Some home treatments are believed to help clear urinary tract infections (UTIs), although research does not support this. Can baking soda relieve UTI symptoms?

These are infections in any part of the urinary system, including the bladder, ureters, kidneys, and urethra. UTIs are among the most common infections among those with which people turn to doctors.

Some people suffer from recurrent UTIs, which is why they are constantly looking for alternatives to traditional antibiotics. Small portions of baking soda or sodium bicarbonate dissolved in water is one of the common therapeutic strategies used by people at home.

However, scientists have not yet proven the benefits of soda in the treatment of urinary tract infections, moreover, this substance may be unsafe for some categories of people. In the current article, we will talk in detail about this method of therapy, as well as talk about other methods that are used to manage the symptoms of UTIs at home and in the hospital.

The content of the article:

Baking soda and UTI

Baking soda can neutralize acid in the urine, but it can also cause serious complications if taken incorrectly.

Baking soda is believed to neutralize the acid in the urine, which can help ease the symptoms of a UTI and allow the body to fight bacteria that cause infections.

Proponents of this theory also claim that baking soda can prevent infections from spreading to the kidneys.

However, there is little evidence that baking soda can effectively treat UTIs, although some patients report to doctors that this treatment helps reduce discomfort.

It's safe?

People should be aware that baking soda can cause significant harm to the body if taken incorrectly. In addition, scientists disagree with the notion that baking soda can effectively treat urinary tract infections. In December 2018, the California Poison Control System published a report that included data on 192 cases of poisoning due to the abuse of baking soda. About 5% of victims tried to cure UTI.

Most of these people required medical attention after trying to treat urinary tract infections with baking soda. Serious cases of electrolyte and acid imbalance, as well as respiratory failure, were recorded among the complications that arose.

In addition, the researchers noted that people who used baking soda as a home therapy method often delayed doctor visits, leading to worsening symptoms and further negative outcomes.

Complications associated with excessive consumption of soda include the following:

• diarrhea;
• nausea;
• stomachache;
• vomit;
• epileptic seizures;
• coma;
• death.

Other home treatments for urinary tract infections

Some people in the fight against UTIs prefer to use home treatment methods. Some do it out of concern about antibiotic resistant bacteria, others worry about the side effects of antibiotics.

Certain home therapies may be beneficial. However, in most cases, people suffering from urinary tract infections can only be helped by medical treatment in combination with the strategies below.

Possible home treatments for UTIs include the following.

Diet change

People with UTIs need to drink more water. This helps dilute the urine, make it less acidic, and flush out bacteria from the urinary tract.

Some drinks and foods can irritate a sensitive bladder and should not be consumed by people with a UTI. The worst irritants include the following:

• alcohol;
• caffeine;
• citrus fruit;
• soda;
• spices.

Cranberry juice

Cranberry juice is the most popular home remedy for urinary tract infections. It is believed that the use of this drink can reduce the acidity of urine.

However, several clinical studies have been conducted to investigate the association of cranberry juice with UTIs, and their findings have been inconclusive.

However, many people report finding improvements when treating infections with cranberry juice. Doctors usually advise such patients to consume unsweetened juice and stop taking it if diarrhea or indigestion occurs.

Cranberry juice should not be consumed by people who are taking blood thinners such as warfarin.

Essential oils

Essential oils can be helpful in treating some types of UTIs.

For example, according to a study conducted at Haikou National University in China, lemongrass essential oil was found to help fight a number of pathogens, including E. coli, which causes most urinary tract infections.

It should be noted that before starting the treatment of UTIs with essential oils, it is necessary to discuss this with the attending physician.

It is important to remember that essential oils should not be taken orally. They must be inhaled through a diffuser or applied to the skin in diluted form using a carrier oil.

Conventional treatment for UTI

The first line of therapy for urinary tract infections is antibiotics. They can be used along with home treatments to ease symptoms and get rid of infections.

Antibiotics

To treat a UTI, a doctor may prescribe different antibiotics, depending on the type of infection found in the urine, the patient's personal medical history, and the patient's general health.

For minor UTIs, the following antibiotics may be used:

• Ceftriaxone (Rocefin);
• Cephalexin (Keflex);
• Fosfomycin (Monural);
• Nitrofurantoin (Macrobid, Macrodantin);
• Co-trimoxazole (Bactrim, Sulfatrim).

