Tag: UTI
Acupuncture, a Safe and Effective Treatment for UTI
When the symptoms of urinary tract infection resist antibiotic treatment, it won’t mean that using more antibiotic medications will do the trick.
Avoid being stuck in a cycle of continuing urinary tract infections
The usual treatment protocol of UTI is one, two or even three same or different types of antibiotics. This is a very common protocol that almost all doctors will not take the time to examine the patient’s urine for bacterial overgrowth signs. Painful and scanty urination implies the use of fluoroquinolones, cephalosporins and penicillins. In certain instances, this modality helps clear up the condition, which means, case closed. However, for people for whom these western pharmaceutical producers of palliatives and dangerous drugs have no weapon to address the problem, Chinese medicine may be the best type of medicine they can opt for. Pharmaceutical drugs to treat UTI destroy the bad as well as the good bacteria particularly in the person’s intestinal tract. Chinese medicine can be extremely effective that it can rectify even the most longstanding and most resilient type of UTI.
One cannot deny the wonderful benefits antibiotics can give when they are used appropriately and the wide range of conditions they can treat. The drawback in using these drugs is that for the past half-century of their use, the very pathogens they have been battling with have naturally evolved to make them more and more resistant to the effects of these drugs. So, instead of being treated, many UTI patients now suffer from the side effects of these drugs and even cause the pathogen to become even more resistant and virulent. And as with any war of force, intensification brings with it more intensification. And the “collateral damage” (side effects) also becomes progressively severe.
Providing a different treatment approach against UTI is Chinese herbs. This enduring and effective type of Chinese medicine has been used for more than 2000 years by Chinese physicians. These physicians do not concoct herbal formulas that destroy the pathogen not like the treatment strategy of western medicine which is to destroy, cut and contain; the medicine of the Orient aims to promote communication, harmony and promote between the various body systems. Resilient, strong and balanced systems have an inherent ability to ward off these pathogens. One of the forte’s of Chinese medicine’s is actually not in fighting pathogens, but in aiding the body to attain a systemic homeostasis that never gives the pathogens an environment to accumulate and thrive.
So do all these imply that Chinese herbs are only effective in resolving longstanding chronic and untreated UTIs? Of course not! There are a wide range of herbal formulas that attack the pathogen and at the same time help restore balance to the affected systems. Many of these formulas are very good in resolving acute types of UTIs. For UTI conditions that keep on coming back entailing the use of several courses of antibiotics (with little or no success), the strengthening and harmonizing formulas are much, much better.
UTI can also be substantially addressed with acupuncture particularly against the symptomatic problems of urinary frequency and burning. Chinese herbs and acupuncture used together can provide relief to people suffering from chronic urinary tract infections that have survived several kinds and courses of antibiotics.
If you have UTI, you can proactively fight the condition by helping your body become balanced and attain bladder health. One kind of home cure is unsweetened cranberry juice that several people find to be extremely beneficial. You can also lessen inflammation in your system which immensely benefits your urinary system. If you have longstanding UTI, balance play and work, eat healthily, and avoid sugar. Also, be sure you are receiving adequate amounts of essential fatty acids. Help gain balance in several aspects of your life. Illnesses are often the result of an imbalance in or more of our body systems.
Some women affected by UTI usually only consider getting acupuncture as a last form of treatment; fortunately, a lot of women now use acupuncture as a frontline treatment for UTI. For people who would love to strengthen their body’s internal ability to repel bladder infections, then the first to do is to visit a licensed and experienced acupuncturist.
Acupuncture for Urinary Tract Infection
There are about 11 million Americans who suffer from acute urinary tract infection each year. Urinary tract infection (UTI) affects men but most of its cases involve women. Any part of the urinary system can potentially be affected with UTI. This disease is caused by bacteria that have entered the urethra where it starts to rapidly multiply. It is seen as a debilitating condition and the pain it generates may sometimes be more painful the childbirth according to some women who have been affected by this condition.
The most commonly used conventional western treatment for UTI is antibiotics. However, the increasing resistance of the bacteria towards antibiotics forces UTI patients to cease taking antibiotics and just allow the infection to gradually go away. This often results in the rise of worse conditions in the body. Moreover, women who have a high chance of developing UTI usually utilize large doses of antibiotics before the infection actually sets in; this merely accelerates the resistance of the bacteria to the drugs.
The danger of antibiotic resistance has prompted researchers to look into other natural and alternative ways to help lessen the duration and frequency of urinary tract infections. A study done in October 2002 in Norway involving the use of acupuncture to treat gynecological conditions showed results (which were published in the American Journal of Public Health issued October 2002 issue) favoring acupuncture therapy – it showed that the rate of infection decreased by more than a half after 6 months of acupuncture treatment.
The study involved 94 women ranging 18 to 60 in age. All of these women have had urinary tract infection at least 3 times for the past 12 months with a minimum of two infections having been diagnosed as UTI and resolved by a doctor. All the women were diagnosed based on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) protocols. Then they were divided into two groups: the acupuncture and control groups. The control group was not given any treatment while the acupuncture group was treated on acupuncture points in the back, lower stomach and lower extremities based on the TCM diagnosis. The treatments were performed two times a week for four weeks.
Results
The researchers observed a substantial lessening of the group treated with acupuncture. About 73% of subjects treated with acupuncture reported no symptoms of UTI during the six-month followup visit. In contrast, the control group only had a 52% improvement of their symptoms. The acupuncture group exhibited more than half (55%) of a decreased risk of incurring another UTI infection in the six months after the last treatment session.
The subjects given acupuncture also had a 51% improvement in the average amount of urine that remained in their bladder during the six-month examination compared to baseline. The untreated subjects showed no major change in residual urine.