Patients suffering from urinary tract infection (UTI) are getting more and more vulnerable to emerging pathogens that are resistant to antibiotic therapy and this is making health experts and authorities worried. The truth is that antibiotic resistance is one huge reason why UTI or urinary tract infection, especially among women, has become persistent or acute as a disease.

There are 11 million people in the United States alone who are suffering from acute cases of UTI. This has occurred even if the sales of over-the-counter antibiotics jumped eightfold ever since its sale sans a medical prescription was approved the US Food and Drug Authority.

The overuse of antibiotics for the treatment of UTI, according to health experts, has led to the ineffectiveness of these medications in treating UTI in a growing number of patients.

These days, physicians have to rely on alternative forms of treatment to battle UTI. But this comes with the condition that the medical doctor needs to be consulted first before the patient undergoes alternative form of treatment for UTI. It’s been seen that Chinese acupuncture is of the most recommended and safest forms of alternative treatment for this disease.

There already have been numerous clinical studies and medical tests done to provide evidence that acupuncture can naturally treat UTI. One study done by the University of Bergen in Norway showed how acupuncture was highly effective in treating urinary tract infection by curing 75% of the women infected with this disease in the study.

Based on the study’s conductors, acupuncture therapies were randomly administered on the patients. The procedure involved needling of the lower extremities, back, or the lower stomach. These are the normal protocols followed that were in accordance to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) diagnosis. The therapies were performed two times a week for 30 days and any UTI incidence or recurrence was duly observed and recorded for about half a year.

The results were remarkable. They revealed that 73% of the patients given acupuncture got completely cured of the disease compared to just a 52% rate of cure on patients who received other forms of UTI treatment.

The researchers believe that acupuncture’s success was due to its ability to lessen the level of residue in the urine. TCM practitioners believe, however, that the improvement of chi flow in the body particularly in the lower stomach area brought about the success of the treatment.

Chi or qi is a fundamental theory in TCM and it refers to the vital elements including the life giving substances that comprise the body of a person. We can say that qi may refer to the very important or vital elements in the body including things like water and food.

The theoretical conclusion about the lessening of urine residues on patients given acupuncture treatment is seen as a huge step in the treatment of UTI through alternative modes of treatment. However, the best thing to do first before anyone suffering from UTI go for acupuncture treatment is to see their doctor first for proper advice.

Health professionals and authorities have noted alarm about the arising dangers of antibiotic resistance among patients suffering from urinary tract infection (UTI). The reality is that they are deeming this to be a reason, among other reasons, why urinary tract infection, especially among women, has become a persistent or acute type of a disease.

There are about more than 12 million people in the United States suffering from acute UTI infections. This is an astounding statistic considering that over-the-counter antibiotics have multiplied in sales eight fold during the time the FDA had approved them being sold without needing doctor’s prescription.

Medical experts agree that too much use of antibiotics to try and address urinary tract infection can lead to the UTI pathogen’s resistance to the antibiotic drug.

Physicians these days, permit some of their patients with UTI to avail of certain forms of treatment when they see that the infection has developed resistance to antibiotics. However, this permission often comes with the advice that consultations with the doctor should be done first before going actually ahead with the alternative form of treatment. Chinese acupuncture is one of the most popular and safest forms of alternative treatment for UTI.

Clinical tests and medical studies have already been done to give credence for acupuncture to be an effective natural therapy for UTI. The clinical studies done by the scientists at University of Bergen in Norway produced outcomes that showed acupuncture to significantly work in treating UTI in three quarters of the women who took part in these studies who were suffering from this condition.

Based on these studies, a random application of acupuncture treatments were given to the women patients. The acupuncture procedure involved needling of the lower extremities or on the lower stomach. The acupuncture points that were needled were based on the diagnosis used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The acupuncture treatments were performed for a month two times a week and the return of any of the UTI symptoms were duly noted for a period of six months.

The outcomes were particularly revealing. They showed that among the women who were given acupuncture, about three quarters were cleared of any symptoms as compared to only 50% rate of success of the women who were given other treatments for their UTI.

The researchers argue that acupuncture’s efficacy in treating urinary tract infection is due to its capacity to cut down levels of residue in the urine. Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and acupuncturists would state that the success of acupuncture in treating UTI stems from its ability to boost the flow of vital energy (qi) in the problematic parts of the body, especially the lower stomach.

What is qi?

One of the foundations of traditional Chinese medicine is the concept of qi or chi. Qi is the life giving substances circulating in the body that may come from the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat.

The aforementioned studies about the ability of acupuncture to lower urine are encouraging, to say the least. The studies show that there are other ways to treat urinary tract infection besides conventional modes of treatment. However, before a patient who is suffering from UTI decides to get acupuncture treatment, he/she needs to consult with his/her doctor first.