What are the symptoms of a UTI?

Written by Violeta West, BSN, ThD, Ph.D., DNM

•A burning feeling when you urinate

•A frequent or intense urge to urinate, even though little comes out when you do

•Pain or pressure in your back or lower abdomen 

•Cloudy, dark, bloody, or strange-smelling urine

•Feeling tired or shaky

•Fever or chills (a sign the infection may have reached your kidneys).

What non-prescription practices can prevent UTI?

•Do empty your bladder as soon as you feel the need to go; don't rush, and be sure you've emptied your bladder completely.

•Always wipe from front to back and drop the tissue once it reached the back.

•Drinking 8 glasses of water a day is a good preventive protocol.

•Take showers instead of baths.

•Avoid using feminine hygiene sprays, scented douches, and scented bath products.

•Cleanse your genital area before sex.

•Develop the habit of emptying your bladder and washing your genitalia after sex.

•It is wise to use natural ways of birth control and stop using a diaphragm, condoms, or spermicidal jelly.

Wear cotton underwear and loose-fitting clothes.

Avoid tight jeans and nylon underwear.