REASONS
TO CONSIDER (OVERVIEW)
-
Women with a history of reoccurring
bladder and urinary tract infections.
-
Individuals susceptible to
antibiotic resistant bacteria.
-
Children suffering from bladder
infections.
-
Individuals exhibiting a history
of low immunity.
DOSAGE & DIRECTIONS
Take two tablets twice daily
for 10 days for maximum therapeutic benefit; then continue
one to two tablets daily as a preventative. For children
under 12 years, administer one tablet twice daily for 10
days.
CONTRAINDICATIONS & PRECAUTIONS
There are no known contraindications
or precautions with this product when taken in the recommended
dosages. However, as with all dietary supplements, do not
take at the same time as medications. May be taken with
or without food. (One tablet of CranPlex contains the equivalent
of twenty-four ounces of pure cranberry juice).
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Holistic
Recommendations
Urinary and bladder infections
are usually caused by bacteria resulting in cystitis, an inflammation
of the bladder. In fact, nearly 85 percent of urinary tract
infections are caused by Escherichia coli, a bacterium
found in the intestines.
Such infections are ten times
more common in adult women than men and constitute the most
common medical problem of pregnancy. Twenty-one percent of
women have urinary infections at least once a year which may
be uncomfortable or extremely painful.16
Symptoms
Symptoms
are characterized by an urgent desire to empty the bladder.
Urination is typically frequent and painful, such as a burning
sensation. Even after the bladder has been emptied, there
may be a desire to urinate again. The urine often has a strong,
unpleasant odor and may appear cloudy. Many individuals may
also experience lower abdominal pain.
Patient Self-Test
The patient
can purchase a simple home kit from the local drugstore. It
contains a thin strip of plastic that has been chemically
treated. If the tip of this strip changes color when dipped
in urine, it indicates the presence of a bacterial infection.
The patient must make sure that the urine sample is collected
cleanly by beginning urination, and then collecting a specimen
while in midstream.
Why Bladder
Infections Keep Reoccurring
Urinary
and bladder infections have long baffled doctors - and agonized
patients - with their resiliency. A strong dose of antibiotics
usually brings immediate relief, but the painful infection
often returns in as little as a few days. Recent research
has discovered that the bacterium Escherichia coli can dodge
antibiotics by invading the immune-system cells lining the
wall of the bladder.17 Thus, E. coli can take shelter
in the very cells that usually destroy them!
Pure cranberry juice (no sugar)
or freeze dried cranberry in the quantity contained in Factor
Eleven: CranPlex, prevents E. coli bacteria from attaching
to the cells that line the inside surface of the urinary tract
and bladder. Without the ability to invade these immune cells,
the bacterium are flushed from the bladder during urination.
Antibiotics
Losing Effectiveness
Antibiotic
resistance has become a worrisome problem for physicians who
treat urinary tract infections. First, because E. coli bacteria
can evade antibiotics as demonstrated above. Secondly, such
bacterium is showing resistance to the three most commonly
prescribed drugs used to combat urinary tract infections.
Recent clinical data suggests that ampicillin, trimethoprim,
and trimetho-sulfamethoxazole, now used as first line treatment
of acute cystitis, may not be acceptable choices for therapy
for much longer.18 The study sites overuse and
misuse in the alarming trend toward antibiotic ineffectiveness.
Recommendations
to facilitate the immune system in fighting bladder and urinary
tract infections:
1) Empty your bladder as often
as possible - at least once every 3 hours - and empty it completely.
2) Empty bladder before and after
both exercise and sexual intercourse to avoid undue strain.
3) Reduce intake of caffeinated
drinks such as coffee, tea and colas. They tend to irritate
the bladder.
4) Keep the genital and anal areas
clean and dry. Avoid hygiene sprays, douches, and bubble baths
as these may cause further irritation.
5) Take hot baths (sitz baths)
twice daily for twenty minutes. Hot sitz baths will help relieve
pain associated with cystitis.
6) Drink plenty of liquids. A
six to eight ounce glass of quality water every hour is extremely
beneficial for urinary tract infections.
7) Take the recommended label
dosage of Factor Eleven: CranPlex.
8) Include celery, parsley, and
watermelon in the diet as these foods act as natural diuretics.
9) Consider a low-protein diet,
obtaining protein from vegetable sources such as peas, beans,
lentils, and asparagus.
10) Women who suffer from recurrent
bladder infections should not use tampons, and should always
wear cotton underwear - never nylon.
