Sudden urge to use the toilet more often? Burning pain? Pressure? Feeling unwell? Blood in the urine?

You may very well have a UTI. But what are UTIs?

What are UTIs?

Commonly known as UTIs - these are Urinary tract infections, infections in any part of the urinary system.

The urinary system includes the kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra. Most infections involve the lower urinary tract — the bladder and the urethra.

Women are at greater risk of developing a UTI than men because our urethra is shorter – ergo, bacteria have a shorter way of traveling up to cause havoc.

UTIs can happen in any age group – but seem to happen more frequently in (peri-)menopausal age. This can be down to…hormones, of course.

A drop in oestrogen – as it happens in menopause (or removal of ovaries, certain cancer treatments) can be the culprit for recurring UTIs in (peri-)menopause.

The hormone oestrogen helps with elasticity – so a lack of oestrogen, results in less elastic tissue, or thinness of tissue. Resulting dryness can cause irritation and – et voila – your UTI arrives.

Less elastic tissue will make the muscles that hold up your bladder and your urethra will not be as strong – and bacteria can travel up to the bladder.

Lower oestrogen can also result in less healthy bacteria in this environment, which could keep infections at bay.

What to do?

Treating your UTI is the same, no matter if you are a child, a teen, in your 20s, 30s, perimenopausal, menopausal or postmenopausal. Most doctors will suggest antibiotics, often long-term antibiotics.

In homeopathy we treat the symptoms, so we look at how your UTI comes along.

Some have burning pain, some have stitching pain, some have pressure, other’s don’t, some may not feel anything, but a dipstick shows an infection. Some need to go often, some pee in droplets.

Cantharis:

The Spanish fly!
Drinking even small quantities of water increases pain in the bladder.
Constant urging to urinate, passing but a few drops at a time, which is mixed with blood.
Intolerable urging, before, during, and after urination; violent pains in the bladder.

Burning, cutting pains in urethra during urination; violent straining and spasms in bladder and urethra.

Berberis:

Pain in the small back; very sensitive to touch in renal region; aggravated when sitting and lying, from jarred movements, from fatigue.

Burning and soreness in the region of kidneys. Stitching, cutting pain from left kidney following course of ureter into bladder and urethra.

Renal colic aggravated left side. Bubbling sensation in kidneys.

Urine: greenish, blood - red, with thick, slimy mucus; transparent, reddish or jelly-like sediment. Movement brings on or increases urinary complaints.

Staphysagria:

Urging to urinate, has to sit at urinal for hours; in young married women; after coition; after

difficult labor; burning in urethra when not urinating; urging and pain after urinating in prostatic troubles of old men; prolapse of bladder. Very sensitive to slightest mental impressions; lest action or harmless word offends. Great indignation about things done by others or by himself; grieves about consequences.

The bladder and kidney and related organs are related to negative, weakening, mostly old emotions, mostly in the far past, or those that have lasted a long time and have never been processed à These are connected to the bladder.

Urine = water and water stands for emotions. A well-working bladder symbolically shows a safe passage of your feelings through your body (and soul).

So then, problems with the bladder can point into the direction of tears that haven’t been cried. Tears, that have not taken the safe path through your body. They’re stuck and may show in the shape of bladder problems.

Feelings and the fear to feel them. Water is associated with free flow or the ability to immerse in these feelings, so problems with the bladder are associated with inhibited flow, and suppressed feelings.

All sorts of fears – fears of conflict, of pressure, loss of control, too high expectations, hot feelings (burning). Guilt, fear of being hurt, loss of power, unresolved grief. Boundaries (or loss of).

Anger – hard, aggressive emotions à that should flow. This burns when passing water.

The kidneys show a similar topic, it seems logical since the bladder and kidneys are very closely connected.

Symbolic sentences related to the bladder: