The Number 1 Homeopathic Remedy for Pain During Urination
Urinary tract infections typically have painful and frequent urination. They are more common in women because their urethra is shorter, but men do get them sometimes, especially after catheterization. The urine may also be a different colour or volume than usual. You may notice more liquid than you expect, or less. There can be blood, mucus or sediment in the urine. There are many different homeopathic remedies for this condition, but one of the most common is cantharis.
So what is it?
Cantharis is made from a tincture of the Spanish fly (Lytta vesicatoria, or Cantharis vesicatoria). Spanish fly, a beetle from southern Europe, used to be administered as an aphrodisiac. It quickly fell out of favor because it also produced the horrible symptoms of a urinary tract infection. The chemical thought to be responsible for most of its effects on the body is called cantharidin.
When to use it?
The urinary problems that will be helped by cantharis will present with increased frequency of urination, but the urine flows drop by drop or little bits at a time. Usually there will be incredible pain before, during and after urination, so much so that the person may scream, cry (or want to) and may bend double. The pain will be raw, burning, and cutting, like being cut with a hot knife in your nether regions (aren’t we glad we have a remedy for this kind of thing?!?). The urine itself can feel hot. The pain can be felt in the urethra (so where the urine is coming out) and/or in the bladder (just above your pubic bone). There may be blood or mucus in the urine. After urination, there will often be tenesmus –meaning you feel like you want to keep going, you need to keep going, but nothing, or very little, comes out. To make matters worse, there will be an incredible urge to urinate frequently, even if there isn’t much urine in the bladder. So it could be a whole hour, day, or longer of staying close to the washrooms, just to get those little painful drops out one by one.
The pain might be made worse by drinking, in particular drinking coffee, and by cold temperatures, walking around and standing up. It might be made better by warmth, rubbing, sitting, or lying down. In other words, the person who needs this remedy will probably be found sitting or lying down, and doing a little dance in their seat so that they can rub their nether regions a bit, preferably on a hot water bottle. They don’t want to walk around for long, or even stand, and will drink less than they want to. The person generally may be restless (moving from place to place, shaking their leg, tapping their fingers, etc), irritable, easily become angry, and are dissatisfied with everything (because of course, they are very uncomfortable!).
Urinary infections are painful and annoying, but can become dangerous if the infection becomes systemic and involves the kidneys. Generally, you can tell because your mid to low back (around the level of your waist) will hurt or feel heavy and you will have a fever or feel like you have the flu. This truly can become an emergency, so if your urination changes and you have lower back pain, go to the doctor immediately.
However, on the car ride to the doctor, you can still consider taking cantharis if the back pain compels you to bend forwards or backwards (so you can’t stay straight up) while you walk, and if the back pain is dull, heavy, or burning. The fever may feel like you are heated internally, but have been dunked in ice water.
Now for this to be the right remedy, not all of this has to apply to you. If a lot of it applies but not everything, then this is probably a good place to start.
How to take it?
The most common dose is a 30C for homeopathic remedies, and for this condition a 30C is a great place to start. For an acute situation like this, I recommend taking it every hour or two. If you notice no improvement after a couple of doses, then either the dose is too low or the remedy is incorrect. So if you don’t notice improvement after 4-5 doses, stop taking the remedy. To find other remedies for a urinary tract infection, you can consult books or online sources (Homeopathic Housecall is my favorite) or a professional homeopath.
Conclusion
Urinary tract infections can be excruciating. Many people who get them will also report getting them multiple times a year for years on end. It doesn’t have to be this way. Homeopathic treatment of this condition can make them less likely to happen in the future and can cure them quickly and painlessly.
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