Lower urinary tract disorders are a very common problem. They can be mild to medium or hide a more serious cause, and are usually more common in women than in men.
Generally mild and moderate urinary tract disorders, mostly affecting the urethra and bladder, are characterized by symptoms such as:
- Burning sensation when urinating
- Frequent need to urinate
- Feeling of "weight" or pain in the bladder
- Dark urine or urine with small streaks of blood
- Fever
- Feeling tired and tired
What are the causes?
- Alteration of the bacterial flora of the intestinal tract and its migration into the genitourinary tract
- Presence of kidney stones
- Neglected vaginal or urethral infections
- Insufficient, excessive or incorrect intimate hygiene
- Diabetes
- Stress
How to prevent and counteract urinary tract problems and discomfort?
The first thing to do is to drink plenty of water , both to facilitate the activity of the kidneys and prevent problems affecting these organs, and to favor the elimination of any bacteria causing the problem.
Any concomitant pathologies, the consequences of which include problems with the urinary tract (see diabetes ), must then be treated.
It is also important to keep the intestinal flora in balance with an adequate diet and, where this is not possible or not enough, take fiber or lactic ferments, given that many urinary tract infections derive from an unbalanced intestinal flora, with an excess of microbes such as Escherichia coli or Streptococcus, which migrate from one part of the body to another.
This is why these infections are more frequent in women : they have a shorter urethra than men (about 7 cm against 18 cm), which moreover flows above the vagina and near the anus. It is easy for bacteria to go up the short path of the urethra into this, so they enter the bladder and proliferate. If the infection is left untreated, bacteria from the bladder can then travel up to the upper urinary tract, infecting the kidneys.
You have to pay close attention to hygiene , making sure to use suitable detergents and, for women, to clean yourself in an antero-posterior direction; regularly change underwear and prefer cotton ones and not excessively tight.
Do not use intimate deodorants or perfumes, which can cause irritation.
In case of appearance of the first, slight manifestations of discomfort, it is possible to resort to natural remedies to avoid the aggravation of symptoms; this can also be useful for the prevention of acute and relapsing diseases, as in the case of bacterial cystitis .
Products based on bearberry , for example, with known antimicrobial and antiseptic properties against various bacterial strains that often cause infections of the urogenital tract, can be useful for this purpose.
The bearberry can also be useful for its draining action, as it promotes the drainage of body fluids (it is therefore valuable in case of water retention) and can help eliminate gravel and small stones.
Ribes nigrum , which promotes the drainage of body fluids and the functionality of the urinary tract, can also play an important role in the fight against this type of disorders.