We’re going to go pathogen-by-pathogen in a Kill List series, listing the best weapons against each type of bacteria, and the pH you want to maintain in order to suppress growth. Listed next to the pH is what you can use to get it to that level. The posts are ordered by how common that bacteria is in the bladder.
The natural meds are listed in order of how broad-spectrum they are against all the different strains of that bacteria, and potency (how capable they are of killing an antibiotic-resistant infection single-handedly).
E. coli is first in the series because it’s the most common; it has so many different strains; and so many different things can be used against them.
The complicating factor in all this, (other than the various ways one’s gut issues can get in the way of treating the bladder) is that each species of bacteria has multiple strains, and those different strains are susceptible to different phytochemicals.
For instance, there’s a strain of E. coli that is 100% susceptible to cayenne pepper, and another strain that is merely irritated by it. That same strain also becomes worse in response to ginger! Some E. coli strains don’t respond to D-mannose, or OLE, etc..
Doctors do not culture for strain, just genus and species. And because they don’t, I can’t list the strain by name and tell you what kills it: the way to identify what you have is by testing different natural meds and gauging the reaction.
The good news is that all of the strains react the same way to pH. All strains of E. coli can be held in check with a neutral/alkaline pH, and all strains of staph can be held in check with an acidic pH, for example.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Few of these weapons are going to work as they should if you have not cleansed with activated charcoal at all, or if you have low stomach acid and aren’t actively treating it. Without cleansing the gut, the bacterial and fungal pathogens in your gut will use up most types of natural meds before they can get to the bladder. It’s like charging a machine gun nest when there’s three rows of enemy-filled trenches in the way: you must sweep the trenches clear first in order to reach your objective. For this you can do the Shock and Awe cleanse outlined here.
Or, you can simply start taking 1.5 oz pure lemon juice concentrate with every meal, and your gut should be clearing out within 36 hours. Once you’re loose and frequent, you can take 2 tsp (5 gram) doses twice that day, with 12 oz water each. Remember, no food within 2 hours of charcoal.
If you have low stomach acid your digestive system is unable to properly break down and absorb most of what you’re putting into it. That’s why you feel like crap all the time and nothing works. This must be addressed or nothing will get better. Click here to read how.
Additionally, if you are peeing frequently but only taking natural meds a few times a day, they move into your bladder quickly and then get emptied out too soon. You want every bit of urine coming through your bladder to be alkaline, and full of natural meds. That means you want to take a combination of the ones you don’t need to eat with (ginger, OLE, cayenne) every time you pee. My favorite way to do this is to drink 6-8 oz celery/ginger/lemon juice after every trip to the bathroom, with 2 OLE capsules and a fat pinch of cayenne, for instance.
The natural meds are listed in order of how broad-spectrum they are against the different strains, and potency. Those which I’ve seen kill a UTI single-handedly are listed first. For best results with all of these things:
- Cleanse with activated charcoal: you want to send a minimum of a tablespoon (7.5 grams) through, total, before taking full-strength doses of natural meds.
- Take a shot (1.5 oz) of pure lemon juice with every meal
- Keep your urine pH where it needs to be, monitoring with urine test strips
- Combine three different types of these natural meds
- Keep a journal where you jot down what you’re taking, when, and what your symptoms/test results are when you pee. This way you will be able to spot patterns and track your progress.
- Lastly, when you’re doing everything right, (you cleanse thoroughly with charcoal and you’re taking acid if needed and your meds consistently), it should take 5-7 days to kill a UTI, at the most. If it’s taking longer, you either need more charcoal cleansing, more acid with your food/meds, or a different combination of natural meds.
E. coli: pH 7.0-8 Lemon juice/baking soda water, juiced celery
1. Freshly grated horseradish: 1/2-1 tsp grated root per meal and with a bedtime snack. Grate with a medium-fine grater, pinch it together, and take mid-meal with a mouthful of milk. Minimal interaction with Candida but it’ll cause wicked bacterial die-off (cramps, diarrhea) in the gut if you haven’t cleansed with charcoal.
Take only with food, 4x a day. Use no more than 1/2 tsp twice a day if pregnant. Safe for breastfeeding but may cause baby gas. When horseradish is not wholly effective, either:
A. It is not fresh enough. It should smell wickedly pungent. Cut the root in the middle and grate the freshly cut end.
B. If smelling it brings tears to the eyes but it’s making your bowels run and not helping your bladder, do a charcoal sweep (2-3 tsp (5-7 grams) doses until the runs stop) and take a shot of lemon juice with every dose to improve absorption into the bloodstream.
C. If it’s pungent and you’re absorbing it but it isn’t quite finishing the infection off, you have a rare strain that needs oregano oil to fully die. Add that in to your regimen, with meals, alongside the horseradish.
D. If you have greasy yellow stools while taking this, don’t freak: you just got a gallbladder cleanse.
F. Those of you in Asia (Japan/China/India area) can take wasabi root the same way, since horseradish root is virtually impossible to get, there.
2. Juiced ginger root. 1.5-2 inch cube per dose. Effective against 98% of E. coli strains, also has some Candida-killing action but is absorbed into the blood too fast to cause severe die-off. You can take it by itself like a shot with a squeeze of lemon juice in it, and/or juice it with a head of organic celery and a lemon for an alkalizing anti-bacterial/anti-fungal combo. Drink that combination all day in place of lemon/baking soda water. Juiced ginger root can be taken with or without food, as often as desired. Safe for pregnancy and breastfeeding.
A. The root should be firm and unwrinkled, with some visible juiciness when you slice it.
B. If you drink this juiced with celery and lemon in place of lemon/baking soda water, drink 8 oz every time you pee. You can juice a big batch every morning and bottle it to take with you to work/errands. Make sure you pee every 2 waking hours.
C. If the juice gives you the runs, you both need and are now prepared for a charcoal cleanse. Take 2 tsp (5 grams) doses with 12 oz water 1-3x a day until stools normalize.
D. If your UTI responds badly to ginger (increased pressure/pain 30-40 minutes later), you have a very rare strain (2% of E. coli cases) that needs a combination of OLE, minced raw garlic or grated horseradish, and pau d’arco. No ginger, no cayenne, no oregano oil.
3. Olive leaf extract. This inhibits the growth of 99% of E. coli strains, can kill many outright in early stages, is an effective prophylactic against all types of bacteria, kills Candida like no other, has no toxicity and is excellent for general health, BUT when you already have an embedded UTI you need to combine it with other natural meds to administer the coup de grâce. It has the strongest Candida-killing action of any UTI med: you will have die-off unless your Candida has a biofilm. It can be taken with or without food, as often as desired. Safe for pregnancy and breastfeeding.
A. The most trustworthy brands are Vitacost and Swanson Super Strength. Most brands sold in hippy stores are weak, overpriced crap that will do you no good. You need about 300-350 mg of oleuropein (the active ingredient) per dose.
B. Charcoal cleansing before you take full doses is imperative, or the Candida die-off will be hell.
C. If you ignore the warnings and take this without charcoal cleansing and feel nothing, your gut Candida has a biofilm and you need to be extremely thorough with charcoal cleansing to peel it all off the gut walls, or OLE will never reach the bladder. Extensive use of prescription antifungals or corticosteroids in the past is a predicator of Candida biofilm.
4. Oregano oil. This functions mainly as an adjunct with other natural meds and will not be fully effective unless you’ve cleansed with charcoal first. It helps against most strains of E. coli and outright kills a few. Look for the carvacrol content (active ingredient) and aim for around 150-200 mg of carvacrol per dose. Not total dosage of the capsules, the carvacrol content per capsule is the active ingredient dosage. Study the label and do the math.
Take only with food, 4x a day. Use no more than twice a day if pregnant: safe for breastfeeding.
5. Cayenne pepper. This is 100% effective against a particularly tough strain of E. coli, helps against many others, but does irritate a few. 1/4 tsp loose powder from the grocery store 4x a day, taken with or without food, either with a mouthful of milk or mixed into a large spoonful of honey. Use twice a day if pregnant, may cause baby gas if breastfeeding.
A. If the first dose feels like it’s helping, keep going till the UTI is dead.
B. If you experience increased irritation afterward, discontinue and also avoid ginger, turmeric, and oregano oil. Focus on OLE, pau d’arco, and horseradish.
