A urinary tract infection (UTI) is a common condition affecting your kidney, ureter (tube that leads from your kidney to your bladder) or bladder. Symptoms of a UTI include a burning pain upon urination, the frequent need to urinate and bacteria or blood in your urine. According to Discovery Health, a UTI is responsible for 10 million office visits in the United States and $1 billion in health-care costs annually. If you suffer from a UTI, there are ways to treat it without a prescription.
Step 1
Drink six to eight glasses of water a day. According to Discovery Health, this will help rid your system of the bacteria causing your urinary tract infection.
Step 2
Avoid alcohol, caffeine and soda containing caffeine and citrus, the Mayo Clinic says. These beverages can irritate your bladder and make your symptoms of urinary tract infection worse.
Step 3
Try to urinate every two to three hours. Discovery Health states that this may help clean your urinary tract of bacteria.
Step 4
Take vitamin C supplements and drink cranberry juice in order to make your urine more acidic. The acidity can destroy your bacteria and treat your urinary tract infection.
Step 5
Apply a heating pad to your lower flank region as this may help relieve your symptoms.
Things You'll Need
- Water
- Vitamin C supplements
- Cranberry juice
- Heating pad
