Monday 2 December 2013

Mangosteen and Urinary Tract Infections – Xanthone’s Antibacterial Properties May Help


Perhaps you know someone who has UTI, since this infection is one of the most common diseases afflicting people all over the world. Although it is not deemed to be as serious as a heart attack or a stroke, it can lead to some pretty grave diseases, such as glomerulonephritis, or worse, renal failure.

But before we get ahead of ourselves, let us first define what UTI is, what its causes are, and how it manifests.

Urinary tract infection, generally known as UTI, is a bacterial infection that affects the body’s urinary system. This happens when bacteria get into the urinary bladder or the kidneys, thereby causing UTI. UTI affects millions of people all over the world, especially women. In fact, this disease accounts for 8.3 million visits to the doctor visits every year.

Causes

To understand what causes UTI, we first have to take a look at the human anatomy. One of the most common causes of UTI is bacteria coming from the rectum or the vagina, since these areas are proximal to the urethra. Remember that the urinary tract is sterile, meaning it does not contain normal flora. In contrast, the vagina and the rectum house normal flora, and once these bacteria enters the urethra and travels up to the bladder and the kidneys, it results to UTI.

Anatomy also explains why UTI is more common in women than in men, because a woman’s urethra is shorter than a man’s. During sexual intercourse, the normal flora found in the vagina can be transferred to the urethra through the motion of the penis. Hence, it is easier for the bacteria to travel in a woman’s urinary tract than in a man’s.

Another cause is urinary retention, or not urinating when the person feels the urge to do so. People must remember that it is important to urinate when there is an urge, because failure to do so will overstretch the muscles of the bladder, thereby weakening it and causing it not to empty completely, hence urinary stasis. The urine left in the bladder is a good medium for bacterial infection.

Signs and Symptoms

One already has the ability to know the affected part of the urinary system just by looking at the signs and symptoms of UTI. Either the bladder or the kidney is affected, and it is easier to spot which one of these two organs is affected because of the manifestations.

For bladder infections, the person may feel the urge to urinate frequently, even though there is really no urine to pass out. The frequency of urination increases, and it even bothers the person at night. During urination, there is a burning or painful sensation in the urethra, as well as pain in the lower abdomen just above the pubic region. Pus or blood may be found in the urine, and the urine sometimes smells foul. The person may also experience a mild onset of fever.

All these symptoms can also be seen in people whose UTI involves the kidneys, except that the additional symptoms are much more serious and systemic. The affected person may experience vomiting, flank pain (where the kidneys are located), abdominal pain, chills and high-grade fever, and fatigue.

A urine sample is needed to diagnose UTI. Sometimes, a pelvic exam is also required.

Treatment

Most uncomplicated UTI’s are easy to treat, since they only require the use of antibiotics. Examples of antibiotics used for UTI include cephalosporins, trimethoprim, fluroquinolone, and nitrofurantoin. However, one should remember that ne should take the full course of antibiotics even if he or she already feels better. This will prevent UTI from recurring.

If you keep on having UTI’s and you don’t want to depend on antibiotics, you can try natural health supplements that are out in the market. One of them is mangosteen health supplements, because mangosteens contain a substance that are said to have antibacterial properties, and these are xanthones. There are around 40 different xanthones found in a single mangosteen fruit.

Wondering what xanthones are? These are substances naturally found in mangosteens that have been recently found out to possess antioxidant, antifungal, and antibacterial properties. Xanthones help cleanse the digestive tract, neutralize free radicals, support cartilages and joints, boost the immune system, and promote respiratory health.

What is great about the variety of xanthones found in the mangosteen fruit is that they all have different healing properties. There are xanthones that serve as anti-depressants, while there are some that are antimicrobial. Some xanthones can fight a wide array of diseases like tuberculosis, ulcer, leukemia, and diabetes. The antibacterial properties of xanthones may be the reasons why they are said to treat bacterial infections such as UTI. Furthermore, the mangosteen fruit contains polysaccharides, which are also said to possess antibacterial and antifungal properties.

Mangosteen Forms

If you are planning to take mangosteen supplements, then you must know what supplement form is best to take. Of course, you can simply eat mangosteen fruits but unfortunately, they are not always available in the market. Besides, the most nutritious part of mangosteens is the pericarp or the outer rind, which is not normally consumed when eating the fruit in its raw form. The pericarp is where the xanthones are located, and it tastes bitter if you try to eat it as it is. Therefore, the best mangosteen supplements must be manufactured using the pericarp of the fruit.

Mangosteen supplements in powder form are made from the fruit’s pericarp. The rind is sliced and dried before pounding it until it becomes powder. The powder form has less sugar content, and it is also more concentrated than the juice form. Moreover, the juice form is high in sugar content, which is not that good for the body. So if you want to have the most nutritious health supplement possible, try the mangosteen supplement in powder form.

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