Recurring Burning Bladder Pain
Recognizing the Problem
Urinary tract infection (UTI), bladder infections, or
chronic cystitis: at some point in their lives most women have this
experience. It can be triggered by a variety of things; infection,
thinning of the vaginal walls, too enthusiastic sex, or in the olden
days -- chastity belts. I have heard that in the Middle Ages, noble
women would through themselves off of the parapet walls to escape
the pain. I don’t know if it is true or not, but there have been
times in my life when it sure made a lot of sense to me! Where is a
castle when you need one?
I think I have tried everything from Penicillin,
sulfa and other antibiotics, thru herbals including oregano and sage
oil, to colloidal silver, and all the relevant homeopathic remedies.
I have drunk bottles of unsweetened cranberry juice to control the
symptoms. I joked with my then husband that unsweetened cranberry
juice tastes like battery acid. He looked perplexed, and asked if I
had ever tasted battery acid? I said, no. He said, well that is how
it tastes! What we will go through!
An Alternative
If you have not found a solution to re-occurring
burning bladder pain, and conventional medicine sees no cause it can
cure, there is one more option you can try. Conventional research
has determined that something in cranberry juice appears to coat the
bacteria in the bladder to keep painful infections from
re-establishing themselves. It feels like Teflon coating, shielding
that little organ from irritants. Many microbes live in our bodies,
most friendly, a few not. We bring a bladder infection under
control. Success! Next thing we know, one little germ hiding
somewhere re-ignites a new conflagration. Even following
instructions to the letter, medications can become less effective
over time. Now the magic bullet only maims, it does no longer kills.
This can create a really desperate feeling! What is left to try?
Using D-Mannose
A key extract of cranberry juice is D-Mannose. You
can buy this ingredient in capsules, either pure or with other
helpful herbs, in your favorite health food store. The brand I use
(NOW by GMP) has 500 mg capsules of straight D-Mannose. The
recommended dosage is three capsules, 2 to 3 times per day.
Definitely start out with 3. If this solution is going to work for
you, you will feel the difference with in 20 minutes. After my first
bottle, I found I could use this just 3 capsules at night. Now, I go
for months. If I start to feel burning, I take three. That is
usually enough. As the vaginal walls thin with age, you may become
more prone to bladder pain. Take three right after sex.
Considerations
D-Mannose is a fruit sugar. Each capsule of 500 mg
contains ½ gram of sugar. (Read the label on the product you are
considering.) This is something to be aware of if sugar is an issue
for you.
Cranberries aren’t cheap, neither is this. Plan on
paying between $23.00 and $30.00 for a bottle of 120 capsules, which
is 40 doses. One bottle of D-Mannose is good for 10 to 20 days of
relief. This is probably less expensive than a bottle of unsweetened
cranberry juice per day. Of course being pain-free can be priceless!
|