Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) happens when germs infect your urinary system. It includes the kidneys, bladder, and the connecting tubes. Bladder infections are normal and not a huge risk if treated immediately. Further, if the disease spreads to the kidneys, it can bring about very serious problems. In case you're a woman, your chance of getting a urinary tract disease is higher. Experts rank your lifetime danger of getting a UTI as one in every woman. Many women might even have repeated infections.

UTIs are a key reason why we are frequently advised to wipe ourselves from front to back while or after using the bathroom. That is because of the urethra - the tube that carries the urine outside the body. It is found near the anus. If the infection isn't dealt with, the kidneys are likely to be affected.

Symptoms: To recognize a UTI, watch out for the following side effects:

1. Burning sensation while urinating
2. A regular urge to urinate, despite the fact that little turns out when you do
3. Pressure in your belly
4. Pain in the lower abdomen
5. Dark, bleeding or odd smelling urine
6. Feeling drained or shaky
7. Fever or chills (a sign the disease may have come to your kidneys)

Home Remedies: Some of the home remedies for UTI are:

1. Drink lots of water

One of the main things to do when you have a urinary tract infection is drink a lot of water.

2. Load Up on Vitamin C for a Healthy Urinary Tract

Getting a lot of vitamin C is important, since a lot of vitamin C make your urine more acidic. This prevents bacteria from developing.

3. Cure UTI Pain with Heat

Applying a warming cushion can calm the region.

4. Cut Bladder Irritants from Your Diet

Avoid caffeine, liquor, nicotine, carbonated beverages, and fake sweeteners.

5. Empty Your Bladder Again

Each time you exhaust your bladder - regardless of the possibility that it's only a little, you get rid of bacteria every time. So continue making those washroom runs.

6. Consider Herbal Remedies

You may discover some relief from taking the herb uva ursi (bearberry leaf)

7. Switch to Healthier Habits

Change in lifestyle can make a lot of difference. For instance, quit smoking and wear cotton clothing.

Other Treatment: In case, you have 3 or more UTI bouts in a year, request your specialist for a special treatment plan. Some treatment choices include:

You can take an anti-toxin in low dosage, over a more extended period to avoid repeated infections.

You can also take a single dosage of anti-biotic after sex, as prescribed by your specialist.
A patient can also take anti-toxins for 1 or 2 days as the symptoms show up. The treatments should be only be taken after concerning the specialists. You can also use an at-home urine test kit when you see the symptoms appearing.

Urinary Tract Infection (UTI): Prevention and Cure

Urinary Incontinence is the sudden urine loss that occurs involuntarily in women. Some of the factors which cause urinary incontinence are pregnancy, menopause and childbirth. It should be noted that urinary incontinence by itself is not a disease, but is a symptom of other underlying disorders such as diabetes, infections and other conditions.

Causes of temporary cases of urinary incontinence include:
1. Constipation
2. Urinary tract infections
3. Excess consumption of alcohol and caffeine
4. Consuming carbonated drinks
5. Use of artificial sweeteners
6. High doses of vitamin B and vitamin C
7. Being on sedatives, muscle relaxants, blood pressure and heart medications
8. Eatables which are too spicy, acidic or sugary

However, persistence of incontinence might be due to a more serious condition. Some of the causes are stated below:

Age: The bladder muscles tend to weaken with age. This affects the bladder s urine holding capacity.
Pregnancy: Hormonal changes and increase in weight during pregnancy can cause incontinence.
Menopause: Oestrogen is responsible for the healthy maintenance of the lining of the urethra and bladder. The onset of menopause causes the oestrogen hormone levels to drop. The gradual damage of the bladder tissues causes incontinence.
Childbirth: The bladder control muscles are weakened during normal vaginal delivery, thus leading to incontinence.
Obstruction: Occurrence of tumours in the urinary tract can block the normal flow of urine which can cause incontinence.
Hysterectomy: The same ligaments and muscles support both the bladder as well as the urethra. With removal of the uterus by hysterectomy, the pelvic floor muscles are deteriorated. This leads to urinary incontinence.
Neurological disorders: Conditions such as multiple sclerosis (autoimmune disorder in which the immune system destroys the protective sheath of the nerves), Parkinson s disease (disorder affecting motor functioning of the body), brain tumours, spinal injury or strokes are capable of causing incontinence.

