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["Lisa K.V. Perry" <lisakvperry AT gmail.com>]

On Sat, Dec 20, 2008 at 2:13 AM, EarthNSky <erthnsky AT bellsouth.net> wrote:

>
> Lisa K.V. Perry wrote:
> >
> > I have had one kidney infection, I keep 100% cranberry juice on hand
> > for whenever I feel that I might be getting a UTI.
>
> Thanks Lisa...I wrote about the cranberry, but I will try to get some
> grapefruit seed extract.  I've seen it at the store.
> If you would, on list or off, could you tell me about your kidney
> infection..did you have the writhing pain like I described?  I couldn't
> cry, all I could do was moan, it was a long, painful night...


Yes. It was the worst pain I've experienced short of childbirth (I didn't
have meds-- though I wanted them--when it was 10 cm dilated and it was time
to push out my sons). Come to think of it, it might have been worse. ;)  I
apparently have a high tolerance for pain. Maybe that's good for something,
maybe not.

My infection came about from not drinking enough water and drinking too much
coffee and also perhaps consuming too much sugar. You have to be careful
with  cranberry juice, buy 100% juice that is not sweetened with high
fructose corn syrup. If you start to read labels, hfcs is everywhere it
seems and it is not good for you. This infection that I refer to also
happened at a highly stressed time in my life (though it's not much better
now, just different kinds of stress) in the late 80's. I was stubborn and
broke and did not see a doctor. I drank a half gallon of 100% cranberry
juice over the course of a few hours, took many garlic pills (a natural
antibiotic--didn't have any garlic cloves on hand at the time), and did not
move except to go to the bathroom which was just plain awful. We keep garlic
pills and cloves on hand at all times, and I also now have cranberry pills.
Just planted garlic this past fall for the first time. I am well supplied!

Since that time, I can get a UTI simply by not going to the bathroom
promptly, drinking too much coffee or eating too much sugar. I have to watch
my diet. If I want to have a glass of wine, then I skip dessert. Alcohol
plays into it. Fortunately, once I hit 35, my desire to eat sugar after
every meal (as I had been raised) ebbed and I rarely eat dessert though I
enjoy a few bites of a dark chocolate bar now and again (usually on weekends
though I can go 2-3 weeks wtihout any). I cut way back on coffee. For a
couple years I didn't drink any and switched to tea, now I'm back to having
some but it's usually on weekends or if I cheat, I have perhaps a cup on
Tuesday or Wednesday. In general, I try to keep my 'sinning' to the weekends
and that has kept me mostly healthy.

>
> Twelve hours from right now, I have a birthday party to attend.  Due to
> my illness the toybox was not completed on time, so she gets a Christmas
> present for a birthday present and visa versa.


That will be okay. You know at her age she won't know the difference. You've
got bigger potatoes to concern yourself with. Your family and friends just
want you to be healthy.

There are many ways to add alternative medicine to your life. We can
probably come up with several great suggestions on this list. I had forgot
that about your dropping out of med school, I'm considering going back to
school to finish my degree in Nutrition and I'd love to become a Nutrition
Counselor. At one point I thought I wanted to become a doctor, but I'm not a
fan of allopathic and at this point in my life I just don't have the time or
energy to consider that much school (not to mention the cost of tuition!).

I'll be gone today for a couple hours, my husband needs some help in his
store today. Today his his Saturday (1 per month) to work.

Take care of yourself!

Lisa



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