At Home UTI Remedies from Āyurveda

Signs and symptoms of a urinary tract infection (UTI)

It’s estimated that there are 8-10 million healthcare visits each year due to UTIs. Most UTIs are found in women.

Typical symptoms of a UTI include:

• Itching
• painful urination
• frequent urination

However, if the UTI progresses to a more serious condition, you might experience:

• Pelvic pain
• Blood in the urine
• Fever
• Nausea and vomiting
• Kidney infection

In fact, about 1 in every 30 cases of UTI leads to a kidney infection.

Can UTIs go away on their own?

While a UTI can technically be resolved without treatment, it can take time to resolve. There is also the risk that it will progress to a more serious infection that requires medical intervention. A natural UTI protocol can help you resolve symptoms, without antibiotics.

Many people experience recurrent UTIs, defined as 2 or more UTIs in 6 months or 3 or more UTIs in one year. Recurrent UTIs become more likely if the initial causes of UTIs are not resolved, or if antibiotics are used for UTI treatment.

Why antibiotics don’t cure UTIs

In clinical practice, UTIs are most often treated with antibiotics. Antibiotics kill bacteria in the body. The antibiotics prescribed to treat UTIs can eliminate the bacteria that are causing the UTI and their symptoms. However, antibiotics also kill good bacteria in the digestive tract and urinary tract that help to maintain balance. This can lead to digestive issues and yeast infections. And, it still doesn’t solve the actual cause of the UTI, i.e. whatever caused the overgrowth of harmful bacteria. Because antibiotics disrupt the microbial balance of the urethra and the digestive system, people who take antibiotics for UTIs frequently experience recurrent UTIs.

Often, an unfortunate cycle of infections and prescriptions ensues, without a way to rebalance the body to its natural state of health. In contrast, Āyurvedic treatments for UTIs help preserve your body’s healthy bacteria. Āyurvedic treatments also help solve the cause of the UTI, so you can find lasting relief.

Can you resolve and prevent UTIs at home?

It is possible to resolve an existing UTI at home (aka “flushing” a UTI) and also prevent them from occurring. 

Please note that this blog post does not constitute medical advice. If you are experiencing fever, chills, nausea, vomiting, or other symptoms, please see a health practitioner immediately.

In order to resolve a UTI at home, you need to:

1. Remove the cause of the UTI
2. Help rebalance the microbiome of the urethra
3. Support your digestive health and overall body healing

Here’s how to flush a UTI without antibiotics.

Āyurveda and UTIs: Causes and Cures

Āyurveda is a holistic system of health and healing from ancient India. In Āyurveda, we follow the laws and wisdom of nature to help prevent disease and restore balance when symptoms and disease occur (get an introduction to Āyurveda here).

UTIs are not random. Rather, they’re a sign that imbalance is present in the digestive system and urinary tract. Imbalance in pitta dosha causes the bacterial inflammation. Imbalances in vāta dosha lead to incorrect movement (retention and excess urination). Weak agni, or digestive fire, is a primary cause of UTIs in Āyurveda, because difficulties digesting our food can lead to the inflammation and overgrowth of “bad” bacteria that cause UTIs. To heal a UTI, we need to reverse the cause of the problem, while giving natural remedies for immediate relief.

Learn if you have excess pitta or vāta dosha by taking my discover your dosha quiz here.

My at-home UTI remedies from Āyurveda

At-Home UTI Remedy 1: Balanced hydration 

Many UTI protocols suggest that you need to drink more water to cure a UTI, but more water might not be better. Flooding the body with water taxes the kidneys and can weaken the kidney/urethra system. Instead, slowly sip water throughout your day, about 8 oz per hour, with a limited amount (6oz or less) during meals or for the hour after eating. This works out to about 5-7 cups of water per day. You may need more water if you do heavy physical activity outdoors or live in a particularly hot environment.

Be sure to drink warm or room temperature water – no ice. Ice causes constriction in the body and imbalances in vāta dosha. 

I also recommend avoiding carbonated beverages (including soda water). These are acidic and imbalance vāta and pitta dosha.

At Home UTI Remedy 2: Supplement with D-Mannose

D-mannose is a simple sugar that helps remove the E. Coli bacteria that causes infection in the urinary tract. Start taking D-mannose at the onset of symptoms, and every 12 hours until it resolves. If you get recurrent UTIs, you may choose to take it preventively. I prefer taking a powder version like this, though you can also purchase capsules. 

At Home UTI Remedy 3. Wear natural fibers and loose fitting clothing.

