Effective Natural UTI Remedies for Quick Relief

Having an alternative to antibiotics for UTIs is a useful thing for at least three reasons. One, antibiotics can have significant side effects and two, bacteria can become resistant to antibiotics and if you are prone to frequent UTIs, you can eventually run out of reasonable antibiotic options. Three, antibiotics can kill needed good gut bacteria and thus lead to further complications.

The active component against UTIs in cranberry/cranberry juice is D-Mannose, a common supplement. D-Mannose is much more potent and works by binding to the E.coli bacteria preventing the bacteria from sticking to the urinary tract surfaces and bladder interior surface, allowing the bacteria to be safely flushed away when urinating, preventing the infection from spreading or continuing to exist. Because of this method of action, bacterial resistance to D-Mannose does not occur because D-Mannose is not attacking the virus, but rather just binding to it. This can become a major problem with antibiotics which the bacteria become resistant to.

Another issue with antibiotics is that they tend to destroy the gut bacteria both good and bad and this can contribute to more UTIs in the long run if good gut bacteria is destroyed that would normally keep E.coli controlled. Here is a link to a study where they show that D-Mannose can be used as a preventative for frequent UTIs in women who are prone to these infections, but my experience is that it is also effective in men, but women get significantly more UTIs than men :

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32597599/

Many people who have frequent UTIs develop bacterial resistance and then stronger and stronger antibiotics are needed to try and fight the UTI, but these more potent antibiotics can bring a myriad of side effects that nobody wants or needs! For example, one highly potent antibiotic that can be used for UTIs is Ciprofloxacin / Cipro and this particular antibiotic has the well known side effect of causing torn tendons and ligaments and blown achilles tendons (OUCH!). I wrote about this serious issue in another EC post and explained how to help repair some of this ligament and tendon damage.

D-Mannose is thought to be effective only against E.coli based UTIs which means it will not likely work for all UTIs, but it will work for the majority because E.coli is the most common cause of UTIs at approximately as high as 90% of cases.

https://www.ucsfhealth.org/conditions/urinary-tract-infections#:~:text=The most common bacteria found, 90 percent of the time

D-Mannose can also be used as a preventative against UTIs when traveling to help prevent a UTI from getting started in the first place. Here is a link to typical D-Mannose supplements and powder :

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=D-mannose&ref=nb_sb_noss_2

All you need to do is mix the powder with water and drink it down or take the capsules, all per label directions.

Two other simple preventatives is to void as soon as the urge is felt so that the urine does not sit in the bladder longer than it has to in an environment that can be conducive to bacterial growth. The second preventative is the use of probiotics such as L. rhamnosus, L. reuteri and L. casei shirota.

Art

Who would have thought sugar would be be the cure for my constant UTI's? D-Mannose has made my life so much better. Every 2-3 months a UTI would flare up. It has gotten to the point where I can feel it start and know immediately what it is. I would go to the doctor to tell them. Hey! I don't need the lab tests. I know my body. They would roll their eyes. They need do the lab test anyway. The tech would call... Surprise! You do have a UTI.

After a while, the drugs and doctors visits were overwhelming. I found out of D-mannose on this site. It is a wonder! Now when I feel a UTI coming on, I take a couple doses of D-Mannose for a day or two and it is gone. I has changed my life for the better.

After doing research I wanted something that would work fast because we all know how irritating a UTI can be. After coming on this site and reading about D-Mannose, I did further research and found out this is actually an effective remedy. I went to store and bought, although it's a bit pricey I didn't mind paying the price to heal myself. Once I took the first dose, I immediately felt some relief. I was taking cranberry pills also along with a probiotic. I highly recommend this and also uvi ursi also helps with UTI's. Hope this was helpful.

I was in a car accident when I was young which left me wheelchair bound. This accident seems to have a negative effect on my bladder and I am prone to UTIs. I have tried many things but Dmannose seems to help the best. I have now moved on to d Mannose that have Cranberry and Hibiscus. They taste better so that's a big improvement but I feel that little bit more healthier.

D-mannose works great for a UTI. If it doesn't, see a naturopath, acupuncturist etc to verify its nothing else. I had ecoli and it caused ongoing uti. my practitioner said female openings in proximity can cause these things to happen.

