Garlic keeps bladder infections at bay

Q. I have been using odorless garlic supplements to prevent and fight bladder infections (UTIs). I am one of those women prone to urinary-tract infections after sex. (Studies show that women such as myself have a deficiency of a bacteria-fighting enzyme in the cells lining the urethra.)

More than 20 years ago, I got tired of suffering frequent UTIs despite urinating and drinking water immediately after sex. So I began using garlic. My regimen is to take four Kyolic capsules with a full glass of water immediately after sex and then four more the next morning (about eight hours later). This practice has prevented numerous UTIs for me, since I had half a dozen annually before adopting it.

If I begin to feel urgency and frequency (symptoms of an infection), I immediately begin taking four Kyolic Formula 100 capsules with a full glass of water every four hours until the symptoms are gone, plus two more doses after that.

I have only had one UTI per year using garlic this way. I decided to try the garlic when my urologist wanted me to start taking an antibiotic every time after sex or to take on a low dose of antibiotic daily. That idea was unacceptable to me! Other women should check with their doctors before trying my regimen themselves.

A. Thanks for providing the details on how you use garlic. Some research indicates that garlic has antimicrobial effects (International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents, September 2009; FEMS Immunology and Medical Microbiology, March 2010).

We couldn’t find any clinical studies, but there are two case reports of recurrent UTIs responding to an alternative treatment containing garlic along with parsley, L-arginine, probiotics and cranberry (Case Reports in Medicine online, Dec. 21, 2014). Such treatments don’t contribute to antibiotic resistance.

Q. I have always had high cholesterol, but my doctor hasn’t insisted on a statin. He knew I would be reluctant to take one. I read about unfiltered vinegar, got a bottle and have been drinking 2 tablespoons in a mug of warm water every morning for months.

When I had my annual physical and lab work, the doctor asked what I had been doing to lower my cholesterol. When I told him, he laughed out loud.

A. We could not find any clinical trials testing your technique, but results from rat research on the cholesterol-lowering power of vinegar is promising (Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, June 22, 2011).

Q. Several years ago when I was a teenager, I was nearly hospitalized because my entire mouth was covered in canker sores.

A few years later, several canker sores appeared during a cross-country trip. I couldn’t eat because of the pain.

I stopped and got a root beer. They were gone the next day. Now if I get a canker sore, I drink root beer, and it is gone within hours.

A. We don’t think many other people know about your remedy. Some people treat canker sores with tea made from burdock, goldenseal or licorice root. Perhaps there is something in the sassafras root that flavors root beer that helps calm the sores.

2015 King Features Syndicate Inc.