what is baking soda? it’s sodium bicarbonate. and what is sodium bicarbonate? it is an alkaline compound used as one of the treatments for kidney stones along with other drugs.
why is it used for that purpose? because most of the kidney stones usually form under an acidic environment in the urinary tract (the urinary tract includes: the kidneys, the ureters, and the urethra… etc).
so the baking soda which is an alkaline (basic) compound can neutralize the acidity of the urinary tract, thereby easing the process of getting these stones out with the urine.
but in the case of someone having a urinary tract infection (UTI), the urinary tract is already alkaline (basic) so when you put baking soda in your bath water that will only make things worse.
even if the water will not enter through the vagina to the urinary tract and make it more alkaline than it is, it will reach the urethra at least which is the first part of the urinary tract.
In this way, the bacteria that cause the UTI will prosper in the urethra and spread to other areas like the bladder.
putting baking soda in your bath water will not help you get rid of the UTI, in fact, it can make it worse, be careful of what you put in your bathtub to treat the UTI.
now is sitz bath good for the uti?
first, a sitz bath requires that the person to sit in water in a sitting position with the water reaches up to his or her hips, now if you just use water in this bath that is O.K. and it has proven to be beneficial to relieving various UTI symptoms.
but, some people prefer to add other ingredients, so depending on the ingredient or ingredients added sitz bath can be sometimes good and sometimes bad.
some people add baking soda to it and as we said before baking soda is not good for UTI weather if you put it in normal bath water or if you put it in a sitz bath water.
some people put Epsom salts in Sitz bath water.
Epsom salts are magnesium salts, mostly it’s magnesium sulfate salt, originally magnesium sulfate is used in a lot of other medical uses other than treating UTI, for example, it’s used as a laxative to treat constipation also I have found that it’s used as a remedy for some wounds that are caused by the boiling water and other types of wounds.
meaning that it has some antibacterial activity, but it’s not like the antibacterial activity that antibiotics have but I think it’s because of its acidic nature and we know that acidity kills the bacteria.
whatever is the reason behind the magnesium ability to impede bacterial growth, in the end, we know that it does fight the bacteria.
so the answer is yes, by putting Epsom salts ( magnesium sulfate salts) in your sitz bath water or even in you regular bath water (in the bathtub) you can ease some of the discomfort and irritation associated with the UTI as well as making the process of recovery faster and easier.
but don’t count on it as your primary treatment for the UTI and don’t replace going to the doctor by these solutions.
what else do people put in their sitz bath?
people also put apple cider vinegar in their sitz bath or regular bathwater.
well, the main constituent of apple cider vinegar is acetic acid. acetic acid is known to be a bacteriostatic agent. that means that it has the ability to stop the growth of the bacteria, that’s what bacteriostatic means, it also can stop the growth of fungus infections.
so, the apple cider vinegar has been used in many medical applications like treating ear infection, adding it to foods will prevent the growth of harmful bacteria and fungi on the food.
so putting apple cider vinegar in your sitz bath water or in your regular bath water will help in the treatment of the UTI but be careful do not put high amounts of it in the bath water.
just one cup of it in the whole bath water, as for the sitz bath water the quantity is lower than that maybe half a cup, depending on the quantity of water you will bathe in.
ps: be careful not to put high amounts of apple cider vinegar in the bath water because putting more than enough amounts of it may cause irritation, burning to the skin, and other harmful side effects, sometimes blisters on the skin appear only after a while from using it.
and do not take too much time sitting in the water 10 to 15 minutes may be enough.
apple cider vinegar is an excellent preventative measure against the UTI, however, in treating UTI you need to consult your doctor before using it although I don’t think that there is any problem in using it along with the other treatments of the UTI.
but, that’s only if you keep it in your bath water, not if you take it by mouth.
if you drink apple cider vinegar by mouth
be sure to dilute it to an acceptable level before drinking it or adding it with food, put one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in half or one liter of water before drinking it, or before adding it on food like salads or so.
as I said apple cider vinegar is an excellent precautionary measure against UTI weather if you put it in your sitz bath or put it in your salad. but do not use it as your primary treatment against the UTI if you already have a uti contact the doctor as soon as possible so that the infection doesn’t spread and get worse.
some websites say that when apple cider vinegar enters the body it turns into an alkaline (basic) compound so that it may not be good for the UTI because as we know alkaline compounds are not good for the UTI. well I say that is completely not true an acidic compound remains an acidic compound whether it enters or leaves the body so be sure that it will remain acidic.
also, other websites falsely suggest that apple cider vinegar is already an alkaline compound and say that it can make the urine less acidic and that drinking apple cider vinegar on a regular basis can decrease the chance of you getting a kidney stone!!
well, they are unfortunately mistaken apple cider vinegar can’t be used as a treatment nor as a preventative measure for kidney stones.
ps: basic compounds are good for kidney stones but apple cider vinegar is not basic it’s acidic because the main component in it is “acetic acid”.
what else can we put in our bathtubs to ease the uti?
we can put white vinegar, although it’s less acidic than apple cider vinegar, white cider vinegar is also used as a food preservative and also have an anti-bacterial, anti-yeast activity so putting it in your bathtub is not a bad idea although it requires lesser dilution than apple cider vinegar.
some people also put balsamic vinegar in their baths, this vinegar is used with foods in Italy to give it a taste, there is no evidence that it can work on the UTI so I prefer that you use the other kinds of vinegar that I mentioned but there is no harm from using that is if you know the right dilution method for it with water.
in general, vinegar baths weather if you put it in a sitz bath or in a regular bath can be beneficial the UTI patients but do not use them as a replacement for visiting the doctor these baths may not be sufficient to cure the UTI all on their own antibiotics may be necessary for you to eradicate the bacteria that cause the UTI completely.
essential oils baths have also been used in the baths, while there are many types of essential oils and they are very diverse, some of these oils have proven to have antimicrobial activity and this is very encouraging, however, some of them are known to have a toxic effect with prolonged contact with the skin.
also, most of these oils may require not to be diluted with water to have their full effect otherwise they may not show a significant effect on the UTI or on other conditions so by putting them in the bath you will dilute them with a lot of water. so, you will have to figure out a way to use them correctly.
generally speaking, using these different kinds of baths and delaying your visit to the doctor may have a negative effect on your UTI because at that time the bacteria can spread to other parts of the urinary tract like the kidneys or so and cause a much bigger problem.
so it’s best to use sitz baths and the regular bath as a support for the original treatments given by your doctor and use them in the right way as I have taught you.
if you follow the instructions from this article carefully you will be able to benefit from your sitz bath with no problems.
sitz baths can be a very good way to relieve some of the UTI pain and aid in the treatment if you use them wisely.
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