Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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 Actual FDA quote is gobbledygook
Here's an actual FDA statement from the CAM Guidance report:
For example, naturopathic cranberry tablets might be labeled for use to maintain the health of the urinary tract. In this example, the cranberry tablets generally would be regulated as "dietary supplements" ...if they were labeled for use to "maintain the health of the urinary tract" rather than "prevent urinary tract infections." The cranberry tablets would be regulated as "drugs" ...if they were labeled for use to "treat urinary tract infections" even if they were labeled as dietary supplements. |
Brenda Watson and Leonard Smith
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 Cranberry juice is famous for its antioxidant properties and support of a healthy urinary tract; its organic acids and fatty acids help keep bacteria from sticking to urinary tract cells. Cranberry can also decrease the incidence of constipation and urinary incontinence as well, especially in older people. If you don't have extract on hand, you can simply add an ounce of unsweetened cranberry juice (a good one is Just Cranberry) to an 8-ounce glass of water. |
Bottom Line Health
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| High levels of RBCs in the urine can indicate trauma to the kidney or urinary tract, cancer or urinary tract infections.
PREVENTING ERRORS
The automated instruments that are used to analyze blood are precise, and most CBCs are accurate. Similarly, few mistakes are made in a typical urinalysis, but errors can occur.
Best ways to avoid lab errors...
•Make sure your doctor or hospital uses an accredited lab. Yearly inspections are required for labs that are accredited by various organizations, such as the College of American Pathologists. |
Brenda Watson and Leonard Smith
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| Cranberry juice is famous for its antioxidant properties and support of a healthy urinary tract; its organic acids and fatty acids help keep bacteria from sticking to urinary tract cells. Cranberry can also decrease the incidence of constipation and urinary incontinence as well, especially in older people. If you don't have extract on hand, you can simply add an ounce of unsweetened cranberry juice (a good one is Just Cranberry) to an 8-ounce glass of water. |
Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.
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 UTIs occur when bacteria in the urine bind to cells of the urinary tract wall.) In addition, the researchers analyzed the chemical composition of the proanthocyanidins in these foods, and according to Howell, "The cranberry's proanthocyanidins are structurally different than the proanthocyanidins found in the other plant foods tested, which may explain why cranberry has unique bacterial antiadhesion activity and helps to maintain urinary tract health. |
Steven V. Joyal
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 Beware of urinary tract infections. These infections are common in people with diabetes and can severely damage the kidneys. Therefore, at the first sign of a urinary tract infection (fever, chills, flank pain, suprapubic pain [pain in the central lower abdomen, above the pelvis], frequent urination, burning when urinating, cloudy or bloody urine, feeling the constant urge to urinate), see your doctor immediately.
?Get your creatinine and albumin levels checked. |
Joan Liebmann-Smith, Ph. D., and Jacqueline Nardi Egan
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 Also, foul-smelling urine—particularly the first pee of the day—may be a sign of a urinary tract infection (UTI). (See Cloudy Urine, below.)
Fishy-smelling pee can signal a metabolic disorder graphically known as fish odor syndrome or by the more unpronounceable term trimethylaminuria. (See Fishy-Smelling Sweat, below.)
SWEET PEE
For many of us, spritzing and spraying with perfumes and eau de toilette is part of our daily bathroom ritual. But if the "eau" in your toilet is sweet-smelling, it's not a good sign. |
David W. Grotto, RD, LDN
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 He also relays that bromelain:
• Reduces postoperative swelling
• Helps relieve symptoms associated with sinusitis
• When combined with antibiotics and trypsin (an enzyme), can also help control the symptoms of urinary tract infections
• May help relieve symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis
Results of several clinical trials indicate that bromelain acts as a blood-thinner and can help relieve the symptoms of angina and thrombophlebitis.
CANCER PREVENTION: Cornell University food scientists found that eating pineapples reduced the formation of nitrosamines (potential carcinogens) in humans. |
| ANTIBACTERIAL: Blueberries, like cranberries, contain compounds that prevent the bacteria responsible for urinary tract infections from attaching to the bladder wall.
HEART HEALTH: Scientists at the University of California, Davis, the University of Maine, Orono, and the School of Medicine at the University of Louisville, Kentucky, found that blueberries may help protect against cardiovascular disease. According to researchers at the University of Prince Edward Island in Atlantic Canada, rats fed diets containing wild blueberries for six weeks experienced decreased stroke-induced brain damage. |
| She was giving cranberry juice to her kids to help fight urinary tract infections long before there was science to support its effectiveness. All she knew was that it worked! This section features many claims for the healing properties of the 101 foods that may not have been exhaustively studied ... yet!