Tight clothes and synthetic fabrics trap sweat and liquid close to the body. This can create a breeding ground for bacteria. If you’re experiencing UTI symptoms, opt for organic cotton underwear and wear looser clothing made with natural fibers to help keep air flowing.

At Home UTI Remedy 4: Remove fermented and spicy foods. 

Fermented and spicy foods are pitta aggravators. They heat up the body and can be irritating in case of an infection. Instead, favor whole grains, hydrating veggies like cucumbers and zucchini, and more neutral spices like coriander, thyme, and parsley. To learn more about food choices to support balance in the doshas, check out Āyurvedic Fundamentals: Food.

At Home UTI Remedy 5: Be easy on your digestion.

If you are experiencing an active urinary tract infection, your body is under stress and needs extra support in order to heal. One of the best ways that you can do this is by eating easier-to-digest foods. 

When you are ill, I recommend eating kunyi, a soupy rice, and kitchari, a rice and split mung bean porridge. These foods help the digestive tract rest and direct more energy towards healing. 

You may even commit to eating 1-3 days of kitchari, based on the severity of the illness. Learn everything you need to know about enjoying a 3-day kitchari reset at home in my Kitchari Clarity program.

At Home UTI Remedy 6: Do not hold your pee! 

This tip is particularly important for preventing UTIs. If you often think “I need to pee.” but then don’t go, you need this tip. Holding your pee (or poo, or other bodily urges) is detrimental to the body and can ultimately lead to issues like UTIs. Urination exists to help rid the body of wastes. Holding onto waste (by delaying going to the bathroom) is like keeping the garbage in your house for too long.

Instead, go to the bathroom as soon as you recognize the urge.

Follow these simple steps and you will be on your way to freedom from UTIs!  

Client Story: From recurrent UTis to UTI-free for 14+ months (and counting)

I’ve seen the at-home UTI remedies from Āyurveda work wonders for multiple clients. Today I want to share a remarkable  story about one client who went from getting multiple UTIs each month to now being UTI free for almost 2 years!

What my client was experiencing

This client was constantly uncomfortable, frustrated, and felt like she wasn’t in control of her own body. She was dealing with recurrent UTIs and was taking multiple rounds of antibiotics each month. Her doctor suggested that she get multiple (invasive) kidney tests done to determine why she was getting so many UTIs. After undergoing the tests, they still didn’t have an answer for why she was getting UTIs. But they still offered her another prescription that “might” help (she, luckily, didn’t take it).

But nothing was helping. Every few weeks, she’d experience the beginning of another infection, prompting another round of antibiotics, and the cycle would continue. Unfortunately, she was having to take stronger and stronger antibiotics because she had so many prescriptions, and it was starting to mess with her digestive health. She felt hopeless and worried about what could be wrong with her.

What I suggested

When we started to work together, I learned more about her health history, daily habits, and experience of the UTIs. We talked about prevention and symptom management as well as the emotions that were at the root of the health issue (the kidneys relate to fear). I shared simple, natural remedies to manage UTI symptoms and relieve side effects from the antibiotics. Then, I identified key diet and lifestyle changes that would help prevent future UTIs.  I asked tough questions to help her make sustained changes to her habits to prevent this issue from recurring.

What my client is experiencing now

Within just a few weeks of this natural UTI protocol, my client went from having multiple UTIs each month and being told she needed to take ongoing medication to having  . . . NONE. It’s been almost 2 years without one single UTI. She feels free, no longer living with the annoying symptoms or the fear that something is wrong with her. She has better energy because she’s not constantly sick. And she feels great knowing that she’s not taking a new medication every week that is harming her body on a systemic level.

Of course, every individual’s experience and UTI is unique. In a consultation, I ask questions about your daily routines and habits to get to the root of what’s causing your UTIs. Then, I give tailored suggestions to put an end to them. Learn more about how you can work with me in an Āyurvedic Health Consultation for UTIs by clicking here.

Conclusion

There are powerful at-home UTI remedies from Āyurveda that you can use to help resolve symptoms and prevent them from recurring. Look over this list of remedies and see if there is a simple change you can make to your lifestyle that will help you be free of UTIs. Start with what feels easiest and most doable — you’ll generate momentum that can completely transform your health. Health is your birthright, and you can make the change to feel like your most vibrant self.

In Āyurveda, we take a personalized approach to your care, so if you want individualized support for UTI relief, without the side effects, book an Āyurvedic consultation with me today. You can also sign up for a free introductory call to learn if it’s right for you. Learn more here.