Skip to content

Troubleshooting: Constant UTI Symptoms, Tests Come Back Clear

Posted in Cleansing, and Troubleshooting

To throw in an extra complication, taking antibiotics makes you feel better! This is one that’ll really throw you for a loop, because your bladder is driving you nuts, but no matter how many test strips you pee on, or how many cultures you have done, there’s nothing there, and when the doctor gives you antibiotics just to shut you up, you feel better…but it comes back with a vengeance every time you stop.

You don’t have a UTI. And you’re not crazy, either.

What you have is a Candida overgrowth in your gut that is irritating the bloody hell out of your bladder. You may also have an undiagnosed co-infection of the surface tissue (click here to find out what to do about that part).

You’re probably thinking to yourself, “Self, if it’s Candida, a fungus not directly affected by antibiotics, why would antibiotics make my bladder feel better?”.

I’ll get to that in a minute.

grasshopper

This is where I start to lay some science on you, but don’t worry, there is no math.

As most of us know, after you’ve been on antibiotics, for any kind of an infection, Candida goes crazy in your gut because the competition, beneficial bacteria, gets killed off. “But I took Diflucan, and probiotics!” you protest.

Here’s the thing: anti-fungals get absorbed into your bloodstream in the small intestine, meaning the Candida in the large intestine rampages unchecked. Same with the probiotics, they make a happy home and settle down to have babies in the small intestine. Over time, the Candida in the large intestine feels the urge to go adventuring, Genghis Khan-style.

giphy-downsized-large

 

They ride in, slaughter the peaceful villagers and ooze their toxins into your bloodstream in higher quantities, because the small intestine is more porous than the large.

Within the intestine, there is a proximal to distal gradient in osmotic permeability. As you proceed down the tube, the effective pore size through the epithelium decreases. This means that the duodenum is much more “leaky” to water than the ileum and the ileum more leaky than the colon. Do not interpret this to mean that as you go down the tube, the ability to absorb water decreases! It means that water flows across the epithelium more “freely” in the proximal compared to distal gut because the effective pore size is larger.

Toxins flow more freely too, right along with that water.
The symptoms of Candida poisoning creep up on you so gradually that you actually accept the slow deterioration of your health as normal.

Common symptoms include:

  • Chronic fatigue
  • Loss of energy/general malaise
  • Headaches/migraines/brain fog
  • Decreased libido
  • Inability to concentrate/poor memory
  • Irritability/depression
  • Acid reflux
  • Constipation
  • Increasingly intense PMS symptoms
  • Perpetual bloat that worsens with certain foods
  • Recurring UTI’s
  • Yeast infections

So what do these toxins have to do with bladder irritation and frequency?

Everything.

One of the toxins Candida produces is acetaldehyde

An accumulation of two toxins — acetaldehyde and gliotoxin — is especially common in those with systemic Candida overgrowth.

…which also happens to be a substance released into your body when alcohol is broken down in your digestive system.

Alcohol is metabolized by several processes or pathways. The most common of these pathways involves two enzymes—alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH). These enzymes help break apart the alcohol molecule, making it possible to eliminate it from the body. First, ADH metabolizes alcohol to acetaldehyde, a highly toxic substance and known carcinogen (1). Then, in a second step, acetaldehyde is further metabolized down to another, less active byproduct called acetate (1), which then is broken down into water and carbon dioxide for easy elimination (2).

Remember, Candida is a yeast, and yeast ferments. Ergo, when you have a bad case of Candida, the toxic by-products of its fermentation process produce many of the same symptoms as drinking alcohol. Fatigue, malaise, headache, brain fog, nausea, heartburn ring a bell?

Check it out.

Acetaldehyde and its cronies are also irritants of the bladder tissue in their own right, in addition to their chemical effect in your kidneys that creates frequency. So, your Candida is growing more and more, which means it’s feeding more and releasing more toxins, and your physical condition is going steadily downhill. In addition to brain fog, headaches, PMS from hell and depression, your bladder is in almost constant pain and you daren’t get too far from a bathroom because you’re peeing your brains out.

Going back to why antibiotics can give you temporary improvement: Antibiotics wipe out beneficial bacteria in the gut, meaning Candida has less competition…meaning it’s fat, happy, and under less stress. When it’s not being attacked at all by any good bacteria, it’s releasing a minimal level of toxins, and your bladder breathes a sigh of relief. Then, you finish the antibiotics and take some probiotics because you’re smart like that, and all bladder hell breaks loose.

 

giphy (11)

 

Congratulations, you’re worse now! The probiotics begin struggling with the Candida, some Candida dies, the dead bodies release all the toxins they contained, and those toxins move into your bloodstream.
Your bladder is so inflamed from the constant assault that all kinds of foods that are natural, mild irritants to the bladder, like dairy, nightshades, caffeine, and the like, are enough to send you off the deep end. You keep going back to the doctor, who diagnoses you with IC and suggests a strict diet. It helps a little, but not much, because when you’re really virtuous about your diet, avoiding sugar/carbs as well as outright irritants, you put Candida under stress, and it releases more toxins!

