Can cystitis and thrush be linked?
If you suffer from both recurring thrush and cystitis, or find that when you develop one, the other follows soon after, you’ll know how frustrating it can be.
Find out what the link isAt A.Vogel we often discuss the importance of drinking enough water. Keeping properly hydrated can help support a number of systems in the body and may potentially prevent a number of common health conditions including cystitis.
As much as this principle is quite naturopathic in nature, much like many of the other practices we have known for years, this one works and so we continue to recommend it – we now handily have some scientific evidence to help back this idea up too.
One particular randomised control trial involved comparing the effects of willing pre-menopausal women drinking 1.5l litres of water throughout the course of day, versus a similar subset of women making no effort to consume any additional water to their usual intakes, ( it turns out this ‘usual intake’ was considerably less than 1.5l, on average). All women had reportedly experienced at least 3 urinary tract infections in the year prior, so were considered regular sufferers.
Impressively, those women with the increased water intake were found to have 50% fewer incidences of UTIs, and were therefore prescribed fewer antibiotics than their control counterparts.1 Quite the result!
The authors concluded that whilst the trial wasn’t blind (this would be hard to achieve when increasing water intake was the habit being investigated), the results are certainly encouraging at the very least.
They concluded that increasing your water intake to 1.5l daily is a cheap, environmentally friendly option (especially if picking low plastic means, of course) and an effective way to help prevent cystitis and UTIs – much in line with our advice then! Plus, other trials have also had similar results.2
As much as many of our health-related tips consist of quite simple tricks, many people still find that they struggle to stick to them.
When it comes to water, many people claim they can’t stomach it, or that they don’t like the taste. Are you one of them? If so, I have some tips to hopefully help you overcome this:
When we ask about people’s water intake, most will initially assume that they’re nicely on track. However, when we delve a little deeper this may be up for some debate. Unfortunately, other drinks made from water such as teas, coffees or juices don’t quite make the cut, in our books.
Many of these other liquid options actually contain ingredients such as caffeine which can risk acting as mild diuretics and ultimately result in us losing excess water in the long run.
Whilst caffeine-free herbal teas are often considered preferable options, some of these can even still have some mild diuretic properties. Therefore, we stand by our original advice and recommend sticking with the 1.5l of plain, still, water and add in herbal teas on top of this as you wish.
On the mention of ‘still water’, another common query is whether or not fizzy water counts towards our daily intake. Again, if we’re going to be strictly naturopathic about it, we’d have to say no. Plus, again, there is now some evidence to suggest that fizzy water may not be quite so kind on our system as good old plain water.
Some preliminary research by Aston University in Birmingham suggested that fizzy water, for one, could influence hunger hormones and potentially make us eat more – yikes! If that’s not reason enough to not favour the fizz, I don’t know what is.
But, it’s entirely possible the fizz could be affecting us in more ways than one and perhaps having some chemical influence elsewhere, with the gas element having the potential to alter pHs, for example. So, why take the chance? And that’s why we say to stick to still.
Whilst the authors of the aforementioned trial1 hypothesized that water helps keep your bladder flushing through and gives bacteria less time to stick (which makes perfect sense!) there may be more to it than that.
We also understand that there are close links with your urinary tract and your digestive tract; after all, it’s all in very close proximity!
This means in states such as constipation where we know that the balance of bacteria in your gut can become affected, we may be more at risk of conditions such as cystitis. Especially when it comes to interstitial cystitis, there does seem to be some association between the two conditions.
Once again though, water may have an important part to play in managing this condition. Keeping properly hydrated is often one of the simplest, yet most effective first steps to help tackle constipation and for this very reason, could have some positive impact on your urinary tract too – so drink up!
If you’ve been unfortunate enough to succumb to an infection, adding our Uva-ursi & Echinacea tincture to your water may be the best course of action.
Now, as with all our tinctures, our advice is to add it to only a very small splash of water (approximately 5-10mls) in order to support optimal absorption. However, you can just be sure to stock up on plenty of water, aiming for the recommended 1.5l, throughout the rest of the day.
My Top Tip:
|
1. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/2705077
2. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2705079
Looking for a solution to relieve symptoms of cystitis?
Look no further. Our Uva-ursi and Echinacea tincture is a licensed herbal remedy used to relieve symptoms of cystitis in women.
To find local independent stores in your area that sell Uva-ursi and Echinacea tincture, simply type your postcode below.
If you suffer from both recurring thrush and cystitis, or find that when you develop one, the other follows soon after, you’ll know how frustrating it can be.
Find out what the link isEmma our women's health advisor recommends Uva-ursi & Echinacea complex to help ease symptoms of cystitis and Cranberry Complex to maintain bladder health.
Learn more about CystitisCystitis is sometimes known as ‘honeymoon cystitis’. Why? Well, during sex, bacteria can spread from the perineum to the urethral opening. The risk of developing cystitis is therefore increased depending on the frequency you have intercourse (sorry honeymooners!).
7 reasons you keep getting cystitisDiscover the story of Alfred VogelNature is just about the best thing we’ve got!