Urinary Tract Infection: What to do?

Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) are perhaps one of the most unfortunate ailments a woman can experience. Granted, there are any number of health issues that can be worse than a UTI, but in the moment when you are plagued by the awful cramping, urgency, and fire-piss you experience, you will give just about anything to make it go away.

So what is going on that makes a UTI so outrageously uncomfortable?

For starters, a UTI is inflammation of either your urethra (urethritis) or your bladder (cystitis) – these types of UTIs are often classified as Lower Urinary Tract Infections (LUTIs) because the infection resides in the lower portion of your urinary system. Sometimes, when an infection becomes worse, it can spread into your kidneys (nephritis), which can be a serious condition – one that you should immediately consult with your physician on for treatment.

A UTI can develop from any number of reasons but the most common reason is the introduction of a foreign bacteria. This happens more frequently in women rather than men because the opening to the urethra is so close to the anus, so bacteria can find its way to the urethra and begin to proliferate if unchecked. Furthermore, having oral sex and intercourse can also irritate the urethra and provide bacteria opportunities to cultivate the sensitive tissue – therefore practicing proper cleanliness is vital (i.e. peeing immediately after sex, washing yourself, wiping from front to back, etc.).

For the purposes of this post, I will be discussing some remedies that I have found helpful for LUTIs.

If you have never had a UTI before, your first occurrence can be unsettling. Common symptoms include:

• Burning/pinching sensation upon urination

• Lower back and abdominal pain and pressure

• Chills or fever

• Urgency (meaning you do not feel relieved after peeing – and when you try again, only small amounts of urine is released)

• Dark, cloudy, or excessively strange/foul-smelling urine

• Tiredness and feeling shaky

When you first notice symptoms (or potential symptoms), immediately begin drinking a TON of water. You’ll feel like you have to urinate a lot, but that is what you want because you’re trying to flush the infection out.

My Go-To UTI protocol:

• Vitanica’s CranStat Extra (2 capsules every 2 hours for 2 days, then 2 capsules 2-4x/day for 2 weeks; 2 capsules daily for maintenance)

• D-Mannose (500 mg every 2 hours for 48 hours; then 500 mg 2-4x/day for 2 weeks; 1000 mg daily for maintenance)

• Nutrasporin gel (by 3rd Rock Essentials) directly on urethra opening after urination and/or after washing until symptoms subside (this helps to take the edge off of the discomfort too).

• Address underlying roots causes:

  • Do you have underlying food sensitivities that are predisposing you to UTIs?

  • Are you practicing proper toileting hygiene (i.e. wiping front to back)?

  • Are you practicing appropriate sex hygiene (urinating and cleaning before and after sex)?

  • Are you consuming a high oxalate diet that contributes to oxalate crystals in the urine?

  • Are you taking medications and/or supplements that may be contributing to UTIs?

  • Are you wearing breathable underwear and pants?

Helpful UTI Preventatives

Furthermore, you can support your membranes generally by drinking demulcent teas (licorice root (not appropriate if you have high blood pressure), marshmallow root, or slippery elm bark). These herbs are mucilaginous, meaning that they help promote mucous production. This is helpful with UTI prevention because it helps coat the internal membranes of the urethra where the infection is attempting to attach itself and spread further. By drinking a demulcent tea, you can further help flush the infection from your body by making your membranes more slippery.

I am also partial to using tinctures, which I know some people don’t like because they are concentrated herbs extracted in alcohol. However, I find them very helpful because they make the herbs far more potent than when used in teas, plus they are easier to take than drinking a whole bunch of tea. I like to use Uva Ursi tincture when I first start noticing discomfort. Uva Ursi has particular chemical components that help bind the infectious compounds of UTIs and excrete them through urination. I warn you, it has a VERY strong flavor, as the herb itself is very bitter. However, it is far more pleasant taking a quick swig of tincture than drinking a full 16 oz of very bitter-tasting tea! I use a standard dosage when I take this tincture (3 droppers at a time). You can take this amount up to 3x/day as needed; although I have found that when I take just one or two doses when I first notice symptoms, the UTI doesn’t fully develop and goes away. Please note: Uva Ursi tincture is meant to be for short-term use and should not be used longer than 2-weeks.

Apple cider vinegar is another excellent option for helping as a preventative against UTIs (amongst a number of other health benefits). You want to make sure you get RAW, UNFILTERED apple cider vinegar because the live culture does wonders for your overall health (and “apple cider” vinegars without the live culture are simply white vinegar with artificial colorings and flavors).

Having these strategies in your back pocket may help you from having to turn to antibiotics for UTI relief. Consider having these supports on hand so you can immediately utilize them if/when you start to experience UTI symptoms.

Hot Salad [pair with protein of choice!]

I get a lot of requests for quick and easy healthy meals, so I thought I would share one of my favorite go-to recipes: Hot Salad.

What, you may ask, is a hot salad? Well it’s essentially my fancy term for a leafy-greentastic stir fry.

Stir fries are a hot commodity in my home. We will almost always have one stir fry in some form at all times, but I confess we sometimes run out because it’s just so darn tasty!

