I have Cystitis (IC) Cranberries or any citrus is the absolute enemy for bladder issues. People think it is good to use but if it is cystitis and not a UTI that is kidney related it does more harm. I have lived with cystits for many years. Diet plays a roll. Look up the IC diet.

I used to have pretty close to chronic cystitis and battled with it for years until an Ob-gyn here in Paris made me change soap for 'down there' and gave me a PH balanced, non-soap soap that did not dry me out or kill the 'good' bacteria...it did the trick...I haven't had an attack since the late '90's...this has got to be stress related or the fact that I was away and didn't take my soap with me! (or the fact that I was sitting around in a wet bathing suit on a beach for hours at a time...that would do it too especially when going from pool-beach-pool...I should know better and change to a dry suit each time)
I used cranberries, blueberries or pomegranite with great success for years and it has become an accepted treatment by the Canadian Medical Association for UTIs and cystitis...different countries, different protocols...For now, loads of liquids, less smoking, more lemonaide and baking soda to change the PH level and I will see...
Sharon

That is crazy. Every IC association would say never to eat cranberries, citrus, etc. If I eat one cranberry I will flare for days. I never heard anyone recommend that. Usually for cystitis cranberry juice is the absolute worst. Cystitis is autoimmune. Anything acidic turns the urine acidic and that keeps removing the bladder inner wall. Just saying. I try to tell people that not everything that is good for a UTI is good for cystitis.

this is the actual list for 2012, been updated. These are considered the worst. I am thinking you don't have cystitis if you can tolerate any of these items. http://www.ic-network.com/diet/#riskfoods

Cystitis is Only autoimmune? Is there not a bacterial cystitis as well?? I was pretty sure of it. I could be wrong. I always throught that cystitis was just an inflamtion of the urethrea/bladder and it could be caused by hygenic problems (not washing often enough or too much or with the wrong soap), bacteria from not cleaning down there properly (coliform bacteria), lack of aireation (not using cotton unndies etc), E-coli bacteria and/or a physical or emotional shock to the region (forceful sexual relations or a biking accident for example)...
I used to have chronic cystitis unti a really good Gyn here changed my lifestyle by forbiding bubble baths or the use of any soap other than a special gyn soap (gyno-hydralin), sea salt baths with essential oils, only cotton lined unddies, no thongs, no more antibiotics or a major run of probiotics just afterwards etc and no more bicycles for me...
I just asked my Pharmacisit here and the first thing that he suggested was cranberries...
Go figure
I will see my Gyn tomorrow but I have been drinking hybiscus flower tea for the last 12hrs and I am feeling better already.
Sharon

I do not believe that all cystitis is autoimmune which explains why some women, myself included, get good results with cranberry juice. Like UC, some patients benefit from rigid exclusionary diets, and others don't. The spectrum is far and wide for UC patient's response and treatment and is probably the same for cystitis.

Sue

Interstitial cystitis of the bladder is auto immune. If you aren't diagnosed with it then that might not be the issue to begin with. If I eat one cranberry and don't even drink anything I will piss at least 2 gallons of water out in an hour. IC flares are horrible. I have less of them with my colon removed but I also do hydros to stretch my bladder out since this disease shrinks it.

Sharon, you could look into D-Mannose - it's a kind of sugar that supposedly prevents certain kinds of bacteria from sticking to the walls of the urinary tract and causing infection.

I've used it in the past successfully, as has my elderly MIL. I get it on-line (various sources). I also take a cranberry extract capsule daily for preventive purposes.

Thanks NancyAnn,
Just got back from my Gyn...cystitis, undertermined UTI (am awaiting the results of the urinalysis), swollen glands, otitis, throat infection and the begining of bronchitis.
I seem to have won the lottery on this one!
I suspect that it is all a stress reaction to the bad news and my mind is trying to glue me to a sofa...2 types of antibiotics, creams, drops, sprays and goodness knows what else on the script...She doesn't want me flying out for a few days so I am stuck until at least Monday.
I looked for the cranberry here but it is unfindable, not even pure juice, only sugary drinks. I will look up the stuff you mentioned on the internet...for now my pouch is yelling at me so I will go calm it down!
Sharon

Sorry to hear about this Sharon. Hope you are feeling better soon.