Fibromyalgia: Cranberry for Cystitis
pure cranberry juice
Research published in The Journal of the American Medical Association reveals the beneficial effect that cranberry juice may have on preventing cystitis and urinary infections. The good news is that cranberry juice helps prevent urinary tract infections, and where unavailable, cranberry concentrate capsules (1,000 mg) can be substituted.
People with any autoimmune disease are more susceptible to interstitial cystitis. Interstitial cystitis (IC) is an inflammation of the bladder which can occur by itself or in conjunction with other autoimmune diseases, such as fibromyalgia, scleroderma, lupus, or Sjögren’s Syndrome.
Fibromyalgia (formerly known as fibrositis) is a chronic condition causing pain, stiffness, and tenderness of the muscles, tendons, and joints. Fibromyalgia is also characterized by restless sleep, awakening feeling tired, fatigue, anxiety, depression, and disturbances in bowel function, and interstitial cystitis.
Many internists, rheumatologists, and even many urologists, are unaware of or do not “believe” in interstitial cystitis. Unfortunately, this is a disease where the patient must often take the initiative to research and document their symptoms, request referrals to a specialist in interstitial cystitis, and often ask for specific procedures to be done to garner the proper diagnosis and treatment.
Cranberry fights infection
Cranberry is a powerful infection fighter, helping the body attack bacteria and viruses. Cranberry contains amounts of a compound called “hippuric acid”, which has some natural antibiotic activity. The natural agents in cranberry include an anti-adherence activity that keeps the bacteria from adhering to the bladder wall. This keeps the bacteria suspended allowing them to be flushed out harmlessly in the urine. Unlike antibiotics, cranberry juice does not kill of the body’s natural lactic bacteria that are viral to health.
Cranberry and cystitis research
Women get more urinary infections because the length of their urethra is shorter than men’s therefore more accessible to bacteria. In a recent study, 153 elderly women drank 300 ml of cranberry juice per day to see the effect that cranberry juice had on the urinary tract. Some of the women were given 100% real cranberry juice, while the others were given a placebo drink, which only looked and tasted the same as real cranberry juice. At the conclusion of six months, women drinking the real cranberry juice had 58% less urinary infections, than the women drinking the placebo drink.
Researchers have also had positive results when treating patients by using cranberry concentrate capsules (1,000 mg), to prevent re-occurring urinary tract infections and cystitis problems. The concentrate form is easier to manage, and it contains no sweeteners or added sugars.
Cranberries are very high in vitamin C and fiber. Commercial cranberry drinks usually contain a lot of sugar, so look for pure cranberry juice. How much do you take? Recent information says that 400-700ml (about 2-3 cups) daily seems to be the “dose”.
Urinary Tract Infection
How Cranberry Juice Prevents Urinary Tract Infections
References:
Fibromyalgia (FMS) – SCLERO.ORG – International Scleroderma Network
Cranberry juice research
Regular Consumption of Cranberry Juice May Suppress H. pylori Infection
Cranberry recipes
Wow…conveniently enough, a friend gave me a huge quantity of cranberry juice today (had a pot-luck wedding and ended up with incredible amounts of leftover beverages…and the juice appealed to me far more than the Diet Coke)…
YogaforCynics´s last blog ..Thoughts Swimmin’ By Like Dolphins
@yogaforcynics
How coincidental. I happen to like cranberry juice and there are some super cranberry recipes I have and intend to share in this blog. Not surprisingly, some people don’t like the taste of cranberries. I’m glad to hear that you do. :)
P. S. Click the Cranberry recipes link at the end of the article above and you will find a great recipe for Cranberry limeade.
A good post!
The results of the study on elderly women is powerful (assuming the control/placebo group was convinced they were drinking cranberry juice). The placebo effect has been shown to be as powerful as morphine in up to 75% of cases (depending on which research you’re reading).
It is awesome that you quote research on your blog… I frequently intend to on my own blog posts, but it appears that I’m a bit too lazy…
It’s also a good thing that my physiology puts me less at risk for urinary tract infection… because I really can’t stand cranberry juice. :-)
keep smiling,
Ben
Find yourself with a smile…´s last blog ..Top 10 Habits for Super Effective Study
I always look for the placebo effect when I’m reading studies and research reports, knowing how powerful our thoughts can be. In this case it annoyed me that I could only get access to abstract reviews of the research study as I don’t have a JAMA membership.
I live in BC and we grow the best cranberry crops in the world here. I was raised eating cranberries in all kinds of from from soups to baked goods. Luckily I love the flavor. :)
Hey, I have Lyme disease, so I know what FM can be like. In fact, a lot of us Lymies were first diagnosed with FM. Of course, non of us were ever really satisfied with a dx of Fibromyalgia since it only described our symptoms and not a cause. Anyway, Lymies also use cranberry juice sometimes to coax bugs out of hiding and out into the open where they can be more easily killed.
I’m aware of the Lyme disease and fibromyalgia detection and differentiation problems. From what I read cranberries are effective in preventing cystitis across the board in all humans. As cranberries naturally occur where I live the First Nations peoples were keenly aware of the medicinal properties. Thanks for commenting.