Cystitis, Biofilms, Interstitial Cystitis, Kidney Infections and intimacy and a Healthy Bladder

How you use D-Mannose as a supplement is very important, so the protocol needs to be precise during a flare-up.

Information on the use of our supplements is based on exhaustive research since 2003 and shared with your best interests at heart. For all medical advice, please see your doctor.

If you have an E.coli infection, you may notice a strong, foul smell in your urine.

A heaped teaspoon or 2-3, 1gm tablets with approximately 100mls liquid supports a healthy bladder. Later, a heaped teaspoon or 2-3 tablets before sleep helps maintain a healthy bladder. Bacteria leave the body, rather than, when faced with an antibiotic attack, burrowing further into the wall of the bladder and creating biofilms.

Biofilms and Repeat Infections

Biofilm development is accepted by microbiologists to be a determinant factor in persistence genitourinary tract infections; it is thought that bacteria that invade bladder cells and grow into structured colonies called biofilms are possibly the primary cause of recurrent urinary tract infections. Thousands of bacteria produce a meshwork of fibres anchoring them to the surrounding matrix and each other. Then a covering of uroplakin (could be thought of as an impermeable plaque) protects the biofilm-like an eggshell and shields the bacteria from antibiotic therapy.

Catheters and other devices significantly increase the risk of developing biofilms. A biofilm is designed to let nutrients through but not antibiotics, so the latter are far less effective when biofilms have formed, this is very worrying, and there is research underway to develop a way of penetrating biofilms. At present things like carvacrol in Oregano Oil are cited as useful and even particular probiotics are considered disruptive to biofilms.

E.coli does not develop resistance to D Mannose, as it already depends on mannose to survive and there are no dangers: D Mannose is not discernibly metabolised (an isomer of glucose, not glucose) and furthermore D mannose is already present in almost every body cell. Taken a supplement, the only possible thing you are likely to notice (if you already have a leaky gut) is some wind.

Please stay focused on the following suggestions, taking a supplement which contains D-Mannose every three hrs/also once in the night/alkalising the urine/avoiding acid etc. During the night, because at night the pH of the urine increases in acidity, bacterial growth increases exponentially.

Try to achieve a urine pH of about 7.5 with lemon barley, cider vinegar, greens etc. and potassium citrate (the latter and any other citrus salts, only if your doctor or pharmacist agrees it is safe for you). If the problem has already reached your kidneys (lower back pain, perhaps some fever, sick or vomiting), see a doctor immediately.

Using D-Mannose - General Protocol

• Alkalise the urine, avoid cranberry, alcohol, orange or citric acid and take lemon barley, for example.
• 1 heaped teaspoonful (2 - 3 grams or 2-3 tablets)
• After 1 hour: another heaped teaspoonful.
• 2 to 3 hours later, take a level to a heaped teaspoonful.
• Every 3 hours: a level to a heaped teaspoonful.
• When symptoms have abated, take a level teaspoon every 6 hours.
• Gradually reduce over several days down to 1 or two level teaspoons.
• Continue for a couple of weeks before cutting down slowly to one teaspoonful (2-3 tablets just before sleep and or around triggers such as intimacy, sport, cycling or travel.
• It's a mistake to stop taking the product too soon - or reduce too quickly.

Things to focus on

• Do you have a complex mix of bacteria (some bacteria do not have mannose attachments) Click here for Medichecks testing or see your doctor for testing.
• Do you have urine that is acidic (use our dedicated test strips to monitor pH and progress)?
• Are you taking 3gms or 3 tablets every three hours?
• Are you taking D-Mannose in the middle of the night?
• Are you taking enough around triggers (intimacy, sport, travelling)?
• Are you drinking too much water with the D-Mannose, preventing it from ever achieving a high concentration in the urine?
• Your body absorbs nutrients using water allowing transportation through your gut. Take a full glass of water with the product, not just a spoonful!
• Try to keep the urine alkaline rather than acidic.
• Most bacteria thrive in acidic urine, and it can double their growth rate (from every 40 mins to 20 mins)

Intimacy and a Healthy Bladder

• Take 1 level to heaped teaspoonful or 2-3 tablets of D-Mannose one hour before intimacy.
• Don't urinate until afterwards.
• Immediately afterwards, urinate and take another teaspoonful or 2-3 tablets of the product.
• The following day, take a level teaspoonful every 4-6 hours.
• Keep up the usual hygiene standards.

