A quick summary of how to cure UTI without antibiotics:

• D-Mannose for infections caused by E. coli bacteria for acute infections and UTI prevention
• SSKI for infections caused by any type of bacteria, only for acute infections
• Herbal remedies for UTIs for acute infections and long-term UTI prevention
• Homeopathic remedies for chronic UTIs 

First of all, according to FDA, the only approved option for UTI treatment is antibiotics. However, there are many reasons why you might want to cure UTI without antibiotics, especially if your infections are increasingly antibiotic-resistant or if you have an allergy to certain antibiotics.

Moreover, some antibiotics have pretty dangerous side-effects that you might want to avoid, while most of them will surely wreck a havoc in your digestive and vaginal flora.

This being said, antibiotics remain the most tested and effective and widely recognized route to treat an acute UTI. 

At the same time, for many years integrative medicine professionals have been suggesting to their clients alternative options to treat UTIs that do not include antibiotics and have documented great success with a variety of treatment options.

However, if you decide to try to cure UTI without antibiotics, keep an eye on your symptoms and be prepared to see a physician if you do not improve within the first two days. 

Cure UTI Without Antibiotics: D-Mannose

I had a privilege to interview Dr. Wright who has been suggesting D-Mannose as an alternative UTI treatment for years. In fact, he was the first physician in the USA to use D-Mannose. In the 1980s his first patient to try D-Mannose was a 9-year-old girl who’s UTIs became increasingly antibiotic resistant.

You might know from your own experience, UTIs are impossible to just to flush out with water. And this is because pathogenic E. coli bacteria attach themselves to mannose that is naturally present on your bladder walls.

However, by introducing free-floating D-Mannose in your urine, you can turn bacteria’s strength into a weakness.

If E. coli encounter the abundance of mannose in your urine (after you drank D-Mannose), more often than not they grab on to the free-floating sugar and let go of your bladder wall. Now you can safely pee the pathogens out without even killing them.

This unique properties of mannosides have been noted by research labs and scientists across the world and hundreds of research papers are dedicated to the potential role of mannosides in UTI prevention and treatment.

Couple issues prevent D-Mannose from being recognized by FDA as a legitimate alternative to antibiotics.

First of all, clinical trials are expensive and D-Mannose is a natural substance, therefore there is no patent opportunity. 

Secondly, researchers point out that natural D-Mannose doesn’t form a strong enough bond between its molecules and E. coli bacteria (which could deem the treatment with D-Mannose ineffective in some cases). 

Instead of promoting a natural substance, some are developing a synthetic alternative that in tests binds to bacteria with a stronger grip and is a promising alternative to antibiotics that is hopefully will enter the market soon.

As of now, Dr. Wright recommends that if you decide to treat UTI without antibiotics, D-Mannose is the first supplement to try.

Check out Dr. Wright’s D-Mannose protocol here. If you do not see any improvement in the first 24 hours or develop fever, nausea or weakness that might signal that infection is spreading to the kidneys, seek immediate medical attention.

D-Mannose also is a great (and clinically validated) option for UTI prevention. D-Mannose could allow you to skip antibiotics for UTI prevention since it is safe to take for a prolonged period of time, tastes great, and is pretty affordable if you buy it in bulk.

Cure UTI Without Antibiotics: SSKI 

If D-Mannose didn’t work or simply is not immediately available, the next option in line is SSKI which is an abbreviation for a saturated solution of potassium iodide.

The treatment protocol used by Dr. Wright is 15 drops in a glass of water every 3-4 hours for two days.

Most important before starting this protocol is to know whether you are allergic to SSKI or not. While this type of allergy is pretty rare, it is still important to do an allergy test before trying it. Therefore, if you had no previous exposure to this medication, make sure to perform an allergy test (when you dab a small about if undiluted SSKI on your inner wrist and then observe the skin for any signs of swelling or redness for at least couple hours).

Other rare cases of allergies, SSKI seem to be a pretty safe (although very unsavory) alternative to treat UTI without antibiotics.

Herbal Remedies For UTIs

If you are suffering from chronic UTIs and your doctor suggested to take preventive antibiotics to keep the infection at bay, there could be many herbal alternatives. Notably Uva Ursi and a food grade essential oil product called UTI Drops.

Read our full review of herbal supplements here.

There is, also, garlic with it’s potential antimicrobial properties that is used for a variety infections in folk medicine.

However, it is important to advise with a naturopathic doctor, skilled in herbal remedies before attempting a treatment of UTI without antibiotics.

Homeopathic Remedies For Chronic UTIs

Many doctors that I’ve interviewed recognize the mysterious effectiveness of homeopathic remedies for chronic UTI treatment.

At the same time, nobody, even homeopaths themselves understands how these remedies work, but they are widely recognized as safe.

Another interesting aspect of homeopathic treatment is that it takes into account overall health of an individual and practitioners of homeopathy prefer to treat a person not a condition. This means that they would prescribe different remedies for UTI symptoms to different people depending on their overall health, and even character traits.

At the same time, there are common trends in homeopathic remedies for UTI, you can check out a long list here.

 Other Trends In UTI Treatment Without Antibiotics

In a recent study, a team of researchers came together to see if they could solve the mystery by boosting the body’s natural defense mechanism and improving the bladder’s resistance to bacteria. They tested an experimental drug which stabilizes a protein called HIF-1alpha, which was shown to protect mice and human bladder cells from E. coli invasion.

According to Time, the researchers found that using the experimental drugs in healthy human urinary tract cells made the cells more resistant to infection by the pathogen. The researchers also discovered that using the stabilizers directly in the bladders of mice protected against infection and that mice who were treated saw a 10-fold reduction in bacteria colonization in their bladders compared to untreated mice.

“A classic antibiotic is something that targets the bacteria directly,” says Nizet. “This [new drug] would be a treatment that would stimulate the body to produce its natural antimicrobials, which are many.” Nizet says the next step is to explore testing in humans and learn more about the effectiveness of oral versions of the drugs.

Well, while the researchers are trying to find a cure that will make them millionaires we can try D-mannose and see if it works. Ask your doctor and print out this study before you do.

To summarize, you can cure UTI without antibiotics. At the same time, be extremely cautious when attempting to self-treat a UTI.