Natural Approaches to Bladder Infections...the Wise Woman Way........

Step 1: Collect Information
Bladder infections are also known as cystitis, urethritis, and UTIs (urinary tract infections). When bacteria grow in the bladder, the resulting infection usually causes symptoms such as: a burning sensation during voiding, overwhelming urgency, frequent but minuscule urinations, incontinence, bloody urine, and pelvic pain. Up to 25 percent of bladder infections in post- menopausal women are silent or symptomless.

Bacteria enter the bladder in three primary ways: when feces are spread to the bladder opening (such as wiping from back to front after toileting), when the tube leading to the bladder is irritated or bruised (as from use of a diaphragm, pelvic surgery, or prolonged/vigorous vaginal penetration), or when there is an in-dwelling catheter.

The thinning and shrinking of reproductive and bladder tissues that may occur in the post- menopausal years contributes to bladder infections in older women, as does lessening of vaginal acidity.

Sometimes tiny ulcerations appear in the wall of the bladder; this is called interstitial cystitis (IC). Some of the remedies in this section are contraindicated for women with interstitial cystitis.

These remedies are substantially the same ones that delighted and aided the readers of my first book: Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year.

Step 2: Engage the Energy
• Flow, flow, flow. Head off that bladder infection by drinking a glass of water hourly as soon as you feel the first urgency or burning. It is tempting to stint on drinking if you find yourself unexpectedly incontinent, but don’t. Bladder infections only make incontinence worse.
• Urine is ideally neutral to slightly acidic (pH 5.8–pH 7). Very acidic urine (below pH 5.5) encourages infections. An established infection gives rise to alkaline urine (pH 7.5 or higher), which causes stinging and burning. Test your urine with pH paper at any time except first thing in the morning. Cranberry juice lowers pH; vitamin C raises it.
• Cantharis is a homeopathic remedy for scalding urine.

Step 3: Nourish and Tonify
• Cranberries (Vaccinium macrocarpon) contain substances that kill bacteria and make your bladder wall so slippery that any escaping bacteria can’t latch on and thrive there. Unsweetened cranberry juice (or concentrate) is the most effective form. (The sugar or corn syrup in cranberry cocktail-type juices and cran-apple juices can feed the infection.) Drink freely, at least a glass a day, up to a quart/liter a day for acute infections unless your urine’s pH is already low.
• Pelvic floor exercises help prevent and relieve bladder infections, too! Try this one: After urinating, close your eyes, relax, breathe out, and see if you can squeeze out an extra dribble.
• An overgrowth of vaginal yeast may be irritating your bladder or urethra. Eat one cup of plain yogurt 4-5 times a week.

Sorting Nutmegs ©Lisa Herrera

Step 4: Stimulate/Sedate
• Uva Ursi (Arctostaphylos uva ursi) is an old favorite for strengthening the bladder and ending chronic silent bladder infections. I prefer a hot water infusion of the dried leaves, but know women who have successfully used cold water infusions, tinctures, even vinegars. A dose is 1 cup/125 ml of infusion; 10-30 drops of tincture; 1 tablespoonful/15 ml of vinegar; 3–6 times a day initially, then 1–3 times a day for 7–10 days. In very chronic cases, eliminate all forms of sugar (even fresh fruit, fruit juice, and honey) for a month as well.
• Yarrow is a urinary disinfectant with a powerful antibacterial action and an astringent effect. A small cup of the infusion, once or twice a day for 7–10 days, tones up weak, lax bladder tissues. Combines well with uva ursi. Results may be felt within hours.
• In my experience, Echinacea purpurea and E. augustifolia are as effective as antibiotics in clearing bladder infections and do not contribute to vaginal yeast. (See Step 5b.) A dose is 1 drop echinacea tincture per 2 pounds/1 kilo body weight. (For 150 pound/70 kilo person, use 75 drops or three dropperfuls.) In acute cases, I give the dose every 2 hours. As the infection clears, I lengthen the amount of time between doses until I’m down to 1–2 doses a day, which I continue for another 2–10 weeks.
• Women who wash their vulva with soap and water are four times more likely to get vaginal and bladder infections. Douches, bubblebaths, tampons, nylon underwear, and pantyhose may also irritate the urethra and contribute to bladder infections.
• Known bladder irritants include: alcohol, black tea, coffee, sodas, citrus juices, chocolate, cayenne, and hot peppers. (An herbal tincture in an alcohol base won’t irritate the bladder if you take it diluted in a glass of water or a cup of herb tea.)
• Urinating after love play flushes out bacteria and cuts down on UTIs. Urinating before love play increases your risk of a bladder infection.

