A new treatment for bladder infections

• Are you having symptoms of frequent urination?

• Do you often feel the need to urinate at night?

These symptoms can be accompanied by pain, blood in the urine, mild fever, and discharge from urethra.

If the paragraph above describes you, it is possible that you have a urinary tract infection, otherwise known as a UTI or bladder infection.

In recent studies, a popular supplement is emerging as a possible treatment for urinary tract infections.  Commonly used as a vasodilator, Forskolin may be your new treatment protocol in dealing with urinary tract infections.

Forskolin is an extract from the Indian coleus plant that has been used for centuries in Ayurvedic medicine as a treatment for urinary problems. The majority of bladder infections are caused by E. coli bacteria. Although antibiotics are used to treat urinary tract infections, the infection often returns after treatment. Now research reports that forskolin may help prevent the recurrence of urinary tract infections.

The study, published in Nature Medicine, investigated the effect of forskolin on urinary tract infections in mice. Researchers at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina injected either forskolin or saltwater into the bladders of female mice infected with E. coli.

The researchers found that the mice injected with forskolin had decreased bladder E. coli, compared to the saltwater group. Further analysis revealed that E. coli can slip into the lining of the bladder during antibiotic treatment and hide. Forskolin may force the hidden bacteria out of infected bladder pouches and into the urine, where it can be eliminated by antibiotics.

"This type of treatment strategy may prove to be beneficial for patients with recurrent urinary tract infections," says lead researcher Soman Abraham, PhD, in a Duke University news release. "Ideally, use of this herb would expel the bacteria, where it would then be hit with antibiotics. With the reservoir of hiding bacteria cleared out, the infection should not recur."

Please remember that this is not an approved treatment protocol and you should always consult with your doctor before starting any new supplementation program. Nonetheless, the research is promising and Forskolin should be considered if you have chronic or one time urinary tract infections.

REFERENCES:

1. Soman NA et al. Cyclic AMP-regulated exocytosis of Escherichia coli from infected bladder epithelial cells. Nature Medicine, April 8, 2007, advance online edition.

2. Research explores herbal treatment for recurring urinary tract infections. DukeMed News, April 8, 2007.