Water Infection

The doctor, a friend, an article in a magazine etc. will talk about you possibly having a water infection. If you have never experienced bladder problems before you may not fully understand what a water infection is.

To an extent it could be regarded as a euphemism, as the term water infection covers a whole range of painful, debilitating conditions; a water infection is also known as a urinary tract infection (UTI), cystitis or a bladder infection.

Water infection symptoms can be very troublesome to both men and women. However, women have a higher propensity to this condition. A quarter of all women will experience water infection symptoms at some point in their lives. Women are also ten times more likely to experience water infections than men because of the structure of the female urinary system.

So, with respect to our male co sufferers, let us see what impact a so called water infection has on a woman’s life.

A water infection causes inflammation (irritation and swelling) of the bladder and urethra, resulting in the following symptoms:

• More frequent urination, although only small amounts of urine may be passed each time.
• An urgent need to urinate.
• Pain or burning during urination.
• Nocturia - the need to urinate sometimes many times during the night.
• Pain in the lower abdomen.
• Blood in the urine.
• Cloudy urine that has an unpleasant odor or smells unusually strong.

The traditional protocol has been to take an antibiotic at the first sign of a water infection. However, as we become increasingly aware of the potential risks of antibiotics, most of us are looking to control a water infection using natural and safe measures and prevent it developing into a medically dangerous kidney infection.