Cystitis - Bladder infections - FINAL

This program discusses the use of antibiotics and the benefits of natural healing. The speaker, Heidi Beck, talks about her experience with homeopathy and how it can be a safer alternative to antibiotics. She also mentions the importance of questioning doctors and being informed about different treatment options. The conversation then shifts to the topic of cystitis, its symptoms, causes, and homeopathic remedies for relief. The speaker emphasizes the individualized approach of homeopathy and the quick relief it can provide without the side effects of antibiotics. There is also a brief discussion on the variety of remedies available in homeopathy. This program was produced by and first broadcast on Radio Kidnappers, a volunteer-based community access station. For more information go to www.radiokidnappers.org.nz. Thanks to New Zealand On Air for making this program available through funding the Access Internet Radio Project. This program was produced by and first broadcast on Radio Kidnappers, a volunteer-based community access station. You're tuned to Radio Kidnappers, the voice of Hawke's Bay. This is a program called Homeopathy with Heidi. And it's our pleasure, as always, to have in the studio Heidi Beck from Thrive Homeopathy and Nate Hagan. Heidi. I'm very well. Thank you very much for having me again, Ken. And thanks for the listeners who have tuned in to listen to our show about homeopathy and natural healing and health and well-being. Well, because natural healing is big time in the world, isn't it? I think, yeah. It's more important than ever. We know that we're running out of antibiotics. People will be dying from simple infections. So we must be a bit sparingly with the use of antibiotics and drugs. I think what we can do naturally and to avoid, prevention is always better than cure, is the way to go. Is it because we use antibiotics at the drop of a hat that we're now paying the price for that? Absolutely. That we've become immune to them? Absolutely. Is that a problem? Definitely. I didn't even want to start on antibiotics. You're not against them, are you? No, definitely not. There is a need for all drugs and medical intervention. But my criticism is that it's just used at the drop of the hat, like you said. My daughter had her wisdom teeth operated on, removed, and walked out with a prescription for antibiotics and painkillers for a horse. Needless to say, we didn't use either. I was actually quite upset because the normal Joe Blogg citizen would listen to the doctor and just take the antibiotics. The doctor gave it to me, so I need them. But no, you'd only need them if you actually have an infection. So I treated her homeopathically. She didn't need a single painkiller and she didn't need the antibiotics. So had I given them, it would have been totally in vain. I would have messed up her digestive system and basically weakened her immune system. So why aren't people thinking and questioning a bit more and doctors being a little bit more informative and not necessarily handing out antibiotics? I guess that's a $64,000 question because you can't actually blame the average Joe Blogg. They go to the doctors, he says take this, you go home and you take that. And you trust. But why aren't people more aware of what you do, for instance? Well, because it's hard work to inform yourself about everything. People have so much on their plates nowadays. Both parents working, a few kids, a house, a garden, a pet, hobbies. Life's just become a little bit overwhelming. So you trust the professionals. And that's why I'm here, just to raise awareness of alternatives and options and get people thinking and questioning. Because we only think about our health when it goes bad. Unfortunately, yeah. We take our health for granted. Most of us do. Sure. And is it like going to the doctors when we come to see you? So we bowl up at your rooms, for want of a better word. And is it like going to the doctors? No, not quite. I ask lots of questions and I listen, all homeopaths do. So it's really about treating the individual person with a dis-ease, discomfort, as opposed to treating the illness. And I think that is the major difference. Because you get more than five or ten minutes when we come to see you, don't you? Absolutely. Initial consultation for something more chronic, severe, long-standing is one and a half hours. And an acute, let's say the topic of today, cystitis, bladder infection, that might take 30 minutes. And because it's more acute prescription, we still go into depth, but anywhere between 30 minutes and one hour. You have a much more holistic approach to health, don't you? Absolutely. Yes. Now today we are going to talk about cystitis and it's a word that some of us might not be aware of because it's called something else, isn't it? Yes. So it's inflammation of the bladder. And what I wanted to point out is most people aren't aware that itis, behind whatever word, simply means inflammation. Oh, does it really? So laryngitis would be inflammation of your larynx, so a throat infection, right? Yes. So cystitis is the bladder and so on. So sometimes you come home with your diagnosis and it sounds really flash and dangerous, but actually it's the inflammation of nephritis of the kidneys or whatever it could be. Who suffers the most from it, men or women? Basically, the tendency due to our anatomical differences would be women. So about 20 to 40% of women at some time in their lifetime will experience symptoms or problems with cystitis, bladder. Why do we get it? Well, again, various