I have a kidney infection, not too bad, I can only feel it when I sit still for a while, then my lower back starts to hurt.
Does anyone know what you should and shouldn't eat when you have a kidney infection?
I have been eating: no cheese, meat, eggs, chocolate, coffee, tea, alcohol, not much sugar or salt.
And lots of: water, parsley, ginger, garlic, cranberry juice, beans, kefir, apples, (raw) veg, fruit, cayenne pepper, cumin, coriander seeds, cabbage, celery.
I've been doing this for weeks but there is only very little progress. What am I still doing wrong?
Infection is not the same as inflammation, though the first can lead to the latter. Should I eat only anti-inflammatory foods? Is inflammation always a bad thing? After all, inflammation occurs because your body tries to heal the infection.
Confused and impatient - Annemieke Wigmore.
Unless your kidney function is reduced by the infection, there are no medical reasons to alter your diet. I am sure others can advice you on the best foods to eat to help your body fight the infection .Its not my area of expertise.
With my pharmacist head on are you on antibiotics?
Infection can lead to inflammation but the inflammation is a sign that your body is fighting the infection so it is a 'necessary evil'
Infections can take time to clear up - but if you have any concerns you should really go an see your doctor .
No I'm not don't taking any medicine. I prefer sorting things out without them if I can.
No I'm not don't taking any medicine. I prefer sorting things out without them if I can.
I also dislike taking medicine unless it is necessary. In this case I really think antibiotics would be a very good idea. Did the doctor not suggest you should take some? I presume its the doctor who diagnosed the kidney infection?
I went to have my blood and urine tested because I suspected kidney problems. The nurse said straight away it was an infection. I did not hear anymore - although they rang me to say I had high cholesterol.
I have my own opinion about cholesterol so I was not worried - even less so when they asked whether I had breakfast before I came. Yes I had, and fit for a king! I had never asked about cholesterol anyway. Which was why they had not mentioned I should not eat or drink for 12 hours beforehand.
I don't expect the kidney stuff is too serious. I told the nurse I did not want antibiotics and she did not even protest. All of this won't convince you I'm sure, but I like doing it my own way.
In the proces I learn a lot about my body. I only found out that I had kidney trouble because my ear was blocked, and I didn't want to have it professionally syringed. On the internet I found ears were linked to the kidneys - which explained my funny backache which I had had recently.
The ear has unblocked itself by the way, thanks to oil and acupressure.
No you know your own body. The nurse had all your details and if she was concerned about you not taking antibiotics she was in a good position to press her point, She didn't.
You asked what you were doing wrong. Given the information you provided , I suspected you were not on antibiotics, and that could well have been the answer to your question. Sometimes antibiotics really ARE necessary.
I am and always will be a complementary therapist who sees what I offer as an extra to what conventional medicine can offer, not an alternative. It is worth remembering that until the discovery of penicillin many people died of infections that these days we know can be easily treated. I would have died of pneumonia in 1956 if not for penicillin. While I know antibiotics are used far too widely, in the right place they are invaluable.
I don't expect YOU to be convinced either 🙂 but I hope you can understand why I feel the need to make this point.
PS I am also sceptical about cholesterol. No way would they get me on a statin! Although I don;t believe fasting is necessary for cholesterol measurements these days