6. Raw garlic. This will knock most types of UTI bacteria on their tails, but typically doesn’t finish them off by itself. Best used alongside other types of killers like OLE, pau d’arco, ginger juice, and cayenne pepper. Take 1 large clove with food, 4x a day. Safe for pregnancy/breastfeeding, may cause baby gas.
A. If you have low stomach acid, you will not absorb it. Take alongside a shot of lemon juice to ensure absorption.
B. It needs to be freshly minced/crushed right before taking.
C. Do not mix into hot food or you will destroy the medicinal qualities.
D. Get a firm head with lots of large cloves: do not store in the refrigerator: do not buy elephant garlic; it is a leek, not garlic.
E. If you bloat every time you take garlic, even though you’re taking lemon juice with it, you have a problem with fructans and you need a low FODMAP diet and some serious gut healing. Click here to read about it.
7. Pau d’arco. This is a helpful adjunct against most types of E. coli but I’ve never seen it kill an infection on its own. 3-4 capsules of Nature’s Way or Vitacost brand 3-4x a day with or without food, for no more than 3 weeks straight. If the UTI isn’t dead by then, you’re doing it wrong and need a different combination of meds. It has some toxicity so should not be used while pregnant or breast-feeding.
8. D-mannose. This is effective against most strains of E. coli but is eighth in the list because while it can flush some E. coli infections out on its own, it does not kill them or break biofilms like most of the natural meds above, and it can be eaten by gut bacteria/fungus and never make it to the bladder. Take first thing in the morning, between meals, and after dinner, for a total of 4x a day, as directed below. Safe for pregnancy and breastfeeding: it’s just a simple sugar.
A. Cleanse with activated charcoal if you don’t get results from it on the first try.
B. The best deals are bulk powder: click here: for maximum results take a heaping half teaspoon in 4-6 oz water away from food, wait 20 minutes and drink 12 oz warm lemon water. This gives the bacteria time to latch onto the D-mannose, and then the warm lemon water flushes them out while they’re floating free in the urine, attached to that sugar.
C. If you’ve cleansed thoroughly with charcoal but D-mannose gives you no real results at all and neither does OLE, you either have a Candida biofilm that needs another big charcoal cleanse, or you have an E. coli strain that needs grated horseradish with food 4x a day and juiced ginger/celery/lemon all day long.
If there’s some other natural supplement you want to ask about, leave it in the comments.
I have a question about using lemon juice for low stomach acid, which I probably have since I’m 79, and it takes me a long time to burp after the baking soda test.
As part of the protocol this was written: “E. coli: pH 7.0-8”
“All strains of E. coli can be held in check with a neutral/alkaline pH” and later on I read “Or, you can simply start taking 1.5 oz pure lemon juice concentrate with every meal, and your gut should be clearing out within 36 hours.”
And “Take a shot (1.5 oz) of pure lemon juice with every meal.
Keep your urine pH where it needs to be, monitoring with urine test strips.”
I keep the urine test strips on hand at all times, and start monitoring my urine as soon as I feel a UTI coming on. Taking the baking soda test I can keep my urine “in the green squares” ~~ but as soon as I take any lemon juice my pH drops to that bright orange 5 square, and will stay there for hours afterwards, even after drinking Essentia water with a pH9.5.
Also: “If you drink this (ginger) juiced with celery and lemon in place of lemon/baking soda water, drink 8 oz every time you pee.”
I use liquid ginger in peach tea, but I can’t use raw celery because I’m allergic to it. I don’t want to OD on baking soda, but lemon juice for my low stomach acid does not help me keep my pH neutral or alkaline. Any suggestions?
While I’m here, I’d also like to ask about cinnamon: I use only Ceylon cinnamon. Will that be effective, or is it missing something that the other forms of cinnamon have?
I hope that somebody sees this and can answer my concerns! Thank you, Rebekah, for creating this site!
Hi Rebekah,
Thank you so much for doing this! I really need help as I’ve been trying and failing at your protocols for about 7 weeks now. I was just seeing the light a couple of days ago, but I had terrible diarrhea after drinking half a bottle of alkaline water which contains fulvic acid. I think I unknowingly drank too much of that. The diarrhea was just too much that I couldn’t stomach anything and didn’t take the garlic, OLE, horseradish, uva ursi or pau d’arco yesterday. My test strip showed trace leukocytes yesterday morning and today they are back to moderate. I have IC, vulvodynia and IBS-C, so many of the protocols here are not good for me. I also had more burning in my bladder with the ginger and cayenne, so I had to stop. Does that mean I have the rare strain of e-coli? What is that? I have been trying to figure out my diet because after getting sick with what they assumed was Giardiasis (I never tested positive) 6 years ago, it may actually be SIBO or candidiasis and I never fully recovered. I now have taken all grains, flours and sugars out of my diet and am eating vegetables (no nightshade) and a small amount of protein daily. I’m pretty much living on homemade bone broth. I’ve lost about 18 pounds in the past 7 weeks. I’m feeling pretty exhausted, disillusioned and hopeless right now. I have had this UTI since September when I tried D mannose and it didn’t work for me. I don’t want to take the antibiotics prescribed because it will just mess up my microbiome more than it is. I also did the charcoal cleanse a week ago, which was extremely tough for me. I was having the celery/ginger/lemon juice, but I think the oxalates in the celery were exacerbating my IC. Where do I go from here?
forever grateful for any encouragement,
Liz
Hello, I have been learning that IC can just be an undiagnosed infection. It becomes embedded in the bladder wall and hides. That is why standard culture does not pick it up. There is better testing called from microgen. I am part of a Facebook group with thousands of other women like you. Please look into liveutifree.com and microgendx.com and embedded infection facebook groups. And most importantly biofilms that play a major role in chronic uti.
Thank You Sonia!
It’s so good to know that I am not alone in my search for answers and healing. I actually had come across liveutifree.com before your reply and I received an email from Melissa there about Ruth Kriz, the practitioner who has really done some great work and reasearch into IC and recurrent uti. I also found a urologist who’s familiar with Microgen Dx and has scheduled me for a bladder biopsy. Unfortunately, I will have to wait until June due to pandemic delays. In the meantime I have started on some of the supplements and treatments, a probiotic suppository, an oral probiotic, Biofilm Defense, vitamin D patches, and ph wash and moisturizer (all available on Femologist.com) which were suggested by Ruth Kriz. I am also continuing with Betaine Hcl, oregano oil, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, cinnamon tea and many of the other things that Rebekah suggests here and which I am so grateful for. Thanks again for replying! You helped me in so many ways, especially in knowing that I am not alone.
Happy Healing!
Liz
Is it ok to do the garlic and horseradish root together? I’m doing that along side OLE but I am currently doing that and getting terrible stomach aches(still normal bowel movements). My symptoms has improved after only 24hrs but I’m not sure I can can continue for 5-7days.
Rebekah-I just want to say…from the bottom of my heart, thank you. I’m way late on this train but I’m so grateful for all the info you’ve posted. I found this site of a whim and I’m so grateful for you and the knowledge you’ve shared. I had an embedded UTI that wouldn’t even appear on tests due to it having a biofilm. (Doctors would have probably said I have IC but I didn’t believe them for a second and instead did my own research. I’d had an untreated UTI for 9 months due to my fear of taking antibiotics yet again) This protocol, along with topically using frankincense & coconut oil on my bladder, has healed me almost completely. The finish line is in sight and I know I won’t have any symptoms very soon. Als0 ladies, if you’re thinking about skipping the charcoal, don’t! I had pretty bad and uncomfortable acid reflux/GERD systems after two rounds of antibiotics and charcoal completely cleared that in just ONE dosage, which no doubt facilitated my recovery from this demon infection. Good luck everyone
Maddy can you contact me?
Yazzyb01@yahoo.com it would mean everything to me if we could speak . I have an embedded infection and I’m loosing the battle
Cure it. ?
Have you managed to clear your infection fully?
Hi. Would love to know you treatment and how you are doing now?
Hi, I have started the lemon shot cleanse and did it for almost 48 hours and my bowels weren’t loose, I would say normal.
Do I continue with the charcoal anyway?
