Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)
What is a Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)?
When healthy, a person will expel urine from the body several times a day without incident. The kidneys process waste from the body and filter it through themselves to the urinary bladder, which then releases it through the act of urination. The urinary system, which is considered in the Western world to consist of the kidneys, the tubes that connect the kidneys to the bladder (known as the ureters), the bladder, and the tube that passes the urine from the bladder to outside the body (known as the urethra); will fight off bacteria and other pathogens on a regular basis.
However, there are times when bacteria succeed in entering through the urethra and multiply to the point that they infect the system. Most infections happen in the urethra and urinary bladder, but sometimes it infects the ureters or the kidneys as well. A kidney infection tends to be a much more serious condition than infection of the bladder or urethra.
Symptoms of a UTI include a burning sensation when urinating, cloudy or bloody urine, a fever, pain in the abdomen, and a persistent need to urinate. Women are more likely to get a UTI than men, and some women are cited as being susceptible to experiencing them throughout their lives.
Western medicine’s first step in treating a simple UTI is to administer antibiotics to kill the harmful bacteria infecting the urinary system, and perhaps to administer pain relief medication to lessen the severity of associated symptoms. Those who experience a more serious infection may be hospitalized and administered antibiotics intravenously, and those who experience chronic UTIs may be administered antibiotics over the course of months or even years.
How Does Ayurveda View a Urinary Tract Infection?
When considered through a Western lens, a UTI occurs in the urinary system because the system’s warmth and moisture promotes the propagation of bacteria. This can be compared to Ayurveda’s consideration of how a UTI is indicative of the aggravation of the Pitta dosha. When we think about Pitta energy in the body, we consider the balance or imbalance of the body’s heat. An aggravated Pitta dosha reflects excessive amounts of heat, which leads to the buildup of toxins. Similar to how warmth promotes bacteria in the urinary system, the extra heat can promote toxicity in the urinary tract. The relationship between a UTI and the Pitta dosha is evident given how one of the most common symptoms of a UTI is feeling a burning sensation while urinating.
How Does Ayurveda Treat a Urinary Tract Infection?
The primary goal of a person suffering from a UTI is to balance the Pitta energy in her body. This can be done with a Pitta-balancing diet, Pitta-balancing herbs, and lifestyle changes that promote a lessening of the heat in the body. Some herbal and other therapies may be administered by an Ayurvedic practitioner to specifically strengthen the functionality and health of the urinary system.
Lifestyle Changes for a Urinary Tract Infection
When we neglect to establish the root cause of one illness, it can turn into another, stronger illness in the future. The first step in resolving a specific ailment or disease in the body is to assess the nature of our lifestyle and make general modifications. Living our day-to-day life with a deliberate intention to improve our health will help us to both resolve the disease we are suffering from and prevent further incidence of it and other diseases in the future. The following lifestyle changes will help to decrease the incidence of UTIs or reduce Pitta energy in general:
- Eat foods with sweet and cold qualities.
- Favor foods that are easy to digest, such as cooked vegetables and white basmati rice.
- Favor underwear made from cotton or other natural fabrics that absorb moisture, or avoid wearing underwear during this time.
- If the body is strong, take 1 teaspoon of castor oil in a cup of warm water, or adjust the amount to be more or less as needed. This is a good purgation to relieve excess heat from the system. (This is best to do before bedtime or in the early morning, but not if you have to leave the house within 3 hours.)
- Avoid repressing the urge to urinate, and be sure to urinate after taking a bath and engaging in sexual intercourse.
- If possible, avoid sex during this time as the excess pressure and heat will exasperate the issue.
- Avoid eating spicy, hot, sour, salty and greasy foods.
- Avoid using too many hot spices such as garlic, hot peppers, and onions.
- Avoid drinking alcohol, caffeinated beverages, and other stimulants.
- Avoid frequent, continuous, and excessive amounts of eating.
- Avoid eating fewer than three or four hours before going to bed.
- Avoid rapid movements and aggressive exercise.
- Avoid speaking too much and emotionally investing in too many conflicts.
- Avoid the hot sun and letting it shine directly on the head and body.
- Avoid too many selfish and self-indulgent thoughts.
- Avoid overworking and other activities that create more heat.
- Take a tablespoon of aloe vera gel three to four times a day. A pinch of turmeric can be added as well.
- Drink three to four half-cups of warm water everyday.
Better Foods For a Urinary Tract Infection
Ayurveda teaches us that disease and sickness are derived from poor digestion and inappropriate food choices. We then have the opportunity tomake deliberate and more conscious decisions as to what foods we do and do not put in our body which increases the chance of resolving the body’s imbalance.
