Researchers at the university of Bergen in Norway have reported that women who experience repeated bouts of urinary tract infections (UTI’s) showed significant relief from acupuncture treatment, according to a study in the October 2002 issue of the American Journal of Public Health.
Ninety-four otherwise healthy women who had a minimum of at least three UTI’s during the previous 12-month period were enrolled in the study. Of those, 67 women received acupuncture twice a week for four weeks. Seventy-three percent of those who received acupuncture treatments were found to be free of infections for six months following the acupuncture treatments, compared to only 52 percent of those who did not have the treatments. This is a 50% reduced risk of getting UTI’s as a result of the acupuncture treatments.
Since antibiotics are frequently prescribed for recurrent UTI’S, there is always the concern of resistance to the medication. But acupuncture provides an alternative to antibiotics, and an effective treatment! In the U.S., 11 million women are diagnosed with recurrent UTI’s annually.
This has also been my experience. Many women come to me for treatment of an acute UTI, and they are amazed at how well acupuncture works to eliminate the infection and pain within the first 24 hours of treatment. I also use specific herbal tinctures, such as Equisetum and Berb vulg, and homeopathics, such as Cantharis or Sars, along with Vitamin C, E, and beta-carotene. Chinese herbal supplements such as Dianthus and Coptis and Scute also work great, as needed. And of course the old standby of cranberry juice is also very helpful. I usually recommend women go on Emergen-C in the cranberry flavor, and take 3 packets per day during an acute UTI, and as a preventative, to take one or two packets per day.