The Chlorinated Swimming Pool and Urinary Infections

Consider this: The average American water park contains 3-4 pounds of fecal matter (that is, poop) in the water. And this poopy contaminant is mostly from adult swimmers who neglect to wipe properly and shower before getting into the pool. (WebND)

Now, chlorine is a fairly powerful chemical that can kill off most germs in seconds, but there are some nastier microorganisms that take much longer to die: e coli, giardia, and shingella are three such frequent fecal contaminants that can end up in the water as a result of swimmers with diarrhea. Cryposporidium is the nastiest little parasite to be water-borne and can live up to seven days in chlorinated pools. (WebND)

The intestinal bacteria, E coli is the most common cause of urinary tract infection. (kidshealth.org)

The pool operations-- the cooling and water uptake-- can weaken the resistance of the mucous membranes of swimmers causing them to become more susceptible to pathogens in the pools. (lenntech.com)

Adenovirus, a group of viruses, can infect the body membranes (tissue linings)including the membranes in the urinary tract. This virus can show up as the same sort of symptoms as a "regular" bacterial-caused urinary tract infection. (kidshealth.org)

The chlorine chemicals, apart from offering some protection from disease-causing bacteria, can themselves create health issues. The June 2003 issue of Occupational and Environmental Medicine talks about a layer of chlorine gas hovering just above the surface of the water that has the potential to damage lung tissue and cause asthma. Indoor pools with low ceilings pose the greatest risk.


Overall, it would appear that the chlorinated swimming pool is a rather hostile environment for swimmers, particularly those with compromised immune systems. If you have recurring urinary tract infections, the Women's Health site of the New York Times suggests that you avoid chlorinated pools altogether.

If you do intend to swim, check into the following recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control:

Swim earlier in the day and not when the water is cloudy in later afternoon and evening. You should be able to see to the bottom of the pool, and see the edges of the pool with water lapping over them as it is filtered.

The sides of the pool should not be tacky or sticky to the touch, but smooth.

There should not be a strong chlorine smell-- a strong smell means that other noxious chemicals are being produced

Keep your mouth closed.

Don't swim with diarrhea or any other infection, for that matter

Take a shower at home before swimming and bathe your children with particular attention to their bottoms. Change babies in bathroom change rooms and not beside the pool. Wear 'toddler swim diapers' on them. Make regular trips to the potty, whether they say they have to go or not.

The best cure is always prevention. If you have a strong immune system-- eat well, follow good hygiene routine, take care of yourself-- you can probably swim in your average chlorinated pool and have little more than red eyes to show for it.

Apple Cider Vinegar for Urinary Tract Infections (UTI)

For the purposes of today's post, when I refer to Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) I'm talking about unfiltered and unpasteurized vinegar made from cider or apples, and with the mother of vinegar present, as a natural product.  You must usually buy it in a health food store.  It is said that Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine, had only two remedies: honey and apple cider vinegar.  Organic, unfiltered ACV contains a host of vitamins, as well as beta carotene, pectin, and important minerals such as potassium, sodium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, sulphur and iron.  


ACV has malic acid which is helpful in fighting fungal and bacterial infections.  It's a boon for eliminating and keeping away urinary tract infections, particularly if teamed up with Cranberry Juice.  Simply add 2 teaspoons of ACV to 8 ounces of cranberry juice, and drink.  (To sweeten, add a pinch of Stevia-- sugar will only exacerbate the problem).  Do this about 3 or more times a day if you feel a urinary infection coming on, or if you are in the throes of one.


**image of apple cider press in Brittany, France 2001 by photographer Garry Stemp.


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.

A Case For Cranberry Juice for Urinary Infection

Cranberry juice has long been the preferred home-cure for urinary tract infections (although I did hear a clerk in Safeway one day telling a customer about the benefits of pineapple juice).  When I was a kid, my parents started pouring cranberry cocktail into wine glasses at our Christmas dinners.  It tasted somewhat bitter to us kids, so we fantasized that it was wine.

When I got my first (of many) painful bout of cystitis as part of recurring urinary tract infections, I was told that drinking cranberry juice would "do the trick". It turns out that the sugar content in the cranberry juice was a kind of shot-in-the-foot since the sugar (today listed as cane or beet-sourced) was almost as high as what you would find in the same quantity of soda pop, or maybe higher, if you take into account that the juice was also sweetened with concentrated juices, that may, in fact, have been sweetened with high fructose corn syrup.  Well, in any case, I slugged it back, but it did no good.  I still had pain.  I still got an infection on a fairly regular basis.  Of course I resorted to taking antibiotics, that would "knock it out" of there, until they were no longer resistant to the bacteria because of being over-prescribed, and then the UTIs would come back.

That was then.

Now studies have shown that pure, unsweetened cranberry juice-- buy it here or at your health store, or try making your own- is just as effective as antibiotics in overcoming bacterial infections in the urinary tract.  The proanthocyandins in cranberries appear to strip the bacteria from the sides of the urinary tract walls, disabling it from creating inflammation and infection.  When you take antibiotics, you need to keep coming back for antibiotics... when you take cranberry juice, over time the cranberry juice (along with 4 other simple add-ins to the play, as listed below) usually allow you to get through the odd UTI in a short period of time, or even prevent you from getting further urinary tract infections.  (IT IS TRUE)

CRANBERRY JUICE IS A TEAM PLAYER

Along with cranberry juice, it is very important for everybody-- particularly people who get recurrent urinary bacterial infections-- and their intimate partners-- to follow a sort of regimen.  (Well, it beats the irritating pain of cystitis, right?)

(1) Keep hydrated with pure, filtered water.  A study of women who were properly hydrated and those who were not, found that twice as many (2X) women who didn't drink enough water each day (at least 8-10 ounces for every pound of body weight, and taking exertion into account) got recurring UTIs while the fully hydrated women were unlikely to have a recurrence.  Most doctors will advise their patients drink more water-- about 8-10 glasses a day.  Being fully hydrated means that your system is flushing out the bacteria on a more regular basis.

(2) Also be sure to drink water after having sex, and urinate after.

(3) Practice good pelvic hygiene.  Shower, but do not use soap or douche products that can further irritate the vaginal and urethral area.  Warm water should be sufficient to cleanse.  Wear clean undies daily, particularly after intimacy.

(4)Eat good food to nourish your body and cut back or cut out the foods that are hard on your microbiome.  Chicken is particularly suspect in bacterial infections of the urinary tract.  See what Doctor Michael Greger has to report about chicken.  Even kosher and Organic Chicken??

 Add a little Raw Honey to Your Cranberry Juice 

That pure, unsweetened, Just Cranberry Juice is sssssssourrrrrr.  Yes, it is!  If you are like me, you sorta like it.  But there are many people who just can't stomach it.  Dr. Pamela Popper in her video about urinary tract infections, suggests that you take a little raw honey with the cranberry juice.  Raw honey has antibacterial properties and it is a pretty healthy way to overcome bacterial infections on its own (see my article on Raw Honey in this blog HERE).  Don't give up on Cranberry Juice quite yet!! 

Go here and read what the Medical Medium, Anthony William, has to say about cranberries and get this luscious recipe for Cranberry-Orange Sauce.


Studies about the Efficacy of Cranberries with UTIs

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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.