HEALTHextra STORY BY BAILEY HEMPHILL PHOTOGRAPHY BY MINORWHITESTUDIOS.COM
UTI’s
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144th & W Center Road (below Old Chicago) Omaha, NE (402)330-6158
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(402) 345-1350 • PrimaryHomeHealthCare.com
Have you ever had one of those days when you feel like you’re making more trips to the bathroom than usual? Do you feel a burning sensation when you try to urinate? These are almost always tell-tale signs of a urinary tract infection, which at least 50 percent of women develop at some point during their life. A urinary tract infection (UTI) is a bacterial infection that begins in the urinary system (composed of the kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra) after germs enter the system through the urethra, the tube that carries urine from your bladder to the outside of your body. The germs that usually cause these infections live in your large intestine and are found in your stool; and if they get inside the urethra, they can travel up into the bladder and cause an infection. An infection limited to the bladder can be painful and annoying, but it becomes more serious if it’s ignored and the infection spreads to the kidneys. Some of the symptoms associated with a UTI include: pain or burning during urination; tender or heavy-feeling belly; cloudy or smelly urine; pain on one side of your back under your ribs; fever and chills; and in more serious cases, nausea and vomiting. Women are at greater risk of developing UTIs than men because they have shorter urethras, so it’s easier for germs to move up into their bladders. Dr. Kristin Rooney, a urogynecologist at the Methodist Physicians Clinic Women’s Continence Center, says women between the age of 20 and 30 are typically more likely to get UTIs than other age group. Women who are sexually active, diabetic, pregnant or menopausal can also be more susceptible to infection. Most doctors can diagnose a urinary tract infection just by the common symptoms, but occasionally they will take urine samples to run a laboratory analysis. Although these tests cannot differentiate whether the infection is in the bladder or the kidneys, a fever and back pain on one side may indicate the infection has reached the kidneys. Rooney says, “Home remedies are not recommended for the treatment of a UTI since antibiotics work best, but we do sometimes suggest pure cranberry juice and cranberry pills as home prevention.” Studies have shown that cranberry juice is an effective agent in prevention of urinary tract infections because it keeps the urine an acid PH. So, what else can you do to keep yourself from being infected? According to Rooney, the best ways to keep from getting a UTI is to drink plenty of water and empty your bladder often.
38 HER • AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2010 • WWW.READONLINENOW.COM