I did the acid test and I don’t think I have low stomach acid it seemed normal.
Its for E coli I’ve had 3 rounds of antibiotics and didnt kill it obviously
Thank you 🙂
Hi Rebekah,
I cant begin to tell you how thankful I am I found this post.
I have been suffering from UTI symptoms since January. I jumped in a hot tub, which I believe was the culprit, but who knows.
I finally had my first Microgen test in March, which resulted in finding out I had medium amount of Enteroccocus Faecciallus at 87% and E.Coli at 13%. Most of the EF was killed with a 14 day Ampiccilin prescription….but I recently had another test at the beginning of May, since my symptoms ‘have improved’ but I still have constant burning every day. Turns out, my second microgen test revealed I have E.Coli now at a whopping at 95% and it is listed as HIGH and EF at 5%. When I say I have constant burning, I mean, it is constant. I am never NOT in pain. I also have a little urgency. Urine is clear. I drink a ton of water…I am taking 800mg of D-Mannose every morning along with my normal vitamins and tumeric + a probiotic.
I really want to kick this..and I am so tired of seeing doctors who either don’t know what a biofilm is or want to prescribe me more antibiotics. I have been on 5 since January. Ugh.
What specifically breaks the biofilm? And for how long should I do this? I have been considering also changing my diet to completely detox.
I have oil of oregano, aloe vera, grapefruit seed extract, and D-Mannose all on hand as far as supplements go….but I haven’t tried them yet.
I would appreciate any help or guidance you can give me. I spend so much time during the day trying to learn more about this, but it is frustrating and depressing to say the least.
Thank YOU!
I bought a thing called interfase plus on holistic lifestyler and it seems to create burning after I take it so I’m pretty sure its working.
I have also read NAC supplement disrupts biofilm but I wasn’t to confident with that one so I went with the first one which is a little expensive
You should go to Priority One’s website and buy their phase 2 advanced biofilm disrupter. I bought about 5 bottle and take 2 twice a day in between meals.
Hi Rebekah. It is my first time to heal my UTI with your help! At first I was skeptical, but now I think that it is a miracle that this blog exists, that you have shared all these precious information here. I am amazed with the results! The last period of my life has been a nightmare because of my recurring UTIs, now I feel so good! Your help is truly life changing. Words can’t describe how grateful I am for this. You’re a really amazing person! Thank you, Erika (Romania)
Reading through more of these advised things to take, I can’t eat raw celery ~~ it makes my tongue and lips swell up and closes up my throat, so I imagine that it’s not safe for me to “juice” either.
And horseradish root? I have not seen it in any grocery store nor health food store anywhere in my area.
I do have the VitaCost OLE capsules and I’ve taken garlic capsules, mainly because eating it raw brings on unbelievable heartburn.
I used to be able to eat that when I was on a PPI ~~ but when I went off of the Omeprazole, I have been suffering with high stomach acid because the proton pumps want to produce all of the acid that they were inhibited from producing for so many years. (I was on a PPI for at least a decade and maybe longer.) I have many of the low stomach acid symptoms, yet my blood work indicates abnormally high acid. I tried the acid capsules and felt like my insides were burning up.
Finally, I suffer from an irregular heartbeat which is triggered by the heartburn that I experience from acid reflux. The more I take of the OLE, the more my stomach becomes upset, and then the pounding irregular heartbeat starts. I am a loss when it comes to what to do once I develop a UTI because I am also allergic to most antibiotics, and this protocol really worked for me until I went off of the Omeprazole.
I can certainly relate to what you’re saying…high stomach acid all my life, anything stomach/digestive tract related throws my heartbeat off, and I have bad reactions to every medication I try, so antibiotics scare me into a panic attack. I’ve had a uti for 2 months. The doctor wanted me to take Cipro. Ugh. I’ve been trying natural remedies, but reacting to them also. I tried EuNatural Dmannose with Hibiscus flower. It made me so dizzy! I tried a drink if water, natural cranberry, and apple cider vinegar every two waking hours, along with Utiva (a cranberry extract supplement). I had a horrible reaction, or cleanse, or something on the 4th night. I thought I might actually die. Heartbeat punding in my ears, feeling I would pass out, heart rate off the charts. I’m literally at a loss as to what to do. I wonder if the Hibiscus was the issue, instead of the Dmannose.
Hi, I was reading over some questions..and can’t help with most of it, but I wanted to let you know that the D-mannose is probably not your problem. Hibiscus however, is a mild diuretic so if you took it for a long time or often.. it could have been what caused you to feel like you’d had a cleanse. It is probably safe to try the d-mannose by itself and see. Good luck!
I used to be able to drink lemon juice with iced tea without a problem. It was my favorite drink. But when I tried doing the lemon shots with meals, afterward my yellow squares on my Mission strips turned bright dark green and my urine would be very cloudy, and I’d have a lot of pain when urinating. Now I can’t even drink lemon juice with water without my urine showing blood. Without the lemon juice, no blood ever shows up ~~ with it, it shows up afterwards every time and can last for hours and there is always discomfort when it appears. I find this to be nerve-wracking because it never happened until I took the lemon shots ~~ now I can’t seem to do any lemon at all.
Just a thought, I am no expert, Perhaps you have the type of bacteria that responds better to treatment with Vit C and acidifying the urine? Rebekah has posts on this
Claire, I’m not sure if you were replying to me, but my bacteria is E Coli (and that’s as far as they go when it comes to analyzing it.)
If I remember correctly, Rebeckah (in the early posts) says that you shouldn’t take Vitamin C with an E. Coli bacteria, but I could be wrong about that.
What I do know is that the lemon juice has Vitamin C, and it causes blood in my urine each time that I try it!
I’ve read so many different posts written by Rebekah, but there are so many that I might have missed an update on Vitamin C!
But I do have another question that I can’t find with a search:
what is the timing when it comes to taking OLE and a probiotic? Can I take them close to one another, or do I need to leave at least 2 hours between taking one and then another the way that many sites suggest when you are taking a “real” antibiotic? My chiropractor has suggested that I take a probiotic in the morning, but Rebekah in one of her posts says that you have to take OLE after every time you pee, so how does that fit in with taking a probiotic if you have to pee fairly often?
Hello, are you supposed to take your probiotic with food or without? I was thinking if you could take it without food you could take it before you go to bed, and then it would not be so close to the OLE..
Hey Rebekah,
I really need your help. I have E-Coli that is the devil and I will only go two weeks before it returning. Once I kill it, I was keeping my PH at an alkaline level by drinking baking soda every morning and night. It seemed to work. I was UTI free for 6 months until I now can’t get it under control again. Then I read conflicting evidence about E-Coli not growing in an acidic environment where our bladders should naturally stay at. So I am very confused. To inhibit growth where should I keep my ph?
Thank you.
I am confused about this. Would love to know too.
Any suggestions or protocol for M. Genitalium? Love to hear ur opinion
Hi Rebekah,
I recently did a microgendx test because I was sure that I still had an infection even though my normal cultures kept coming back saying “no growth.” My microgendx results revealed that my infection is still there and it is gram negative e. coli, gram positive enteroccocus, and gram positive lactobacillus. Would this protocol work for an embedded (biofilm) infection? With this info would you know if I have the type of e. coli that gets angry with cayenne? So scared, but really want to attack this thing without anymore antibiotics…my poor system has had way too many of those. Thanks so much for all of your research and input! Extremely valuable info!
Hi Rebekah, I have been looking your site over for many days now and am a little bit confused as to my course action. I have suffered with intermittent uti”s for about 13 years. My urine tests from my primary doctor shows e-coli. I haven’t taken any antibiotics for anything bladder related issues since my very first infection after I got married 40 years ago and then haven’t had any bladder trouble until 13 years ago.Anyway my naturopathic doctor treated me with dmannose, female probiotics and also uristatin by Thorne. These all helped for a little while but never completely killed it off. I am not in the type of pain with these intermittent uti’s like I was with my original one 40 yrs ago. I can function but it is uncomfortable and makes it hard to sleep through the night most nights. I heard about oregano oil extract and took that and it was great for about a month. When I started using the oregano again to treat I noticed the uncomfortable die-off kicking in so I stopped. I found your site and purchased the recommended olive leaf by you. Well that took only a few days and die-off started in again. I also added raw garlic which I’m used to intermittently with grated horseradish. I checked my stomach acid with the baking soda test and burped only a very little bit but also noticed my urethra burning from it. I take ginger regularly in my green tea because I love it and I’m guessing that’s why my stomach acid wasn’t extremely low. So this is a gram positive e-coli right? I started the lemon shots today with meals. Should I do the juice of ginger/lemon/celery? Also do I wait to start the natural meds until after I’m done with the charcoal cleanse? I am also confusecd about the cherry acerola because I thought your post said not to take that with gram positive and that the natural vit c in the lemon juice would be good enough. Please help & sorry this is so long but felt you needed my story first. Thanks so much for all your time and effort toward all of us with these issues.
