Cranberry juice and urinary tract infections

Here's something I hear in the office at least twice a week:" I thought I was getting a bladder infection, so I started drinking cranberry juice."

The truth is, once an infection has settled in, drinking cranberry juice is no better than drinking water. They'll both help reduce your symptoms of burning or pain because they dilute your urine. But neither one will treat an active infection.

However, drinking cranberry juice EVERY DAY can reduce your chance of getting an infection in the first place, by as much as a 38% reduction in some studies. That might not seem like much of a reduction, but if you have a history of recurrent UTIs, that is pretty huge.

And, of course, if you think you have a kidney or bladder infection, go see your doctor.