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Bladder Health ~ How to Get It and Maintain It

By: Caroline Sutherland

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To pee or not to pee is the question on many post menopausal women’s minds. When we were younger, we could hold on for hours without emptying our bladders. Now it’s different. We “go” before we leave home. We go at our first appointment and we even have to go in the middle of the night!

Men have urinary tract problems too. They could be suffering from an enlarged prostate gland which presses on the urethra affecting their urine flow or stream.

Sometimes, bacteria builds up in the bladder causing inflammation at the neck of the urethra. This narrows the top of the urinary tract where it connects to the bladder, so that voiding is not complete, leaving a few tablespoons of urine behind. Then the heat of your body warms up this small amount of urine and bacteria forms.  This causes the feeling of urgency or frequency. Sometimes, it can even lead to a full blown bladder infection.

Strategies:

• Reduce sugar consumption; this reduces bacteria formation
• Drink more water
• Drink 2 ounces of unsweetened cranberry juice 2 x a day
• Take cranberry capsules or bladder herbs like juniper or buchu.
• See you doctor and get a prescription for estradiol or estriol cream. This can strengthen the urinary tract wall and prevent bacteria from creeping up the urethra. Vagifem is an estrogen insert or Estring containing a low dose of timed release estrogen can help strengthen tissue.
• Sex, oral sex, and using a vibrator can irritate delicate urinary tract tissue. Void immediately after having sex. Drink more water and use bladder herbs if this becomes uncomfortable. Acidify the urine with high doses of vitamin C 3 x a day for a few days.
• Eradicate Candida yeast – a major cause of bladder issues.
• See you doctor if a bladder problem or infection persists beyond three days.

A Home Bladder Remedy

This remedy was given to me years ago by Dr. Jim MacKimmie, author of

In Presence of Angels (Knowing Heart Press). Jim’s a wonderful chiropractor and healer who’s a fount of old-time wisdom. The concoction below has proverbially saved my bacon on a number of occasions if I’ve been on the verge of having a bladder infection. It seems a very odd remedy but it works like a charm. Onions have well-known anti-bacterial properties.

• Take four jumbo (must be jumbo) yellow cooking onions
• Cut in quarters
• Drop into 2 quarts of briskly boiling water
• Boil for 20 minutes or until the onions are soft
• Discard the onions
• Drink the juice – 3 cups immediately and the balance of the liquid throughout the day or the next day. Naturally sweet and pleasant tasting.

On a higher level, bladders represent holding on to fear. Some would say anger and of course that’s part of fear, but many times I find that when people are going through turbulent periods in their life, they are on edge, frozen in fear. This emotion can precipitate a bladder infection or problem. Drinking plenty of fluids to keep urine flowing is part of detoxification.

All of these strategies are mention in my latest book:
The Body Knows – How to Stay Young

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