Recurrent urinary tract infections can be very hard to fend off, so we are interested in this reader’s success with a simple supplement. Women who are susceptible to this problem will recognize the increased risk of an infection following sexual relations.
Q. I have been using odorless garlic supplements to prevent and fight bladder infections (UTIs).
I am one of those women prone to urinary tract infections after sex. (Studies show that women such as myself have a deficiency of a bacteria-fighting enzyme in the cells lining the urethra).
More than 20 years ago I got tired of suffering frequent UTIs despite urinating and drinking water immediately after sex. So I began using garlic. My regimen is to take four Kyolic capsules with a full glass of water immediately after sex and then four more the next morning (about eight hours later).
This practice has prevented numerous UTIs for me, since I had half a dozen annually before adopting it. If I begin to feel urgency and frequency (symptoms of an infection), I immediately begin taking four Kyolic Formula 100 capsules with a full glass of water every four hours until the symptoms are gone, plus two more doses after that.
I have only had one UTI per year using garlic this way. I decided to try the garlic when my urologist wanted me to start taking an antibiotic every time after sex or to take on a low dose of antibiotic daily. That idea was unacceptable to me! Other women should check with their doctors before trying my regimen themselves.
A. Thanks for providing the details on how you use garlic. Some research indicates that garlic has antimicrobial effects (International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents, Sept. 2009; FEMS Immunology and Medical Microbiology, March, 2010; Food Science & Nutrition, March, 2015).
We couldn’t find any clinical studies, but there are two case reports of recurrent UTIs responding to an alternative treatment containing garlic along with parsley, L-arginine, probiotics and cranberry (Case Reports in Medicine, online Dec. 21, 2014).