Very interesting!
E. coli is a gram negative facultative anaerobe, meaning it can switch back and forth between living with or without oxygen.
In the bladder, it’s an anaerobe (no oxygen) that feeds on acid and stops feeding in an alkaline environment.
Lemon juice provides an alkaline form of Vitamin C (raising urine pH) and acerola cherry is neutral in the bladder, so those two are safe to take while dealing with E. coli or any other gram negative bacteria.
Lemon juice is best because it performs so many helpful functions.
Given your circumstances, I’d go ahead and do the lemon shots, start the juice blend, and order activated charcoal powder, and 10 parameter urine test strips so you can watch this thing die before your eyes.
The lemon juice will get your gut moving and the charcoal will take care of your die-off, and then you can increase your OLE doses comfortably.
The Hippocrates combined with some OLE and garlic or horseradish with meals will polish off whatever’s still clinging to your bladder like grim death, but you *need* that charcoal to prevent some ferocious die-off. 😬
Ok thanks a lot. I will let you know how it’s going in a few days.
What about M Genitalium? Any protocol for that
Just read something about colloidal silver hydrasol being helpful in healing UTI’s..Any thoughts on this used along with OLE?
Some people swear by silver (perhaps because they sell it, or something?), but virtually no one I’ve talked to has had any noticeable results at all with it.
That’s why it’s not on any of the lists; I only list things that have been helpful to a majority of people across a wide array of cases.
I should probably write a post on supplements that aren’t worth the money (for UTIs).
For instance, black cumin seed oil, which is metabolized by the liver and therefore never reaches the bladder!
Hey Rebekah. Any suggestions with M. Genitalium?
I’m back with some questions: Do I only test my urine first thing in the morning? I have the 10 parameter strips you suggested. Which markers am I looking for, PH, Leuks, & Nitrite? what numbers am I wanting to see for healing? Is the PH specifically my urine PH? if so, I know you said it should be neutral for e-coli. I have been doing the ginger/celery/lemon juice blend for 36 hrs now and definitely not loose. In fact I have a tendency towards constipation anyway so I’m unable to move onto the charcoal as of yet. I am taking the horseradish and sometimes the garlic with meals and also just some ole to keep the die-off coming in waves but not the full doses since that would be too hard at this point to handle without the charcoal right now. I also do the lemon shots with meals. BTW I didn’t quite get that I was supposed to drink 8oz of juice blend after every urination. I just drink what I made right after I made it all at once, so since yesterday I have only had it 3x. I was getting just under 8oz of juice blend and would add 4oz water to that each time I juiced. I have also been drinking lemon water every time I pee. Maybe this is why I am constipated. Do I need a lot more of the celery juice blend in increments rather than only a couple of times per day? BTW the lemon juice made a big difference in keeping the irritation from my bladder almost non-existent, YAY! Oh and it is hard for me to sleep more than 4 hours at a time before needing to urinate so will this screw up a morning reading? If so, can I save the urine in a cup to test when I get up later? Otherwise the next time I pee is around 6:30 or 7am? Hope you can make sense of all my questions. I have been pretty tired as of yesterday and I think it’s the die-off making me wake up so early. Thanks so much Rebekah. I do have high hopes for this process.
It sounds like you’re well-hydrated, so either you still aren’t quite getting enough acid with your food, or you need a brisk 15-20 minute walk every day to open the floodgates.
Remember not to drink anything (except the lemon shots) within 30 minutes of meals, so as not to dilute your acid.
The tests are most useful when you’re sleeping through the night; nitrites take a minimum of 4 hours in the bladder to develop.
As long as your symptoms are slight you can focus on getting your gut moving and doing the charcoal and increased meds doses before you get rigorous about testing. Once you’re all cleaned out, feeling great, and sleeping through the night, that’s when the tests really come into play because they let you know when the bug is completely dead.
And yes, the pH pad tests your urine pH, which you want to keep between 7-8 to discourage E. coli growth. That can be tested for anytime. To test the strength of the bacteria, you test after you’ve gone 4+ hours without emptying your bladder (which you only want to do at night; during the day you want to keep meds flushing through your bladder).
Don’t forget to take an OLE or two with lemon water, or some juice blend, when you wake to pee in the night, so the bladder isn’t left untreated the rest of the night.
Hi Rebekah,
I could really use your help right now. I have been battling an infection for two weeks now. I had never dealt with such a sever one before and developed a sudden side pain 2 weeks ago and went to the doctor and got a urine culture done and came back e-coli. I went on Macrobid for 5 days and it came back the next day. I waited a week trying to do natural remedies with no routine and within no time the sharp pain in the side was back and thinking it was to my kidneys I went back to the doctor, did not want antibiotics, and they took a culture. 3 days later the pain was so severe I resisted and went on the prescribed medication, Cipro, I was so scared to take this but am helpless. Received a call from the doctor apparently my culture got contaminated and they didn’t test it…I contacted the lab from the first time a week later and saw that my e-coli was resistant to Cipro, great! Now waiting for a call back to potentially prescribe me another antibiotic!! I really don’t want to go through 3 different antibiotics in 2 weeks and am really desperate. I ordered vitacost OLE and I have some activated charcoal. So far the past day I been swallowing raw chopped garlic 2-3 cloves before my meal with a shot of lemon and taking a probiotic. When should I start the activated charcoal and OLE, really do not want all these antibiotics ruining my gut anymore than they probably already have. I am scared to go off the medication though because I think it may still be affecting my kidneys. Thank you!
You can start OLE as soon as it arrives using the Phase II schedule!
Got a juicer, by any chance?
No but I will buy on ASAP! Should I take activated charcoal now its been 2 hours since I have eaten? Thanks!
You can!
That’ll help your gut, after the abx.
The celery/lemon/ginger juice blend described in the Hippocrates Special post is effective against about 98% of E. coli strains. Taking grated horseradish as well (with meals) breaks down bacterial biofilms.
Have you tried cayenne pepper yet?
It’s highly effective against some of the most abx-proof strains of E. coli.
Alright I will go look at those posts and start the regime! Haven’t bought cayenne yet, but will go get that with the juicer! I just got a call back for a preliminary report and it is still only e-coli phew! However, they are putting me on Augmentin now as I think the infection is still too severe to go without and I know this will be the last antibiotic. Ready to fight this thing hard, you’ve brought so much relief to me as I felt I was only going backwards.
Ordinary cayenne pepper from the spice aisle, and a horseradish root from the produce section (cut the root in half and grate the freshly cut end with a medium-fine grater).
It’s *got* to be taken with food.
You can get even an abx-resistant infection under control just by keeping your urine pH alkaline and an adequate volume moving through, so don’t panic about the ineffective abx.
Hi Rebekah,
Sorry last question, should I follow the Hippocrates and Phase II for all of the 7 days and then some to be safe while I am on abx, or should I do phase II to stop the candida overgrowth from abx?
Both protocols combined with charcoal cleansing reverse the gut damage that goes along with abx usage, so your choice. (The Hippocrates is my personal favorite, just because it’s so very good for the gut and kidneys and stomach acid.)
Neither protocol conflicts with abx (just observe the timing rule with charcoal!), and I’d finish up at the end with a charcoal cleanse, and then continuing low stomach acid treatment, if needed.
The latter is a major cause of recurring/resistant UTIs: you want to get that fully sorted out, if you have it.
