What are Home Remedies for a Bladder Infection?

I think this article makes some very good suggestions. However, there is one thing that bothers me about it. My 27 year old son is currently ill with a UTI. He is starting to pass small flecks of something in his urine, too. My daughters and I have all had UTIs on several occasions. However, neither my husband nor my other three sons has ever had anything resembling a UTI. None of the four of them is circumcised.

If someone looks at the medical literature, they will see that it is not just a fluke that the uncircumcised males in my family have never had UTIs, while the rest of my family has. The only large studies that suggest that circumcision decreases the rates of UTI were done on newborns, and there have been many others, who actually did a much better job of controlling variables, which did not suggest that circumcision prevented UTI in newborns. Most of the literature from the rest of the industrialized world, where circumcision is rare or unheard of, makes it clear that UTI in male infants is extremely rare, except in those who are born with a urinary tract malformation.

For this article to suggest to American men that circumcision protects them from a UTI is very irresponsible! I wonder how many men who have the symptoms let it go, for days, under a false sense of security, when they actually have a condition that needs immediate treatment! A UTI in males, especially recurrent UTIs, suggests that there is something more going on, including kidney disease and bladder cancer.

Please remove the suggestion that circumcision prevents UTI, and leave everything else! --Darillyn L.

I fully believe that cranberry extract pills are the best of the bladder infection remedies. I recently had the symptoms of a urinary tract infection, and after taking these pills for a week, my symptoms disappeared.

The bottle recommended taking two a day, so I took two every morning. I drank mostly water and avoided caffeinated beverages and sugary sodas.

Within seven days, my frequent urge to pee had gone away, as had the burning and cramping. I didn't feel nauseated anymore, and I really could not tell that I had even been sick earlier in the week.

I've also heard that you should pee as often as you feel the need. When I have a bladder infection, I feel like I have to go badly every half hour, so I do. Every time I pee, I flush out some of the bacteria that is causing the infection, and I continue to drink plenty of water so that I can do the flush all day long.

@bigmetal – I have a kidney disease, and I used to think that I had to see a doctor for antibiotics, because I was led to believe this was the only bladder infection cure. I was surprised to learn that with enough water and cranberry juice, I could kick the infection on my own.

The trick is to drink the cranberry juice that has no added sugar. Sugar can make things worse for you.

Also, it never hurts to take some cranberry extract pills for extra help. I feel like the more cranberry stuff I put into my system, the better chance I have of beating the infection.

These are all good bladder infection home remedies. I have a couple more supplemental remedies to add, though I do agree that it is best to use the ones mentioned in the article primarily.

Eating yogurt is great, because its acidity helps fight off the bacteria. Eating fresh pineapple is also helpful for the same reason. I enjoy eating pineapple on top of vanilla yogurt for a double shot remedy.

In regards to post 3, regardless of what docs would have you believe not all "bladder infections" are caused by bacteria. I had a doc tell me that I must have come in to get antibiotics to sell because I had no bacteria in my urine and all the classic symptoms.

I can assure you that it was real and quite painful but after no antibiotics and taking a good laxative for the constipation I was also experiencing, (also, not addressed by the doc.) both conditions were relieved and I now know to try cranberry juice and a good laxative before running off to a doc who also is playing judge and jury. Don't be so sure that something besides the medical answer won't work.

I have found that D-Mannose has been the best remedy for me. I have suffered from UTIs for years and finally found D-Mannose. You can pick it up at any health food store. All it is is a simple sugar that is found in cranberries, grapefruit, and bark from a birch tree in Europe. It is safe for pregnant women and also diabetics. Any time I feel a twinge of a uti coming on I use it and it clears up quickly. It only costs around 30.00, which is a heck of a lot better than a doctor visit and the medicine cost. Plus it is shown to be totally safe. Hope this helps all of you who suffer like I do.

I am with the above poster! My husband has lost two jobs in the past year and my job doesn't offer medical insurance. There is no way that we can afford a doctor visit right now, but I am suffering so badly right now. From all the research I've done, it seems like I've been lucky not to have ever had this before as a woman since they are apparently so common!

The bladder infection/UTI hit me literally out of the blue yesterday morning and drinking a ton of water seemed to help, but now at 5 a.m., I am up and suffering horribly again. I am going to have to try the oil of oregano thing!

I had an infection that just wouldn't go away about a year ago and went through three different antibiotics that wouldn't help. So I went to a health food store and pleaded for some help. With that the lady suggested oil of oregano.

Not only did this work but I have never used antibiotics for any cold/flu or anything else as the oil of oregano kills all the germs that antibiotics do without all the side effects and becoming immune to the benefits. This is now our main germ killer.

Isn't it the case though that these things are great for alleviating symptoms but don't actually cure the infection? So you still need antibiotics to be assured that the infection is gone.

I just wanted to say thank you to the helpful and gracious people who have entered the information on this web page. During this difficult time in our economy, many families whom have always had medical insurance find ourselves without it. Normally I would have simply popped into the doctor's office for a culture and been given a prescription for antibiotics as well as medicine for the horrible symptoms associated with a bladder infection.

As my family has found themselves without medical insurance, we simply cannot afford an office visit. I thank you again for your help.

lots and lots of water and cranberry juice seems to always do the trick in my family! if you have an infant or young child, you should have them checked by their pediatrician for a congenital issue that may interfere with the drainage of the urine. they usually grow out of it, but some kids are more prone to UTIs, which can lead to kidney infection.