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How to Read and Understand Your UTI Test Results

Posted in Useful Tips

It sounds simple enough when you look at the box, but you’d be surprised.

First of all, if your infection isn’t raging out of control, you may not get any results at all unless you test first thing in the morning, because neither leukocytes nor nitrites have built up enough in your urine for the reagent to pick up on them. So if you feel like you have something, but you take a test and don’t see anything, wait till first thing the next morning to get a true read.

Secondly, nitrites are more easily flushed out of your urine, (they take 4 hours to build up in it) so you can feel something coming on and take a test in the afternoon and only see leuokocytes, (the top one that turns tan-purple) making you think that you have a gram positive infection, and then you can take something for it and test again the next morning, and see only nitrites (The one that turns pink).
I wish I had a picture of my expression when this happened to me.

This means you have a gram negative infection (like E. coli. Klebsiella, Proteus) that you’re keeping somewhat in check: what you need to increase your dosage of in this case is raw garlic. It will wipe out those nitrites. A phenolic-type antibiotic (like OLE) used alone will give you a clear leukocyte test* and leave nitrites there to taunt you. (Nitrites are the waste produced by gram-negative bacteria, which are most susceptible to a combination of phenolic, organosulphur, and terpene antibiotics)

If you see only leukocytes in a morning test, you have a gram positive infection, basically any bacteria ending in ‘coccus’. Staph, strep, and entero are the most common offenders. Raw garlic is excellent against these, of course, and so are olive leaf extract and ascorbic acid Vitamin C. Terpenes seem to have little effect on gram-positive bacteria, so concentrate on ascorbic acid, and phenolic and organosulphur agents, i.e. OLE and garlic. More on the different types of natural antibiotics here.

Treatment using a combination of OLE, raw garlic, and cayenne pepper will kill virtually any infection regardless of type, but understanding what’s going on with your tests reduces one’s anxiety level.

If you take a test at any point other than first thing in the morning and see instant results on either pad, you have a raging infection that needs immediate treatment. Walk directly to the kitchen and use what you’ve got.

In order to monitor your progress without breaking the bank, get a box of UTI tests from Amazon: you can get 25-100 tests for the same price as a box of 3 tests at a local drug store. If you want to be super nerdy about it, and see what your pH and glucose are, and if you have protein or blood in your urine, I’ve used these.

* unless you leave it past the 2 minute mark, then it turns purple

32 Comments

  1. Claire
    Claire

    Is it possible to see nitrites after eating food with it eg gammon (ham/bacon). I am wondering if I had a false positive for the nitrites this morning due to the food I ate the night before.

    April 19, 2023
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  2. Angela
    Angela

    Quick question…I also have AllicinMax in my medicine cabinet. Could I take that or is raw garlic best?

    September 19, 2019
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    • Cicily lewis
      Cicily lewis

      I’ve had a nitrite UTI for a while now. I’m taking oregano rather then garlic is that ok to do? The test strips is turning pink about 9 minutes in so it’s not a strong infection but for some reason I’m having a hard time clearing it.

      February 19, 2020
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  3. Nic
    Nic

    What if you’re getting a high blood count but nothing else?

    April 21, 2019
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    • Rebekah W.
      Rebekah W.

      That typically indicates kidney stones on the move. Any pain?

      April 21, 2019
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      • Nic
        Nic

        Well I’ve had some but it’s been weird crampy collicky stabby pain that’s moved around my whole pelvic area for the last few weeks. It sometimes would feel literally like someone was stabbing me downstairs. And it started after I got over a Uti and gradually increased in frequency and annoyance. It’d hurt during or after sex, anytime I did anything in the bathroom. It was just everywhere and hard to pin down- not normal Uti or bladder or kidney pain at all.

