HI,
Lots of good tips noted here, thanks! Here's mine. I have suffered w/uti's; kidney infections requiring hospitalization and stones since 6 (at earliest documentation-I'm adopted, so don't know any earlier). I even had a blocked kidney during pregnancy w/emergency stent placement. Needles to say, I have scarring on my kidnies and physical changes to their shape and size. My history since marriage was uti's at least twice yearly no matter what. That all stopped in october last year. Here's my hopefully short version. During my last 3 uti's the symptoms hit so fast and furious that within 2 hours of the FIRST symtom, I couldn't hardly walk. Then I developed serious allergies to the 2 antibiotics they tried and the 3rd didn't work. So, thanks to bulkherbstore.com and no greater joy.com and folk medicine by dc jarvis I had become familiar w/herbs. I took 1 tsp of raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar with the mother (braggs brand) every 15 minutes, 1 cayenne pepper capsule every hour and 1 garlic capsule 3 times daily (I stuff my own capsules). I did this for 3-5 days even though most symptoms were gone w/in 24 hours. I have felt a uti developing (ya never forget that feeling!!!). and as soon as I feel anything I pop a cayenne and garlic pill, just once and that's that. I am sold on the garlic and cayenne. I have never gone this long w/out a uti and it is WONDERFUL!!!! (I am now 30). And, I don't do any maintenance as far as vit c, cranberry or blueberry. I do drink 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar (acv) and 1 tsp of honey mixed in 8 oz of water at least 3 times every day. (folk medicine is my inspiration for this. D.C. Jarvis is the author and you can get this book CHEAP off amazon.com and many lilbraries carry it.) So that has improved my overall health.
As for young children, my 4 year old son swallows the cayenne and pepper pills (coated w/a bit of butter for lubrication) with out any problems. (He takes his for asthma and colds...no problems there anymore either...after his first 3 years being full of recurrent illness...but that's for another time). So, whenever any of us are ill we reach for garlic and cayenne.
As for the kidney pain w/certain foods and/or drinks...I still get that. I figure I really shouldn't be drinking that coffee anyway. Sometimes I get that pain first thing in the morning before I've emptied my bladder....that pain like a kidney stone that goes away after emptying the bladder. I'll keep reading for tips on that, I just figured it was a by product of damage to the ole filters. I do notice this pain comes when 1. I dont' drink enough water 2. I eat/drink stuff I shouldn't be anyway (stupid non food...i.e those cappacinos or too much chocolate)
Hope this helps.
Oh yeah, I am a registered nurse and nothing in the medical profession has helped me long term as far as uti's, asthma or recurrent illnesses go