reasons. It could be nutritional deficiencies. It could be your immune susceptibility. Maybe you've had antibiotics, for example, or other prescription medication that has made you susceptible. Then tight clothing, especially in this heat, and underwear that is synthetic because it won't let the body breathe as much. So cotton underwear might not be as sexy, but it's healthier. Food allergies could be the cause. Too much tea, coffee, alcohol. It could be if you are diabetic, have too much sugar in your urine. That could cause it. A big one is catheterization. So if you've been in the hospital and on a catheter for a while, then again, bacteria can get into the urethra and cause inflammation. And another one is intercourse. So after intercourse, women should always urinate, and that will naturally help protect against bacteria. Is it common? Cystitis? Yeah, quite. There is a susceptibility. Some people have it recurringly, and that's just their weakness. And if that is the case, then definitely you do need to consult a doctor to get a proper diagnosis, to get various tests done, and to figure out what is the cause and make sure that there's nothing more sinister going on. Is there more than one symptom that we might have that would point to the fact that we've got cystitis? Well, it hurts. And you will feel it. So the main symptom is a burning, a stinging, a very sharp pain, and a pressure in the bladder. It's a little bit different for everyone, and that is how we sort of decide which homeopathic medicine to give. So it could be a pressure in the bladder, and there's usually an urgency to having to go. Often, once you're on the toilet, you sit there, and it's really hard to get a few drops out, and when you do get a few drops out, it burns, it stings, it's very agitating. So that could be either before, during, or after urination, for 10, 15 minutes afterwards. It feels like glass splinters. It can be hot. You feel the urine is burning hot when it comes out. There could be flakes in the urine, which would indicate proteins, and it could be some red discoloring or brown, which would show that the bladder lining or the urethra is so inflamed that there's some blood. So that would usually appear more brownish. Yeah, so those could be fever, backache, so it could pull around. Wow. Yeah, so quite... It can be cloudy or smelly, your urine. Absolutely. That is also a question that we ask. So what does the urine look like? What does it smell like? Does it smell like horse's urine, where there's more ammonium in it? Or does it smell like violets? That's an indication for another homeopathic remedy. So is it sweet-smelling or sour? Yeah. All those things help us differentiate to treat the person properly. So we get it, we decide that we've got it because it hurts to pee. Is it a problem that we need to get on to immediately? Well, I think those symptoms will make you get on to it pretty much immediately. You're not going to hang around and say, oh, let's ride this one out. It's very discomforting and will sort of get you to do it. We went to the doctors. He prescribed, like you suggested before, he prescribed antibiotics. We'll probably clear it up in a couple of days. What if we come and see you for a homeopathic remedy? Are we looking at the same sort of results? Absolutely. The right homeopathic remedy will relieve the pain and the symptoms very quickly because as I said, it's an acute situation and the body then, well, recovers and heals much quicker than if you have something long-standing. It just takes a little bit longer. But in an acute situation, you know, the fever can drop quickly, the pain goes quickly or that urging, the discomfort, yeah, within a day, equally as quickly as the antibiotics but without the side effects of weakening your immune system. Okay. Let's have a look at some of the remedies because I did a bit of research before you came in. Oh, boy. That's what I'm trying to do. And I just wonder, is it a bit like going to the doctors that you go to the doctor and with the same problem and you might get, I don't know, two treatments. And when I looked at the two homeopathic sites that I went on to, of the five remedies that they mentioned, they only had one in common. Is this because we're talking about the 3,500 remedies that are good for a bunch of things? Is that why you don't necessarily get two homeopathic practitioners giving you the same? Would you expect to get the same treatment from whoever you went to for it? Well, I would say in the acute situations, you're more likely to get the same remedy because the symptoms are pretty straightforward and clear. And in your face, is the burning before? Is it after? What was the cause? What's the smell of the urine? What's the color? So you put all those symptoms into, you repertorize them. So that means you look them up in your computer program. And a certain amount of remedies have sweet-smelling urine and a certain amount have blood in urine and a certain amount have a stinging sensation and a certain amount will have causation, getting wet and cold. Yeah. So let's say we have those symptoms, and that will narrow it down to maybe two or three remedies that have all those symptoms in common, right? And then, yeah, you read up in a Materia Medica, which is the books, and then I would say that the homeopath would come to the same conclusion. And what might you be suggesting to us that we need to take? So come along, what are some of the remedies that you'd be suggesting to us? Well, I guess one that I could also explain how homeopathy works, which