Cystitis

Cystitis is inflammation of the bladder. It is usually caused by a bacterial infection that enters the bladder via the urethra. More women than men suffer from this condition because the female urethra is shorter and closer to the bowel than it is for men.

The bowel is a site for many bacteria which cause no problems for the bowel but can cause an infection when these bacteria are transferred to the urinary system.

The symptoms and signs of cystitis are:

constant urge to pass urine,
painful, burning sensation when passing urine,
fever,
dull backache, and
cloudy or blood stained urine.
What you can do to help

Take 1g of vitamin C daily as a natural diuretic and immune system boost.

Take a good multivitamin and mineral supplement.

Drink plenty of water to flush the system.

Eat live yoghurt or acidophilus to balance the body's bacteria. It is particularly important to take these if you have had a course of antibiotics prescribed so that the natural healthy bacteria can be re-established in the bowel.

Drink cranberry juice daily which will discourage bacteria from sticking to the wall of the bladder and urinary tract. It both treats and prevents the condition.

Garlic is able to act as a natural antibiotic and can assist in the treatment of the condition.

Following defecation take care not to take bacteria from the bowel region of the body and put them near the urinary region of the body. Bacteria that are harmless in the bowel region can cause infections in the urinary tract.

If the condition is left untreated it can develop into an infection in the kidneys. It is important to avoid this.