While winter weather can be lovely, it's a peak time for the common cold. When people are cooped up indoors, it's easier for recycled air to pass germs from one person to another. It's also easier for the common cold to strike because rhinoviruses thrive in colder conditions. However, if you are starting to get a cold, you need to be careful not to let your treatment methods cause other issues. For instance, some people may inadvertently set themselves up for a urinary tract infection (UTI) when treating a cold.
Some Cold Medications Can Make You Prone to UTIs
According to Harvard Health Publishing, over-the-counter cold medicines have more side effects than people may think. While antihistamines are great at reducing histamine production—meaning that you won't have watery eyes or a runny nose—they can cause you to retain more urine. When you hold more urine in your bladder, your body can be exposed to bad bacteria that causes UTIs
Your Chicken Soup Could Make You Prone to UTIs
Sometimes UTIs infect the urethra, but other times they infect the bladder (known as cystitis). Bladder UTIs are often caused by Escherichia coli (E.coli). So how does this all relate to the common cold? Well, the go-to comfort food for a cold is chicken noodle soup. While people are concerned about E.coli in beef, it can also be found in chicken. In fact, an article on medicinenet.com says that the E.coli strains that cause UTIs are most likely from chickens.
So How Can You Treat a Cold if Medications and Soups Are Off Limits?
Don't worry; you can still treat your cold and avoid a UTI complication. When you pick up a medication from your pharmacy, ask the pharmacist about its side effects. If you still want to take a medicine that makes you retain urine, then it's important for you to go to the bathroom promptly instead of holding it. While it can be annoying to visit the bathroom a lot, holding the urine allows bacteria to multiply, while eliminating it will keep your bladder and urethra clear of infection.
If you want to have chicken noodle soup, make sure that you are cooking and refrigerating it properly. While some chicken broths have a longer shelf life, many soups are only supposed to be refrigerated two or three days. If you are making chicken noodle soup from scratch, then be sure that you wash your hands properly afterward. E.coli can easily be transmitted from your hands to your urethra if you have to use the bathroom after cooking in the kitchen.
The most important thing you can do both for a cold and a UTI is to drink more water! Waters, broths, and juices loosen congestion, maintain your electrolyte balance, and keep you hydrated. Staying hydrated can help you get over your cold more quickly. While it may be counterintuitive to drink more water if you are retaining more urine, it's important that you do. Drinking more water helps dilute your urine and flushes harmful bacteria out of your body.
For more information on cold and UTI prevention, talk with your primary care physician or contact a medical facility like Premier Urgent Care Centers of California, Inc.
Share18 January 2018
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