In most cases, when antibiotics are taken for a few days, people may notice relief of symptoms. In about a week, the infections usually go away.

Frequent or complicated infections require a slightly different approach. In these situations, doctors usually recommend the following:

• small doses of antibiotics for six months or longer;
• single servings of antibiotics after intimacy, if infections are caused by sexual activity;
• vaginal estrogen therapy for women in .

Acute infections may require hospitalization and intravenous antibiotics. In all cases, people should not stop taking medications before the time indicated by their doctor.

OTC drugs

If the pain or discomfort associated with a UTI is interfering with a person's daily activities, a doctor may recommend a drug called phenazopyridine (Pyridium). It can be taken along with other drugs.

Phenazopyridine often changes the color of a person's urine to bright orange or red, which can cause droplets of that color to appear on underwear. This drug is also able to change the color of contact lenses.

Phenazopyridine is a pain reliever that reduces the sensitivity of the bladder or urethra, making urination less painful. However, it does not cure a UTI, it only relieves the symptoms.

Prevention

UTI can be prevented by changing contraceptive methods

People who are prone to urinary tract infections can take steps to prevent the condition from developing. These measures include the following:

• refusal to use scented soaps, products for and other feminine hygiene products used to clean the genital area;
• changing the method of contraception, since diaphragms and condoms with spermicidal lubricant can lead to the growth of bacteria;
• refusal to hold urine in the bladder for a long time unnecessarily;
• maintaining a healthy water balance by drinking enough fluids;
• taking a shower instead of a bath;
• urination before and after sexual intercourse;
• washing the genitals after sexual contact.

It is also important for women to wipe in a pubic-to-back direction after a bowel movement. This prevents bacteria from entering the rectum into the vagina and urethra.

Possible Complications of Urinary Tract Infections

Complications from UTIs are rare if the doctor has performed timely diagnosis and suggested the right course of treatment.

However, if left untreated, UTIs can lead to the following:

• irreversible kidney damage;
• recurrent UTI, especially in women;
• the risk of having premature babies and low birth weight babies in pregnant women;
• sepsis - a condition that can threaten life;
• narrowing of the urethra or stricture in men.

findings

For some people, baking soda helps relieve symptoms of urinary tract infections. However, this home treatment method is associated with serious health risks, so you should discuss this issue with your doctor before using it.

Early diagnosis and proper treatment can help reduce the risk of UTI-related complications.

Cystitis is a common urological ailment, which in 85-90% of cases is caused by a genitourinary infection. The disease almost always proceeds with acute symptoms: painful and very frequent urination, aching sensations in the lower abdomen, general weakness.

Any independent methods of treatment are initially dangerous - there is a risk that your actions will not be effective enough or completely meaningless, and the infection will go up.

Along with the classic treatment in the form of taking medications, you can also use folk recipes. A competent patient will also discuss their appropriateness with the doctor, because they may also have contraindications. But even if you are going to apply them yourself, make sure you know how to do it.

For example, you heard that soda helps with cystitis. It will not be superfluous to find out exactly how soda works and what to do so that treatment with it is safe and effective.

Why is soda used for cystitis

As you know, this natural component comes into the fight against pathogenic bacteria. It well removes pain during the act of urination, allows you to suppress the burning sensation, normalizes the acid-base balance.

Since school days, everyone knows that the active substance of soda is alkali. It is able to oxidize urine, thereby changing the reaction of urine. Simply put, it eliminates the environment that is comfortable for the life of pathogenic organisms.

If you have never treated cystitis with soda before, then in the first days of treatment, always halve the dosage. The body must gradually get used to this substance.

Methods for treating cystitis with soda:

One of the most effective home therapeutic methods is douching with soda for cystitis.

douching method

It usually gives good results. To implement this therapeutic technique, you must take a pear or a gynecological heating pad with special nozzles. These actions are used for both therapeutic and preventive purposes. They consist in washing the walls of the vagina with special solutions. Why do they do it?

In this way, the vaginal environment is riddled with pathogenic microbes, which cause inflammation of the mucosa. Treatment lasts 4 days 3 times a day - this is the maximum allowable therapeutic regimen.

How douching is done:

All appliances must be perfectly clean. Before use, they must be washed and, of course, boiled. To facilitate the introduction of the device inside, you can lubricate its tip with petroleum jelly.