THROW ME A L1FESAVER! This section references many research reports, from cell studies to animal studies to the granddaddy of them all, human clinical trials. Some of the studies show that there are unique properties to the 101 foods. |
| Home Remedies
Hippocrates and other healers have used elderberry as an antiinflammatory, anti-rheumatic, diuretic, and laxative agent, as well as for the treatment of dysentery, stomach ailments, scurvy, and urinary tract problems. Warm elderberry wine is a remedy for sore throat and influenza, and induces perspiration to reverse the effects of a chill. The juice from the berries is an old-fashioned cure for colds, and is also said to relieve asthma and bronchitis. |
| Home Remedies
A lot of the initial work with cranberries, especially with its role in fighting urinary tract infections (UTIs), was anecdotal. It was mom's advice and she knew it worked. Now research is finding that mothers were right all along! The National Institutes of Health has twelve studies underway focusing primarily on further defining cranberries' activity against UTIs. |
Joan Liebmann-Smith, Ph. D., and Jacqueline Nardi Egan
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| Infections can be found in other portions of the urinary tract, such as the urethra and ureters, and are often linked to sexual activity.
In men, cloudy or reddish-tinted urine can be a sign of an inflammation of the prostate, medically known as prostatitis, which is usually the result of a UTI, or sometimes an
. . , . HEALTHY SIGN b 1D. Men with enlarged prostates, j. 11 i i .^jSiks. In a healthy person, urine is virmedically known as benign prosta- Jp*-4»
(¦ ml tually sterile and nearly odor-tic hyperplasia (BPH), are more ^0 |ess when it leaves the body. |
| But the blood can originate anywhere along the urinary tract. It can be an important early warning sign of several serious kidney, liver, or bladder conditions, including infections, stones, cysts, tumors, and even cancer.
Purplish Pee
Dark red or purplish urine is the hallmark of a rare group of usually inherited blood disorders called porphyrias. These disorders are very common in some European royal families but are not restricted to the blue bloods (so to speak) among us.
Interestingly, the urine may not turn purple until it's exposed to light for a while. |
Joerg Gruenwald, Ph.D.
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 In folk medicine, marshmallow is employed for catarrh of the mouth, throat, gastrointestinal tract and urinary tract, and for inflammation, ulcers, abscesses, burns, constipation, and diarrhea.
PRECAUTIONS AND ADVERSE REACTIONS
General: No health hazards or side effects are known in conjunction with the proper administration of designated therapeutic dosages.
Drug Interactions: The absorption of other drugs taken simultaneously may be delayed.
DOSAGE
Mode of Administration: Cut leaves for aqueous extracts as well as other galenic preparations for internal use. |
Joan Liebmann-Smith, Ph. D., and Jacqueline Nardi Egan
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| Any part of the urinary tract, upper or lower, can be home to a UTI.
¦ Kidneys: organs that make the urine
¦ Ureters: long tubes leading from the kidneys to the bladder
¦ Bladder: organ that stores the urine
¦ Urethra: tube through which urine leaves the bladder
LEAKING URINE
Most of us have probably laughed so hard at a good joke we've peed in our pants. But for about 13 million Americans who have urinary incontinence, peeing in their pants is no
HEALTHY SIGN laughing matter. |
David W. Grotto, RD, LDN
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| Infusions of the fruit are beneficial for nerve disorders and back pain, and have been used to reduce inflammation of the urinary tract and bladder.
Throw Me a Lifesaver!
INFLUENZA: Several studies have shown the effectiveness of elderberry in killing influenza strains A and B. In one study, sixty patients who had influenza-like symptoms for less than two days were randomized in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study. In those receiving elderberry extract, less medication was required and symptoms were relieved an average of four days earlier compared to those who had received the placebo. |
Stacy Malkan
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 Since moving to Love Canal, her son had developed asthma and a urinary tract problem and her daughter was diagnosed with a rare blood disease. When Lois learned her son's school was built on a chemical waste dump, she tried to get him transferred but was told that would "set a bad precedent." So she started knocking on doors in her neighborhood with a petition to close down the school. After only a few blocks, it became apparent that the entire neighborhood was sick. Lois heard story after story of cancers, miscarriages and stillbirths. |
Brigitte Mars, A.H.G.
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 Today it is used in the treatment of cystitis, gallbladder pain, gallstones, gonorrhea, hepatitis, jaundice, obesity, and urinary tract infection.
Topically, boldo can be prepared as a compress or used as a bath herb to relieve arthritis pain.