Hi Rebekah! I have been off of the antibiotics for two days now, I’ve been testing negative for nitrates each morning but the leukocytes are getting darker each morning. I’ve been cleansing, continuing with OLE, d mannose, cayenne and juicing. Could this be a sign of inflammation or yeast infection or could the infection be coming back? I also bought the jarrow probiotic you mentioned and have been using it the few days!
I would try doing a charcoal cleanse and see how the leuks respond, and keep on with the meds!
Killing Candida in the gut with things like OLE can cause increased leuks due to toxins being spilled by dying Candida, which could be causing the leuks. If so, a charcoal cleanse will clear it up.
If not, I’d assume the infection wasn’t killed off completely, and find a horseradish/wasabi root and start taking it.
There is an epidemic rising! We need your knowledge and help in this world. Please make yourself present on a social media outlet, or easier to contact. You have knowledge that women need who are suffering everyday so horribly!! Thank you so much for this information, you have no idea what it means to people.
Hi Rebekah,
Thank you so much for your site, it has been a godsend for those of us with chronic uti’s.
I had a question about how I should be taking nighttime meds. I have been taking OLE and Pau d’arco when I wake up to pee at night (OO is too irritating for me on an empty stomach). Would you recommend taking those meds with lemon water or baking soda water or a combo to help alkalinize my urine? I could also make an extra glass of celery/ginger/lemon juice to take with meds overnight. Which do you think would be best? Do you think the lemon water, baking soda or juice sitting on my nightstand would go bad/lose potency over the course of the night?
Lastly, I would like to switch over to using bottled lemon juice, because using fresh lemons is often inconvenient. Is there a brand that you recommend? Ideally I would like to be able to just order it on amazon.
Thank you!!!
I like the juice blend overnight!
You want to make it with a masticating juicer so it doesn’t oxidize, and then it’ll keep overnight.
Try to only take baking soda water alone, so it doesn’t hamper the absorption of your meds.
Lemon water is the next best thing to the juice blend.
Honestly, I used the giant bottle of lemon juice from Costco, and it worked fine. (ReaLemon, I think is the brand)
I know some people are purists about that stuff, but I used what I had on hand because I’m practical, curious, and a cheap skinflint.
It worked. No complaints.
Wow, thanks for the prompt response! I currently have a centrifugal juicer, but I am planning to upgrade at some point. Would you still recommend the juice blend in that case or should i just stick with lemon water?
I still think it’s better than other alternatives, because this is a temporary infection treatment, not a long-term daily thing (drinking oxidized juice once a day).
If you were seriously juicing for its overall health benefits you’d always want to drink it right away, from a centrifugal juicer.
But your goal is different, and there’s such a thing as being too much of a purist.
“The perfect is the enemy of the good.”, as Voltaire put it.
If you can’t do the perfect thing, do the next best thing and don’t beat yourself up about it.
Sometimes you can get a masticating juicer on Amazon for around $100, which is decent.
Also, call your local secondhand stores and check Craigslist: this is the time of year when people have given up on their New Years resolution to get healthy and juice. 😁
Great, thank you!!!
Hi Rebekah- I hope you are well! Thank you for all of your continued support on this stuff! We had messaged a bit over the last 3 years on the FB page. I’m back again and feeling a bit discouraged. With the charcoal cleanses and basic protocol done a few times over the last 3 years, with two 10 day macrobid Rxs in there, I’ve gotten things down to pretty minimal, but I just can’t seem to kick it. Main symptoms are bladder irritation/tinglies off and on throughout the day, with that stinky e coli pee first thing in the morning. Sometimes nitrites, sometimes not. The other symptom- the worst one, is that since about 6 months into this infection, there has been so much inflammation down there that I can’t have sex, and even tampons hurt. I’ve had the gyn culture it and said there was no bacteria or yeast. I’ve never had a history of bacteria in there and last last yeast infection was probably over 20 years ago. I’ve had my urine cultured twice in this 3 years time- always e coli. We thought maybe stomach acid was an issue in the past and I had been doing HCL and lemon with the supplements. I felt like when I did the protocols in the past, I did a good job but not perfect. Well I finally decided enough was enough. I took 4 days off work to have a nice chunk of time to hit it hard.
I decided to do about 5-6 days of straight veggies and some fruit to help make things easier for the cleanse and get more alkaline before I started. I then did MOM to get things moving, and did 3 charcoal passes over the next two days. The bowels got moving but not anything crazy like the first time I did shock and awe with mag citrate…(ugh…even saying mag citrate kicks my gag reflex in hah)…so MOM it was. I still saw the charcoal come through pretty quickly, so I didn’t do more charcoal after the 3rd dose. I decided to do the hippocrates special with adding in OLE 4×4 and PDA 4×4, and some cayenne. I also did minced garlic with the HR for the first two days. I was having trouble deciding if cayenne and ginger were bothering me or not on the first day. The second day there were two times that I felt flared after the juice. So not being sure- I decided to cut out the ginger and cayenne for the next few days. I was also doing OLE bullets at night with charcoal frosting for 4 nights in a row. And I did rectal bullets infused with a tbsp HR, fat clove of garlic, and 2 OLE capsules- once a day for 4 days. I also applied a colloidal silver gel to my urethra after every pee. I set my alarm to wake me in the middle of the night for another cup of juice and 4 OLE as well. I was eating zero meat, eggs, OJ, tomatoes, coffee, sugar (besides the tiny bit from the granny smith apple I add to the juice to make it more palatable), alcohol, etc. Basically having steamed veggies, some quinoa, sweet potato, salad with lime juice, etc. I took shots of lemon with every meal and all supplements, though I did also have a little shot of milk to get the HR down which seemed to make me a little bloated. My pH was finally really high though! And no burping after meals so I figure my acid was good. I did not do the baking soda test prior to this as I figured the juice would rectify any problems there anyway. I will say, sometimes when my pH got really high like 8- I would almost feel more irritation sometimes. With me nothing is consistent. I can feel zero symptoms or tons of irritation with an acidic or alkaline urine pH.
By day 4 I was still feeling irritation off and on and noticing the smell in the morning urine just slightly. No leuks or nitrites- but I was also peeing in the middle of the night so the longest it sat in the bladder was 4-5 hours. I finished up the cleanse on day 5 and same thing. It’s definitely not totally gone. This morning, there was a strong smell there again, but no nitrites. I really don’t know if I can do this cleanse any longer. It’s gotten to the point that I kind of start choking on the HR and gag as I try to get it down, same with the juice. I took a break from the juice and HR today and am just doing the OLE and PDA. I decided to try OO just to see if it irritates. I’m just feeling so defeated. My poor husband has been so patient but this is really starting to tax our relationship. He’s pushing me to go back to the urologist for what will probably be low dose abx for several months. I just want to cry. Anything you recommend at this point?? I was so proud of myself for giving 100% this time and it still didn’t completely kill it 🙁 Thanks for your support, and sorry for the extremely long post.
The inflammation and lack of culture results point to a staph tissue infection, which often happens as a complication of a UTI…but the treatment for that would feed E. coli at the moment.
You didn’t mention D-mannose: no response to that?
When you’re hitting it really hard and not quite finishing it off, it can be worth your while to combine abx and the natural meds (like taking an abx as your bedtime med dose and doing all the other things through the day), to combine the best of both worlds.
The HR should have stripped the biofilm that’s protected the bug from abx in the past, so now would be the ideal time to drop every single bomb in the arsenal.
And then you can do a course of ascorbic acid for the tissue infection, and get on with your life!
Thanks Rebekah- that’s what I’m thinking at this point. When I was on macrobid before it did help, but two days later it was back. That was on 7-10 days only and the first dose was after I had already had the infection for 7 months, so I’m thinking it just wasn’t long enough if it was embedded in there. If I do end up getting an Rx for abx, especially if it’s a long term thing, do you have any recommendations for ways to make sure I don’t screw my gut up again? I was thinking daily probiotics and OLE bullets. Maybe a charcoal flush afterwards or during? Should I do a gut soothing protocol like L glutamine, aloe, etc? Also with the D Mannose, I have gone through bags and bags of the stuff and it didn’t seem to do much. I made sure to take it as recommended (just a little water, then a big flush of water a while later). It didn’t irritate anything, just didn’t help. I did order that Silver Wings 500 ppm that several people mentioned to so I’m going to take that as soon as it arrives while I’m trying to get into the doctor. That’s the only other thing I haven’t tried! Thank you again for your help- I really appreciate it!!!
