Just What the Doctor Ordered To Build Your Urinary Tract Health!

Image courtesy of Karen Barefoot

Dr. Joe Mercola has the largest health site on the internet.  He has information on a variety of topics, some fairly conservative and 'traditional' in appearance, some a little more radical, and some that is off the the radar screen altogether.  His advice for building a health urinary system is pretty-much acceptable by anyone, scientific-minded or more into alternative, herbal medicine.  As always, some of his suggestions are a little surprising (as in, "why didn't I think of that?").  Here they are, with more in the video that follows:

1. Drinking lots of pure water everyday helps you to flush your system and dilute any possible concentration of irritants.
2. Don't resist the signal to urinate.  Go when your body is telling you you need to.
3. Women (and girls of course) need to wipe from front to back, and use only unscented, unbleached toilet tissue.  Many women have issues with chemicals in toilet paper and cosmetics.
4. Showers are more conducive to good urinary health than are baths.
5. Cleanse the genital area before and after sexual activity-- the best idea is to use a bidet (and NOW you can inexpensively install a bidet right in your own home bathroom)
6. Don't bother using douches, powders and 'feminine' deodorants, etc.  These products are cosmetic only and can often irritate your urethra and genitals, creating urinary tract infections or discomfort.  I'm adding here that Dr. Ben Kim gives good evidence in this article about not using soap on one's privates (or washing one's small children's privates with soap).
7. Use Cotton-Only sanitary products (pads and tampons).  In general, only a teeny fraction of the popular sanitary products are made of cotton and can be extremely irritating.
References in this blog are meant for information only and if you have a condition of concern, please consult with your trusted health care provider.

UTIs and What Body Parts NOT to Wash With Soap

Dr. Ben Kim writes that he does not recommend using even the mildest probiotic soap on a regular basis

"...on the anal sphincter area or so that it comes into regular contact with the inner walls of the
vagina or the urethra in males and females.

(The urethra is the tube through which urine exits the body.)

These areas have specialized mucosal linings that shouldn't be dried out with any type of soap - warm or hot water is all that should be used in these areas. 

The rest of one's private areas can be washed with soap without ill effects.  It's the mucosal lining that is INSIDE of the areas mentioned above that should be protected.

If the anal sphincter is washed with a mild soap, then one can apply some natural moisturizer to this area right after washing - coconut oil or something similar would work well for this purpose."