Who is at risk

People who withhold their urge to urinate are at a higher risk of UTI. If you are a diabetic [especially if it’s uncontrolled], you are at risk of infection due to immuno-suppression. Another source of infection is the prolonged use of catheters [external tubes used to expel urine] by a critically ill person.

Women are more at risk than men. This may be because a woman’s urethra is short and is near to sources of bacteria from the anus and vagina, thus allowing bacteria a quick access to the urethra and eventually to the bladder.

Women using diaphragms for birth control are more likely to develop a UTI. If your partner uses a condom with spermicidal foam you are at risk too. Pregnant women often complain of UTIs.

Relief measures

In general

• Drink ash gourd juice [white gourd, kohla, petha] with honey if you get frequent UTIs. You can also have juice of lemon, beetroot, cucumber, bitter gourd, or sugarcane.
• Ensure proper hygiene of your genital region [wash and dry the perineum properly].
• Drink at least 2 – 3 litres of fluid per day to ensure proper hydration of the body.
• Wash your genital area both before and after sexual intercourse as it helps prevent bacterial transfer to the urethra or vaginal area.

To ease pain

• Drink a glass of buttermilk added with a pinch of jeera or with cucumber seeds twice daily.
• Massage the lower abdominal region with hot water bags or heating pads.
• Drink fresh juice of guduchi [tinospora] leaves early morning.

To control burning and irritation

• Drink citrus juices as they increase the pH of urinary tract making it difficult for the bacteria to survive thus reducing burning sensations.
• Eat tender coconut with a pinch of cardamom powder or with half spoon each of jaggery and coriander powder twice daily.
• Consume spinach juice [15 – 20ml] mixed with honey early every morning.
• Drink a glass of buttermilk with a spoon of coriander twice daily.

To relieve irritation

• Douche with alum water as it reduces itching, irritation, frequency of urination, discharge and foul smell.
• Eat half a teaspoon of cardamom powder with honey twice daily.

To reduce fever and nausea

• Have a decoction of coriander seeds added with a spoon of sugar.
• Eat dry grapes [soaked in water overnight] in the morning after mashing it well in the same water.

Some ways to avoid a UTI:

• Pass urine as soon as you feel the urge. Withholding helps bacteria to breed, causing infection.
• Pass urine after intercourse as it decreases the likelihood of UTI.
• Wear loose clothing, as tight clothes irritate tissues, trap heat and promote bacterial growth.
• Avoid intercourse in severe cases, as it may worsen infection.
• Avoid caffeine, acid foods, spices, citrus fruits, alcohol, and chocolate.

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Stye

Stye refers to a small painful boil, an inflamed hair follicle or an infection of a sebaceous gland in the edge of the eyelid. A stye is associated with throbbing pain, redness, swelling and oedema of the eyelid and conjunctiva.

Remedies

• Dissolve 2 to 3 granules of alum in one cup of water and use it as an eyewash. You can also use Sphatika bhasma [available in ayurvedic medical stores] instead—it reduces inflammation, congestion and redness.
• Boil a teaspoon of turmeric in a glass of water till it reduces to half a cup. Strain it repeatedly through a fine muslin cloth and use it as eye drops [two drops three times a day].
• Rub date seeds on a stone and apply it over painful stye.

Conjunctivitis

Conjunctivitis [commonly called ‘pink eye’ or ‘Madras eye’] is an acute inflammation of the conjunctiva, often due to an allergic reaction or an infection.

Remedies

• Add a tablespoon of triphala churna to a cup of water, boil and reduce it to half. Filter repeatedly and use it for frequent eyewash, 3 – 4 times a day. It reduces redness, irritation, watering and burning.
• Make a paste of tulsi leaves and honey and use it as a collyrium [a cleanser for the eyes].
• Put of few drops of juice of drumstick leaves [by instillation] in the eye. You can even use aloe vera juice.
• Have some triphala kashaya and amrutha kashaya to fight eye problems, including conjunctivitis.
• Wash your eyes with a decoction made of coriander. Mix a handful of dried coriander in 60ml of water. This decoction when used as eye drops, relieves pain and lessens the swelling.

Redness

Often, red eyes are caused by extremely dry air, over-exposure to the sun, dust, foreign bodies, an allergic reaction, infection or trauma.

Remedies

• Avoid touching the infected eye and then rubbing the other eye with the same hand; the infection can spread from one eye to the other.
• Use eye drops made of rose water added with a pinch of Sphatika bhasma/ few granules of alum three times a day to find relief.
• Apply a few drops of castor oil over the eye while sleeping. You can even use warm compress.

Burning

Of the many causes, the presence of chemicals or soap in the eye, hair dye, and sun exposure are responsible for burning of the eyes.

Remedies

• Make a cold infusion of chandan [sandalwood powder] and use it as eye drops frequently.
• Frequently wash eyes with a cold infusion made of coriander seeds. [Add two teaspoons of coriander seeds to a glass of water that is boiled and cooled. Soak it overnight; filter it in the morning and use].
• Apply castor oil over eyelids at bedtime.

Dark circles

Dark circles are extremely common and distressing. They make you look older, tired, stressed, sick, and depressed.

Remedies

• Apply a paste of tomato and rose water around the eyes at bedtime. Alternately, you may also place a slice of cucumber on the eyes. In addition to curing dark circles, it helps soothe tired eyes.
• Massage the area with almond oil at bedtime.
• Ensure that you get eight hours of sleep to avoid dark circles and prevent eye fatigue.
• Twice a day, cover your eyes with a cotton pad dipped in rose water for 15 minutes.
• Include citrus fruits, especially oranges, in your diet to get rid of dark circles.

Foreign body

Materials such as dust, sand or paint that gets into the eye is called a foreign body. Penetrating foreign bodies need medical attention, whereas superficial bodies can be handled easily as follows.

Remedies

• As a first-aid treatment, gently rinse the eye with warm water. An ‘eye bath’ can make this easier to do on your own, or you can get someone to help rinse the eye from the side, with you lying down.
• Smell a pungent onion; it will cause profuse watering of the eyes, resulting in easy expulsion of foreign body.
• Do not try to remove a foreign body with cotton buds, matchsticks or any other type of solid object. You could do more harm than good.

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