Search Results for: blog urinary tract infections

Teachers and Urinary Tract Infections

Teachers have a job that keeps them very busy throughout the day. Children, especially young children, cannot be left alone for any significant amount of time. Teachers usually get two breaks during the day. One break is for lunch and the other break is a planning period. Other than those two breaks, the teachers are typically left alone in the room to teach and care for the students. Because a teacher’s day is so busy and hectic, teachers are usually not aware of their own personal needs. For example, teachers often eat quicker and drink less than those employees who … Continue reading →

Help for Families in the “Diaper Gap”

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Families with newborns quickly learn that diapers are expensive. Many families struggle to be able to afford enough diapers for their babies. This leads to difficult choices like whether to spend money on food, diapers, or utility bills. The Obama administration has a plan that utilizes technology to help solve this problem. Nearly one in three Americans cannot afford to purchase enough diapers for their babies. In some cases, parents cope by stretching the length of time between diaper changes. This can lead to serious health problems for babies and parents. Babies can end up with urinary tract or staph … Continue reading →

Preschool Health: Constipation in Small Children

Constipation is uncomfortable and often painful. It is hard to watch your child struggle with bowel issues due to how miserable it can make one feel. The best way to alleviate constipation is to avoid it. However, kids have a mind of their own and controlling when they go potty can lead to constipation issues. Parents need to be aware of the causes, treatments and preventative measures to keep their child healthy. Thankfully, the treatments and remedies are not harsh and normally natural means are effective. If you suspect an underlying problem or if your child is having an especially … Continue reading →

Pee Patrol

How many bathroom breaks are felons allowed in a minimum-security prison? I’m guessing it’s more than once every five hours. Compare that to Evergreen Park High School in Illinois. According to students there, they are being treated worse than criminals when it comes to using the restroom. Currently, the school has a policy which allows teachers to limit students to three bathroom breaks per semester. Se.mes.ter. That’s roughly five months. What’s more, students who go above the limit are required to stay after school to make up missed class time. The school’s principal says he instituted the policy following numerous … Continue reading →

ICP: Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy

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Yesterday I blogged about PUPPP, a pregnancy-related skin rash that causes intense itching on the skin and usually appears on the abdomen first. Another pregnancy related condition that causes intense itching is Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy, or ICP. As I mentioned yesterday, ICP is a much more serious condition that involves the liver’s ability to secret bile. When bile backs up in the liver, bile acids in the bloodstream increase and deposit in the skin. The bile acid deposits cause extreme itching. Unlike PUPPP, ICP does not cause a skin rash. Another difference between the two conditions is where the … Continue reading →

Sweetly Good For You

Cranberries have become my husband’s and my new favorite fruit. The best thing is that they’re not only tasty but they’re good for you as well. Cranberries have long been known to be good for urinary tract infections but they also contain vitamin C and antioxidants. If that’s not enough, experts have discovered they can have an anti inflammatory effect and are good for fighting infection and can help with cholesterol problems. They are also good for your heart and can help prevent kidney stones. Sound like a wonder food, don’t they? They are. I’ve found them a helpful way … Continue reading →

Antibiotics and Birth Defects

A link between birth defects and certain antibiotics commonly used to treat urinary tract infections has been found according to research funded by the CDC. The drugs associated with the birth defects were Thiosulfil Forte, Bactrim, Furadantin and Macrobid. Urinary tract infections can be quite common in pregnancy. Fortunately, there are other antibiotics available that are not associated with increased risk of birth defects. An untreated urinary tract infection can lead much more serious complications. Birth defects linked to sulfa drugs, such as Thiosulfil Forte and Bactrim, included rare brain and heart problems, and shortened limbs. Defects linked to nitrofurantoins, … Continue reading →

Protein in Your Urine Sample

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Every time you visit the doctor during pregnancy, you’ll be asked to give a routine urine sample. The doctor is testing the urine for bladder or kidney infections, diabetes, dehydration and preeclampsia. Specifically, the urine is tested for high levels of sugars, proteins, ketones and bacteria. If protein is found in the urine, it’s possible there is a problem with your kidneys. Most commonly, an infection is present. Later in pregnancy, however, it can be an indication of preeclampsia. Combined with water retention and high blood pressure, protein in the urine can lead to a diagnosis of preeclampsia. Preeclampsia is … Continue reading →

Dealing With Frequent Urination

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There are two times during your pregnancy you will have to deal with frequent urination. Early in your pregnancy, hormones send you to the ladies room constantly. It’s one of the early signs that cause you to ask yourself, could I be pregnant? It makes a comeback in late pregnancy when the weight of the baby presses down on your bladder, making it difficult to hold it for long. Ironically, sometimes this pressure also makes it difficult to let it out. Don’t feel bad if you relieve yourself, only to find yourself with a little “leak issue” a few moments … Continue reading →

Antibiotics: One Size Doesn’t Fit All

I’m currently taking two different types of antibiotics to treat an infected cat bite (ah the joys of working with animals). Here’s a fun fact: the doctor told me that eighty percent of cat bites end up infected. I guess I’ve been lucky so far — I’ve only had two bites get bad. Antibiotics come from two basic places: molds and bacteria. They work in one of two ways: by killing bacteria outright or by stopping their ability to reproduce (so they die out). Different antibiotics work against different types of bacteria — so taking one type of antibiotics for … Continue reading →