The beauty of Hot Salads are the copious varieties that you can come up with, plus you can customize it to fit your palate and budget. I love the harvest time of the year because we are inundated with such a lush collection of fresh vegetables, so making a fresh, local, organic Hot Salad is that much easier! We will usually utilize whatever vegetables we happen to have on hand, as long as they all seem to pair well together.

We always attempt to eat seasonally when at all possible, so the Hot Salad pictured to the right reflects this week’s selection of local vegetables:

Eggplant, Onion, Yellow Zucchini Squash, Red and Black Cherry Tomatoes, Tuscan Kale, and Swiss Chard – oh, and of course garlic, Himalayan salt, and pepper to taste.

Is your mouth-watering yet?

Feel free to use whatever vegetables that you like or that you have on hand, as long as you feel like the flavors will all be a good match!

I usually cook by intuition, which makes following (and writing) recipes a little tricky. But one of the many benefits of Hot Salad is how easy it is to make – simply chop up the vegetables of choice, throw them in a wok or deep saute pan, and cook away! The most important thing to remember when making Hot Salad is to put vegetables in the pan in the correct order – for instance, you would not want to start your Salad with your leafy greens (which will cook quickly) and end with your starchier or crunchier vegetables like yams or broccoli that take longer to cook.

My rule of thumb when cooking a Hot Salad is to assess what vegetables you will be using, and then order them from toughest/starchiest to lightest/non-starchiest. For example, with the vegetables used for this recipe, I started with onions (in my world, you ALWAYS start with onions) with a little organic extra virgin coconut oil over medium heat. Once the onions were slightly translucent, I then added the eggplant with a little Bragg’s Liquid Amino Acids for flavor. I let that cook while I chopped and then added the yellow squash with a little  Raw Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV). You’ll notice as the Salad is cooking that as the harder veggies are softening, the newer, less-firm vegetables cook at a slightly quicker pace, and end up being cooked at relatively the same time as the first veggies you added.

Your leafy green vegetables will cook very quickly in comparison to your other vegetables, so I always throw them in right before the Salad is ready. In this case, I added the Tuscan Kale first (since it’s a little tougher than the chard), followed by the chard. If you’re cooking in a pan with a corresponding lid, I usually will pile my greens on top of the other veggies and cover for a couple of minutes to let them steam slightly; then I mix them in.

To top this Hot Salad off, I sliced my red and black cherry tomatoes in half, turned off the heat, and threw them in with the cooked vegetables, and let it all sit for a couple more minutes – enough time to let the tomatoes warm, but not enough that they would completely fall apart.
And voila! You have a delicious and nourishing meal that is easily paired with whatever protein you desire (as you can see, we may have been craving bacon when we made this last night).

Some other wonderful flavor options to enhance your Hot Salads are (but are not limited to) the following: curry powder, sage, rosemary, thyme, and basil. Play with your favorite spices and come up with your own unique and mouth-watering Hot Salad blends!

Frozen Non-Dairy "Ice Cream"

Who doesn’t like ice cream? I know that I happen to be one of those individuals who LOVES it! But even though I love it, I never feel super great after eating it – grogginess, fatigue, bloating, and “blah-ish” feelings tend to accompany my ice cream extravaganzas.

Does this sound familiar?

Unfortunately, even ice creams from quality sources tend to have an outrageous amount of sugar per serving – and let’s be honest, who is able to keep themselves from having more than one serving of a delicious ice cream treat? If you can, well then my hat goes off to you!

So what is one to do when you continually have cravings for your favorite frozen dessert, but you don’t want to eat all of that sugar? Well you make your own of course!

Amazingly, this recipe does not have dairy or any added sugar to it. Wait what? How is this possible for an ICE CREAM recipe? Well, let’s just say it’s not what you would call a “traditional” ice cream treat – but rather a healthy alternative that is easily customizable to accommodate your favorite flavor combos and – dare I say it – is even more delicious than its traditional counterpart (in my humble opinion).

Basic Recipe

For a great base recipe, all you need are some frozen green-tipped bananas. I usually will chop up and freeze several at a time to have some on hand for emergency cravings. You want to use green-tipped bananas because they have less sugar content compared with their more ripened stages, so if you’re going for less sugar, go for the green-tipped bananas.

This recipe is full of wonderful healthy fats, antioxidants, and blood sugar-regulating spices like cinnamon – not only will this recipe satisfy your ice cream craving, but it will also help regulate your blood sugar levels so that you can maintain an even blood sugar state (this will prevent you from experiencing the all too common sugar “high” and subsequent sugar “crash”).

Once you have your frozen bananas, you can let your creativity run wild – below is my favorite combination (at the moment), but feel free to include whatever flavors and tasty additions that strike your fancy!

Blue Banana Frozen Cream

·        1/2 green-tipped banana, frozen

·        1/4 cup blueberries, frozen or fresh (if in season)

·        1 spoonful almond butter or ~6 raw almonds

·        1 spoonful coconut butter (optional)

·        1 tsp. vanilla extract

·        1 tsp. or dash of cinnamon

·        1 cup full-fat coconut, hemp, or almond milk (add more or less depending on desired consistency)

Instructions: Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until creamy and smooth. Enjoy!