Of course, those who douche for the first time may not know some of the nuances of the procedure. As already noted, the temperature of the water for douching should be appropriate. Useful qualities of soda appear only while maintaining the temperature regime in the range of 38-42 degrees. In addition, hot or cold water is a serious irritant for the walls of the vagina.

Douching itself is painless - you should not have the slightest discomfort. If there is pain, then you are doing something wrong. If during the procedure you feel pain or burning, you should immediately stop douching. After that, do not hesitate to go to the gynecologist: you need to pass a vaginal smear. Probably, the infection is “raging” there and it is urgent to deal with it with more serious methods.

Discard the prepared solution remaining after the procedure. A stale version will no longer give anything useful, so every time before a new session you need to make a new composition.

This is a more gentle method than douching, but its effectiveness will be slightly lower. Water with soda for cystitis is used for washing to remove the same bacteria and germs. For washing, you need to dissolve two teaspoons of soda powder in one liter of boiling water (already cooled).

It is advisable to wash with a warm solution after each visit to the toilet. Of course, this method is not suitable as the main treatment, but as an auxiliary factor that speeds up recovery, soda washing works.

Soda baths and cystitis

And this pleasant therapy will also be a good way to deal with chronic cystitis. Pour water into the bath at a temperature that is comfortable for you. Dissolve 2-2.5 cups of baking soda in this water. Sometimes a little potassium permanganate is also added to the water - it has, as you know, antimicrobial properties, and also serves to strengthen the body in general.

Sitz soda baths are useful for itchy sensations in the perineum. Pour boiling water into a bucket or basin, approximately 2 liters, pour a tablespoon of soda into it. The patient needs to sit on a bucket with water that has cooled to an acceptable state for 15-20 minutes. Your back and legs must be warm, you can simply wrap them with a blanket or a soft blanket.

Do not rinse after this procedure, but after a regular bath, you must definitely take a rinsing shower. After a sitting bath, the body just needs to be dipped in a dry, warm towel.

Another recipe - baths with soda and milk:

It makes sense to do warm steam baths before going to bed. It is important that after this therapeutic action nothing disturbs you, which means that you just need to go to bed and fall asleep. This procedure should be repeated two or three days in a row.

To relieve the first signs of inflammation, you can take soda inside. And in this matter there are several subtleties at once. The solution itself is easy to prepare: take 1 cup of boiled warm water, 2 teaspoons of soda (make sure that the powder is not expired), mix it all well and drink for about 8 minutes in small sips. Wash down the composition with fruit drink or sour juice.

And so that there is no discomfort in the stomach after the soda composition, you should drink it after eating. The soda composition taken on an empty stomach can cause unwanted reactions.

Be sure to take only warm boiled water for the solution. In cold water, soda particles simply will not dissolve, or rather, they will not completely dissolve. The particles will fall on the stomach walls, which will negatively affect your well-being. The most comfortable water temperature for the composition is about 40 degrees.

If after taking such a remedy you feel some undesirable sensations, do not use the composition.

The use of soda for the treatment of cystitis should be abandoned:

• If you regularly experience an increase in blood pressure;
• If blood is found in the urine;
• If you have a heart condition;
• People with problems of the epigastric region;
• Women during menstruation.

With caution, such recipes should be used by people with diabetes of any type, as well as those who have vascular pathologies.

Pregnancy and lactation is a time when any experiments are prohibited. Cystitis against the background of bearing a child or during breastfeeding is a problem that can only be solved by a doctor and nothing else.

Often soda really helps to solve the problems of genitourinary pathologies. But do not attach serious importance to this powder: it is impossible to cure inflammation of the walls of the bladder with soda alone. You can achieve relief of symptoms, but not completely eliminate the bacteria from the body.

Soda is used fragmentarily, long courses of soda therapy are impossible. And whether it is possible for you specifically to use soda for the treatment of the urinary system, it is better to check with your doctor.

Video - Treatment of cystitis at home.

Publication date: 14-11-2019

How does baking soda help with cystitis?

Inflammatory processes in the mucous membrane of the bladder are called cystitis. This concept extends to urinary infections, bladder dysfunction, and abnormal urine sediment. Treatment of cystitis should not be delayed, as the disease develops rapidly and brings a lot of discomfort.

