, and when it is fresh gathered. A strong infusion cleanses the kidneys and the urinary passages in a short time. It is likewise good in jaundice, and other complaints arising from obstructions of the liver. It is also helpful for gas, in both the stomach and the bowels.”
It is best to use fresh parsley, including the stems, to make a tea. But if you can get the roots as well it will make the treatment even more potent and helpful. Drink 4 cups per day for 7 days to cure urinary tract infection. Your symptoms will greatly decrease after 3 days, but continue for 4 more days.
If you are pregnant, parsley oil, juice, and seeds should be avoided because they are uterine stimulants, but the tea recommended below is quite safe to drink.
How to make Parsley TeaBoil 4 cups of filtered water.
Remove the water from the heat.
Mince (cut up finely) 4 heaping teaspoons of fresh parsley (including stems, & roots if you can get them).
Steep 20 minutes; strain – it is okay to drink hot or cold, and it may be reheated without harming it, but do not boil it.
Drink all 4 cups throughout the course of one day, for 6-7 days.
Nettle Tea – Nettle tea is also an excellent treatment for UTI. Nettle is a common weed, which causes stinging and itching when the skin is brushed against it. Known as ‘stinging nettle,’ it has leaves with downy hairs that inject irritant chemicals under the skin. However when the leaves are dried or cooked they lose their sting, becoming a source of a pleasant tea and nutritious cooked greens.
Throughout history there have been many medicinal uses for nettles, including excessive bleeding of the uterus, infant diarrhea, and hemorrhoids. It was also used to treat women who didn’t get their periods. The dried, crushed leaf was sniffed to cure nosebleeds. Settlers also drink the tea to increase mother’s production of milk and as an expectorant to treat coughs and tuberculosis. Dried nettle leaves were smoked to ease asthma attacks.
Nettle was best known as a diuretic and spring tonic, and both uses were noted by Culpeper: “Nettle tops eaten in the spring consume phlegmatic (mucous) superfluities in the body of man…” Young nettle stalks are good sources of protein and vitamins A and C. Indian women drank nettle tea during pregnancy to strengthen the fetus. Also, eating the young leaves is said to improve the complexion.
Nettle has also been effective against arthritis, and it works against gout inflammation by lowering the amount of uric acid in the blood. Nettle tea has also been suggested as an alternative to antihistamines for use against hay fever.
Lastly, nettle tea has been used to treat urinary, bladder and kidney problems, including urinary difficulties associates with benign prostate conditions. The root has been found to be mildly effective in treating an enlarged prostate.
It is best to use fresh stinging nettle, including the stems, to make a tea, but protect your hands from the stinging while you are cutting it up. If you cannot obtain fresh nettle, use good dried nettle from the health food store. But if you can get the roots as well it will make the treatment even more potent and helpful. Drink 4 cups per day for 7 days to cure urinary tract infection. Your symptoms will greatly decrease after 3 days, but continue for 4 more days.
How to make Nettle TeaBoil 4 cups of filtered water.
Remove the water from the heat.
Mince (cut up finely) 4 heaping teaspoons of fresh stinging nettle (including stems, & roots if you can get them).
Steep 20 minutes; strain – it is okay to drink hot or cold, and it may be reheated without harming it, but do not boil it.
Drink all 4 cups throughout the course of one day, for 7 days.
Cranberry Juice – Pure cranberry juice (unsweetened) has been very effective treatment for UTI, however it does contain sugar. However, it is more important for a candida sufferer to treat their UTI than to be concerned about the amount of sugar contained in cranberries. But it would be much better for candida sufferers to treat their UTI with parsley or stinging nettle tea.
As far back as the 1840s, researchers in Germany had noted that the urine of people who drink cranberry juice was high in hippuric acids; this finding was verified by American scientists in 1923. They speculated that the acid inhibited the growth of the bacterium E. coli, which caused the most common and chronic kinds of urinary tract infection. Later on it was discovered that certain compounds in cranberries block bacteria from sticking to the cells in the body, so that the body can more easily flush the bacteria out.
Buy 1 quart of unpasteurized unsweetened pure cranberry juice at the health store.
To cure UTI drink 1 cup per day, diluted with filtered water to cut down the strong bitter taste, throughout the course of the day. Most UTI infections are cured within 4 days.
To Make Your Own Cranberry JuiceFresh cranberries are preferable but when they are not in season use frozen cranberries.
Grind up 2 cups of cranberries in a food processor or blender.
Add them to 4 ½ cups of filtered water.
Simmer at a low heat until the cranberries become very soft.
Remove from the heat and strain through cheese cloth or similar gauze.
