Cystitis & cranberry juice

[RainbowBrite]

does anyone know whether drinking cranberry juice actually helps to prevent cysitis or does it just help get rid of it once you've got it? I seem to be prone to it and want to find ways of preventing it! is it just the good old "drink lots of water"?! 

[sexy]

I think cranberry juice helps prevent it, not sure it gets rid of it but it is supposed to be very dood for you

[sexy]

sorry, meant to say very good for you!!

[nicola_red]

I'm prone to it too, the doctor just advised to go to the toilet before and after sex...bit difficult when trying to be spontaneous...and yep, drink lots of water. If it doesn't shift after a coupla days then it's antibiotics.

[Jules001]

apparently cranberry juice helps balance the acidity levels in the body so helps prevent cystitis (although I find it too sharp & acidic to drink lol)but some peeps swear by it. Wine and other things can upset the balance so if you are prone to it, it might be worthwhile monitoring what you eat or drink before a flare up and see if something specific is a trigger for you

[secretspirit]

I used to get cysitis quite often but now I drink a glass of cranberry every day it's extremely rare to get an attack and if I do then drinking more cranberry makes it go very quickly. It helps because something in it stops the bad bacteria from sticking to the sides of your bladder so they get flushed straight through instead of breeding.

[saffstar]

I used to suffer really badly until I started taking cranberry juice capsules every day and my problems cleared up.  Now if I get a bout I buy a carton of juice and drink it through the day, interspersed with a glass of water every 20 minutes, until I feel better.  I'd say it definitely works to both prevent and cure cystitis.

[forestertwo]

There's a homeopathic tablet called Cantharis which is excellent.

[mullein]

cystitis is caused by too much spicy food vinegar. coffee alchol and tea. also you should not use biological washing powder on underwear . tampax bubblebath and vaginal deodrants can also cause a flare up,,, you should drink plenty of herbal tea and barley water. you should also try to eat lots of yogurt the plain yogurt is a natural antibiotic you should also try to eat as much fresh food as possible. carrot juice would also be of benefit. vitamins a.b.c.e. and beta carotene should also be of benefit.if you wish to take herbal tablets then take echinacea abd dandelion... hope this helps mullein

[dirtyharriet]

I don't think cystitis is "caused by too much spicy food vinegar. coffee alchol and tea." My understanding is that women are more prone to it as the urethra tube is much shorter than in men, and can also be caused by a build of bacteria (also by wiping from back to front)rough or prolonged sex and pregnant women are especially prone. I have heard that drinking cranbrry juice regularly is very useful in treating and preventing it, as well as drinking plenty of water.

[buzy bee]

The GP recommended it as better than any medication he could suscribe.  It is supposed to line the bladder and relieve the acidicity

[AB Editor]

For all medical questions, we strongly advise you to seek professional advice from your doctor or healthcare professional.  Please do not rely on or wait for advice from Answerbank users.

[Stuartgraham]

The Drugs & Therapeutics bulletin just reviewed the data for cystitis & Cranberry Juice and found it extremely anecdotal. most of the (rather poor) studies used 50ml per day. Infections in ladies are usually due to the length of the tube from inside to out and the type of bug that's colonised it. The best advice is in you don't smoke & are under 50, drink lots of fluid (drink Cranberry if you like it) if you keep getting a problem, see you doctor. It's also worth seeing the doctor if you are over 50, are a man(!) or smoke as the symptoms mat be mimicking something else.