Some Native American peoples used blue cohosh as a protective charm for children. |
Joan Liebmann-Smith, Ph. D., and Jacqueline Nardi Egan
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| Adrenal glands
FEMALE AND MALE urinary tract ANATOMY
Because the excess fat may be due to a blocked bile duct, steatorrhea can sometimes signal many of the same conditions as pale stools: gallbladder, liver, or pancreatic diseases, or cancer. (See Pale Poop, above.)
SLIMY STOOLS
If your stools look more like they're covered with mucus or pus than fat, it can be a sign of food allergies. And, as with fatty stools, they can also indicate GI tract problems such as bacterial infections, bowel obstructions, IBS, and IBD. (See Red or Maroon Stools, above). |
| And like extra breasts, extra nipples can be a sign of rare genetic kidney and urinary tract defects. These defects are more likely to be seen in men with supernumerary nipples than in women with them.
INVERTED NIPPLES
We all expect our nipples to look like ... well, nipples—pointed and perky. But sometimes our nipples look more like dimples. Medically known as inverted nipples, they can be a benign sign or signal something more serious. |
Joerg Gruenwald, Ph.D.
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| INDICATIONS AND USAGE
ANETHI HERBA
Dill herb is used for prevention and treatment of diseases and disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, kidney and urinary tract, for sleep disorders, as well as for spasms.
ANETHI FRUCTUS
¦ Loss of appetite
¦ Fevers and colds
¦ Cough
¦ Bronchitis
¦ Tendency to infection
¦ Liver and gallbladder complaints
¦ Inflammation of the mouth and pharynx
¦ Common cold
Dill is also used in Dyspepsia. |
Marshall Editions
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 If the stone is stuck in the wall of the kidney, or if the patient has a narrow urinary tract, other treatments such as surgery should be considered.
Herbs: To make a decoction, mix the herbs of one of the formulas below in a glass or ceramic pot. Add 3 cups of water, bring the ingredients to the boil, and simmer for 30 minutes. Strain the liquid and drink 1 cup twice a day. |
Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.
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| Unsweetened cranberry juice: Rich source of phytonutrients such as phenol-based antioxidants that are so helpful in supporting cardiovascular health and preventing urinary tract infections. Mix in a 1:2 ratio with water!
3. Lemons: High in limonene, they're an old-time remedy for thinning the bile and enhancing digestion.
4. Whey: Undenatured, unheated whey protein provides the aminos from which the body makes glutathione, the body's premier antioxidant.
5. |
| In addition, the researchers analyzed the chemical composition of the proanthocyanidins in these foods, and according to Howell, "The cranberry's proanthocyanidins are structurally different than the proanthocyanidins found in the other plant foods tested, which may explain why cranberry has unique bacterial antiadhesion activity and helps to maintain urinary tract health."
While the health benefits of cranberries are mostly available in the juice, it's important not to confuse real cranberry juice with the highly sweetened cranberry "cocktails" that are so popular. |
Lester A. Mitscher and Victoria Toews
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 The women who drank green or black tea regularly showed a lower risk of developing cancers of the upper digestive tract, colon, and rectum. urinary tract cancer was also less common in the tea drinkers. Women who frequently drank tea lowered their cancer risk by one-third, compared with those who rarely or never drank tea. Overall, drinking two or more cups of tea daily reduced the risk of cancer by 10 percent. |
| Specifically, frequent tea drinkers had almost 70 percent fewer cancers of the digestive tract and 40 percent fewer urinary tract cancer cases compared with women who rarely or never drank tea. It's hard to question a study this thorough and results this strong. Clearly, tea, in some way, lessens the risk of cancer.
The concept of chemoprevention may help explain how green tea reduces cancer risks. Cancer chemoprevention is a means of controlling cancer, even in the face of cancer-causing agents, by increasing a person's exposure to certain cancer-fighting compounds. |
Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.
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| This is accomplished by preventing bacteria from sticking to the lining of the urinary tract (see also cranberry juice, page 252). More recently it has been discovered that the same properties help reduce bacterial adhesion to teeth, thus reducing the formation of dental plaque. Recent studies have also revealed that compounds in cranberries stop certain disease-causing bacteria from sticking to the stomach lining, thus helping to prevent ulcers.
Remember now, we're talking about actual, raw cranberries here. |
| Cranberries contain compounds called proanthocyanidins that may be responsible for the fruit's and the fruit juice's positive effects on urinary tract infections. According to a study by Amy Howell, Ph.D., research scientist at the Marucci Center for Blueberry Cranberry Research at Rutgers University, and Jess Reed, Ph.D., professor of nutrition at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, an 8-ounce serving of cranberry juice cocktail—but not the equivalent single servings of grape juice, apple juice, green tea, or chocolate—prevented E. |
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