        So I went to the gynecologist because I actually thought my iud was out of place. They had some indicators it might so I had two appts- one where they did a vaginal culture and a pee test. A second with another pee test and an ultrasound. Vaginal culture and ultrasound were all golden. First pee test showed a little blood but nothing else. Second one showed some bacteria this doctor was insisting I had to take Cipro for. Now I wasn’t really feeling bad like I had a bladder infection and I have a friend whose permanently disabled from Cipro so I wasn’t pretty keen on not doing it if I didn’t have to. I filled the prescription but wanted to see if I could clear things up on my own since I didn’t really feel too bad and after lots of flushing with nonsweetened cranberry juice, I was feeling better and thought maybe I could lick this naturally like I did a previous infection a long time ago.

        So I found your site and started testing and your advice. Since the one test I mentioned on my first comment, I’ve taken two other tests – no blood, no nitrates and very light leukocyte readings- even in the morning it took 3-5 min to get a super super light purple. I’m on my 3rd day of lemon juice, garlic, and cayenne, Uva Ursi and goldenseal and my second day of OLE. Since the readings indicated a gram positive infection, I did add Ascorbic vitamin c this evening and since then I’ve had some light burning with my peeing that I wasn’t having before. Does that mean I shouldn’t be using it or is that normal the first couple doses? Are there gram positive bacteria that respond badly to vitamin c?

        This is my 3rd infection in 6 months. I hadn’t gotten many in the last 5-10 years or so. But I’m my 20s I got them all the time- bad ones- ones I swear started in my kidneys from just drinking too much soda. Then one day I got a nasty bladder infection and decided to combat it myself and won… and then didn’t get anything for years. But I guess I’m back now 🙁

        I do have hashimotos but no other health issues. The Uti thing has always been my Achilles heel. 🙁

        April 22, 2019
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        • Rebekah W.
          Rebekah W.

          Did you test when you had the light burning? Also, have you tried a bit of charcoal paste on the urethra?

          I’d increase OLE (you got the good stuff?) as rapidly as possible because that covers all the bases, no matter what type of pathogen is at the root of the problem.

          Many of the symptoms you’re describing sound rather like the beginning of pelvic inflammatory disease (don’t freak out; that’s fixable, if so).

          April 23, 2019
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          • Nic
            Nic

            I did not test when I had the light burning. I can do that again when I’m home with the strips if it happens again. I am not familiar with charcoal paste? I have charcoal deodorant… doubt that’s the same.

            Test results were about the same this morning. Very light read on leukocytes, no nitrates, maybe a smidge of blood?

            I’ve been upping the OLE at a gradual pace since my body can be sensitive to things and I know it has circulatory effects. I did 2 (one at lunch/one at dinner) yesterday. I’ll do three today. I’ll also try the vitamin C again.

            A side note- during my Uti drought, I was remembering I was doing lemon juice in the water every morning. I stopped out of laziness and just did the warm water without it but I guess I should keep that habit. I also had an issue with my thyroid being improperly dosed, which caused something of a heart incident. I’m fine and I’ve been off them now a year but I was on a very low grade beta blocker for about a year. I don’t know if that could have messed up my gut or my stomach in ways I’m still dealing with too. I know it took 6 mos to gain the weight I lost on it…

            April 23, 2019
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            • Rebekah W.
              Rebekah W.

              To make charcoal paste you just mix a little activated charcoal powder with a few drops of water and place that right on the urethra.
              It draws bacteria out of the urethra, stopping urethral pain.

              Anytime you start taking good OLE (Vitacost or Swanson brand), you want to get some activated charcoal as well and take a good-sized dose as soon as your gut loosens up.

              OLE kills Candida in the gut with such enthusiasm that you want to be able to take charcoal to wipe out die-off symptoms.
              There’s complete instructions on that in numerous posts; just click on the Cleansing category.

              I would check out the Hippocrates Special post and see if you can manage that; it’s highly beneficial to the gut, kidneys, and bladder, and kills most types of UTI-causing bacteria.
              Ginger can’t be taken *with* beta blockers, but it’s fine if you’ve been off them for some time.

