Cranberry Juice is Good For a UTI/Bladder Infection, Right?

Well not exactly.  Cranberry Juice (even if it's organic & natural) is a temporary fix & doesn't get to the heart of the problem. PLUS Cranberry Juice is very acidic, helping to form Uric Acid in the body which is BAD for those with fibromyalgia, gout, arthritis, & kidney stones.  Stick with freshly juiced juices instead for maximum benefit to kidneys, bladder & the whole body! :)

And for UTI's, I recommend drinking MORE than half your body weight in ounces daily & the herbs Parsley Leaf, Marshmallow Root, Pau D'Arco & Black Walnut tinctures combined, 20 drops taken 2X's Daily!  Go to your nearest health food store and check it out! :)

Also rubbing the reflex points to the kidneys and bladder shown in the photo above will help those areas of the body to function properly.  Use the thumb to massage these areas from every direction each night before bed for best results. OR email me for pricing on my reflexology sessions.  It's very relaxing and benefits ailments like these GREATLY! 

Feel free to comment or email me with questions at desiree@modernhippie.org. 

Update on Monday, April 16, 2012 by Desiree Winans

I'd like to post a follow up on this entry. I recently learned alot about chronic UTI's working with my Sister. Here's her story, my regiment for her and more. Feel free to reach out to me anytime on this topic. 

This is the regiment that I used for my sister 3 Sundays ago. She was in great pain, during urination, her bladder felt distended, her lower back and kidneys were aching and we knew that the infection was spreading. She was very weak, feverish and completely miserable. She probably would have ended up going to the hospital because she was in so much pain. She has been getting UTI's regularly for years but after getting a course of antibiotics 6 months ago, they have become worse. She has had them every 6 weeks since. 

She didn't want to do the antibiotics this time because she felt that long term, it would do her harm. So below is what I did for her. My recommendation to you is to use HIGH DOSE probiotics for 2 months. 30 billion at least a day. Ideally you would be shooting for 50 billion. Here's a brand that I love: Renew Life, Critical Care. You can get this at many different health food stores but should be bought refrigerated to maintain potency.  You can open the capsule and use powder and put it in water for her with a small amount of freshly juiced apple juice. 

Obviously the doses below are for an adult. If she is around 30lbs, I would quarter the dose ever 4 hours until the symptoms subside. You will want to continue for at least 3 days after the symptoms subside and continue with the probiotic for a month. After that she can take a less potent probiotic for maintenance. 

• I did Meadowsweet (tincture) first for pain, about 60-90 drops (we repeated this at least 3 times in one day)
• A dose of arnica montana (homeopathic remedy) 10M for pain (i had it so I went for it) You could use a 30C which is available at health food stores
• 8 capsules of Olive Leaf (for infection)
• I combined cornsilk, parsley, marshmallow root, pau d' arco tinctures for the renal support
• I gave her another dose of cantharis 30C, (homeopathic remedy) I repeated this every 2 hours, alternating with arnica 30C, waiting an hour in between each. (homeopathic remedies by Boiron are available at most health food stores. 
• I made her parsley tea with peppermint leaf and marshmallow root.( See vitacost.com for teas.)
• She took 6 capsules of olive leaf ever few hours too (a liquid may be taken instead)
• I also kept her taking the tincture of cornsilk, marshmallow and pau d' arco ever few hours too. Buy these in the brand Herb Pharm.
• Gave her a big dose of probiotics today and last night too, she will continue this and most of the regiment for the next few days heavily and then back off a bit.  See probiotic link above.
• We also did a castor oil pack on the kidneys last night with heat which was amazing. 

ALL LIQUID HERBS MAY BE COMBINED WITH RAW HONEY OR MAPLE SYRUP IN WATER TO MAKE THEM TASTE BETTER. 

I hope this helps you. I suggest seeing a naturopath as soon as possible to find out what the underlying cause is. It could be bacteria, candida, or parasites causing this recurrence. LOT's of healthy bacteria for long periods of time is the only way to build you immune system and fight these off. Antibiotics will undermine this. If you've been on regular antibiotics this recommendation for healthy bacteria is even MORE important as it's likely killed off much of your beneficial bacteria. Yogurt alone is not enough. 

Let me know if you have questions. Sissy is doing well now. It was a difficult 10 days or so as the infection had moved up into her kidneys and she was in great pain. It was difficult for me to see as she is my little sister:( Abstaining from antibiotics and attacking this full on naturally to bring balance back to the ecology of the gut is (in my opinion) the only way to correct this permanently .  She is studying to be a nurse and so she is well aware of the protocol of MD's for UTI's, she was under much pressure from school mates and teachers to go get on an antibiotic. She knew that it would temporarily ease the pain but she decided that she needed to go a different route. 

Please let me know if you have questions.

Best to you,

Desiree the Modern Hippie:)

Herbs & Natural Dietary Suggestions for Kidney Stones

Kidney stones can be a real pain in the, well- Kidneys!  Renal calculi (a.k.a. kidney stones) are typically lodged in one of the ureters (tube connecting kidney to bladder).  This can block the flow of urine and be very painful.  For some people they experience no pain but the stones can become quite large and must be dealt with as if they continue to grow, they could cause a blockage and become painful down the road.  If the blockage becomes really bad the urine backs up in the kidneys and can cause serious kidney damage. 

Stones are a sign that the body is not in mineral balance.  Since the stones are made mostly of Calcium, this tells a bit about what is happening in the body.

Click to read more ...