In my experience, even a really tough bug will die on 3-5 days of a full natural protocol + abx 1-2x a day.
It’s taking them (naturals + abx) concurrently after thorough cleansing that’s key.
At most, 7 days of all those meds should be sufficient for thorough eradication.
Long-term abx cause long-term damage: I’d avoid that if at all possible.
Definitely follow-up with charcoal (the Quick and Dirty Cleanse is fine), and then you should be able to put it all behind you and take the ascorbic acid (3 grams 3x a day) for a week to kill all the staph.
I’d also infuse coconut oil with OLE and use that as a lube in the future, to prevent re-exposure.
OLE alone will kill E. coli with direct contact.
One lady mixed OLE powder directly into a positive urine sample (E. coli), and let it brew for 16 hours.
Re-testing showed no growth: it was all dead.
The control sample incubated next to it showed magenta nitrites immediately.
Ok sounds like a plan! When I took the abx in the past, I didn’t take natural meds with it as my dr told me not too. I just made sure my diet was really clean and took probiotics daily. I’ll do it all this time around so there is no chance of it surviving!
🤦♀️
They don’t interfere with each other.
Doctors say that as a stock line similar to, “Wipe front to back when you pee.”.
I actually researched that and there’s no chemical interaction between natural meds and abx, especially when taken separately. They’re absorbed at different times and they act in different ways. No worries.
Just take the abx at bedtime and don’t get up to pee in the night unless you have to.
Update: So last night I took the OLE/PDA before bed but decided to see what would happen if I slept through and didn’t pee or take OLE in the middle of the night. As predicted the next morning I had stinky e coli pee and bright pink nitrites with irritation, though my pH was at 7.5 oddly enough. I said ‘screw it’ and decided to make eggs and toast with coffee for breakfast…and OMG I woke the sleeping dragon. Pain, burning, urgency, and frequency like when I first got the infection 3 years ago! My next strip showed instant dark violet leuks and even blood though I couldn’t see it. I decided to try cayenne again just to see. I took 1/4 tsp with a shot of lemon and 60 min later symptoms were down by 50% and 90% down 2 hours later! WTF? Hah! This is so fascinating!
So here’s what I’m thinking. I think the Hippocrates was working but that I had SO MANY biofilms (and probably still have some) from having the infection so long that each time I broke through one, I felt irritation and then it got better. I think that’s why sometimes the ginger seemed to irritate and sometimes it didn’t. Does that make sense? Have you had others experience the same thing? I probably needed longer than 5 days on the protocol which was getting hard as I’m super taste-sensitive and the gag reflex was getting bad. I’m hopeful though that the cayenne seems to be helping this time! I still plan to call the Dr. and get a culture and Rx for abx just to have them. But then I want to try one more time with the cleanse and add in the silver. I read about a study that talks about silver increasing the effectiveness of abx too. So I want to have my full arsenal ready then do a few days of the juice and HR again if possible and then do all of it and hope it finally dies! Do you think there would be an issue with drinking the juice all day with abx once or twice a day? Should I wait a certain amount of time after the juice to take the abx? Not sure if ginger interacts with anything. I’m guessing they will put me on nitrofurotoin/Macrobid again. Thank you!
Keep taking that cayenne!
It’s entirely possible to have more than one E. coli strain present, and that’s not something that would show up on the kind of culture they do: they don’t go further than species in a standard culture.
That would definitely give you conflicting results if you had both the strain irritated by ginger/cayenne, and other strains simultaneously.
The good news is that the one killed by cayenne (which is abx-proof, btw) can be killed in one day, even when it’s been in place for years.
That’s what happened to me with my first UTI: that thing was dead after 3 doses of cayenne in one day. I had crystal clear normal urine with a full, easy flow the next morning, after sleeping through the night.
I nearly fell over with shock and gratitude.
I would keep hitting everything, especially the cayenne today, and see what tomorrow looks like.
The juice is fine with abx: the only thing you can’t take with ginger is beta blockers. But if what you have left is that cayenne-susceptible strain, abx doesn’t kill that one.
Take another dose of cayenne, monitor, and let me know! I’m excited for you!
Hi Rebekah! You helped me through this last time…I’m trying to avoid a trip to the dr so I have no clue what bacteria I’m treating but baking soda helps TREMENDOUSLY. Last night I developed pain in my back right side that literally kept me up most of the night until I took a 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda & went right to sleep. I’m on day 2. Lemon juice water helps & D-Mannose actually makes the pain subside considerably (to the point of feeling like the infection is gone but then returns with a vengeance! ) Today I’m prepared to do a charcoal cleanse & start OLE, OoO & cayenne pepper.Per your instructions last time, I am not a candidate for horseradish & cannot take garlic (makes my blood pressure drop considerably & quickly) so those 2 options are out. Is there a way to tell which bacteria I have without going to the dr & do you think it’s possible to treat the infection without garlic & horseradish? It took me 3 weeks last time & it was a hard fight. Also, lazy girl question (in my defense, I have 3 small children-1 with significant special needs): can I buy prepared ginger & celery juice (separately) mix them & add lemon? Finally, I do take Vit.C (1gram daily) on a regular basis. I can’t tell if it’s helpful so I’ve continued to take it just because. What about taking ACV? You didn’t mention it so I’m curious about how effective it is at killing the bacteria or keeping PH in balance.
Drop the Vitamin C!
You have E. coli. It’s the only type of bacteria that responds to D-mannose.
OLE, oregano oil, D-mannose, and celery/lemon/ginger juice are your best weapons, most likely. (There’s a 2% chance you have the E. coli strain that flares on ginger: if you consistently experience increased bladder pressure 30-40 minutes after the juice, drop the ginger and just do celery/lemon)
The juice is best made fresh, daily, and I promise it doesn’t take long!
ACV isn’t near so effective as lemon juice: I’d go with that first.
Thank you for your quick response! I’m going after it now! For anyone reading this thread, it is entirely possible to clear UTI without antibiotics by following the guidelines in this blog. A future post to identify bacteria based on how they respond to different treatments would be super helpful… Just a suggestion 😉.
😁
https://pantrypharmacy.com/2018/12/22/it-hurts-when-i-pee-decision-tree/
Hi Rebecca,
I am currently having a UTI by E.coli and it’s been the 4th day I am taking antibiotics that I am supposes to take for 10 days. I used to get frequent UTIs in the past but 9 years ago suddenly stopped. I then got one in 2013 and then 2016 and then now. While searching the internet for information I came round your site. I’ve read almost anything but I got confused as where to start. My symptoms from the UTI are getting better. I am also taking probiotics but today I am experiencing some itchiness on the vagina and I think is candida.
Should I start with OLE or charcoal or cayenne pepper to get a better result of the UTI infection and candida? And on what dose?
Thank you.
While on antibiotics you’ll want to:
1. Take 1.5 oz lemon juice with meals, tossed back straight, no water. Do not drink water with meals.
2. When your gut speeds up from the lemon juice, take 1 tsp (2.5 grams) activated charcoal once per day with 12 oz water, 2 hours away from food/meds. This prevents Candida from running wild in your gut due to the antibiotics.
3. Use a coconut oil bullet overnight to prevent yeast/BV infection. Information and instructions are in the Hostile Terrain post.
I don’t get a carbonated burp. How many times a day should I drink the baking soda?
Okay, your root problem is low stomach acid, then!
You know what that causes? Chronic pain and inflammation.
You need to follow the Mother of All Problems and the Troubleshooting: Constant UTI Symptoms, Tests Come Back Clear posts.
Fix your stomach acid and cleanse your gut thoroughly and the kidney/bladder issues will heal.
The juice blend plus charcoal cleansing is the place to start.
Pain levels generally drop 30-50% after the first round of charcoal cleansing.
Good day
From your experience is acupuncture another way of alleviating uti psin?
No.
The only way to make the the pain go away is to address the root cause. Based on what you’ve told me, the only thing that will stop your pain is correcting your gut with acid supplementation and extensive charcoal cleansing.
I’ve seen many cases of chronic pain cured that way. The source of the pain is the toxins produced by a severe overgrowth of fungus and bacteria in the gut. They churn out massive quantities of toxins into your bloodstream 24/7, and your kidneys have to filter those out and dump them into your bladder.
