MICROgenics^® Cranberry 17,000

In both the male and female urinary systems, urine drains from the kidneys through the ureter into the bladder and then passes from the bladder down the urethra and to the external opening, the urinary meatus, to exit the body. In men, the urethra is about 8 inches (20 cm) long. In women, it is only about 1.5 inches (4 cm) long. The structure of the female anatomy predisposes women to infection because the urethral opening is located very close to the anus, which is a common source of bacteria. Therefore, bacteria can easily migrate across the perineum (the narrow band of flesh between the anus and the vagina) to the urethra. The structure of their physical anatomy makes infection less likely in men. The male urethra is much longer, and secretions from the prostate gland provide a better barrier.

There are, however, certain steps you can take to help maintain the health of the urinary tract:

• Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and spicy foods, which may further irritate the bladder.
• Drink eight to ten glasses of water or other fluids per day to dilute the bacteria in your urine.
• Eat plain yogurt.
• Wash before and after sex; ask your partner to do the same.
• Take showers instead of baths.
• Wear cotton underwear and loose-fitting clothes.
• If using a diaphragm, wash, rinse, and carefully dry after each use. After using the toilet, always wipe from front to back.

Urinary Tract Health

• Clinical trials have found Cranberry works by inhibiting the adhesion of bacteria to the mucous membranes of the bladder, reducing the symptoms and recurrence of Urinary tract infections (UTIs ) and cystitis.
• Cranberry may decrease the number of symptomatic UTIs over a 12 month period, particularly for women with recurrent UTIs.
• In a randomized trial over one year, evaluating the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of naturopathic Cranberry products, juice and tablets, as prophylaxis against UTIs in sexually active women aged 21 through 72 years. The women involved in this trial found a reduction in antibiotic consumption annually and a reduction in number of urinary tract infections. In addition, the cost effectiveness ratios demonstrated cranberry tablets were twice as cost effective as organic juice for prevention.
• May help mask urinary odours associated with an overactive bladder.
• Buchu is incorporated into this formula based on its traditional use in Western Herbal medicine to relieve symptoms of an overactive bladder, urinary tract disorders, bladder tone and easing the desire to urinate whilst experiencing little relief.
• Uva Ursi is commonly referred to in Naturopathic medicine as a urinary antiseptic. It is traditionally used to relieve disorders of the bladder.
• Vitamin C is included to support immune function during a urinary tract infection.
• Urinary tract infections are about 50 times more common in women than in men. This is primarily due to anatomical differences. Women have a shorter urethra giving bacteria a shorter distance to travel in order to get established in the bladder.
• In elderly patients, there is no difference in urinary tract infection rates between men and women. In these patients, urinary tract infections are usually caused by other conditions such as incomplete bladder emptying or incontinence.
• According to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), urinary tract infections (UTIs) account for more than 11 million physician visits annually in the United States (Howell et al. 2002). UTIs may be caused by bacteria, viruses (herpes simplex Type 2), fungi (Candida), and a variety of parasites (worms, protozoa). Unfortunately, UTIs have become increasingly resistant to first-line antibiotic therapy. There are two types of UTIs: lower and upper.
• Lower UTIs occur in the urethra or bladder and are more common in women than in men (because the female urethra is much shorter and provides less of a barrier to bacterial invasion), with as many as one third of all women experiencing a UTI in their lifetime (Valiquette 2001). Urine that is in the bladder should be sterile. In healthy adults, however, the large bowel is not sterile and bacteria coming from normal intestinal flora can pass into the bladder. When large-bowel bacteria colonize the bladder, the result is cystitis or a bladder infection.
• Cystitis or infection of the bladder is a common example of a lower UTI. Although rare in young men, cystitis can occur in men as a result of urethral obstruction from a prior infection of a sexually transmitted disease or from a congenital defect of the urethra requiring surgical correction.
• Upper UTIs are infections that involve kidneys (pyelonephritis), ureters (ureteritis), or both. Upper UTIs can occur in both men and women as a complication of a lower UTI. Upper UTIs can also arise without lower urinary tract involvement. The latter may occur in younger women or men as a result of an obstruction somewhere in the urinary tract.
• Although men are not generally prone to lower UTIs, they can develop upper UTIs as they become older because they cannot fully empty their bladders as a result of prostatic enlargement. Urine cannot remain sterile when it stays in the bladder for long periods of time. In elderly men, this evolves into full-blown urinary retention.