is the principle of like cures like. So similar symptoms in a healthy person that can be caused by taking a crude substance. If someone presents with those symptoms and complaints, then that substance should be able to resonate and trigger healing, right? So in a very plain example, bee venom. If we get stung by a bee, the symptoms that we all experience is a heat sensation around the sting, a redness, a burning, a stinging. We're quite restless and agitated and fidgety, and yeah, we're not thirsty necessarily. So those are all things that will happen if a healthy person is stung by a bee. So now if someone comes and has those similar symptoms with cystitis, of a burning sensation, a stinging sensation, retention of urine, not being able to release it, but an urgency, you actually really have to press to release urine, then worse from heat, very restless, and no thirst, then apis would be the remedy. Yeah, it's a very common one. Belladonna, that would have a more shooting pain, and possibly spasmodic, so cramping in the bladder, urethra, and a great thirst for cold water. You're also very restless, but you're thirsty as opposed to not thirsty, and you might have a fever. So that's how we differentiate. Some symptoms will be similar, but then some will make that difference. Another major factor is the causation. So why has this bladder inflammation started? It could be through surgical procedures, like an operation or a catheter. So it's invasive. It's like a physical interference with the urethra and the bladder, and people can also emotionally feel a bit indignation because it's your personal space, it's private, and people shoving stuff up you, and that can be quite discomforting. So there's an emotional component to that. And we also use this remedy for honeymoon cystitis. So that means after lots of pleasure, that could be a cause. The remedy there is Staphysagria, which is a plant. So there's a lot of burning and stinging there as well. That's a very holistic approach, because I never even thought about the emotional side of it. So the doctor giving you antibiotics, he's not even going to look at that side of it, is he? No. He's just going to say, oh, you have bladder inflammation, okay, let's check. Is there bacteria? Yes, here, Amoxicillin, off you go. That's it. Let's just cut you loose. Now I wonder, obviously we don't want to get a bad infection. So if we want to look at some of the ways and means that we can sort of avoid this, what are some of the recommendations? I mean, not that we want to take the business away from you, but rather than get sick, how do we do it? Absolutely. As I said, prevention is better than cure. Well, cranberries are great. So if people have a tendency, then there are quite a few supplements out there that are based around urinary bladder, urethra protection. And one of the main ingredients is often cranberry extract. So I'm not talking about cranberry juice off the shelf filled with sugar, right? That's not it. So eating dried cranberries is helpful, but you probably just won't get that quantity that you need. You'd have to eat about a thousand of them, wouldn't you? Yes, so probably some supplementation is the better option there. That's a good point, though. Maybe just wind the clock back a little bit on that one. A lot of people now are juicing. So you were saying that cranberries are good for you and you literally would have to eat a lot often to get the benefits. But once you put a thousand of them in a blender, we'd be lucky to fill a glass. Is that overdoing it? Well, I don't know if it's necessarily going to be that helpful because it's a one-off. Are you going to do it every day? Probably not. And it is about a certain consistency of building up a certain stock of various nutritional minerals and vitamins. And we have to have our stocks. That's how I look at it. You've got your little stock of calcium and magnesium and copper and zinc and vitamins. And the body, just when you need them, can go and take some out of that pantry, basically, and use it. And if our stocks are depleted on certain nutritional ingredients, then I guess that's where we set ourselves up for a higher risk of whatever problem we seem to have. So what are some of the other things that we can eat or drink to ward off? Because a lot of stuff also that I find that naturopaths or people into natural healing, they say, Oh, look, you should be buying your food at, let's say, an organic place. That can be quite expensive. It can be. Wow. So avoiding as many pesticides as possible. Definitely washing all your fruit and vegetables before eating them. I think that is essential nowadays. And so many people don't. So you're eating the pure pesticides that are on your food. So I find that alarming. Always wash. Do you recommend peeling fruit or is that goodness in the skin? Well, that's the thing. Yes, it is in the skin. And it's definitely better to eat the apple with the skin. But again, it depends on where's your apple from. So I try and make it. If it's an organic apple, rinse it, eat it. Done. Done. But if it's from the supermarket and sprayed, then I'd probably tend to peel it. Another important thing that we want to touch on, because we're running out of time quite rapidly, is that you're a big fan of drinking water. Yes. Now, water isn't the same as the water that we had, particularly when I was a child, probably when you were a child, but you're a lot younger than what I am. But the water isn't the same now, is it? No. And what's the problem with that? Well, unfortunately, I think chlorination of