The Kill List: Pseudomonas Edition

I’ve only seen about a dozen cases of this one, so if you have it please contact me so I can add to the knowledge base on it.
While Pseudomonas doesn’t produce nitrites at the same rate as most other types of gram negative bacteria, like them it’s motile (it swims via flagellar propulsion, meaning it can travel to the kidneys and then to the bloodstream) and feeds on nitrates in an acidic environment. Bolded comments in parenthesis mine.

The bacterium is ubiquitous in soil and water, and on surfaces in contact with soil or water. Its metabolism is respiratory and never fermentative, but it will grow in the absence of O₂ (oxygen) if NO₃ (nitrate) is available as a respiratory electron acceptor. (In other words, it flourishes in the bladder)

The typical Pseudomonas bacterium in nature might be found in a biofilm, attached to some surface or substrate, or in a planktonic form, as a unicellular organism, actively swimming by means of its flagellum. Pseudomonas is one of the most vigorous, fast-swimming bacteria seen in hay infusions and pond water samples.

In its natural habitat Pseudomonas aeruginosa is not particularly distinctive as a pseudomonad, but it does have a combination of physiological traits that are noteworthy and may relate to its pathogenesis (how it develops from a harmless soil and water-borne bacteria into a disease in the human body).

• Pseudomonas aeruginosa has very simple nutritional requirements. It is often observed “growing in distilled water”, which is evidence of its minimal nutritional needs. In the laboratory, the simplest medium for growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa consists of acetate as a source of carbon and ammonium sulfate as a source of nitrogen.

• P. aeruginosa possesses the metabolic versatility for which pseudomonads are so renowned. Organic growth factors are not required, and it can use more than seventy-five organic compounds for growth.

• Its optimum temperature for growth is 37 degrees C (Yes, my fellow Americans, that’s 98.6F), and it is able to grow at temperatures as high as 42 degrees (you’ll die of a fever before it will).

• It is tolerant to a wide variety of physical conditions, including temperature. It is resistant to high concentrations of salts and dyes, weak antiseptics, and many commonly used antibiotics.

• Pseudomonas aeruginosa has a predilection for growth in moist environments (like the bladder, kidneys, and lungs), which is probably a reflection of its natural existence in soil and water.

These natural properties of the bacterium undoubtedly contribute to its ecological success as an opportunistic pathogen. They also help explain the ubiquitous nature of the organism and its prominence as a nosocomial (hospital-acquired) pathogen.

While it causes a relatively low percentage of bladder infections compared to previous perps in the Kill List series, it’s disproportionately high up the list of antibiotic-proof infections. As outlined above, Pseudomonas is highly adaptable, opportunistic, adept at biofilm formation, and frequently introduced to the bladder via catheterization of a hospital patient who’s already immuno-compromised.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a common inhabitant of soil, water, and vegetation. It is found on the skin of some healthy persons and has been isolated from the throat (5 percent) and stool (3 percent) of nonhospitalized patients. In some studies, gastrointestinal carriage rates increased in hospitalized patients to 20 percent within 72 hours of admission.

Within the hospital, P. aeruginosa finds numerous reservoirs: disinfectants, respiratory equipment, food, sinks, taps, toilets, showers and mops. Furthermore, it is constantly reintroduced into the hospital environment on fruits, plants, vegetables, as well by visitors and patients transferred from other facilities. Spread occurs from patient to patient on the hands of hospital personnel, by direct patient contact with contaminated reservoirs, and by the ingestion of contaminated foods and water.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is frequently resistant to many commonly used antibiotics. Although many strains are susceptible to gentamicin, tobramycin, colistin, and fluoroquinolins, resistant forms have developed

I’ve also seen this show up out of the blue in women who’d never been catheterized and had no other significant health issues.

The first thing you absolutely must do is get your urine pH up to 7.5-8. Please buy the 10 parameter test strips on Amazon so you can keep a close eye on your pH, testing it at least 3-4 times a day to make sure it’s staying up there in the right range.
Some bright young thing did a study on the influence of pH in Pseudomonas aeruginosa resistance to antibiotics: bolded emphasis below mine. Click here to see the whole thing.

Adaptive resistance was greater and more prolonged with higher initial aminoglycoside concentrations, and the bactericidal effects of the aminoglycosides were concentration dependent at pH 7.4. At pH 6.5, the killing rates of amikacin and netilmicin were far lower than those observed at pH 7.4. At pH 5.5, amikacin and netilmicin exerted practically no bactericidal effect on the P. aeruginosa strain used. However, with media at pH 5.5 and 6.5, adaptive resistance of P. aeruginosa preexposed to amikacin and netilmicin was also clearly exhibited,

I presume that if you found this website it’s because the antibiotics you’ve already tried didn’t work: you can try again while keeping your pH up in the necessary range by drinking lemon/bicarb water: 2 tablespoons lemon juice and a rounded 1/8 tsp sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) to 8 oz water: drink a glass every time you pee.

You can also use the same natural meds on this that work against other gram negative bacteria: I would highly recommend going straight for the Hippocrates Special. That will get your urine pH up into the desired range as well as cleaning out your gut and kidneys, attacking the bacteria, and improving absorption and stomach acid production, if those last two are an issue in your case.

If you haven’t done the Decision Tree test yet, go for it. It’s vital to know if you have low stomach acid, because if so you won’t be able to absorb meds, natural or prescription, as well as you should, severely hampering successful treatment. Please read through the Mother of All Problems post if the Decision Tree baking soda test indicates you have low stomach acid, and go through the Essential Tips and Tricks post no matter what. These things work, but there’s a certain way they work and you can’t just throw this stuff around like darts in the dark and hope you get lucky.

The following is a list of natural meds that kill Pseudomonas, and how to use them.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa pH 7.5-8
Use lemon juice/baking soda water, juiced celery/lemon

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 ferociously 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 you have greasy yellow stools while taking this, don’t freak: you just got a gallbladder cleanse.
D. 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, for about 2 tablespoons of juice.
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. If you don’t have a juicer, there’s a $30 model at Wal-Mart: you can get that and pick up 3-4 large ginger roots while you’re there. Trust me, it’s worth it.
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.

4. Olive leaf extract. This inhibits the growth of Pseudomonas, can prevent an infection from starting, 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.
D. This will take the pain out of a Pseudomonas infection, but to stake the heart and burn the body you NEED to take it with at least two of the natural meds listed above.

5. 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, 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.

6. Oregano oil. This should be used as an adjunct to the other meds and will not be fully effective unless you’ve cleansed with charcoal first.  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.