Different forms of urinary incontinence are classified on the basis of their symptoms:

Urge incontinence: Urge or urgency incontinence occurs when there is a leak before the person reaches the toilet.
Stress incontinence: Small amounts of urine leak out during normal physical movements such as sneezing, coughing and exercising. This happens because of the minimum stress exerted on the body, and hence, the name.
Functional incontinence: Sudden leakage of urine occurs due to external deterrents or physical disabilities such as not being able to find a toilet.
Overactive Bladder: This is characterized by frequent and urgent urination.
Overflow incontinence: A full bladder, at times, leads to unexpected leakage.
Transient incontinence: If urine leakage occurs due to temporary situations such as infections, or new medications.

Did You Know - Constipation Can Also be a Sign of Urinary Incontinence

If you are experiencing pain in urination along with a burning sensation, a health condition known as dysuria is indicated. This condition is usually common in women and men alike. However, older men are more prone to face this problem. Pain during urination may occur because of various reasons. The most common causes are as follows:
Infections

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a common cause of painful urination. Infections may occur in any part of your urinary tract, such as in the kidneys, bladder, and the ureters. These infections occur due to bacteria, which gets into the urinary tract via the urethra. There are several factors, which increase your chances of being affected by UTI. They include diabetes, an enlarged prostate, old age, pregnancy, and kidney stones. UTI is signified by other symptoms such as fever, bloody urines, flank pain, stronger smelling urine, and an increased urge for urination.
At times, painful urination may also be associated with vaginal infections in women, like yeast infection. Vaginal discharge and foul odor are indicated in the case of vaginal infections.
Painful urination is also caused because of certain sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as gonorrhea, genital herpes and Chlamydia.
Inflammation and irritation
There are several problems, which can cause inflammation of your urinary tract and genital region. This further results in painful urination. Inflammation and irritations also occur because of other factors such as urinary tract stones, vaginal changes associated with menopause, certain physical activities and the side effects of several medicines, treatment procedures and health supplements.

Consulting a doctor for painful urination
Your doctor will suggest you to undertake certain laboratory tests for the proper diagnosis of the cause of your painful urination. After this, a suitable treatment method is sought and undertaken. Before this, an overall physical examination is also carried out. Your doctor is likely to ask you some important questions regarding your painful irritation, how the condition worsens, and is felt during the onset of urination. It is also likely for your doctor to know about any other symptoms, which you might be experiencing such as fever, flank pain and vaginal discharge. You must tell your doctor about any changes observed in your urine flow, such as difficulty in initiating flow, an increased urge to urinate, and dribbling.

Apart from these, your doctor may also ask whether you experienced any character in urine after painful urination. These may include colour, amount, cloudiness, presence of pus in the urine and so on. 

Pain in Urination - Common Reasons Behind it!

The urinary tract starts from the kidneys to the urethra where urine is passed out. Given the rich concentration of minerals and toxic wastes, it is highly prone to multiple infections. UTI, as urinary tract infections are often referred to, is one of the most common infections. In women, especially, every 1 in 2 women is affected by an UTI. Whichever part of the tract is affected, the symptoms and treatment are mostly the same. Read on to know some of the most common symptoms and treatment options for these.

Symptoms

A burning sensation with urination
Pain with urination
Burning sensation or pain in the urethra or vagina
Frequent urge to urinate, though not much urine is passed out
Sense of incomplete emptying of the bladder
Pain in the lower back on the sides of the spine
Change in the urine characteristics color, smell, or appearance
Fever or chills, maybe associated with shivering, nausea and vomiting
Causes

Most urinary tract infections are bacterial in nature, and these could find their way into the body through multiple ways.

The most common is through the urethra, which could happen due to unclean toilet habits.
Women especially are advised to wipe the urethra after each toilet visit. The bacteria from the feces can also enter the urethra due to close proximity
Use of unclean public toilets is another reason for UTIs
Tests

Though most often UTI does not require specific testing, the following are useful in confirming the diagnosis.

Culture and sensitivity: The urine is sent for a culture to identify the exact organism that has caused the infection. It also helps identify the right antibiotic which will help bring the infection under control.
Treatment:

UTIs are very common infections and though there is nothing to worry, it should be cleared completely.

Antibiotic course to get rid of the infection. Though you begin to feel better, the complete course should be completed to clear the infection.
Following culture testing to ensure the infection is cleared
Improve water intake to get rid of the toxins
Fever and pain to be controlled with medications
Healthy hygiene habits to ensure clearing of infection
Prevention:

Recurrent UTIs is a common problem, and the following can help prevent.