water is the first big no-no that our councils have started doing. And I think they need to step up their game and actually make sure that our water supply isn't treated with chlorine. It's a toxin. It's not healthy. I have so many people coming with rashes and problems. They're now having to put in water filter systems. I have a water filter system for my drinking water, but so many are now putting it into their home so that they're not washing their laundry, watering their veggie gardens, and not showering with chlorinated water. And I think councils owe it to the public to actually step up their game and not just say, oh, let's chlorinate. It's cheap. It's effective. It's safe. Done. Well, no, it's not safe. It has side effects. And that's not how water is meant to be. And it's not the clean, green image of New Zealand. Having said that, the council are saying, look, if we don't chlorinate the water, the alternative is sore tummies, diarrhoea, that sort of stuff. Would you rather have a little bit of chlorine, which can hardly taste, so they say, or is that scaremongering? Isn't that a cop-out? How many years has it been fine? Well, they just haven't taken care of the wells and the pipes and the drainage and the farming. So, no, they need to step up their game, in my opinion. Having said that, the water won't change in the short term. No. And you are a big fan of drinking a lot of water. Absolutely. It's the healthiest when it's clean. And if we want to stay away from cystitis, you're also recommending drinking water. Is the fact that the water has still got chlorine in, is that going to put us off drinking water? Well, more and more people, and I come from Europe, unfortunately water is recycled up to three to four times. So, where I come from, people buy water in bottles and do not drink it from the tap. And I'm really alarmed that we're selling our beautiful water overseas and we have to suck it up and chlorinate. It's a funny old thing now, isn't it? It's all money. So, I hope someone from the council is listening. And, of course, you're advocating that we should be knocking on the door of the council saying, hey, we want you to do something about it. Absolutely. And the next thing is I find it criminal, and I'll repeat that, I think it's criminal that they're even discussing fluoridating water. Fluoride is a neurotoxin. It is a waste product of the fertilizing industry. And if the fertilizing industry were to dispose of their rubbish, their fluoride, it would cost them a fortune. But, no, there's a cheap way. You give it to the councils and they put it into the drinking water. And all for the benefit, apparently, which is now proven that there is no benefit and difference for the enamel of children's teeth. And it has a side effect, fluorosis. So, white spots on the teeth enamel. So, if there is a side effect, it's not safe. And if it can change the enamel on your teeth, what else in your body can it change? Because the enamel on your teeth is the hardest bone in your body. Exactly. So, is it destroying other tissues? Yes, it is. We know that it affects the brain. It lowers the IQ of unborn children and children. It affects especially pregnant women, their thyroid action. So, it reduces that. It can lead to miscarriages. So, yes, there are side effects. So, mass medication, and that's what it is, is putting fluoride in the water, is medicating the masses, and there is no control over the quantity. If you're a sporty person and drinking three liters of water a day, you are getting so much more fluoride than if someone else is drinking one liter. So, it's just criminal to mass medicate with a substance that is supposed to help a few, but if children aren't fed properly, are given bottles with Coca-Cola, and suck on the sugary drink, they are going to have tooth decay whether the water is chlorinated and fluoridated and otherwise treated. So, I think it's more about educating parents and the public. And if you want fluoride, by God, take a tablet and put it in yourself. And on that note, just before we get to your song of the week, we want to come and see you for some homeopathic advice. Where are you? I promise not to be so political. Today was my first outbreak. I hope people, even if you do not agree, at least start questioning and think about it. Other people have other opinions, and maybe there were some facts that you didn't know and that are new and might get you thinking. Knowledge is king. Absolutely. What's your song? So, the song, Simon and Garfunkel, Bridge Over Troubled Water. How apt. But before we get to that song, your quote for the week is? Well, water is the lifeblood of our bodies, our economy, our nation, our well-being and our future. As always, highly a pleasure. Look after yourself. We'll talk to you same time, same place next time. Absolutely. Thank you. Great words of wisdom, Heidi, but we forgot. People want to come and see you. Where are you? Well, I'm still, since 2011, on Hofstra Hill, No. 1, Lampton Road. And to contact me, best is 021-33-5233. And all the information is on my website, thrivehomeopathy.co.nz. When you're weary, Feeling small When tears are in your eyes I'll drive them home I'm on your side Oh, when times get rough And friends just can't be found Like a bridge over tunneled water I will lay me down Like a bridge over tunneled water I will lay me down When you're down and out When you're on the street When evening falls so hard I will comfort you I'll take your part Oh, when darkness comes And pain is all around Like a bridge over troubled water I will lay me down