Note: Bladder problems in men may be an indication of a prostate condition, so you should never just self-treat unless you've been thoroughly checked out by a doctor and you know you are dealing with a simple bacterial infection.

However, D-Mannose won't harm you, so it is safe to take to support your bladder while you are waiting for an appointment. Please see our page on men's bladder health. There are no known side-effects.

Frequency of Using D-Mannose

D-Mannose taken on a regular basis promotes a healthy bladder.

There appear to be many reasons for this, and they complement each other:

• The immune system is likely to regain its capabilities as you no longer require regular doses of antibiotics.
• D-Mannose seems to gradually impoverish bacterial colonies that can be living behind biofilms in your bladder, protected from antibiotic attack. As the bacteria release their pods, (perhaps during or after stimulation due to intimacy or exercise) if you have D-Mannose in your urine, it may lock up bacteria before they get a chance to reinforce their colonies.

You either take D-Mannose on a daily basis before sleep regularly or as required. You should soon be able to look forward to a healthy bladder.

Pregnant Women, Children, Babies, and Pets

D-Mannose is a rare but simple sugar not a toxin or drug or herb. For children, babies, and pets adjust the amount taken according to the proportion of adult human weight, and volume of fluids they drink. D-Mannose will cross the placental barrier but is most unlikely to cause any damage to the unborn child, just as a spoonful of sugar would not. In fact, research shows that the unborn baby needs d-mannose for normal development. (You produce a certain amount naturally anyway). However, if you are pregnant, we recommend that you consult a medical professional before taking this or any new product.

Problem/Special Cases

A few conditions can make it more difficult to achieve a high concentration of mannose in the urine. People who have a condition such as Celiac disease, Crohn's disease, or Whipple's disease, inflammation of the lining of the small intestine, or an infection with a parasite such as Giardiasis or Hookworm, have problems absorbing nutrients from food and may have difficulties absorbing d mannose. Very high levels of intestinal bacteria (especially E.coli or Salmonella) may also reduce the amount that gets into the urine. In this case, it seems logical that the D-Mannose may initially attach to the intestinal bacteria instead of to the urinary tract bacteria.

The solution in these cases would appear to be to either increase dose, frequency or both.

Conversely, people with Hodgkin's disease, or Scleroderma or similar, may have enhanced nutrient absorption ability and may need to take less D-Mannose to achieve the same effect.

Urethral

D-Mannose in the urine doesn't get prolonged contact with the urethra. You might want to try the method doctors recommend to get a clean mid-stream urine sample (break the flow to flush clean the urethra). So if you are going to give that a go, you could use a clean palm to hold some urine in your urethra. When you are almost finished urinating, and there isn't a lot of pressure behind the flow (so you are not using muscles, and some will come through). Count to 60, and let go. You could do this each time you urinate with D-Mannose in your system, and this allows the D-Mannose more contact with the urethral wall. It's no use using 'bladder control' to stop the flow - your urethra would not be full of urine - you need to stop it from the outside.

If your symptoms do not go away quickly, you should go back to your doctor. Remember that cystitis-like symptoms can be caused by other problems such as blockages, bladder stones, prostate problems, failing kidneys, STDs and virus and fungal infections.

Fighting Kidney Infections

First, take your doctor's advice.

A customer told us that she tried the following:

She took two and sometimes three heaped teaspoons of D-Mannose every two to three hours for about 15 hours. *At the end of that day the pain in her kidneys had disappeared, and she then went on to normal dose levels of D-Mannose for a few days. Taking D-Mannose at much higher than usual levels (and especially combined with the Aloe Vera and garlic) is likely to have a drastic laxative effect. Don't stray far from a toilet!