Step 5a: Use Supplements
• Ascorbic acid wrings the kidneys, flushes the bladder, and raises urinary pH. Try 500 mg hourly for 6–8 hours. CAUTION: IC sufferers — avoid!
• Be careful about taking calcium supplements if you are prone to bladder infections. Calcium supplements increase bacterial adherence to the bladder wall, increasing bladder infections.

Step 5b: Use Drugs
Antibiotics are the standard medical treatment for women with bladder infections. But taking antibiotics frequently causes vaginal yeast overgrowth (which can lead to bladder infection). One — nitrofurantoin (Macrodantin) — seems to cause microscopic scarring and ulceration of the bladder wall, precipitating IC.

Step 6: Break and Enter
Dilation of the urethra is expensive, painful, and causes tiny scars on the urethra, which may lead to interstitial cystitis. I have seen it referred to as “the rape of the female urethra”. No controlled study has shown this procedure to be effective at limiting chronic bladder infections. Do pelvic floor exercises instead.

Green blessings, Susun Weed

Susun Weed's forthcoming book: Down There:  Sexual and Reproductive Health the Wise Woman Way is coming soon!!


Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year

Now in its 24th printing. A confirmed favorite with pregnant women, midwives, childbirth educators, and new parents. Packed with clear, comforting, and superbly helpful information.

Beginning with the two months before pregnancy, herbs are enlisted to provide safe, effective birth control, or to help ensure pregnancy, even in the most difficult of situations. A special list of teratogens, including herbs to avoid before pregnancy, is included, as is a section on herbs to improve the father's fertility and reduce the risk of birth defects.

Once pregnancy has occurred, herbs are safe and beneficial allies in reducing the distress of pregnancy, including hemorrhoids, high blood pressure, morning sickness, emotional changes, anemia, muscle cramps, bladder infections, and preclampsia. Tasty recipes and clear directions make use easy and fun.

Herbs take a starring role in labor and delivery -- whether initiating labor, increasing energy, diminishing pain, or staunching postpartum bleeding -- and in postpartum care of the mother's perineum, breasts, and emotions, and the infants umbilicus, skin, scalp, digestive system, and immune system.

Humorous, tender, and detailed, this classic text is supported by illustrations, references, resource lists, glossary, and index.  Includes herbs for fertility and birth control.   Foreword by Jeannine Parvati Baker.

http://www.susunweed.com/
http://www.wisewomanbookshop.com/

Vaginal Health the Wise Woman Way........

The vagina is a muscular, mucus-lined passage that connects a woman’s outer genitals with her uterus. When we speak of sexual penetration, it is the vagina—not the cervix, the part of the uterus which projects into the vagina, or the uterus itself—that is penetrated. During sexual arousal, the vagina lengthens, opens, and raises a sensitive bump called the G spot.

For thousands of years, men have perpetuated the belief that the vagina is an inert, hollow receptacle which can be penetrated and filled at their will and whim. But tens of thousands of years ago, when women told the stories, the vagina was honored. (And a universe of thanks to Eve Ensler for The Vagina Monologues which has, at least, made it acceptable to say the word “vagina.”)

This vagina, it goes without need of saying one would wish, is alive and sensitive. It is responsive and inherently capable of letting its wishes and desires be known. The vagina, and its health or lack thereof, is deeply connected to a woman’s sense of safety.

Modern women are trained to view their vaginas as dirty and smelly. That’s another misconception. A healthy vagina has a pleasant odor, a slightly sour taste, and is naturally “self-cleaning.” A healthy vagina secretes clear or milky fluids which protect the delicate vaginal tissues. These fluids are heavier and more slippery during ovulation.

The vagina contains health-promoting micro-organisms, as well as microbes that can overgrow and cause symptoms. In the healthy vagina, glucose exuded from the blood serum is eaten by vaginal flora and metabolized into lactic acid. This acidifies the vagina, promoting healthy flora and depressing the disrupters. If there is too much glucose or too few flora, the acidity of the vagina is compromised and infection—from inherent organisms or transmitted organisms—is likely. For health, wash your vaginal area only with plain water, or very dilute vinegar, not soap, which is alkaline.

Antibiotics and antibacterial agents including antibacterial soaps and essential oils kill protective vaginal micro-organisms. Taking antibiotics doubles the risk of developing a vaginal infection.

Celibacy, lesbianism, and double monogamy are life-style choices that cut down on the number of infectious organisms introduced into the vagina. But nuns, lesbians, and monogamous women can still get vaginal infections.

