Urinary tract infections are far more common than talked about. Women are easy victims to UTIs mainly because of their basic anatomy, hormonal imbalances, pregnancy, and other factors.

Almost half the women will experience one urinary infection in their lifetime. That said, the risk of recurrent infection within six months is just as common. Until recently, the only standard medical treatment available was antibiotics.

However, the efficacy of natural approaches in prevention and treatment of UTIs cannot be no longer denied. Studies to understand the higher percentage of women being affected revealed that vaginal health could greatly determine the risks of UTIs.

The use of prescription antibiotics to treat UTIs also kills the healthy and protective ‘normal flora’ of the urinary tract, intestines, and vagina, along with the uropathogenic bacteria.

The result is the growth of antibiotic-resistant and disease-causing organisms that cause vaginal infections. These harmful microbes can reach the urinary tract and trigger E.coli – the main UTI culprit – to multiply.

Having understood this, let us now see, what probiotics are, and their use as supplements?

The Importance and Sources

Probiotics are the “good” kind of bacteria that are naturally present in the intestines, urinary tract, and vagina. Also known as normal flora, they perform a variety of functions like help in balancing pH levels, digesting food, absorbing nutrients, and fighting harmful pathogens.

The lack of “good (beneficial) bacteria” can trigger a multitude of health issues like constipation, elevated cholesterol, high blood sugar, weight gain, and other issues leading to compromised immune system function.

Probiotics are present in good numbers in probiotic-rich fermented foods, like whole-milk yogurt, kefir (drinkable yogurt), sauerkraut (probably the most well-known lacto-fermented vegetable), and other cultured dairy products, that is  fermented with lactic acid bacteria.

These bacteria have been valued for their contribution to the healthy microbiota of mucosa covering the entire urinary tract.

The Use of Probiotics as Supplements

Not all supplemental probiotics – in the form of tablets, sachets, and powders – are as effective as UT Probiotics Ultra, which can introduce to the intestinal tract about 50 billion live healthy microorganisms (good bacteria) per day. A healthy gut helps in increasing immunity towards infections, absorption of dietary nutrients and lowers the pH of the colon making it inhospitable for disease-causing microorganisms (bad bacteria). This can have a favorable effect on genitourinary health.

A Natural Vegan Probiotic Supplement

UT ProbioticsUltra is different from many other probiotic formulations as it is non-diary, containing nine different species of beneficial bacteria, in a vegan capsule form. It can mimic normal human flora and is completely safe and effective for daily use. It also able to survive the acidic conditions of the stomach and reach the intestines – its primary site of action.

This complex probiotic supplement includes strains of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. The potency of probiotics is listed in CFUs (colony forming units). UT ProbioticsUltra has 52.5 billion CFUs.

Dosage and Best Results

For prophylactic use, that is, if you are prone to UTIs or have a history of UTI, take one capsule twice daily.

For therapeutic use, take two capsules three times daily for at least 3 weeks.

Although UT ProbioticsUltra alone is quite effective, nonetheless, after taking antibiotics, the urinary tract health is compromised. Hence, for optimal results, it should be taken in combination with Uribiotic Formula, D-Mannose MAX, and other natural specialty supplements.

In the case of chronic UTIs, if you have a long history of taking pharmaceutical antibiotics, probiotics must be taken for at least three consecutive months. This will help the body to restore and re-establish the beneficial microflora killed or damaged as a result of antibiotic action.

Natural dietary health supplements not only relieve symptoms and fight pathogenic bacteria but also heal the urinary tract after the infection has subsided to prevent recurrent infections.