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CRANBERRY
(FREEZE DRIED) has been shown in several clinical studies
to be extremely effective in treating bladder infections.1,2
In one study, 16 ounces of cranberry juice per day was shown
to produce beneficial effects in 73 percent of the subjects
(44 females and 16 males) with active urinary tract infections.3
(One tablet of CranPlex contains the equivalent of 24 ounces
of cranberry juice).
Cranberry's ability to prevent
bladder infections is due to the presence of the compound
tannin which prevents bacteria from attaching to the inside
surface of the lining within the urinary tract. This study
also determined that tannin was only present in cranberries
and blueberries. 4
Because most cranberry juices
on the market are loaded with sugar which has a detrimental
effect on the immune system,5 many physicians recommend
taking cranberry juice in pill form.
ALOE VERA (FREEZE DRIED)
has demonstrated activity against many common bacteria and
fungi including Escherichia coli, the major bacterium responsible
for the majority of bladder infections.6
Aloe Vera may exert beneficial
tonic effects on the gastrointestinal system. A clinical study
found that aloe vera consumption can lead to improved protein
digestion and reduced bacterial putrefaction.7
Compounds found in Aloe vera known
as anthraquinones bind calcium in the urinary tract and significantly
reduce the growth rate of urinary calcium crystals responsible
for kidney stones.8
JUNIPER BERRIES (JUNIPERUS
COMMUNIS) help restore kidney function by stimulating the
flow of urine by raising the rate of glomerulus filtration
(the process by which blood is purified and wastes filtered
out).9 Juniper berry is particularly soothing to
the kidneys and has been used in America for over 200 years
as a urinary antiseptic.10
GOLDENSEAL (HYDRASTIS CANADENSIS)
is one of the most effective of the herbal antimicrobial agents.
Its long history of use for the treatment of infections is
well documented in the scientific literature.11
Goldenseal's efficacy against Escherichia coli, the bacterium
most responsible for bladder infections, is superior to most
antibiotics.12
Goldenseal contains the alkaloid
berberine which is primarily responsible for its powerful
antibiotic activity. Berberine activates macrophages, the
cells responsible for engulfing and destroying bacteria, viruses,
and tumor cells.13
Berberine has been shown to increase
the blood supply to the spleen which is responsible for filtering
the blood and releasing compounds that potentate immune function.14
BEARBERRY (UVA URSI), also
known as upland cranberry, acts as a mild diuretic and antiseptic.
In Germany, Bearberry is approved as a urinary antiseptic
for bladder infections.15 Bearberry is reported
to be especially active against Escherichia coli.
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References
1.
Sternlieb, D, New England J Med, vol 268, p.57, 1963
2. Moen, DV, Wisconsin Med J,
vol 61, p.283, 1962
3. Prodromos, PN, et al., Southwest
Med, vol 47, p.17, 1968
4. Howel, A, et al., New England
J Med, Oct 8, 1998
5. Bernstein, et al., American
J Clinical Nutrition, vol 30, p.613, 1977
6. Shelton, RW, Int. J Dernatol,
vol 30, pp. 679-83, 1991
7. Bland, J, Natural Foods Network
Newsletter, Aug 1985
8. Anton, R, et al., Pharmacology,
vol 20, pp. 104-12, 1980
9. Racz-Kotilla, E, Farmacia,
vol 19, p. 165, 1971
10. Gunn, J. H. Gunn's Newest
Family Physician, Philadelphia, 1878
11. Pizzorno, JE, et al., A Textbook
of Natural Medicine, Bastyr College Pub, Seattle, WA 1988
12. Amin, AH, et al., Can. J.
Microbiol., vol 15, pp. 1067-76, 1969
13. Kumazawa, Y, et al., Int.
J. Immunopharmacol., vol 6, pp. 587-92, 1984
14. Sabir, M, et al., Indian J
Physiol Pharm, vol 15, pp. 111-132, 1971
15. Merck Index, 10th ed., Merck
& Co., Rahway, NJ, pp. 112-13, 1983
Validation
of Holistic Recommendations
16. Branch, WT, Office Practice
of Medicine, W.B. Saunders, Phil., PA, pp. 679-85, 1982
17. Baorto, DM & Abraham,
S, Nature, Oct 9, 1997
18. Blumer, JL, et al., J American
Med Assoc, Feb 24, 1999
19. Balch, JF, Prescription for
Nutritional Healing, Avery Pub Group, Garden City Park, NY,
1990
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