Most people don’t pay particular attention to their urinary bladder until they experience some problems like cystitis or urinary incontinence. Good thing some practices could boost our bladder health. In this article, we will talk about the ways on how to cleanse the bladder plus tips to prevent bladder diseases.

Cystitis: Symptoms and Prevention

How to Cleanse the Bladder

Did you know that one way to cleanse the bladder is through the foods and drinks that we consume? If you want to prevent bladder diseases, consider three things: fruits, vegetables, and water.

Add More Cruciferous Vegetables

To cleanse the bladder, consider adding cruciferous vegetables to your diet.

Almost all cleansing routines include vegetables in their recipes. Cleansing the bladder is no different.

When we say cruciferous vegetables, we are talking about a family of veggies that have low calories and high folate, fiber, and vitamin content.

The best examples of cruciferous vegetables are:

• Turnip
• Cauliflower
• Broccoli
• Cabbage
• Spinach

The reason they are good for boosting bladder health is that they have potent antioxidants and they could prevent inflammation.

Just a little note on meal preparation: these vegetables might lose about 50% of their nutrients when boiled in water. So, instead of boiling, steam them lightly and add them to salads and other dishes.

Finally, if you’re not fond of cruciferous vegetables, other vegetables would be great, too.

Don’t Forget to Eat Fruits

Like vegetables, fruits are important to cleanse the bladder. Consider having 5 servings of fruits and vegetables combined. It may seem like a lot, but 1 serving is only equivalent to half a cup, so it’s probably doable.

One particular fruit you could consider is lemon. First off, lemons could potentially prevent the formation of kidney stones.

Additionally, lemons could also be beneficial to people who have had urinary diversion. A urinary diversion is a surgical procedure that “reroutes” the flow of urine; this is typically done when there’s a blockage in urine flow.

One great thing about lemons is that they’re versatile in terms of preparation. You can enjoy them with salad dressings or to zest up your glass of water.

However, be mindful, too. Some people who already suffer from cystitis report that citrus fruits such as lemons serve as their bladder irritants. These irritants are foods and drinks that make their infection worse.

If lemons make it worse for you, bananas and pears are also great bladder-friendly fruits.

Drink Plenty of Water

One great way to cleanse the bladder is to drink plenty of fluids, most especially water. Water can flush out infection-causing bacteria out of the urinary tract. Moreover, it might even prevent bladder diseases. That’s the reason why experts consider it as the best fluid to boost bladder health.

Most people should aim to drink 8 to 12 glasses daily unless they have a condition (like kidney failure) that requires them to lessen their fluid intake.

If you drink fluids other than water, make sure that more than half of your fluid intake is water.

Finally, if you can, try to drink some cranberry juice. Some reports indicate that the ingredients in cranberry juice prevent bacteria from “sticking into” the bladder lining and urinary tract.

Lifestyle Habits that Prevent Bladder Diseases

Aside from the foods and drinks we take, there are also lifestyle habits that not only cleanse the bladder but also boost its health.

Perform Kegel Exercises

One powerful exercise that you can do anytime and anywhere is Kegel exercise. The goal of this workout is to have better muscle control in releasing the urine from the bladder; hence it could prevent urinary incontinence. This is especially useful for people who experience urine leaking when they are coughing or sneezing.

The Benefits of Kegel Exercises for Women

Quit Smoking

Did you know that smokers have a heightened risk of developing bladder cancer than non-smokers? If you’re smoking, it’s time to consider quitting. Cigarettes are not just bad for your bladder health, but it also has a lot of negative impacts on your overall well-being.

Get Moving

Do you have an active bladder at night that makes you wake up from sleep? If you do, you may be experiencing fluid buildup (water retention) in your legs during the day. This could be the case for people with heart conditions or those who have a sedentary lifestyle.

To help cleanse the bladder, exercise by walking throughout the day. If walking is not possible, consider lying down and raising your legs to waist level.

Exercise not only prevents water retention, but it could also prevent constipation and help you attain a healthy weight.

It is worth noting that constipation could potentially result in some urinary problems, while obesity might increase the risk of urinary incontinence.

Urinate When You Feel the Urge

Due to your tight schedule, you might be tempted to hold off urinating when you’re busy.

If you do this “holding off” regularly for a long time, your bladder muscles may weaken.

Weak bladder muscles are more vulnerable to infection. Hence, when you feel the urge to urinate, go to the nearest restroom.

Additional reminders when passing urine:

• Take your time. If you hurry, you may not completely empty your bladder. If urine stays too long in the bladder, the risk of infection increases.
• Relax your muscles. Some women want to avoid contact with the toilet seat, so instead of sitting comfortably, they just hover over it. This hovering doesn’t help the muscles relax when passing urine. And as you might already know, tensed muscles make it difficult to empty the bladder completely.

Try to Avoid Infection

To cleanse the bladder and strengthen it is not enough; you must also try to avoid infections.

You can do so by:

• Urinating after sexual intercourse to flush away bacteria that might have entered the urinary tract.
• Wiping from front to back to avoid the spread of infection from the anus to the vulva.
• Wearing loose jeans and cotton undergarments.

Most bacteria that cause infection thrive in a warm, moist place. Wearing loose jeans and cotton underwear keeps the area around the urethra dry.

Remember: to cleanse the bladder and boost its health, you only need to consider changing some of your lifestyle and dietary habits.

Learn more about urological health, here.