 

kill me

 

Now for the part you’ve all been waiting for: what to do about it.

Say it with me, people: Activated charcoal.

What you need to do is go on a charcoal cleanse, starting with the Q and D Cleanse and taking a capsule of caprylic acid with every meal and working your way up. You can take that, you can take OLE, you can drink strong cinnamon or ginger tea, just start killing Candida chemically as well as sweeping it away with charcoal. And don’t even think about just taking meds, going on a diet, and skipping the charcoal: it’s the only thing that will remove Candida through the length of your gut, restoring a healthy balance that will heal your whole body. Take the charcoal!

How long will it take to fix this, you wonder?
It depends on the quantity and virulence of your Candida, and whether or not it has a biofilm shield. Your mileage may vary.
It may fold in a day with a really big charcoal cleanse like I describe in the Shock and Awe post: you may need to take a daily charcoal dose for a week, or two, or three, with a big cleanse on the weekends. You won’t know until you start trying, but I can promise you this: as long as you keep going at it with activated charcoal and natural Candida killers, you’re going to win.

Your bladder will be calm, and happy, and you’ll be able to eat and sleep and live like a normal human being again.
Once you’ve started the charcoal, take a daily dose of probiotics, L-glutamine, and perhaps a digestive enzyme and DGL (take according to label instructions): links to them all are here. Basically, you’re doing a full gut cleanse and reboot, sweeping out the Candida, regenerating the gut lining, and streamlining the digestive process with licorice and enzymes while the probiotics start colonizing that new gut lining. Eat alkaline, hydrate, and exercise if you can: the increased circulation and perspiration speeds the detox process.

Godspeed, my darlings.

giphy (13)

21 Comments

  1. Nicole
    Nicole

    Hi Rebekah, I need your help in determining what route I should take! I started experiencing UTI symptoms a month ago. Not like an ecoli infection that spreads fast. I have pressure and frequency and sometimes burning at the urethra. First culture showed nothing, just contamination. Second showed 100,000 of Group A strep. I was put on Augmentin for 7 days. Saw no improvement on the 7 days until the day after I stopped. My symptoms then went away for 3.5 days only to return. Next culture showed only 1,000 of probable enterococcus species, this was taken on day 7 of Augmentin. Haven’t had another culture since but still have these symptoms!
    I took a UTI test this morning like you suggest and I show no leuks or nitrites. I don’t know what to do. Do I treat for a gram positive bacteria or do I go the candida route? I’m sick of feeling this way!

    April 3, 2019
    |Reply
    • Rebekah W.
      Rebekah W.

      Group A strep responds very well to a horseradish, OLE, ascorbic acid protocol!
      So does Entero.

      In cases like yours you want to leave the strip out for about 30 minutes, because a gram positive UTI can be persistent but sub-clinical (not showing up in tests and not presenting acute symptoms). Those show up on the leuks pad around the 10 minute mark, usually.
      Check out the Kill List posts on Strep and Entero: they give the natural med dosages you need to finish those off.

      (All natural med recommendations/dosages are based on what has worked for people who’ve contacted me. There’s only been on other case of Strep A, in a young girl, but horseradish/OLE/ascorbic acid knocked it right out.)

      April 3, 2019
      |Reply
      • Nicole
        Nicole

        Thank you! I still think I have it so going to follow this protocol. Do I need to take HCL and ascorbic acid? I definitely have low stomach acid. Want to do everything exactly right for this.

        April 3, 2019
        |Reply
        • Rebekah W.
          Rebekah W.

          You take HCL with food (and horseradish), and ascorbic acid between meals, with some water (and OLE).
          Be sure to get pure ascorbic acid powder, like NOW brand on Amazon. If it has calcium or magnesium in it, it won’t work.

          April 3, 2019
          |Reply
          • Nicole
            Nicole

            And do I still do the juice? I didn’t see it mentioned on the Kill page but did see it on the bootcamp. Or is cinnamon tea better for this?

            April 3, 2019
            |Reply
            • Nicole
              Nicole

              Never mind! I see that you do!

              April 3, 2019
              |Reply
            • Rebekah W.
              Rebekah W.

              The juice is alkalizing: to kill a gram positive bacteria you want to acidify, not alkalize.

              I’d kill off that UTI and then do the juice blend afterward to sort out your gut and improve your stomach acid.

              It also makes a great run recovery drink: it’s full of electrolytes.

              April 3, 2019
              |Reply
              • Nicole
                Nicole

                Ok thanks. So every time I pee should I just drink water and ascorbic acid?

                April 3, 2019
                |Reply
                • Rebekah W.
                  Rebekah W.

                  Yes, that’s really the most straightforward way to deal with a gram positive infection.

                  You can also take a shot of juiced ginger with your HCL when you eat: it helps fight those bacteria and contains digestive enzymes.

