Now, all the facts you need to understand and successfully clear up your chronic UTI are here in one place.

Fact 1:

One out of every two women in menopause will have chronic UTIs. Additionally, one out of every three men with an enlarged prostate will have chronic UTIs.

For women, chronic UTIs are due to hormonal changes in our vaginal and urinary microbiome. Read more about this here.

For men, chronic UTIs are due to an enlarged or inflamed prostate. Read more here.

Fact 2:

Almost everyone over the age of 60 will be living with a chronic UTI that cannot be treated with antibiotics.

Chronic UTIs are defined as having 3+ infections per year. This is due to “antibiotics resistance”.

Because antibiotics have been over-prescribed by doctors for decades, the UTI bacteria have figured out how to evade almost all available oral antibiotics. Read more here.

Fact 3:

Leaving a UTI untreated for more than a week is very dangerous.

A UTI should not be allowed to fester in your bladder. If left untreated, it can develop into kidney disease, kidney stones, delirium, urosepsis and even death. Read more symptoms here.

People over the age of 75 are most at risk because they do not have symptoms. Learn more here.

Fact 4:

You need to find out what bacteria are causing your UTI so you can get a treatment that will work.

The first step is confirm that you have a UTI using test strips. Read more about how to do this here.

The next step is to have your doctor order a urine culture to identify the type of bacteria. You should know that urine cultures are only 50% accurate.

If you’ve tried everything and are still suffering, consider the gold standard test, which is called an “Advanced PCR Test.” It identifies 23 types of bacteria and several types of fungi. It can be ordered online or through your urologist. Read more about it here.

Fact 5:

Approximately 75% of all UTIs are caused by two bacteria – E. Coli and Klebsiella bacteria.

There are over 15 strains of bacteria that can cause a UTI; the most common cause of UTIs is E. Coli. See all types here (Table 1).

Fact 6:

E. Coli is now resistant to all but 2 oral antibiotics. 

If you have an E. Coli infection, only 2 of the 22 oral antibiotics will help you anymore.  Read more about which drugs are effective and not effective here.

Fact 7:

There is only one alternative to antibiotics which is medically proven to clear up E. Coli  and Klebsiella UTIs.  That’s D-Mannose, a natural supplement. 

D-Mannose is a “healthy sugar” which our body automatically produces in small quantities when we eat fruit or vegetables.  When mixed with water, concentrated amounts of D-Mannose reach your bladder; where the E. Coli bacteria are floating around.  The bacteria are attracted by the sugar, bind to the D-Mannose molecules and then float out with your urine.  Read more about the safety and efficacy of D-Mannose here.

Fact 8:

There are hundreds of D-Mannose products on the market, but not all of them will work.  Know what to look for.

  • Powder, not capsules.  Capsules lose effectiveness in the digestive tract.  The powder mixed in water goes directly to the bladder and is flushed out of your system within 30 minutes; fast symptom relief and no side effects.
  • 100% Pure, no additives. No “extras” such as cranberry or cranberry coloring, hibiscus or anything else; they dilute the effectiveness of this supplement.
  • Completely dissolves, no taste.  A top-quality D-Mannose completely dissolves in water so you cannot see it or taste it.

Read about how to choose the right natural UTI supplements here.

Fact 9:

No matter what you hear, cranberry will NEVER clear up an active UTI; but it will protect against new UTIs. 

Cranberry does not clear out the bacteria that are causing active UTI symptoms; in fact, if cranberry is taken for this purpose, it can increase the inflammation and produce a painful burning sensation.

Cranberry’s role is purely preventative.  Cranberry phenols, known as PAC’s, coat the bladder lining with a slippery surface which prevents new infections from taking hold.  Read more about cranberry here.

Fact 10:

You may need to deal with both “floaters” and “nesters” to get rid of your UTI once and for all.

D-Mannose will get rid of the active UTI bacteria floating in your bladder which we call “floaters”.  But it cannot get rid of bacteria which may have embedded themselves into your bladder lining.

We call these bacteria “nesters” because, over time, they have created a nest (or multiple nests) and covered themselves with a slimy surface called a biofilm; this protects them against antibiotics.  There is now a proven “extra strength” liquid natural supplement which can be added to a D-Mannose daily routine which will dissolve biofilms.

Read more here about biofilms and how to get rid of them.