Food needs to be in season, in moderate combinations of one or two food groups, not too hot or cold, in a modest enough quantity to allow for room in the stomach later, consumed without too much liquid which hinders digestive power, and should be fresh and not left over for more than a few hours. The following foods can help to balance the Pitta dosha:
Apples
Oats (cooked)
Ghee
Milk
Pomegranates
Mangoes
Brussels Sprouts
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Barley
Pears
Olive oil
Coconut oil
Legumes (not lentils)
Asparagus
Rice (white basmati)
Foods To AVOID In Response To a Urinary Tract Infection
While some foods can help to balance an aggravated dosha, other foods can cause further imbalance. Dry and cold foods as well as pungent, bitter and astringent tastes will dry out the body and aggravate the Vata dosha. Sour, salty and pungent tastes as well as spicy foods will add more heat to the body and aggravate the Pitta dosha. Sweet, sour and salty tasting foods will add heaviness to the body and aggravate the Kapha dosha. The following foods can aggravate Pitta energy, so it is recommended that they be avoided:
Grapefruit
Cherries
Bananas
Pineapple
Garlic
Carrots
Spinach
Tomatoes
Rice (brown)
Corn
Nuts
Lentils
Corn oil
Almond oil
Spicy foods
Salt
Meat
Sour foods (like yogurt, sour cream, and pickles)
Cold foods like ice cream and smoothies
Beverages For a Urinary Tract Infection
Generally, Ayurveda discourages the consumption of too many cold beverages, as doing so hinders the strength of the body’s digestive fire. Instead, favors room temperature or hot beverages to encourage the strength of the digestive fire.
- Hot water, especially during meals and first thing in the morning
- Herbal teas of coriander, peppermint, and sarsaparilla.
- Mix a pinch of baking soda with warm water and the juice of half a lemon to neutralize acid.
- Avoid cold beverages with ice.
- Avoid fizzy drinks including sodas.
- Avoid alcohol, coffee, and black tea.
Herbs For a Urinary Tract Infection
Herbs are used in the Ayurvedic system much like Western medicine utilizes drugs and vitamins and can be taken like tea 2 to 3 times a day. Herbs aid in the digestion of food, the breakdown and elimination of toxins, and help to strengthen the cellular structure of our system for greater vitality. Herbs become more potent once mixed with other herbs of similar properties. Mix together 2 to 4 different herbs from the below list by adding a quarter to a half teaspoon full of each, for a total of 1 teaspoon. Drink these in half cup of hot water.
Coriander
Peppermint
Sarsaparilla
Turmeric
Licorice
Gokshura
Punarnava
Shatavari
Guduchi
Chandan
Sandalwood (white)
Yoga Postures For a Urinary Tract Infection
When applied therapeutically to specific ailments, yoga postures provide an opportunity to strengthen the body, rid it of toxic matter, and restore balance. The postures included in this section can be practiced as part of a more general sequence or can be focused on in short sessions. When first exploring yoga postures, it is best to only practice them for twenty minutes or so per day and buildup from there once the body becomes more flexible.
Knee to chest
Cobra
Bow
Bridge
Forward bend
Corpse
Easy seat
Aromatherapy For a Urinary Tract Infection
Aromatherapy utilizes the fragrances of essential oils when applied to the skin. Essential oils can burn the skin and therefore must be diluted with a base oil such as sesame, coconut, sunflower, canola, or mustard oil. Mix 1 fluid ounce of base oil with about 12 drops of essential oil before applying to skin. You can also just mix 5 drops of base oil to one drop of essential oil if using on one spot.
A UTI can be treated with sandalwood, tea tree, rose, honeysuckle, gardenia, lily, iris, mint, lavender, lotus, nutmeg, cardamom, cloves, or fennel oil.
- Use a coconut or sunflower oil base.
- Apply oil on the skin near the center of the chest.
Mantra Therapy For a Urinary Tract Infection
Ayurvedic tradition suggests that repeating certain words or sounds can help a person suffering from an ailment to restore subtle balance to nerve tissue and enhance one’s mental clarity. Different sounds are prescribed to either repeat mentally or chant outwardly. These sounds are also used and repeated in the mind for the purpose of spiritual growth.
To help control and resolve a UTI, repeat the syllable “Aum” (pronounced ohm) for several minutes a few times a day and build more practice over time.
As a Pitta-related disorder, it is helpful to sometimes outwardly chant and other times internally repeat this syllable for the duration of time it is practiced.
Breathing Practices For a Urinary Tract Infection
Controlling the breath is a central practice toward developing peace and stillness in the mind and body. When the breath is under our control, we are no longer at the mercy of the senses that are stimulated by everything and lead to greater fluctuations of the mind. When applied to the context of resolving specific ailments, the breath is used as a tool for developing lung capacity, heating and cooling the body and resolving mental afflictions like anxiety and stress.