C.D. asks from Salt Lake City, UT on August 06, 2008
Holistic/Alternative Approaches for Treating Urinary Tract Infections
My 12 month old daughter has been on antibiotics since she was 3 months old to help prevent UTI's. She was hospitalized just before she turned 3 months old for a severe fever/infection. This led us to learn that she has fairly severe problems with her renal system- duplex kidneys and reflux from her bladder to her kidneys- so when she gets a UTI the infection can travel to her kidneys very easily. When she was little it made sense to me to keep her on the antibiotics because her body was more fragile, but now that she's older I would like to look at some other options. I have heard about a product called D-Mannose that is a natural alternative to antibiotics and can be used for prevention and also for treatment. Has anyone had experience with this product or does anyone have other suggestions. Thanks.
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L.S. answers from Dover on August 07, 2008
Cranberry JUICE not cocktail. My girls 2 & 4 only get Ocean Spray 100% juice. They make it with blueberries, grapes, pomegrante and apples too. No sugar added just fruit juices. My family swears by this stuff. My older daughter had UTI when she was 2 and we had been out of the juice a week or two before hand. I now buy it on sale 5 at a time.
J.C. answers from Washington DC on August 07, 2008
I am prone to UTIs and what has worked best for me is cranberry pills taken with water (or 100% cranberry juice) and eating lots of blueberries. Blueberries actually are the best fighter, but it's kind of hard to find blueberry juice or pills.
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J.C. answers from Richmond on August 08, 2008
I have used a doctor for 14 years who is an MD and is also a homeopathic practitioner and uses nutritional supplements, etc. He cured my chronic UTI that all the urologists had said was incurable and their medicine just made it worse.
I've also used him to treat my daughters who have many food allergies and ear infections. He's made life so much better for them and was the one who figured out the source of their problems. He's very bright, experienced and very up to date on clinical research, etc.
His name is Dr. Mitch Fleisher and his website is www.alternativemedcare.com and his number is ###-###-####. You can visit him in person sometimes and sometimes do phone appointments. He has patients from all over the nation. It can take several months to get an appointment. Once you're a patient, they'll take care of after hours care, too.
Hope this helps -
J. (mom of 2)
1 mom found this helpful
T.B. answers from Norfolk on August 07, 2008
Hi! Sorry to hear of your little ones infections. When my youngest was suffering from recurring ear infections my mom introduced me to Silverbiotics. I remember reading somewhere in the paperwork that the healthfood store gave her with it, that it is good for all types of infections. Here is the website for the company that makes it in case you want to check it out: http://www.silverbiotics.com/index.html
M.C. answers from Washington DC on August 07, 2008
Hi.
I've heard that drinking cranberry juice is good for that.
Some other ideas (you may have heard before):
- wearing loose clothing. Let the area breathe alot, so consider having her wear light weight pjs/outfits.
- Perhaps changing the type of diaper you use? I used LUVS a few times and noticed that the outer covering was more plastic like and less breathable then Huggies or Pampers. I personally prefer Pampers.
- changing the type of baby wipes you use?
- when changing diapers wipe front to back. Use the wipes in the front area only once.
- Don't use baby powder.
- Give her showers instead of baths.
M.
Y.L. answers from Richmond on August 07, 2008
Please be careful with a soy diet. To some people it can be more harmful than helpful. Cranberry juice of course would help if used on a regular basis. Yogurt like other people have said. But if none of these work, I suggest trying acupuncture. They have tiny needles for kids or they can just do acupressure instead. Of course it will take at least a couple of months to see real results, so you can do cranberry juice and yogurt in the meantime and wipe only front-to-back which I'm sure you are doing anyways. But acupressure/acupuncture would be a good long term solution.
J.Z. answers from Washington DC on August 07, 2008
Hi C.,
I have five children, 3 girls and my 13 year old and 5 year old use to get UTI's all the time. I keep them on a soy diet, since they both are lactose intolerant. I also recommend a multivitamin. I give both of them Vita Lea from Shaklee and Flavomax which is a grapeseed and pumpkin seed extract to help fight off infections.
J. Z.
Independent Shaklee Distributor
www.shaklee.net/Z.
J.C. answers from Washington DC on August 07, 2008
I am prone to UTIs and what has worked best for me is cranberry pills taken with water (or 100% cranberry juice) and eating lots of blueberries. Blueberries actually are the best fighter, but it's kind of hard to find blueberry juice or pills.
E.K. answers from Washington DC on August 07, 2008
While I know that cranberries work well, one writer is correct in that many, not all, contain lots of sugar, which is what triggers them for me. Juices, sodas, breads, cereals, etc. You can get some organic cranberries from stores and mix it in a blender/processor with natural applesauce. You could try to find a chewable cranberry supplement, Melaleuca makes one called Cranbarrier, which works well. Lok at Melaleuca.com or e-mail me to get more information: ____@____.com
N.B. answers from Washington DC on August 07, 2008
Hi, C., I can certainly understand your concern over long term use of antibiotics!Melaleuca manufactures a product called CranBarrier. Folks get great results! All of their products are made with health, safety, and prevention in mind. You can check out melaleuca.com; saferforyourhome.com; and http://www.thewhycircle.com/nkboecker. Good luck! N. B.
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