              April 23, 2019
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              • Nic
                Nic

                OK. So should I proceed with the Killing UTI steps as you had them then (i’m still in phase 1) or skip ahead to the charcoal addition? or how should i generally proceed? I’m pretty much down for anything to be done with this crap.

                i’ll get some charcoal. i knew the capsules came in later steps but i didn’t know i needed powder too! 🙂

                one question i had was with the garlic. so i did the mincing thing and was swallowing it with water like suggested but a) it takes forever cuz the pieces are tiny and b) it’s hard to do when you’re on a lunch break at work or elsewhere. is there anything wrong with chewing it up and swallowing it? it burns like hell but it’s fast lol
                my bf had to do this to heal his gut, so i didn’t know if your instructions were more about making it less unpleasant or that it’s better absorbed if you’re swallowing it not chewed up…

                April 23, 2019
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                • Rebekah W.
                  Rebekah W.

                  Swallowing the bits is just to make it less…pungently noticeable to everyone in your orbit. 😂
                  You can totally chew it, and taking a shot of straight lemon juice with that meal as well helps you absorb it and deodorizes it a bit, too.

                  The Phase I post is all about getting a handle on an infection with what you either have on hand already, or can easily get at any grocery store.
                  Every subsequent post is how to proceed once you’ve gathered supplies, like the good OLE you can only find online, oregano oil, charcoal powder, a juicer, that sort of thing.

                  Check out the Kill List post series to find out what works best for the particular bacteria you tested positive for.

                  April 23, 2019
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                  • Nic
                    Nic

                    OK.So i should be moving on to phase 2? the bowels…to put it delicately…do not seem ready for the charcoal yet based on how you described they should be lol

                    i did check out the kill list but i don’t know what specific bacteria i tested for- only based on this article that it’s most likely a gram positive strand. is there a way to know the specific bacteria without going to the doc?

                    April 23, 2019
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                    • Rebekah W.
                      Rebekah W.

                      Just follow the diagnostic steps in the Decision Tree post; the resulting effect on your bladder will tell you what type of bacteria you have, and the Tree will point you toward what you need to do after that.

                      April 23, 2019
                  • Nic
                    Nic

                    OK. Thank you. I was reading your exchange with Lori below…I’m guessing the advice is similar. trying to avoid the doctor. i want my infection to be cleared up before i go back so they don’t yell at me for ditching the Cipro! lol

                    April 23, 2019
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                    • Rebekah W.
                      Rebekah W.

                      Her case deals with a gram negative bacteria; the treatment for gram positive bacteria requires the opposite pH adjustments, but many of the meds are the same.

                      April 23, 2019
                  • Nic
                    Nic

                    yeah. i’m pretty certain it’s gram positive…both based on the testing results i’ve been having and the fact that the doctor told me i had to take Cipro because of the type of bacteria, that normal sulfur drugs wouldn’t do the trick. since i normally get sulfur ones and the most common infections are ecoli, it makes sense that it’s gram positive (to me anyway). that’s why i was confused when i had the burning reaction to the ascorbic acid vitamin c. but it could just be the raised Ph was just irritating things i suppose- not necessarily because of increased bacteria. i read through the Hippocrates and the boot camp posts (they seem pretty similar?) it’s too much to get into during the work week but i’m gonna move to phase 2 and get into shock and awe this weekend i think. that will also give me time to get the extra supplies i need via Amazon 🙂

                    i took cipro in my 20s and while i don’t have proof, i think it’s why i have the few health issues i have. possible babymaking is in the future and between my own health and future kids health….i just don’t want to put more of that poison in me. it’s horrifying to me that something with such awful potential side effects is still used.

                    April 23, 2019
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                    • Rebekah W.
                      Rebekah W.

                      The baking soda test will tell you if it’s gram positive or gram negative within about 40 minutes…but it’s also possible to have both types of bacteria in there at once.

                      If you get inconclusive results, I’d presume a mix of bacteria and use a blend of OLE, grated horseradish, and juiced ginger or oregano oil on them.

                      April 23, 2019
                    • Nic
                      Nic

                      ok. i’ll get some baking soda tonight and give that a go.

                      thanks again!

                      April 23, 2019
          • Nic
            Nic

            Err lose the weight I gained on it. My brain flipped that for some reason lol. It’s early

            April 23, 2019
            |Reply
  4. Alyce
    Alyce

    Just started the OLE and activated Charcol. Do I still need to do the ginger and cinnamon tea?

