How to Get Rid of a Kidney Infection: Can Natural Remedies Help?

Seeing Your Doctor

Contact your doctor if you’re showing signs of a kidney infection. Common symptoms include pain in your lower back, abdomen, or genitals, frequent urination and trouble emptying your bladder, burning sensation when urinating, cloudy or discolored urine, blood in your urine, and a fever or chills. These could indicate a kidney or bladder infection, so see your doctor as soon as possible.

Have a urine culture to confirm that you have an infection. At your appointment, the doctor will take a urine sample and test it for evidence of a kidney or bladder infection. This is a routine test. In some cases, your doctor may do a CT scan or ultrasound of your kidneys or bladder to check for inflammation.

Take antibiotics as directed if your doctor prescribes them. A 3-7-day course of antibiotics is the most common treatment for kidney infections and usually clears the infection up. Make sure you finish the entire course of antibiotics before stopping. If your doctor is sure you have a kidney infection, then they’ll probably prescribe the antibiotics before your test results come back.

Avoid taking pain relievers unless your doctor recommends them. Your kidneys may not be able to properly process these medications with an active infection. Unless your doctor tells you it’s safe, don’t take any pain relievers until the infection clears up.

See a kidney specialist if you experience recurrent infections. Most people won’t get another kidney infection once their current infection clears up, but some people are more susceptible than others to repeat infections. If you’ve had more than 1 kidney infection, then your doctor will probably refer you to a kidney specialist for further treatment.

Effective Natural Treatments

Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. Consistent hydration helps flush bacteria out of your kidneys and bladder to clear the infection. Drink 8-10 glasses of water per day, enough so your urine is light yellow and you don’t feel thirsty. Dehydration is very serious if you have a kidney infection, so go to the hospital if your urine is very dark, your mouth and lips are dry, and you feel faint or overly fatigued.

Urinate as soon as you feel the urge to. Holding in your urine causes bacteria to build up in your bladder. Make sure you go as soon as you feel the urge to. This is also an important way to prevent future infections. Don’t hold in your urine unless you have to.

Empty your bladder entirely every time you urinate. This is another important way to prevent bacteria from building up. Try to push a bit and make sure your bladder is empty before you finish urinating.

Rest so your body can fight the infection. Fatigue can depress your immune system, so make sure you get plenty of rest. This way, your body will fight the infection much better.

Press a heating pad onto your back to help relieve the pain. Wrap a heating pad or hot water bottle in a towel and press it onto any sore spots for 15-20 minutes at the time. This can relieve your discomfort while your body fights the infection. You could also take a hot bath or shower and focus the water onto the sore spots.

Avoid coffee, tea, and alcohol until your symptoms clear. These drinks can all give you a frequent urge to urinate, which could be very uncomfortable while you’re fighting an infection.