Cause of Urinary Tract Infection: The Alternative Medicine Perspective

There is no disagreement between eastern and western medicine that bacteria are the likely cause of urinary tract infection. However, this still does not explain why some people get recurrent urinary tract infections and others have constant urinary problems despite not having any known infection. Naturopathic and Chinese medicine may be able to lend some insight into these mysteries, the origins and prevention of these conditions.

Many women have frequent urinary tract infections despite maintaining proper hygiene. This often results in the repeated use of antibiotics to address the assumed cause of urinary tract infection. In many cases, antibiotics are prescribed without even doing a urinalysis. In fact, in my practice, recurrent urinary tract "infections" is the most common reason for repeated prescription of antibiotics in young women. It has now been discovered that in many cases, the supposed infection was actually a hypersensitivity to a common condom lubricant.

It is thus always important to determine the actual cause of urinary tract infection. Some women who have a condition called interstitial cystitis are misdiagnosed with urinary tract infections and then mistreated with repeated rounds of antibiotics. Interstitial cystitis may actually be an autoimmune disease, which may be aggravated by the disruption of the intestinal flora and digestion often caused by antibiotics. In addition, recent research indicates that overuse of antibiotics also correlates with increased incidence of breast cancer. So unless one has a demonstrable infection, it is usually ill advised to take antibiotics.

The reasons for recurrent infection get to the root cause of urinary tract infection. There are all kinds of normal bacteria that live on the surface of the body and in the mucosal membranes of tissues like the mouth, rectum and vagina. In addition, these areas of the body are easily susceptible to pathogenic bacteria from external sources. Under normal circumstances, these microorganisms are held in balance or never take root. However if the immune system is compromised through diet, stress, toxins, etc., the delicate balance can change rapidly. Repeated use of antibiotics actually can be a cause of urinary tract infection by altering this ecology on a regular basis.

If an actual cause of urinary tract infection can be demonstrated to be bacterial, antibiotic treatment is indicated. However, a trained Chinese herbalist should be able to treat the infection reliably with antibacterial herbs in many cases. In Chinese medicine, urinary tract infectionns are usually given the diagnosis of damp heat. Many of the Chinese herbs that have been classified as effective in "damp heat" have been shown by modern research to have distinct antibacterial effects.

You should also seek professional advice about the use of probiotics during and after antibiotic therapy. Probiotics are the "good" bacteria that live in the gut and make a vital contribution to nutrition and immune competency. This will prevent side effects from the antibiotics, including yeast infections. But more importantly, the use of probiotics may also prevent a cause of urinary tract infection in the future. Chinese medicine would also advocate the avoidance of foods that produce damp heat such as alcohol, sugar, refined flour and, in general, anything that is greasy or sweet.

Todd Luger, Licensed Acupuncturist and Herbalist, has 14 years of clinical experience in Chinese Medicine, focused on chronic pain and illness, has been a professor of Herbology and Clinical Medicine at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine since 2000, and is director of the Chinese Herb Academy. You can read more of his articles on PulseMed.org, at the Chinese Herb Academy, or on his Health Weblog.