Basically, what I said in the title. When a person has a UTI, you get antibiotics from the doctor, then go back and get another urinalysis to see if progress has been made.
But people also say one should drink cranberry juice. Now, I like it, but does it really help more than just drinking a lot of water?
What do the Teeming Millions say?
Oh it helps in certain situations alright, but its not going to replace antibiotics. Someone smarter than me will tell you how shortly.
I once had a chlamydia infection (thanks honey! guess that relationship is over) Drinking cranberry juice kept the itch in check, but antibiotics made it go away fast.
The nurse at the STD clinic was a sadist. I still shudder 20+ years later thinking about the ‘test’.
There is some evidence that cranberry juice helps prevents UTI’s by somehow keeping bacteria from sticking to the bladder and urethra. This requires cranberry juice as opposed to much more dilute cranberry cocktail or juice blends. Apparently, cranberry in capsule form can also have this effect.
It should be noted that this will not cure a UTI, nor is the protection 100%. It basically can reduce the risk of UTI’s, but it is still possible to get one while consuming cranberry.
It’s a myth. Cranberries have ingredients called A-type proanthocyanidins which prevent E. coli from adhering to the walls of the urinary tract, but juices and supplements don’t contain enough to prevent or fight infection - and Ocean Spray (a diluted, sweetened juice cocktail) doesn’t come close. The more effective measure - for prevention - is a course of probiotics, and even then you need to shop around. Eating a cup or two of yogurt won’t do it, and even some supplements are ineffective.
Thanks for the replies. I didn’t think cranberry juice was a cure-all, or could replace antibiotics. But as Broomstick said, and as I"ve heard others say, it can reduce the risk.
But hey, it does taste good, so there’s that!
I sometimes get a pain in my lower back which I diagnose as a kidney issue and I find cranberry juice and lots of water seem to clear it up.
Note that the risk reduction, such as it is, is pretty minor. On the other hand, if you have problems with that sort of thing doing everything you can, even marginal things, might be helpful to you.
Anyhow, cranberry juice is unlikely to hurt you, and if you enjoy it, why not?
I had a dog with atopic/seasonal allergies who would also get frequent UTIs and ear infections. One of the things we (my vet suggested it) did was give her daily cranberry capsules - as Broomstick says, not as a cure but possibly a preventative. That was just a part of what we did to manage her various ailments and allergies, so I can’t say if that alone was effective. But for the second half of her life, she was much, much healthier and IIRC, infection-free.
So unless someone comes up with evidence to the contrary, here’s another vote for it being in the “might help, can’t hurt” category.
A dentist friend was cured of a UTI by taking cranberry capsules - plain juice helped but had to have so much sugar added to counter the bitterness that it was bad for the teeth.
FWIW, Trader Joe’s has 100% cranberry juice. If you’re used to Ocean Spray ‘cocktail’, TJ’s will be a mite strong.
The reason its recommended is that it’s acidic, which makes the urine more acidic, and it’s a diuretic, which flushes out the system. It doesn’t kill the germs per se, but makes the environment more hostile to them and physically flushes them out.
I have been told by three urologists that they never recommend their patients drink cranberry juice. They tell their patients who ask about it to drink it if they like it.
According to them (three urologists), the “research” (you can hear the air quotes when they say the word) showing benefits from cranberry juice was funded by Ocean Spray (who states on their website that they do indeed fund such research). The cranberry growers were looking for a way to increase sales year round to help smooth out the huge sales spike between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Yes, some health care workers and even some doctors recommend cranberry juice … but those who specialize in urinary problems, at least all three I have asked, said it is marketing, not medicine.
I once had an asymptomatic UTI discovered via a routine test during a presurgical physical. My idiot primary doc wouldn’t let me have the surgery no matter how much evidence the surgeon showed her that a UTI was not an infection risk for surgery to remove metal rods from my leg. She was going to cancel the surgery, which would have meant a wait of several weeks to clear up the infection and schedule everything again. I negotiated with her that if I drank a LOT of cranberry juice and took antibiotics (normally A 10-day course) for a fee days (I think it was 4 or 5) and redid the urine culture the day before the surgery, and it came back clean, I could go ahead. It worked!