During that first day, she drank about three litres of water.

In between doses, she took two cloves of garlic blended in apple juice. We suggest it's best to use fresh garlic.

She also took a glass of Aloe Vera juice (botanical name Aloe Barbadensis Miller) every three hours. Best to use fresh Aloe Vera plant leaf if you have that plant, or can get it. It is often stocked by local garden centres. Snip off a medium leaf of Aloe Vera at the base, wash it, and liquidise the inner contents with about 3/4 pint of apple juice, this will provide you with two glasses. Aloe Vera Juice you buy at health food shops, though good, is not as strong or bioactive as this method of production. Smaller leaves can be liquidised whole generally, but with larger leaves, bigger than 15 inches long, or older plants, it is best to squeeze out the gel from the leaf and discard the rest. The bigger ones (if they have yellow veins in them) can make you feel ill, or cause diarrhoea if you take them whole.

We've had varied feedback on these suggestions - it could make you feel ill, and the garlic will make your breath vampire-repellent for days, but on the whole, feedback suggests a level of success. Since unfortunately, it doesn't work for everyone, sometimes you will do all of this, and it will not be successful, and you must continue to take antibiotics if your kidney infection persists or your doctor advises it.

We repeat a kidney infection is very serious. Please see the doctor and try antibiotics first for kidney infections. Unfortunately, we are contacted by people who are not responding to the antibiotic; our sharing these suggestions are therefore to be seen as an aid if antibiotics don't work and you are searching for another solution with your doctor.

In the end, it has to be your choice. Remember that you should consult your doctor on any important health matters and a kidney infection is exactly that. You should consult a qualified medical herbalist for proper guidance on taking any herb such as Aloe Vera.

And also remember that if your kidneys are in trouble, you can overload them by drinking too much fluid.

Interstitial Cystitis - a way forward

Interstitial cystitis can have many causes, one of which is related to previous infections, and although the urine can be clear, there can be remnants of E.coli (or other bacteria) bio-molecularly attached, though dead, to cells of the bladder, or buried in the walls of the bladder.

The mechanism remains uncertain, but the bio-molecular attraction of the E.coli lectins for mannose may tell part, or even most of the story as to why WDM supports bladder health. And logically, the E.coli bacteria don't have to be whole, or even still alive for that bio-molecular attraction and attachment to take place.

*We've had some people with interstitial cystitis say D-Mannose has brought them relief after many years of suffering.

From www.invista.com :

We got this message from a sufferer:

"I've had interstitial cystitis for nine years, with all the worst of the symptoms. I've never heard of anyone who had it as bad as me. I had all of this incredible pain, and it got to the point where I couldn't even go out of the house. *I was on permanent antibiotics for ages, but they didn't seem to do any good, and I've been probed, prodded, stretched, injected, and flushed out (agonising) so many times that it got to the point where I was living in permanent agony. Anyway, my doctor referred me to a new consultant, and after a look through my notes, he casually said, 'I think the best thing we can do is whip your bladder out.' I was appalled and just ran out of the office crying. When I got home, I started searching online and found this research:

*"Mannose stimulates fibroblasts to make more collagen and proteoglycans, which means that healing is speeded up, pain is lessened, and skin integrity returns to normal faster. *Mannose also works to correct over-active neutrophils (T cells) that cause misguided inflammation. Researchers in Australia have confirmed this action' and the following extract from a six month trial of d-mannose, this part directly concerning sufferers of interstitial cystitis: Abstracted from a study by Michael Blue, M.D., Urologist (Norman, OK):

"Those females who were not confirmed by culture to have bacterial UTI but had UTI-associated symptoms were classified into a painful-bladder-syndrome (PBS) group. Of the 18 PBS females who were treated daily with two scoops of D-Mannose, 17 (94%) reported symptom improvement, the lone exception being a subject unable to be contacted, but also not returning for treatment. *Eighty percent became symptom-free." D-Mannose was used for trials in Italy Interstitial Cystitis patients. In a 2014 study, Dr Daniele Porru (Urology Department, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy) writes: 'D-mannose appeared to be a safe and effective treatment for recurrent UTIs in adult women. *A significant difference was observed in the proportion of women remaining infection-free versus antibiotic treatment.'

