Urinary Tract Infections and Kidney Stones
By Larrian Gillespie

Prehistoric man (and woman) lived in fear of two things: being eaten by a raptor, or other carnivorous creature and the painful, slow death of an obstructed, infected kidney. Just look at man's diet during this time: leafy green vegetation, wild game, bones and bugs. Just imagine how dehydrated one became after chasing down a saber tooth tiger for dinner!

The reality today is that diet, more than ever, is responsible for many of the illnesses seen in our societies. Which leads to a very key concept: we can control our own health if we have knowledge. But today that takes dedication and understanding of the technical advances available to the consumer.

It wasn't too long ago that women were told they were fated to have chronic cystitis, an infection of the bladder, because they were "built wrong" or "having too much sex." Conversely, men were informed the cause for their prostatitis was "too little sex." Pity the poor couple who shared this common affliction.

Cystitis is not the result of faulty anatomy nor of a healthy sex life. Rather it is the result of a mechanical failure to empty the contents of the bladder efficiently during voiding. In order to understand this, you must realize that the mechanical function of voiding is dependent upon four factors:

• The amount of residual urine left in the bladder after voiding;

• The rate of urinary flow (that is, how forceful your stream is;

• The frequency of voiding: the less often you void, the longer urine stays in your bladder and

• The rate of bacterial multiplication, which depends on how large the initial introduction of bacteria into the bladder was.

A good example is to listen to the woman next to you in the stalls (men: if you are caught doing this at the urinals, well, you know the result!). One person can sound like a waterfall, and the other may go "tinkle, tinkle, tinkle." The Niagara lady has excellent mechanical voiding, but the lady who "tinkles" is unable to efficiently cleanse her urethra, labia and perineum (the bridge of skin between the vagina and urethra) of bacteria. I think you can guess which woman may be prone to bouts of cystitis.

If we followed her back to her desk, we would probably find a hidden stash of cranberry juice containers in her drawer. After all, what woman isn't aware of cystitis sufferer's mantra: "Cranberry juice will get me through the day." This self-help commandment is fraught with misinformation because cranberry juice will not acidify your urine sufficiently to prevent either an infection or a stone. In fact, using cranberry juice to treat an already existing infection makes as much sense as putting out a fire with gasoline.

The bacteria use a component of acidic urine, called urea, to help them multiply and thrive. When bacteria are present, they tend to make your urine more alkaline as they split molecules of urea in the process of multiplying. In other words, your alkaline urine is the result, not the cause, of a bacterial infection. When you acidify your urine in the course of a bacterial infection, you are helping the bacteria by giving them more fuel! To be fair, cranberries (and blueberries as well) contain a chemical called hippuronic acid which helps to prevent bacteria from adhering to the bladder surface. However, this same antiseptic is available without all the calories and sugar in a table form my prescription. It's called Hiprex.

As you know, kidney stones can be the result of a faulty mechanism in the filtering system of the kidneys, or they can be caused by obstruction to the drainage line (the ureter) by enlarged blood vessels (no wonder urology is viewed as a plumbing specialty, only we just don't have the hours like our trade associates!), glandular disorders or by medication. Most stones, therefore, are not infected unless there is stagnation of urine, like the backup of dirty water in the sink. Urine itself is sterile, but if it pools for prolonged periods of time, the breakdown products can serve as a fertile breeding ground for bacteria, commonly E. Coli, Enteroccoccus or S. Fecalis. Chronic and even acute infections of the bladder can cause sufficient irritation to the opening of the ureters in that they allow some of the urine to flow backwards up into the kidneys during urination. It is this "back-wash" that can infect a seemingly innocent stone in a calyx, turning it into a leaky faucet of continual infection.

Stones, by their very nature, are composed of a matrix, or honeycomb, of crystals, which serve as individual "rooms" for bacteria once they gain access to the structure. The suspicious hallmark of an infected kidney stone is two renegade bacteria: Klebsiella and Pseudomonas. Every stone patient should be aware that only a urine culture can prove if you have an infection, as many times bacteria will be seen during a urinalysis merely because they have been washing off the body during urination, not because they are growing in the urine.

Infected stones pose the most threat, as chronic infection without drainage can result in a kidney abscess. Because the kidney is essentially a vascular sponge, bacteria have immediate access to the bloodstream and septicemia, or blood poisoning as it was commonly called, may ensue. Without appropriate antibiotic therapy combined with drainage, heart valves can be damaged and death may be the result (remember the caveman!). So it is imperative that stone patients monitor their urine not only for crystals but for bacteria. Easy to use dip sticks are now available in drug stores to test for nitrites, a byproduct of bacterial multiplication (one such product is Biotel, and there are others). If your test turns "blue," the positive color, contact your physician so he or she can order a urine culture. It will be the best money you ever spent!

The information contained in this web site is not intended as a substitute for the medical recommendations of physicians or other health-care providers. It reflects the experiences, studies, research, and opinions of the author and is presented for informational purposes only. Before beginning this, or any nutrition program, you should consult with your health-care provider.

Copyright © 2003 Healthy Life Publications, Inc. All rights reserved.