Yesterday I stayed home from work, which is never something I really want to do when it's because I'm not feeling well. As a kid I was constantly battling colds, ear infections, and urinary tract infections. I pretty much lived on over-the-counter meds and fairly frequently was on antibiotics. Add into all that the multiple times when we (or just I) had limited health insurance, and all this may be why I became more health conscience as a teenager and got into natural healing when I was 15. (I actually dreamed at that age of becoming a naturopath....) I pretty much learned to heal myself via diet, exercise, and extra sleep, resorting to the doctor only when I determined it was something I couldn't fix myself. (Ironically this is also how my father discovered his symptoms for his cancer.....he diagnosed the precursor to the cancer discovery by pairing his symptoms with our medical dictionary at home.....)
For the most part I know what triggers the few health issues I do deal with on a semi-regular basis, and I know how to adjust my routines in order to prevent and/or combat those concerns. However on Monday, even though I could feel bladder issues coming on, my usual tricks didn't work with the half-attempted effort I gave while spending most of the day at work. Yesterday morning I woke up at 5am and instead had to face the fact that my body just needed time to heal itself. By the time I told my boss I wasn't coming in and arranged for coverage for my morning duties, I had chugged 7 glasses of water and was just waiting for the grocery store to open for my cranberry juice run. Chugging water and 100% cranberry juice has been my tried and true remedy for years----and sure enough by end of day yesterday my regular UTI symptoms had passed on. I'm still chugging water and juice to continue to flush out the system and loosen any remaining bacteria that may be hanging on. However with my current contraception method I also know that I need to watch for warning signs that the bacteria could have spread. In that case, I will have to resign myself to the advice my coworkers had given me to begin with and go to the doctor.
I've known for years about the cranberry juice treatment & prevention for UTIs, but in my research online yesterday I was surprised to learn a few new concepts pertaining to UTI prevention. Supposedly drinking more orange juice can raise the acidity of the urine and help the body battle the harmful bacteria. I was surprised to read that maintaining a dairy-less diet may also decrease UTIs in individuals with high rates of recurrence. Although when I thought about it.....the years when I was a vegan were probably some of the most energetic and healthiest of my life. While I usually battle at least the start of a UTI on a yearly basis, I can't remember dealing with this health issue while I ate a primarily vegan diet. Yet another positive to maintaining that diet---although I'm not necessarily heading back in that direction anytime soon.
But in my thought process about all of this natural treatment yesterday, I realized that I haven't been on antibiotics since I was 16 if my calculations are correct. I may have taken a dose in there somewhere that I'm not recalling, but most the colds I had in college I treated with echinea, herbal teas, increased fluid intake, more sleep, and when all else failed over-the-counter medication. I've also spent years listening to what my body tells me about the foods that it desires. If I feel the need to eat a certain food, then I eat it, all the while firmly believing that there is something in that food that my body needs to maintain health and balance. The same concept applies to sleep, if I feel that I need more of it then I take it. Beyond the extra fluids yesterday, I could tell my body was healing itself when I spent many additional hours napping the day away and eating all sorts of food in the hours when I was awake.
A few more days of increased fluids, balanced diet (and avoiding alcohol and extra sugar), and decreased exercise and hopefully I'll be 100% back to good! But I'm just so thankful for the body's capacity to heal itself given the time and patience to do so.....
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