Hi, D-Mannose powder is wonderful for recurring bladder infections. I have almost always had my urine screenings to come back from the lab with low grade infection but don't take antibiotics unless absolutely necessary. I began searching online for help with bladder infections and found that others had great results with D-Mannose. It seems that bacteria attach themselves to the bladder lining and D-Mannose creates a "slickness" to that lining which creates conditions in which the bacteria detach and you rid yourself of the bacteria via urination. Whatever the process, IT WORKS. I used D-Mannose once per day just before retiring to sleep for 10 days. I keep D-Mannose in my medicine cabinet but have not had to use it for more than six months now. WONDERFUL!! I hope this works for you.

A word on drinking tons of water--I've read that you should take d-mannose with about 4 ozs. of water so that your urine is not SO dilute that you pee it out quickly. It's ideal to take it when you wake up in the middle of the night, as it will have a chance to sit in your bladder for several hours and bind to the bacteria.

D-mannose was a game changer for me after years of recurrent UTIs!

For anyone suffering from Urinary Tract Indections...

1st, they are caused from bacteria getting up into the urethra( the pee pee tube). When you have sex, always pee before and after because during sex, the bacteria get pushed up there.when you pee after, it pushes out the bacteria. A natural sugar found in Cranberries is called D-Mannose powder. Available at all health food stores.

If you have a UTI, take1 teaspoon every few hours for a day. Within 30-45 minutes of the first dose, the pain and fevers will be gone, and the burning. It is a miracle supplement! . It works by making the urethra walls slippery and so the bacteria can't hold on. It's so much easier and healthier than antibiotics. I take it an hour before I know I'm going to have sex with my boyfriend. Works to keep you free of urinary tract infections. Just look it up on the Internet to learn more about it. I like the powder better than the pills. The powder works faster!

My daughter had UTI when she was 5. I had no idea she had it that bad and being a young parent then I was clueless even though I had UTI myself. It was stressful for all of us and a lot of things happened. Lots of medical appointments, tests, procedure she had to go through. She was diagnosed urinary reflux disease stage 2 and the possibility of a surgical correction. This went on for 3 or 4 years. She was on medications and we saw the specialists. And then a nurse finally suggested the surgical route. I didn't like the news. How could they gave up on finding a better and noninvasive treatment. I started doing reading up and researching on alternative treatments. I've read that she can grow out of it. Finally I read about D-mannose. The reviews sounded promising. She has been UTI free for a few years now and she's no longer taking D-mannose. No more incontinence adult size because children's size were too pricey. She had to wear them at bedtime. I was so glad the D-mannose worked I told my mother about it. However because of her sensitive ulcer she could not use it.

I used to get UTIs pretty much every time after I had sex. My Dr. would prescribe me antibiotics which cured the UTIs but left me with a slew of other problems. After dealing with this for over 5 years I decided to try the natural route. I went to my local health food store & was recommended D-mannose with CranActin (capsules). I followed the instructions which was to take 2 capsules a day w/ water or a meal & it worked like a charm. When I first started taking it I'd take 2 capsules every single day (whether I was having sex or not) but now I just take 2 capsules before I have sex and 2 capsules the day after and I'm good. I haven't had a UTI in over 4 years!

D-Mannose is WONDERFUL. Like many women, I've gotten UTIs all my life, particularly after sex. I wish I had known about D-Mannose a long time ago, because it would have saved me from taking many courses of Bactrim and Cipro (and, as many of you know, the more antibiotics we take, the more resistant the bacteria become). D-Mannose works by attaching to e. coli and carrying it out of the urinary tract, so it's gentle on your system, and I have never noticed any side effects.

I recommend that you use the powder, rather than the pills. I didn't find the pills to be effective, especially when there's already an infection present- they might be more effective for prevention. The powder only tastes a bit sweet, like a mild sweetener, and dissolves easily into any liquid. If I have an infection, I'll take quite a bit of it, up to two tablespoons, several times a day. And then I drink a lot of water to aid it in flushing the bacteria out. My other recommendation is to buy it online, because it will be half the price it is at a store. I use the subscribe and save program on Amazon and just have it delivered regularly so I never run out (which, as I have learned, can become an unpleasant and desperate situation resulting in buying a bottle at Whole Foods for $36). As a nurse who used to work in a nursing home, I wish doctors knew about this stuff- so many of the elderly patients always had UTIs and were constantly on antibiotics. I wish more women knew about it, too...which is why I'm posting here! I hope my post will help some poor soul find relief, without a trip to the doctor and a script for unnecessary antibiotics.

