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Transcript of “How to shore up your body’s defences so you avoid a UTI”
A urinary tract infection is definitely unpleasant. But, before you reach for the antibiotic, you might want to try something really simple.
You need to pee, ALL THE TIME. And, when you go……… it trickles out, PAINFULLY.
Oh dear !
Sounds like a urinary tract infection. Docs refer to it as a UTI.
It is one of those little health problems – most of us face, from time to time.
It is also one of the big reasons for antibiotic prescriptions.
Bring on the antibiotics….
Unfortunately, it’s not so easy.
The bugs behind these infections, are increasingly drug resistant. And antibiotics are not “harmless”, they have CONSEQUENCES.
You should only take an antibiotic when an infection is SERIOUS i.e. life threatening.
Burney pee……………. is definitely unpleasant. Life threatening – I don’t think so. Granted, it could develop into something MORE SERIOUS, if ignored. So you don’t want to IGNORE IT !
But, before you reach for the antibiotic, you might want to try something really simple.
A folk remedy…
Drink some sodium bicarb. Yup. The same stuff you use for cooking and baking. In cakes, it adds gas. In urine, it increases the pH.
And, a bump in urinary pH is all that it takes, to get your body’s own defence systems, deployed.
It’s not just an old wives tale. It’s scientifically proven.
A group of researchers from Washington University in St Louis, have pieced together, how the bladder, resists nasty bacteria, moving in.
It begins with …………….
Taking away a favourite thing
To grow big and strong, bacteria need nutrients and a warm cosy place – something the bladder is, by it’s very nature, geared up to provide.
Well almost.
One nutrient that is critical for survival is iron. In fact,
Life exists on the interface of iron-deficiency and iron-sufficiency.
So this is the nutrient, your body hides away…………. iron.
Your body has numerous strategies to keep it, out of general circulation. In the urine, it is kept out of reach, through a specialized protein called siderocalcin.
Siderocalcin works like a charm
The research team collected lots of urine samples – some from healthy individuals, some from victims of a UTI. Next, they popped a couple of E.coli, the bacteria most often implicated in UTI infections, into the urine sample, then watched what happened.
It grew in some samples………… there was crickets in others.
The team confirmed that siderocalcin levels, were important.
But, other factors, were contributing to bacterial growth or lack of it……
Other factors ?
A needle in a haystack
Urine is complex……….. it’s a collection of what your body is getting rid of. And what you’re getting rid of, depends on
- what is going on i.e. your genes, and the genes of your microbiome, as well as
- what is going in i.e. EVERYTHING you’re consuming
Animal, mineral, vegetable, pharmaceutical…………………..
The team tested it all.
And found, two additional factors were improving the power of the siderocalin.
Siderocalcin’s little helpers
The first factor………..
Urinary pH. The more alkaline the urine, the more effective the siderocalin.
Hence the advice, to pop a spoon or two of sodium carbonate of water in a glass, and down it…………. as soon as you feel a urinary “problem” is on the horizon.
Ideally, drink it, just before you go to bed, that way, you prolong, the alkalinizing impact in the bladder, boosting bladder defences, while limiting the impact on your digestive system defences.
The second factor………….
Aryl-sulphates. These come courtesy of your gut bacteria.
Plant wastes
One of the reasons eating vegetables and fruits is good for you, is they’re act as FOOD for your bacteria.
Bacteria really enjoy tucking into salads and things ….
- they manage to extract energy from these “undigestibles” and
- use their chemical wizardry, to turn other plant based chemicals into beneficial “goodies”.
The aryl-sulphates, are “goodies” that benefit the bladder.
They come from the break down of polyphenols. Foods, especially rich in these polyphenols include, tea, coffee, wine and cranberries.
NOTE : Cranberries have a few additional tricks up their sleeve, which help bladder defences.
Bacteria do fight back
The E.coli don’t just submit. They produce an iron grabbing chemical, called enterobacterin.
We are AT WAR.
But, you can gain an advantage, through BETTER BODY CHEMISTRY.
Next time, you feel the twinges of a urinary tract infection, give your body a boost, by sipping lots of cups of polyphenol loaded tea, during the day and alkalinizing your urine at night.
Further reading
Want to avoid bathroom trips in the middle of the night ?
You can exercise a little during the day, to keep you and your prostate gland in shape. Or you can exercise at night, as you run to the bathroom to pee.
Turning human waste into a golden river of life
Just a quick swish swish in a cup. Some spinning, shaking and baking in the lab and out pops, a new kidney or a coronary artery. Stem cells are in our pee.
Swim, splash, play – don’t tinkle, it creates bad chemistry
That innocent little tinkle in the pool may not be as benign as one might think….. because EVERYONE IS DOING IT.
Want better body chemistry ?
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