Vaginal Problems

There are at least thirty different bacteria, fungi, and parasites that can cause infections in the vagina. Some live naturally in the vagina, some are introduced through intimate contact, some can be acquired without sexual contact, as well. Many vaginal infections cause discharges, itching, and inflammation. But several are virtually symptomless and can progress to pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), which leaves half of infected women sterile.

The vaginal tissues are sensitive to estrogen and stress hormones. When the estrogen mix changes at puberty, menopause, during pregnancy, and throughout the menstrual cycle, the vagina responds, sometimes with pain, dryness, and eventually, infections.

If the vaginal environment becomes alkaline, or if the tissues receive too much sugar, or if antibiotics kill beneficial flora, then a variety of micro-organisms which live in the vagina, such candida and gardnerella, overgrow and cause an infection. These innate infections make it much easier for other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)—including gonorrhea, syphilis, trich, and herpes—to take hold. Frequently, several organisms overgrow together, causing multiple concurrent infections. In a European study, thirty percent of the women diagnosed with trich also had a gonorrhea infection.

Things that alkalinize the vagina are listed below, along with remedies to help re-acidify. Vaginal infections generally cause irritation and burning of the vulva as well as the vagina—in some cases, the thighs too. The severe alkalinity and highly increased volume of the vaginal fluids produced during an infection can burn the tissues, like when your nose runs during a cold and leaves the area under it raw and red.

Less common, but more dangerous, is vaginal cancer, of special concern to DES daughters. And a few women will have vaginal ulcers or Bartholin gland cysts, painful blockages at the entrance to the vagina.

These can make the vagina more alkaline and more susceptible to infections:

■Birth control pills

■Menopausal and postmenopausal hormone therapy

■Hormonal changes preceding menstruation

■Menstrual fluids

■Pregnancy

■Locia (the flow that follows childbirth)

■Male ejaculate, including sperm and seminal fluids

■Diabetes, high blood sugar

■Antibiotics

■Unusual stress, even positive stress

■Bubblebath

■Washing your vagina with soap

■Anything that allows feces into the vagina

■Douching regularly

■Feminine hygiene sprays

■Artificial sweeteners, diet sodas

■Raw fruit, fruit juices

These restore healthy acidity to the vagina:

■Yogurt orally and vaginally

■Acidophilus inserted in the vagina

■Ascorbic acid inserted in the vagina

■Meditation

■Sitz bath, finger bath, or douche with:

2 tblspns/30 ml of white vinegar in one qt/ltr of water, or 1 cup hydrogen peroxide in 3 cups/750 ml water, or

2 tblspns/30 ml of Betadine solution in one qt/ltr water

Note: Betadine is iodine; it dries out vaginal tissues.

■Sitz bath, finger bath, or douche with astringent herbs



Susun Weed's forthcoming book Down There: Sexual and Reproductive Health the Wise Woman Way is coming soon!!

To learn more about Susun Weed please visit http://www.susunweed.com/.

Please visit our bookstore: http://www.wisewomanbookshop.com/ for the entire Wise Woman Herbal series as well as a collection of other wonderful books, cd's, videos and much more.

Susun will be at the 19th Annual Women of Wisdom Conference.......

Susun will be at the 19th Annual Women of Wisdom Conference Feb 17-21, 2011. Please visit: http://ping.fm/4WpAt

Susun will be a guest speaker at The Institute of Holistic Midwifery.......

Susun will be a guest speaker at The Institute of Holistic Midwifery 12/7, for students only. For more info on IHM: http://ping.fm/18QW7

Did you miss Susun Weed on the Menopause Teleseminar last night.......

Did you miss Susun Weed on the Menopause Teleseminar last night? Susun's answers to your questions. Replay link here: http://ping.fm/gKbeq

Tonight! 12/1 Susun answers your menopause questions......

Tonight! 12/1 Susun answers your Menopause questions via Teleseminar with Lela Bryan and Rosalyn Adams! 6:30pm Pacific http://ping.fm/agH2S

19th Annual Women of Wisdom Conference......

http://ping.fm/1HXaw



February 17 - 21, 2011
Held at North Seattle Community College

Susun Weed
Presents Baba Yaga's Bag, Friday, Feb. 18th, 7:00pm - 10pm

Saturday, Feb. 19th, 2011 10:00am - 4:30pm

Susun Weed Workshop for women
Sexual and Reproductive Health the Wise Woman Way

We all have a down there – sometimes it’s a pleasure; sometimes it’s a pain. Susun Weed has spent the past three years listening to those down there parts that please and pester us. In this intensive she will share the fruits of her research, with a special emphasis on the parts YOU are most interested in.

For more information go to

http://ping.fm/L4Ix3