My mother is in an AL and has recently started developing UTIs. I know it's partly because she is sometimes left in wet pullups during the night, but mostly they do a good job of keeping her dry. The nurse suggested we put her on Aloe Vera supplements to help in the prevention of another UTI. Has anyone heard of this, familiar with this, aware of any complications from doing this? I appreciate any input from the experienced family here!
Blessings
Disclaimer: Not my authoring.
Aloe vera supplements can be taken orally to support urinary tract health.
You can also drink aloe vera juice to help flush out bacteria from the urinary tract and promote urinary tract health. Start by drinking 1/4 cup of aloe vera juice daily and gradually increase the dosage if needed.
Applying aloe vera gel topically to the genital area can help alleviate UTI symptoms such as itching and burning. Make sure to use pure aloe vera gel without any added chemicals or fragrances.
Note that D-mannose can be found naturally in high amounts in fruit such as apples, oranges, peaches, blueberries, and cranberries (including dried cranberries).
Supplements are not regulated at all in the slightest, so the amounts shown on the bottle can vary from pill to pill within the same bottle. If you decide to give her supplements, I would stick with the smallest amount to avoid any adverse side affects.
One cannot overdose on d-mannose. It is a simple sugar and any excess is peed out. It doesn't interact with any other meds. Some is better than none, just make a choice, since there is no known answer regarding dosage, but I would have her take it based on what is recommended on the bottle (and please note this is a completely random suggested amount). This is what I do and it helped. I have no idea what the minimum dosage should be. There's only been an upside for her.
Aloe vera maybe is soothing but it's not a good barrier ointment since it is water soluable. It's so inert that you can drink pure aloe vera and it will do nothing, so there's no risk in recommending it for a solution to some health issues. I personally think it does nothing at all.
Quick internet search found "Aloe Vera capsules have been proven to effectively reduce up to 92% of bladder pain, urinary frequency, urgency, and urethral burning".
Websight went on to describe "D-Mannose is a type of sugar found in cranberries that prevents bacteria from sticking to the urinary tract".
So D-Mannose is a preventative. The Aloe Vera seems more for pain relief?
You could skip the aloe and go straight to using a D-mannose supplement. Or, get the combined capsules available online. I'm sure the nurse knows what she's talking about. Aloe is helpful for all kinds of things; why not UTIs..? That's my thinking.
You can buy a container of D-mannose loose powder and have her take one scoop dissolved in water/liquid every day. The measuring scoop comes with the powder, or at least it did with the one I bought.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077SN6XM3/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
*I read the thread after typing my comment. The consensus is D-mannose. lol Yup. It works!
For my MIL in LTC we've successfully cut down her number of UTIs by about 80% by providing d-mannose supplements (find it on Amazon).
As women age, their physiology and pH changes, and this is the main reason for elder UTIs, not just hygiene.
One capsule daily they sell for about 30.00 on amazon (I get Source Natural brand) for 120.00. Worth a try for you and tastes good, so capsule can be opened and put into anything.
D-Mannose is a recommendation, as Learn2Cope said.