UTIs spike during the summer months and can quickly disrupt your plans, whether you’re at home or away. Keep these homeopathic remedies on hand to swiftly soothe symptoms, says homeopath David Needleman
As temperatures rise, so too does the risk of urinary tract infections (UTIs), those irritating infections that can make every bathroom trip feel like an ordeal.
Typically caused by bacteria entering the urinary tract via the urethra (the tube that allows urine to pass outside the body), UTI symptoms include a persistent urge to urinate and burning pain when you go.
Women are especially susceptible because of their anatomy—the close proximity of the urethra to the anus and vagina and the short distance from the urethral opening to the bladder—but men can get UTIs too.
In the summer months, factors such as sweating, dehydration, and changes in lifestyle and hygiene habits can make UTIs more likely. And the warmer temperatures mean it’s easier for bacteria to grow.
But you can stop UTIs in their tracks with the right homeopathic remedies. Here are nine I recommend. Check which symptoms match yours to find the most suitable remedy for you.
Just remember to see a doctor if your symptoms don’t improve after a few days or get worse.
This is the most commonly prescribed remedy for UTIs, and you’ll find it in most of the homeopathic kits available from homeopathic pharmacies.
The main symptoms that indicate this remedy are a frequent urge or desire to urinate and sensations of burning, scalding or cutting. The symptoms are generally worse at the end of urination.
Not to be confused with Berberis Aquifolia, which is often used for puberty-related acne and gallbladder support, Berberis Vulgaris is an ideal remedy for UTIs with burning pain accompanied by thick mucus.
The patient often feels worse when moving and standing and experiences burning pain even when not urinating. There can be pains in the thighs, hips and groin when urinating. This remedy is also suitable if you have a frequent urge to urinate but no pain.
Choose this remedy if this is your symptom picture: Ineffectual urging to urinate, frequent urination and burning pain even when not urinating. There may also be pain at the end of urination.
It’s the remedy of choice for “honeymoon cystitis,” a UTI triggered by sexual intercourse. Symptoms may feel better with heat and after eating breakfast.
If you need this remedy, you will surely know it as there are a number of unique indications. The urine can be scalding or very cold, and even when it’s cold there may be burning or stinging sensations.
The defining symptom is dark, scanty, offensive-smelling urine (it often smells worse in the evening or at night). There can also be blood in the urine, and if there is, it’s always worth getting a sample checked by your practitioner.
Lycopodium is the right remedy if you experience back pain before urinating along with excessive urination at night. Symptoms feel worse with heat and motion.
You may also feel worse on the right side and/or between 4 and 8 p.m. There can be a heavy red sediment in the urine, too.
Go for Apis Mel if you’re suffering from burning and soreness when urinating along with frequent and involuntary urination. Stinging may also be a symptom—usually it’s the last drops that burn and smart. There may be casts in the urine (tube-shaped particles found when examined under a microscope).
The urine may be scanty and deeply colored too. Symptoms may feel worse with heat, touch or pressure and in open air.
Use Uva Ursi if you’re experiencing a frequent urge to urinate along with involuntary urination and severe bladder spasms and burning pains. There may be blood, clots or mucus in the urine, and it can also appear green.
This remedy is indicated for offensive-smelling urine combined with intense itching of the vulva and vagina. There is also an urgent need to urinate.
Symptoms are worse during urination and with warmth and motion. An unusual symptom that calls for this remedy is when the patient feels they can urinate only when lying down.
Use this remedy if you have black, bloody, thick mucus with a frequent urge to urinate and pain down the thighs. There may also be dribbling after urination and itching along the urethra and the thighs.
For all the remedies mentioned, I recommend a 30C potency, one dose every hour for four hours followed by one three times a day until the symptoms are gone.
Berberis Vulgaris and Uva Ursi can also be used as homeopathic mother tinctures, in which case the dose would be 5 drops in water three or four times a day—again, until symptoms are resolved.
Hydration is vital when it comes to treating (and preventing) UTIs. It leads to more frequent urination, which helps to flush infection-causing bacteria out of the urinary tract. It also dilutes the urine, helping to prevent bacterial proliferation.
You can drink plain water—alkalized water is a good option—or try this drink I often recommend to my patients. It contains cranberry juice, a proven UTI preventive.1 Combine the following:
Drink as much as you like throughout the day. You can also add a few drops of Berberis Vulgaris or Uva Ursi mother tinctures (see above for suggested dosage) to the drink.
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