D-Mannose powder works beautifully! I have had bladder infections since I was a child. In took-2 cranberry capsules per day for several years but eventually made my urine so acidic that I gave myself IC :/

Any way, d-Mannose is a type of sugar not absorbed by your body, it creates a barrier bw your bladder & urine preventing bacteria from sticking to the bladder wall. I have been using it for a year & have had great success! No bladder infections! I also avoid sugar. Also I found out that I'm gluten intolerant. Food allergies can manifest in the bladdeR & cause problems. Not all allergist can detect food allergies with a skin test so you might want to try a holistic doctor. Good luck.

A friend of mine had a recurring bladder infection with e coli as the common culprit. His doctor prescribed many different antibiotics over the years and eventually they no longer worked to eradicate the infection and on the last antibiotic, his doctor told him that this was the last antibiotic that he could try for the infection as all of the others were no longer effective.

This last round of antibiotics seemed to work, but two days after completing the course, the bladder infection came back and the symptoms were worse than before.

I recommended d mannose dissolved in a 500ml bottle of water, taken at one bottle three times per day. Within 24 hours of starting, the symptoms had diminished significantly and after 72 hours, the symptoms were gone.

Since this is a recurring problem that the doctor told him he is prone to, he will likely need to use d mannose again, but at least he won't have to deal with the negative side effects of taking antibiotics anymore and e coli will never become resistant to d mannose because d mannose does not actually try to kill e coli, it merely binds to it and then allows the body to flush it out naturally. Also, d mannose has an excellent safety profile and is the ingredient in pineapple juice and cranberry juice that is effective against UTI's, however when you mix it with water, you get the positive effects without all of the sugar contained in the juices and it is much stronger than the small amount available in the juices. D mannose in water is almost tasteless, so it is easy to swallow.

The downside is that d mannose is only effective against e coli based UTI's, but the greater majority of UTI's are caused by e coli, so d mannose is probably a good first choice before resorting to antibiotics. If you don't notice improvement within 24 hours, then your uti may not be caused by e coli and you will have to look elsewhere for a resolution.

Art

I have been a long time "lurker" on Earth Clinic. I first came to the site when I started having frequent UTIs, (monthly for a year) and the doctors were unable to help. I tried it all. Apple Cider, Vitamin C, Cranberry, Water. You name it. I went to two different Urologists, that basically gave me a refillable Rx for antibiotic and sent me on my way. During this time, I continued to get yeast infections, as well - from the antibiotic use. It seemed like there was a link to the yeast infection and the UTI, but my general practicioner ignored me when I mentioned it. Finally the third Dr. I saw was a Uro-Gynocologist. He had me take probiotic on a regular basis internally and also to open a probiotic capsule and put the probiotic in my vaginal cavity, so that I could restore the good bacteria there. His theory was that the antibiotics had killed all of the good bacteria in my vaginal area and by replacing it with probiotics (actually putting the probiotics in there), the good bacteria could start to flouish and kill off any bad bacteria before it made it into my bladder.

He also gave me an antibiotic. I threw the antibiotic away and used the D-Mannose instead. I did the probiotic internally and the infections never came back. It's been over a year since then, but I wanted to come and share my story in case it could help someone else.

In retrospect, I don't think I had frequent UTIs. I think I had a UTI, that never went away. I was probably resistant to all of those antibiotics and the D-Mannose did the trick. It was like a miracle for me. I haven't had an infection since, but if I do start to feel like one might be coming on, I take a dose of D-Mannose and drink lots of water! Big thanks to the Earth Clinic for helping with the healing!

All I can say is D-Mannose, D-Mannose, D-Mannose!!! I suffered for years with UTI's. Antibiotics were a temporary fix. Finally, I got a really bad UTI. After yet another round of antibiotics, I was still suffering. I kept going back for testing & the tests came back negative. Well, SOMETHING was wrong, for I was suffering. Drowning myself in cranberry juice did nothing.

Finally read about D-Mannose. Hit it hard for a day or two & it was gone!!! I continued a maintenance dose for weeks to be sure it was gone for good. Knock on wood, that was several years ago & all has been fine since. If I do feel a bit "off", I just take D-Mannose for a day & all is good. It truly is a miracle.

I have also used it on both of my dogs with raving success. With just one day of intense dosing, they are back to normal (though I continue them on a low dose for about a week).