Urinary Tract Pain - Prevention

To prevent urinary tract pain associated with urinary tract infections, you should:

Drink Cranberry Juice or take Cranberry tablets.
- Examples of Products with Cranberry are: Azo Cranberry, Generic Cranberry, Knudsen “Just Cranberry” Juice

Limit coffee, alcohol, and soft drinks because these beverages can irritate your bladder.

Drink lots of water to flush out the bacteria from your urinary system. 

Practice good hygiene in the urinary area. For women, wipe from front to back to reduce your chances of introducing bacteria from the skin around your anus to your urethra.

You should also urinate regularly and completely in order to flush out the bacteria from your urinary tract.
You should urinate immediately after engaging in sexual activity.
Avoid wearing tight-fitting pants.


References
Berardi RR et al. Handbook of Non-Prescription Drugs: An Interactive Approach to Self-Care,16th Ed. 2009.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000521.htm
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0000619/ accessed May 13, 2011
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/urinary-tract-infection/DS00286
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000521.htm
http://www.aafp.org/afp/2004/1201/p2175.html

APhA OTC Handbook 16th Edition. Chapter 51 Home Testing and Monitoring Devices. 2010.


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