                  April 3, 2019
                  |Reply
  2. Char Straz
    Char Straz

    Hello,
    I have been suffering from a burning sensation after a diagnosed UTI. UTI gone, cultures clean but a constant burning sensation NOT during urination but mostly by end of day and after sitting for awhile. Have tried dmannose, garlic, bladder supplements, eating raw parsley, holistic supplements, exercises, teas etc.. This has been for 4 months. Wondering what suggestions you may have and do you think the charcoal cleanse would help? Thank you!

    June 27, 2018
    |Reply
    • Char Straz
      Char Straz

      Update- primary care physician took a fourth culture believing it would be clear and it came back positive for E Coli. Now on antibiotics. Ugh!

      June 30, 2018
      |Reply
  3. […] through the whole website, one page at a time. One post particularly struck me as it described exactly what I’ve been going through. And then this one illuminated a connection between bladder problems and candiasis, a systemic […]

    February 19, 2018
    |Reply
  4. Angela
    Angela

    FYI – From personal experience, oxalates can play a factor in recurring yeast infections. Changing my diet helped. I found great info here http://www.lowoxalate.info/index.html

    Thank you for creating this blog. You have helped me immensely.

    January 13, 2018
    |Reply
  5. Kierra S Stoker
    Kierra S Stoker

    Hello

    I do think my ic stems from candida. I really want to turn this around. But they did see a spot of inflammation on my bladder. Would this still help?

    January 3, 2018
    |Reply
  6. Amy M.
    Amy M.

    Hello Rebekah,

    Thanks for all the hard work you have put in making this site! It’s so helpful. I have tried the emergency protocol and the phase 1 protocol. I even tried the UTI bootcamp but still have the urge to pee and light stinging pain. I don’t have the olive leaf extract, but have a few bottles of candida cleanse that I’ve been using instead. It has oregano leaf extract, pau d’arco, caprylic acid, L. acidophilus, Protease, Cellulease, and other candida fighting ingredients. I guess none of those ingredients holds a candle to OLE, but i my blind ignorance and impatience thought it would work for the proctocol. Now it’s been 4 days since my infection ragged it’s ugly head in my nether parts and I can’t take it anymore!! I’ve had a test run and definitely have E. Coli. My doctor has already prescribed an antibiotic which I have just taken. I’ve ordered some olive leaf extract but it won’t get here until 4 days from now and I couldn’t hold out until then to restart the boot camp. Now that I have an ugly antibiotic in my system, how long should I wait to start the bootcamp again once I have the Olive leaf extract? Can I start right away? Please tell me all hope is not lost now that I have given up and taken the stupid antibiotic!!!!!

    June 19, 2017
    |Reply
    • Rebekah W.
      Rebekah W.

      Yes, you can take the OLE alongside the antibiotic! And I would also take a daily dose of charcoal, as described in the Quick and Dirty Cleanse post.
      The Candida Cleanse supplement is a good adjunct to a charcoal cleanse, but for treating the bladder you want pure OLE and oregano oil. I’d go ahead and get both and take them alongside that antibiotic, do a thorough charcoal cleanse, and then take 2 each of OLE and oregano whenever you think you might be at risk for an infection. It’ll protect you while your bladder heals from all it’s been through.

      You’ll be FINE as long as you do that cleansing!
      Don’t sweat it too much. You can only do what you can do.

      June 19, 2017
      |Reply
      • Amy M.
        Amy M.

        Wow, thanks for the super speedy reply! I’ll get some oregano oil as well and start taking that and the OLE as soon as it comes in the mail. So I can take charcoal while I’m on the antibiotic? That won’t inhibit the antibiotic’s work? It was just a one time dose, so I guess if I do the Quick and Dirty Cleanse in the morning, it will have had time to do it’s thang.
        Anyway, thanks again and I will get to cleansing asap!!! Fingers crossed that I never have to find myself in this situation again!!

        June 19, 2017
        |Reply
        • Rebekah W.
          Rebekah W.

          All you have to do is time the charcoal properly: as long as it’s 2 hours from food or meds, you’re fine.
          And taking the natural meds alongside the antibiotic assures you of a 100% kill rate. 🙂

          Let me know how you do!

          June 19, 2017
          |Reply
  7. Sandra
    Sandra

    Excellent Post !!! You could not be more right about IC !
    I hope many sufferers see this post, it will give them back their healthy lives. I am one who is is almost cured of IC by your protocol. God bless you always!!!

    June 17, 2017
    |Reply
    • Rebekah W.
      Rebekah W.

      Keep up the excellent work: the finish line is in sight!

      June 17, 2017
      |Reply
    • Ashlee
      Ashlee

      HI i have been experiencing some pain that could be IC. Every time after intercourse i have pressure on my bladder area and it burns when i go to the bathroom and it lasts about a week every time. Did you have pain like that with your IC? Just hoping this protocol will help me!

      June 11, 2018
      |Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *