I don't know you, so, please, don't be offended, but one of the first things I would be wondering is if there is some kind of abuse going on that you are not aware of. If not, and you are just dealing with bladder infections, the first place I would look is her diet. Is she drinking anything besides pure water and fresh juices? Milk, soda, coffee, etc.? If so, stop all of it! These are way too abrasive on all of the delicate tubing that makes up the urinary system.

You are correct - continuous anti-biotics is harmful in many ways. One of the ways it is harmful you are already discovering - it tends to make super bugs which are very difficult to destroy, so the infections keep coming back and getting stronger because they are immune to the anti-biotics.

I have, personally, dealt with bladder infections a couple of different ways. Years ago, during one of my pregnancies, I had a bladder infection which I couldn't clear up. The doctor put me on several rounds of anti-biotics (this was before I knew what I know now) and then, finally, gave up and said I would just have to live with it - he said sometimes this happens during pregnancy. Fortunately, a friend, who lived out in the country, told me I could cure it by taking 4 or 5 alfalfa capsules 4 times per day and drinking lots of cranberry juice. I followed her advise and cleared up the infection.

In my midwife practice, I always advised women to take 2 kidney bladder formula with 1 cranactin four times per day and to drink 3 to 4 qts of water to flush it out. In severe cases, I would also add the infection formula. The herbs in the kidney/bladder formula tend to kill the infection - the cranactin keeps it from adhering to the bladder wall and the fluid intake flushes it out. The only time I have seen this not work was when a women tried taking the herbs with her Dr Pepper!?!

I realize you would have to adjust these amounts for a child and possibly use a tea or tincture instead of a capsule, but, hopefully, this will help give you some ideas.

I remember when my niece was little (around 4 or 5) and she had redness around her vulva. It turned out that she was not wiping her self dry when she peed and her vulva became inflamed because the urine was irritating it.

Also, pee that is very concentrated can burn. Is it possible that your daughter is not drinking enough fluids and the phosphorous in the urine is causing the burn??? She should be drinking enough fluids during the day that the urine is a pale color, not dark yellow (unless she's had a multivitamin and then the b's in the multi will turn the urine a bright yellow)

D-mannose and cranberry juice are very helpful in preventing and even stopping uti's. Make sure the brand of cranberry juice has a high concentration of cranberries. My sister used to make "fresh cranberry juice" by using a package of cranberries in a pot covered with water, simmering until the berries had released the juice and then adding a can of frozen apple juice, without added sugar,[edit: strain and pour in pitcher] voila cranberry juice without preservatives and extra sugar.

http://www.healingtherapies.info/D-Mannose.htm

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/cranberry-juice-and-uti.html

Finally, I was prone to uti's when I was little. The doctor determined that my urethra was "too narrow". It was widened in surgery. I don't remember getting many uti's after the surgery. You might take your little girl to a urologist for an evaluation.


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