Ensure complete emptying of the bladder
Drink adequate water
Safe toilet habits, including before and after sex
Comfortable and clean underwear to prevent infection

Urinary Tract Infection - 8 Signs You Are Suffering From It!

Many people are embarrassed to talk about their urine colour or urine problem with anybody, including their doctor. But, what people always forget is that strong smelling urine and the change in the colour of the urine is a serious issue. Your urine colour directly tells you about your health, especially your inner body. So, without being embarrassed you should consult a doctor, if and when, you find foul odour in your urine. Following are some of the reasons for the causes of strong smelling urine.

You are dehydrated: Urine is not supposed to leave odour. It should be odourless, but if you find strong smell in your urine, you should consult a doctor immediately. The most common reason of foul odour in your urine is dehydration. If the amount of water needed in your body is not enough then, there will be less water in your body as a result the waste products will not be diluted in water being more concentrated making the urine darker and more odour. But once you start drinking water, it should go normal. Normally, this kind of situations occur in early morning when your water intake is less or not at all. But drinking lot of water will solve this issue immediately.
More alcohol or caffeine intake: If you are habituated to drink a lot of coffee then it may happen that you find strong smell of coffee in your urine. Although it is not very problematic yet it is healthy if you reduce the intake of coffee in your daily life in order to have a healthy digestive system. Not just coffee but even alcohol could be the reason of irregular or need to urinate a lot more than usual.
Bacterial Infection: There could be bacterial infection or kidney infection which could lead to strong smell of urine. In order to ensure you should go to a doctor and get important tests done. Then the doctor can suggest treatment according to your results and if all the results are normal then you could be suggested to maintain a balanced diet on regular basis.
Imbalanced Diet: The problem can sometimes come from the use of certain vitamins from imbalances in your diet. There are substances like nitrates and phosphates in the urine which can give dark colour and odour. You should always have a proper diet and follow it in order to have a healthy digestive system. Eating lot of garlic and onion can also bring odour in your urine.
Diabetes: If you are diabetic, it may be possible that you find dark urine and odour in your urine. It indicates that your sugar level is not normal and gone much high than normal. If you are not diabetic then it may be a sign of diabetes so you should get diagnosed immediately with your doctor.
There are multiple causes of strong smelling urine but most of them could be cured easily if diagnosed immediately. But in order to avoid this issue it is better to be careful with your diet and drink a lot of water. At least three litres of water a day is an absolute necessity!

Strong Smelling Urine - 5 Common Reasons Behind it!

Urinary incontinence or the involuntary urination is a common and distressing problem, which may have a large impact on quality of life. The most common types of urinary incontinence in women are stress urinary incontinence and urge urinary incontinence. Women with both problems have mixed urinary incontinence. Stress urinary incontinence is caused by loss of support of the urethra which is usually a consequence of damage to pelvic support structures as a result of childbirth. It is characterized by leaking of small amounts of urine with activities which increase abdominal pressure such as coughing, sneezing and lifting. 

Additionally, frequent exercise in high-impact activities can cause athletic incontinence to develop. Urge urinary incontinence is caused by uninhibited contractions of the detrusor muscle. It is characterized by leaking of large amounts of urine in association with insufficient warning to get to the bathroom in time.

How to diagnose urinary incontinence?

Stress test: The patient relaxes, then coughs vigorously as the doctor watches for loss of urine.
Urinalysis: Urine is tested for evidence of infection, urinary stones, or other contributing causes.
Blood tests: Blood is taken, sent to a laboratory, and examined for substances related to causes of incontinence.
Ultrasound: Sound waves are used to visualize the kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra.
Cystoscopy: A thin tube with a tiny camera is inserted in the urethra and used to see the inside of the urethra and bladder.
Urodynamic: Various techniques measure pressure in the bladder and the flow of urine.
Ayurvedic Management of Urinary Incontinence: 
Ayurveda is a very effective natural treatment for Involuntary Urination. Medicines help to treat the root cause of disease. Ayurveda remedies are known to be perfectly safe and have been tried by thousands of patients all over the world bedwetting are perfectly safe. These natural remedies do not have any side effects at all

Urinary Incontinence and How It Can Be Treated with Natural Remedies?

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