Over time, those caustic toxins cause pain. The only way to fix it is to correct the gut environment.
Good day Rebekah,
I was given a special urine culture test in which Citrobacter koseri was found.
What is your recommendation for treatment?
Awaiting your reply,
Rizi
Citrobacter is in the same family as E. coli, and should be treated similarly: alkalize urine pH, use a mix of 4-5 of the natural meds listed above, and avoid eating nitrates.
A lady with Citrobacter freundii is having good results from adding the Hippocrates Special to the meds she’s taking: I would do the same and take 2 OLE with every glass of celery/ginger/lemon juice, and 3 oregano oil capsules alongside every dose of grated horseradish.
Hi Rebekah. Sorry to bother you YET again but I tested the morning urine that I had told you about. It has now been sitting for more than 24 hours..something like 36 hours. I dipped a UTI stick in there and the nitrates pad turned MAGENTA pink instantaneously…does this mean then that I have a biofilm and need to keep going? Or does every urine grow bacteria after 36 hrs plus… I feel so discouraged again.. Another thing I am thinking is that maybe two days ago I still had low levels of ecoli left and it then grew after those 36 hours..I know this is not an accurate test per say but what are your thoughts on this?
I think you ROCK. I love your investigative spirit!
It’s possible that the sample was contaminated, and yes, if there were a few bacterial cells from your bladder in that sample then in the better part of two days they would have been able to grow exponentially, totally unchecked.
Want to do the same thing again?
Take a sample tomorrow, cover it in plastic wrap and leave it out. Dip a test strip 24 hours later.
Goos day
Does lemon juice work on biofilm uti infections?
Lemon juice alkalizes the urine, which helps fight all strains of gram negative bacteria, like E. coli and Klebsiella, and lemon juice helps you to absorb medication when you take it with meals/meds, but lemon juice does not break biofilms.
To break biofilms in the bladder your best options are grated horseradish or wasabi root, and juiced ginger. They’re full of enzymes that break down the proteins in biofilm.
Biofilms in the gut are best treated with activated charcoal cleansing.
Thsnk you for your reply.
Does ginger juice battle old uti biofilns? Not necessaruky in the bladder but higher up in the urinary tract?
Oh yes, the juice of fresh ginger root will break down every biofilm it comes in contact with, and it gets to the bladder last.
All natural meds work first in the gut, then the blood, then the organs, then the bladder. That’s why bladder infections are the hardest to kill: meds reach them last.
Thank you for your prompt repky.
One last questionn.
Howmych ginger juie should be consumed daily in teaspoons/or table spoons.
Excellent question: I’ll go juice a piece the right size and see how much juice it makes.
Thank you again.
Awaiting yoyr reply as I urgently need to begin a treatent .
Excellent question!
I just went and juiced a piece and measured: the answer is 2 tablespoons juice per dose.
This can be taken in one gulp with a squeeze of lemon juice in it, or mixed with the juice of a head of organic celery and a lemon.
Dosage frequency: 4x a day or as often as desired.
Thanking you again.
Do you knoa of cases where this treatnent was effetive and how long does it take to kick in?
Oh yes, all of the things listed here are things I’ve both used myself, and seen other people use with success. That’s how I know what doses to use, what brands are most effective, and what the potential complications are and how to deal with them. It’s all based on real-world experience against antibiotic-resistant UTIs.
How long it takes depends on how much interference there is between the gut and the bladder, but you should feel the difference in a matter of hours, a day at the most. Continue until morning urine tests are clear at the 5 minute mark for 3 days straight.
If you get diarrhea, the ginger is getting used up killing bacteria and fungus in the gut, and you need to cleanse with activated charcoal to get all that out of the way so ginger can reach the bladder.
Nay I dilutr the ginger and lemon in a glass mineral water?
Yes, as long as you drink that 30 minutes or more away from meals.
Side note: When you eat, do not drink water unless it’s a mouthful of lemon water to swallow capsules with.
Thabking you for your goid services.
Please advise how long it takes for ginger juice to commence biofilm bteakdown in chronic uti.
It depends on how much bacterial/fungal interference there is in the gut, but when you’ve cleansed thoroughly with charcoal first, it’s a matter of hours. You should feel definite improvement within half a day of regular use.
If you take the ginger and you get the runs but your bladder doesn’t improve, you need a big charcoal sweep, 2-3 tsp (5.5-7.5 grams).
Thank you for your ptompt teply.
I dont feel sny difference though
I have been juicing ginger gor 3 dsys
How many charcoal pills should I take and for how long?r
How much are you taking per dose, and how often? The roots is firm and the flesh is juicy? It tastes fiery? Are you taking any acid with it, like lemon juice?
Any gut symptoms like bloating, gas, or loose bowels?
You want to take about 5 grams of charcoal for a good cleanse, which is 20 of the small (260 mg) capsules, 10 of the Bulletproof brand capsules, or 2 tsp of the loose powder.
I am taking 2 tablespoons of very fresh and sharp ginger with the juice
of half of a fresh lemon 3 times a day.
That’s good!
What bacteria are you dealing with, and what response do you get to those doses?
I am dealing with e.coli and streptoccicus .
My infection is in chronic biofilm and germs grow very seldom though
I suffer with lots of internal uti pain . Constant visits to the bathroom day and night.
The charcoal dose you recommended is for 1 day?
5 grams once a day is an excellent dosage: make sure you take acid (lemon juice or HCL capsules) with every meal so your gut keeps that charcoal moving.
What else are you taking? A combination of juiced ginger, grated horseradish, oregano oil, and olive leaf extract would be good for those two bacteria.
I’d try cayenne pepper for the E. coli as well, if you haven’t yet.
You can take as much juiced ginger as you want: taking it with lemon and celery juice every time you empty your bladder would be a good idea.
When you pee frequently but only take meds a few times a day, they’re not spending enough time in your bladder.
I am desperately looking for some kind of relief. I can not even sit as I suffer with pain.
It would be very difficult for me to take ginger everytime I went to the bathroom.
Any kind of relief would be a blessing.
This infection makes me exhausted,
any kind of simple activity csuses me to perspire profusely. At times I wake up at night from the uti pain.
Kindly assist.
Have you used a charcoal paste right on the urethra and surrounding tissue yet?
Have never used it and I dont know where to get a hold of charcoal paste.
I had to cancel a trip overseas which I paid for. Any alleviation of the pain would be a blessing.
You just mix activated charcoal powder with a few drops of water to make a paste, like black frosting.
Put that right on the urethra.
You have charcoal in capsules? Open 4 of them into the bowl of a large spoon, dribble a few drops of water in to make it wet but not runny, and put that where it hurts.
If it tingles, it’s killing Candida.
Pain relief is almost instant, unless you have a staph infection embedded in the tissue, in which case you’ll need to take ascorbic acid, which will stop all the pain in about a day.
If your bladder feels tingly and then you have to pee and you feel better afterward, the paste is drawing bacteria out of your urethra.
Repeat as often as desired.
Asoebic acid is vitamin c?
I have never suffered with candida.
Would the charcoal paste alleviate uti which is definetly caused by bactetia deeply embedded in the urinaty tract.
At times I get strong kidney pain which causes me to vomit. This infection is a very complicated one.
Your response would be greaty appreciated.
A thick dollop of charcoal paste will pull bacteria out of the urethra: I would try it immediately.
Does changing the pH (lemon/sodium bicarbonate water) give you relief?
Yes, ascorbic acid is pure Vitamin C. When you’ve had recurring or long-standing UTI issues it’s common to develop a secondary infection of the tissue around the urethra.
Charcoal paste will pull it out, unless it’s staph, in which case you would need a course of ascorbic acid Vitamin C to kill it.
Let me know what response you get to the charcoal paste: it should be wet enough to clump, but not runny at all. Put it right where the pain is.
Would it be advisable to use the charcoal paste on the lady parts,
or only on the urethra?
You can use it all over, if desired, like you’re frosting a cake. Just spread it thickly where it hurts and reapply after every trip to the bathroom.
Does external use of charcoal paste say in the kidney area alleviate pain as well?
Sadly, no.