They say about cystitis if there is inflammation in the bladder

Scientists consider cystitis a female disease, since men encounter it several times less often. About 80% of cases of the disease are provoked by infections that have entered the urinary canal through the anus and genitals. However, in the female body, the disease, in addition to unpleasant sensations, does not give complications. In men, the presence of the disease signals the development of prostatitis.

Often, cystitis provokes E. coli, which is localized in the large intestine. Under the influence of certain factors (weakened immunity, hypothermia), it is activated. It begins to multiply more strongly, spreading to the genitals and urinary canal. Therefore, therapy necessarily includes douching to wash away the abundant seeding of bacteria. Treatment with folk remedies also helps, which are often more effective than many medicines.

soda therapy

Treatment of cystitis in general depends on the form of the disease and the factor that provoked it. If the cause is an infection, antibacterial therapy is carried out using antibiotics or douching is prescribed.

Douching may be prescribed for cystitis

Very often, cystitis is treated with folk remedies. One of the most effective remedies is baking soda. This is a cheap and reliable remedy, proven by many generations of women. Soda, which is endowed with alkaline properties, copes well with painful sensations and has a local antibacterial effect.

Therapy is carried out in different ways, depending on the therapeutic goal. When the first symptoms of cystitis appear, you can take a soda solution inside. For these purposes, only baking soda is used!

Dissolve a couple of teaspoons of the powder in warm boiled water and take in small portions for fifteen minutes. The drink will help relieve the burning sensation and soreness.

Thirty minutes after drinking water with soda, you can take an analgesic tablet along with two glasses of orange juice. Then lie down with a heating pad on your stomach. You can take thermal procedures for no longer than two hours, regularly changing the water.

Such treatment of cystitis will give its results after the first intake of a healing drink that contains soda. Soreness will go away, the urge to urinate will not be frequent and sharp.

To use baking soda, mix it with water.

Baking soda is rich in potassium salts, which neutralize the acidity of urine. Bacteria successfully multiply in an acidic environment, and soda prevents it from forming. The components of soda normalize the natural pH, so that recovery comes faster.

Soda can be combined with other folk remedies, as it has practically no side effects. The only contraindication is heart problems, because soda affects the heart rhythm. You can take a soda drink once or as a course. In the latter case, the powder is dissolved in a liter of boiled water and consumed in a tablespoon three times a day. This should be done after meals. Treatment with soda can be supplemented with other folk remedies. For example, cranberry juice, chamomile tea and infusion on birch leaves.

Therapeutic procedures based on soda

Soda is used in gynecology and urology, conducting douching on its basis. Good antibacterial properties guarantee effective treatment of cystitis. There are situations when medicines do not improve and the disease returns again. Soda has established itself as a sure remedy, so doctors prescribe douching based on it regularly.

Pour two or three teaspoons of powder into a liter of boiled water, stir until dissolved and douche. The water should not be too cold or hot.

The prepared soda solution can be used for douching

To douche, you can use a pear or douche heating pad. The last device comes with special nozzles that can be used in gynecology and proctology.

Douching with a heating pad consists in the gradual filling of the vagina with a solution and its smooth outflow. The pear fills the organ cavity under pressure. During the procedure, it is necessary to raise the pelvis, holding it in this position for about two to three minutes, so that the liquid does not flow out immediately. Douching should be done three times a day, for four days. If the painful symptoms do not stop pestering, you can do douching based on soda more often.

It is also useful to wash with soda water prepared according to a similar recipe. Washing and douching can be used for prevention.

Features of therapy

On average, treatment takes about five to seven days. During this time, the acute stage of the disease is stopped and relief comes. An examination should be carried out by a gynecologist and a urologist, since the urinary canal and genitals are in close proximity. This is especially important if the cause of the disease is an infection. Infection can be repeated every time during sexual intercourse. It is important to adhere to the following features of therapy:

Treatment of cystitis must be brought to an end, when all the symptoms pass and the tests are normal. Successful therapy will minimize the risk of relapse.

The benefits and methods of treatment with soda will be discussed below:

Cystitis is a very unpleasant disease. This inflammatory process usually begins unexpectedly.

Baking soda is one of the most effective home remedies for cystitis. It quickly reduces unpleasant symptoms, so it can be called a first aid.

What is useful soda for cystitis

The human immune system is constantly attacked by bacteria. The urinary tract usually has a high level of acidity.

In such an environment, harmful microorganisms multiply very actively. Soda is an alkaline product, it suppresses acidity, and bacteria, losing a comfortable environment in the urethra, die. In addition, alkali reduces pain and burning. Baking soda solutions have diuretic properties, so they flush out infections and toxins well.

The effectiveness of soda in the treatment of inflammation of the genitourinary system is confirmed not only by popular experience, but also by serious medical research.

The use of soda in the treatment of cystitis

There are several ways to use baking soda to suppress inflammation in the urinary tract. The simplest is ingestion in the form of a solution.

It is not difficult to prepare a drinking solution: add 1/3 tsp to 1 glass of warm boiled water. soda. Stir and drink the solution immediately. Cooking it for 2-3 doses is not recommended, as its useful properties will decrease. You need to drink a drink 3 times a day. The course of such treatment is no more than 7 days.

Many people prefer to do external procedures. External exposure to alkali does not have a decisive effect on the disease, but to a large extent reduces the painful symptoms: burning, pain and itching.

A solution of the same concentration as for oral administration is used for washing. It can be done 4-5 times a day. First you need to wash the genitals with plain warm water so that the treatment solution acts on a clean surface.

Another method of external treatment of cystitis with soda solution is a local steam bath. It is carried out 1 time per day before bedtime. After a shower, the usual soda solution is poured into a basin or other container and sit on top. The liquid should be hot, but not so hot that the steam burns the genitals.

The patient must determine the exact temperature himself, focusing on his own feelings. This procedure warms up the genitourinary system well, therefore it is effective against cystitis.

After the bath, you should quickly go to bed.

Women often prefer douching. With the help of a special pear, the boiled solution is injected into the vagina twice a day. Concentration - 1 tbsp. l. soda per 1 liter of water. After douching, you need to lie in bed for at least 30 minutes.

This type of treatment quickly gives a positive result, but it should not be stopped at the first sign of improvement. The douching course is 7 days.

Features of the treatment of cystitis with baking soda

When treating cystitis with baking soda, it is important to consider some recommendations:

• the use of a soda solution must be coordinated with a urologist (it is very dangerous to self-medicate an acute inflammatory process);
• it is advisable to do a urine test before using soda to find out the degree of its acidity and find the causative agent of the infection;
• baking soda cannot be the main drug in the treatment of the bladder and urinary tract, it is not able to replace antibiotics;
• it is unacceptable to interrupt the treatment, the prescribed course of medicines and traditional medicine must be completed to the end;
• if new symptoms appear during treatment (bloating, nausea, severe pain), you should immediately stop using folk remedies and consult your doctor;
• cystitis is a serious inflammatory disease, the treatment of which requires bed rest, as well as abundant drinking and good nutrition;
• a patient suffering from inflammation of the bladder should by all means avoid hypothermia - it can lead to complications and complicate the treatment process.

Doctors forbid experimenting with baking soda for patients suffering from severe chronic diseases: diabetes, kidney failure, metabolic disorders of biologically active substances and oncology.

Do not use soda solutions and those who have diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. If blood is found in the urine, urgent hospitalization is necessary - blood indicates the rapid development of dangerous pathologies.

Treating bladder inflammation is best done with the help of a doctor, but home remedies are a great way to help your body do it yourself.
 

Almost all cystitis is considered a female pathology. Indeed, the male population suffers from this disease much less frequently. In 80% of cases, this condition is caused by infectious agents on the genitals that enter the urethra. In the female body, cystitis manifests itself as a separate disease, and almost always does not give complications. In men, it indicates the possibility of developing prostatitis.

Treatment of cystitis should not be delayed, as the disease develops rapidly and brings a lot of discomfort.

Cystitis is characterized by very severe pain during urination and a frequent desire to visit the toilet. Therefore, very often a woman who has caught an infection seeks to alleviate her condition at home even before visiting a doctor. And here ordinary soda comes to the rescue. Treatment of cystitis with soda is an effective and harmless way to relieve pain. Do not just neglect the contraindications and safety measures.

Goals of therapy and contraindications for use

Despite the general availability and prevalence of soda, its use is unacceptable. The correct step would be to visit a doctor and get advice on the use and intake of soda solution.

Self-medication can be very harmful to health!

The use of even such a safe drug can adversely affect overall well-being. Running cystitis can cause the development of pyelonephritis.

There are a number of contraindications for the use of soda in women with cystitis. These include:

• disease in a chronic or advanced form;
• individual intolerance to the solution used;
• low acidity of gastric juice;
• stomach and duodenal ulcer;
• pregnancy;
• inflammatory processes occurring in the bladder, which are accompanied by the release of blood in the urine;
• cardiovascular pathology (soda affects the heart rate);
• endocrine pathologies (diabetes mellitus).

Soda is endowed with an alkaline property, it copes well with painful sensations and has a local antibacterial effect.

Soda solution (taking into account contraindications) can cope with the following problems:

• helps to remove the infection from the bladder (soda solution fights the pathological process along with anti-inflammatory and diuretic herbs and cranberry juice);
• enhances the effect of antibacterial drugs taken (creates a certain environment that prevents the spread of new bacterial microflora);
• relieves pain syndrome well (with an early start of use).

Given all of the above facts (antiseptic, anti-inflammatory effect, relieves irritation), we can conclude that soda for cystitis is an excellent additional remedy for the treatment of the disease that has arisen.

Soda solution is used both for external (douching, therapeutic baths) and for internal use.

Soda solution for internal use

Therapy of this pathological process depends on the form of the disease and the type of bacteria that caused this disease. As soon as the first symptoms of cystitis appear, you can use an aqueous solution with soda.

Two teaspoons of the powder should be dissolved in one glass of warm boiled water. The contents must be drunk in small sips in about 15 minutes. The solution must be taken before meals. The procedure is recommended to be repeated twice a day: before lunch and before dinner. This solution helps relieve burning and soreness.

To enhance the therapeutic effect, it is permissible (after half an hour) to take an analgesic tablet with orange juice. Then, you need to lie down for some time with a heating pad located in the abdomen (30-40 minutes).

For oral use only baking soda

The effect of this procedure is noticeable after the first ingestion of soda solution. Soreness disappears, frequent urge to urinate disappears.

You can treat cystitis with a soda solution in a single dose, or by drinking a course. In order to take this drug in a course, you must: dissolve two tablespoons in one liter of warm boiled water. Take 1 tbsp. l. 3 times a day after meals. You can combine the intake of soda solution with the intake of other medicinal herbs: chamomile, birch leaves.

The use of soda for external procedures

Soda has proven itself for douching in the treatment of acute cystitis. To prepare the solution, three teaspoons of soda are diluted in one liter of warm boiled water. Douching is carried out using a pear or douche warmer.

The cavity of the affected organ is filled under pressure. It is necessary to douche in a certain position of the body: raise the pelvis and hold it in this position for 2-3 minutes. This must be done so that the liquid that has entered inside does not immediately flow out. The procedure is performed twice a day.

After the end of the douching procedure, you must lie down for 15 minutes.

With a soda solution prepared according to this recipe, you can perform hygiene procedures with a preventive purpose.

Washing and douching can be used for prevention

Using baths for cystitis, along with soda, you can add a few crystals of potassium permanganate to the water. The duration of this procedure should not exceed 20 minutes. Here you can also add decoctions of medicinal herbs.

Cystitis, which proceeds without complications, is cured in a week. At this time, the acute stage of the disease passes. Relief comes. In addition to using home remedies in the treatment of the disease, consultation with a gynecologist and urologist is necessary.

The urethra and genitals are in close proximity to each other. Re-infection can occur every time you have sexual contact.

• treatment with traditional medicine must necessarily be supplemented with drugs;
• use drugs for pain relief: Paracetamol, Ibuprofen;
• drinking regime per day should be up to 2 liters of clean water without gas;
• reduce to a minimum the consumption of sweet, salty, canned foods;
• eat protein food;
• do not drink alcohol;
• do not overcool;
• in the absence of spotting with urine, the use of a heating pad is acceptable;
• Do not wear tight clothing that restricts movement.

If the disease has a tendency to constant recurrence, it is necessary to undergo additional examinations. They will help to adjust drug therapy and treatment with alternative methods.

It should be remembered that after the treatment, it is necessary to ensure complete recovery. Otherwise, the appearance of a relapse of the disease is inevitable. Be sure to visit a doctor and get tested.