    April 5, 2018
    |Reply
  5. Kumi
    Kumi

    Hi, I have klebsiella spp in my urine and no anti biotic that can clear it again but I read your phase I that garlic feed klebsiella but on this tread you mention that garlic is fine for gram negative bacteria. Please kindly shed more light on this as I am a bit confused. Thank you

    November 1, 2017
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    • cmw
      cmw

      She advised me to drop garlic and sub cayenne for my klebsiella – hope that helps!

      November 8, 2017
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  6. Cindy Colavecchio
    Cindy Colavecchio

    Hello,
    I’ve been taking DMannose and cranberry tablets everyday as a preventative measue. Today I woke up with the burine again. I just ate a clove of garlic and am drinking baking soda water. Most of my chronic infections are E. Coli. Any suggestions? Thank you!

    October 20, 2017
    |Reply
  7. Lisa
    Lisa

    What if the strip is clear at the two minute mark but five or ten minutes later it is purple?

    October 11, 2017
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    • Lori
      Lori

      That’s just what happened to me. I got so excited. I thought it was clear but it took over 5 min to turn purple. Is this a good sign? Does it mean its going away?

      October 18, 2018
      |Reply
      • Rebekah W.
        Rebekah W.

        Lori, a clear test strip until the 5 minute mark is a very good sign!
        Leukocytes respond to inflammation as well as infection, so that can simply indicate you have normal (for a Western adult) levels of inflammation in your system.

        October 18, 2018
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        • Lori
          Lori

          Rebekah, thanks for your response, but I guess I got excited a little too soon after I learned it doesn’t count since that test was done last night. I’m having trouble getting a legit first morning reading since I keep having to pee every 2 to 3 hours in the night. But I’m dedicated to giving this all I can. I ended up leaving work today at lunch time because I dropped my garlic in hot soup and forgot my cayenne pepper at home. Besides, I’m not able to function very well anyway. I’m on day 2 of Olive extract, no die off yet but I am trying to build up slowly. My charcoal came in today but I’m not sure if I should wait on that. On the positive side. I do make a mean hot cup of cinnamon tea.

          October 18, 2018
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          • Rebekah W.
            Rebekah W.

            Ahhh, yes, in order to get a reliable result you want to test after sleeping through the night.

            If I were you, I’d get a masticating juicer off Amazon (mine was around $80), and lay in a stock of organic celery, ginger root, and lemons.
            That blend is marvelous for cleansing the gut, kidneys, liver, and killing infections in the bladder.
            Also, you may be a candidate for horseradish use: you’ve read that post?

            October 18, 2018
            |Reply
          • Lori
            Lori

            I think I read just about everything on the site and try to put some things on the back burner but maybe I’m wrong to assume that I should follow Phase 1 2 and 3 consecutively and if all that fails then move on to boot camp. But now I’m wondering if I should go directly to boot camp because I read somewhere here that all this is wasted if I don’t get rid of all the candida and possibly biofilm. I’m thinking of asking for a week or so off from work so I can do what I need to take care of this. Not sure how well that will go over.

            October 18, 2018
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            • Rebekah W.
              Rebekah W.

              I have a lot of updating to do on the site: the celery/ginger/lemon juice both jumpstarts cleansing, and strips biofilms, especially if you pair it with taking grated horseradish with meals.
              It’s like taking a shortcut: your bowels loosen up within 24-36 hours and then you can take sizable doses of charcoal, Boot Camp-style.

              October 18, 2018
              |Reply
          • Lori
            Lori

            That makes a lot of sense and is actually a relief. Thank you so much for taking the time for me today. I’ll watch forthe new info. One quick question, should I not bother with d-mannose until more stuff is cleared up?

            October 18, 2018
            |Reply
            • Rebekah W.
              Rebekah W.

              If D-mannose isn’t working right now, stop until after you’ve managed a charcoal cleanse, then try again.
              Your pathogenic gut flora is probably consuming it all, at this point.

              October 18, 2018
              |Reply

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