Charcoal works through its incredibly strong negative electrochemical charge: think of it like one side of a magnet.
Most pathogens have a positive electrochemical charge, meaning they’re drawn to charcoal just like two magnets coming together.
Now bound to the charcoal, they’re killed and removed from your tissue.
The charcoal has to be in close proximity to work, and there has to be an open conduit between the bacteria and the charcoal: charcoal can pull bacteria through the urethra and out of the surface of your skin, for instance, but it can’t pull on anything that’s beyond the reach of the electrochemical charge.
Anything under the surface of intact skin needs to be treated internally.
Can you get ahold of horseradish or wasabi root?
I can probably get a hold of wasabi powder and possibly horseraddish root.
I would go for the horseradish root: it has no equal when it comes to breaking biofilms.
1 tsp per meal.
And I’d double the frequency of the ginger juice doses.
Thank you for your good advise.
Good day
I checked the charcoal in the locsl druggist and it comes in pill form.
Ut akso contains sucrosr and lactose
inactive ingredients
Can I crush the pulls and use the powder on the urethra?
If that’s your only option, I would try it!
Thank you.
Hi Rebekah
I got a hold.of fresh horseradish snd would like to know if I can take it with raw honey to male it bearable?
It’s best taken with a mouthful of something with fat in it, like milk, almond milk, or yogurt.
You want to take it mid-meal, so there’s food below and above it in your stomach. Never take it on an empty stomach!
Hello again,
Can I eat the horseradish mixed with tahini?
Your comment got cut off: the suspense is killing me!
The answer is probably “Yes”. You can mix it into anything that isn’t heated. It’s best if it’s taken with something thick and a bit fatty, to buffer the oils.
Hello Rebekah
I have been on ginger juice and lemon . Have also incoporated horseradish .
As I suffer from chronic uti infection for over 40 yesrs .which has reached the kidneys and is complicated, do I need to give this treatment a long duration because I do not see any differene yet.
How much are you taking, how many times a day?
I am taking each 3 times a day.
By the way antibiotics never worked for me. Each treatment was till the next time.
For a case like you’re describing, I would take 1 tsp of grated horseradish 4x a day, with the juice of a lemon: you want to take your 4th dose with a bedtime snack.
For the ginger and lemon, if you can do celery with them that would be best.
You want to drink a glass *every time you pee*, and when you get loose you need to take activated charcoal.
It can take a week to break down a biofilm like that, but if you’re consistent and your produce is fresh, you can do this.
My produce is fresh for sure. Is it bearble to take horseradish with lemon? I am quite desperate as I know by the way I feel that this infection is serious. I hope it works for me because do far nothing has.
You don’t have to take them together, just *during the same meal*.
You can take 2 tsp of horseradish per dose (4x per day) when you have great need: pinch the grated flesh together into clumps you can easily swallow with a mouthful of milk, or almond milk, or plain yogurt. This buffers the oils. Also take 1.5 oz (45 ml) pure lemon juice with that meal/snack.
This will ensure your absorption of the horseradish.
When that makes you loose, and it likely will, take 4-5 grams or 2 tsp activated charcoal with 12 oz water and don’t eat within two hours of taking it.
Hello Rebekh,
I was wondering whether there is something to take to alleviate strong internal uti pain which is horrific and quite debilitating.
I take paracetamol forte but it isn’t very helpful.
Typically, these things wipe out UTI pain in short order: do you not get any relief from altering the pH?
Have not as yet had any success with alleviating the pain.
This is an E. coli infection, and baking soda water does nothing for it?
I have tried baking soda. It never really helped me with the internal pain .I suspect that my e.coli that exists in biofilm (many times no germs grow in urine tests), causes the pain. It is quite painful as I can’t even sit.
Baking soda raises the pH to a level that inhibits E. coli feeding and breeding, regardless of biofilm.
Are you testing regularly? What’s your typical urine pH?
It is difficult for me to test regularly.
Perhaps I can purchase strips in the drugstore and test at hone.
I sm willing to try bsking soda if you would tell me the dosage it would be much appreciated.
1/2 tsp baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) in 8 oz water. You should feel significant relief within 40 minutes. Let me know what happens! If you don’t get relief, it isn’t E. coli causing your pain, and we’ll try a different approach to see what might be at the root of this.
The best place to get test strips is on Amazon, if that’s an option for you.
Amazon is an option for me.
I am going to drink the baking soda now.
As far as e.coli goes it was the only germ that grew when it grew. On one occassion streptoccocus grew.
I have had bouts of strong kidney pain and vomoting . My cheeks get crimson red and I get short of breath
and perspire at the slightest effort.
Have you been checked for kidney disease?!
My kidney function blood tests come out ok so does the ultrasound of the urinsry tract.
Okay, one of the symptoms of kidney disease is anemia, which makes you tire and get short of breath easily, so I had to ask.
I don’t have anemia. But I do get tired from a slight effort. I have psin
in the groin flanks and in the back .
I was checked by a gyno and no problem there.
Hello Rebakah
I took the bsking soda.
No relief as far as internal uti pain goes. I know that I suffer from a complicated biofilm uti and my research has shown me that it is almost impossible to cure.
I know that there is a practitioner in the uk and some in the States. Dont think that I can get to them.
As I mentioned I have strong pain in the groin flanks and back.
You said that perhaps a new approach could be tried.
I’ve seen well over a thousand cases of E. coli, some of them having been in place for years: not a single one didn’t respond to raising urine pH with baking soda water.
Do you have cloudy urine? Any odor? The pain persists even when there’s no bacteria detected in a culture?
The pain persists and the cultures grow something very seldom.
I have very foamy urine but no smell.
I go to the bathroom very often day and night.
Foamy is a sign of protein in the urine, which is a sign of kidney disease.
I would drink celery/lemon/ginger root juice all day in place of water, take a shot of lemon juice with every meal, and do a charcoal cleanse as soon as your gut loosens up.
Should I continue with the horseradish?
I know that I have lots of kidney pain
which became more serious over the years all caused by e.coli and never eradicated with antibiotics.
You’re taking 1 tsp freshly grated horseradish per meal, and with a bedtime snack? When you take a sniff of it do your eyes water?
Have you had any gut symptoms since starting on it?
(Gas, diarrhea, sticky yellow 💩)
I am taking the horseraddish but no signs of unsusl feces. What does the combination lemon/ginger/celery do in complicated uti?
Celery/lemon/ginger juice flushes out your kidneys and kills most strains of E. coli. Drinking that in place of water or other fluids is the kindest thing you can do for your kidneys when they’re under stress.
I am drinking the combination.
With your experience in how much time should I feel a difference?
First, you should have gut symptoms, like gas and looser stools.
If not, that indicates biofilms in the gut, and for that you need to get serious with activated charcoal cleansing.
Like, take a saline laxative and then take two 5 gram (2tsp) doses of charcoal in succession after you’re loose and watery.
When you’ve stripped the biofilm/top layer of Candida off you’ll start having Candida die-off symptoms when you take things like the juice blend, OLE, cinnamon, ginger, or coconut oil. You’ll also pee a lot of retained water, your pain levels will drop, and you’ll have a spike in energy, mood, and mental clarity.
When the bladder doesn’t get better no matter what you treat it with, the root of the problem isn’t in the bladder.
Do you have a large, fizzy, carbonated burp within 2 minutes when you drink baking soda water?
Thanks Rebekah! This is so helpful! Thanks so much for taking the time to do this for us. I appreciate how you instinctively answer possible questions even before we need to ask. I think my main issue is to clear up gut pathogens etc. and fix the stomach acid issue before it will reach my bladder. I appreciate these step by step instructions. Makes it so easy to know you’re doing it right. One quick question about the PH range. If it’s suppose to be between 7.0 – 8, is it bad if it goes higher at any point?
It’s not bad if your pH temporarily spikes higher: it’s going to naturally come back down in a short time.
Keeping it 9 or above for a prolonged period is difficult: you’d have to be overdosing on baking soda to keep it that high, and the worst thing that does in the short term is cause you to retain water.
An older person doesn’t want to take that much sodium for too long.
Ideally, you use strong lemon water with a pinch of baking soda in it, or celery juice with lemon in it. That will keep your pH where it needs to be without going/staying too high.