"I also found your fantastic product. I was sceptical, because I've tried so many different remedies before, but when you've got so much pain, you are willing to try anything. *I couldn't believe it! Within a couple of hours of starting with D-Mannose, I realised that the pain was disappearing. By the third day, I felt better than I've felt in years. *Now I get the occasional bad day when I have to take heaps to control the problem which is obviously still hovering around, but I've got my life back, and I'm keeping my bladder which is now functioning perfectly well thank you... I'm telling everyone I meet, and I'm taking the doctor your information to show him. I'm on a mission now! People are not going to get their bladders 'whipped' out if I can help it. Thank you, thank you, and thank you." Aime

A Healthy Bladder and Catheterisation

Suggested ways to get the maximum benefit:

Supplementing with D-Mannose for catheterised/catheterising people, men or women needs to be at a higher level than for people who do not catheterise. The actual amount you need to take will be found best by trial and error. Better to start with higher dose levels and gradually reduce. If you stay free of problems for a few days, it is worth trying to reduce the dose frequency or level, and perhaps just take more around the time of changing the catheter.

Catheterised patients or people who self-catheterise are prone to bladder and urethral infections because bacteria are everywhere, even in the air. So no matter how clean you are, it is difficult to prevent contamination of the catheter and reinfection.

We learned some of what we know about using catheters with D-Mannose from a gentleman called Tony Treadgold who is a spinal injury patient. He astonished his consultants by successfully keeping infections at bay without antibiotics during a six-week stint in the hospital, while everyone else despite prophylactic antibiotics, was getting infection after infection.

Remember that despite existing precautions, you are still having problems with infections (or you would be unlikely to be reading this), so please do not lightly dismiss the precautions here.

• Before handling the catheter, bathe and wear fresh clothes (or no clothes) to ensure that the catheter does not come into contact with anything that may contaminate it. So don't let the catheter touch anything that is not sterile. If you cut it, ensure that the scissors are sterile. Don't put anything down on the bedclothes.
• During this entire procedure, be careful not to touch hair, nose, or anything else that is not known to be sterile. Best to tie your hair back first if it is long.
• The nose and mouth are harbours for E.coli and other bacteria. Best to wear a mask. If you cough or sneeze without a mask at any time during this procedure, you have probably contaminated the catheter, or your gloves, and must start again.
• Scrub up properly with soap, right up to the elbows. Also very carefully (but gently) wash the genital area.
• Wear sterile disposable gloves before opening the catheter pack. Lay the catheter on a sterile tray and cover it with a suitably prepared lid.
• If using a new catheter that needs to be soaked, consider changing to a ready-to-use type. In any case, do not soak it in ordinary tap water - tap water is invariably contaminated with E.coli. Use sterile water or boiled water with an approved sterilising solution in the water.
• Allow the D-Mannose to remain in the catheter for five minutes, and then empty the catheter.
• Change your gloves, being careful not to contaminate the outside of the fresh gloves.
• Wipe the outside of the catheter with a sterile cloth soaked in the D-Mannose solution.
• Fill the catheter with a sterile solution of D-Mannose. Peg the other end (with a pre-sterilised peg) to prevent emptying, and insert the catheter when it is full of D-Mannose.
• Allow the D-Mannose to remain in the catheter for five minutes before releasing the peg.
• Finally, since some people are catheterised initially because of pain when their bladder is filling, rather than because they need one due to, for example, a spinal injury, if you attain bladder control, you could consider coming off the catheter. Talk to your healthcare professional.

*All customer reviews represent the personal opinion of the reviewer. Sweet-Cures makes no guarantee on product effectiveness, as results may vary from person to person.