In the busy Holiday season, whether we are hosting/attending parties, out shopping for gifts, or making our rounds visiting friends and family, our normal routines go out the window.  However, in between the champagne sipping, gift wrapping and general merry-making, it’s important to remember the “simple” things — two key simple things in fact: staying hydrated, and making regular trips to the bathroom!   

 Dr. Elizabeth Kavaler, urologist and author, says in her book A Seat On The Aisle, Please! that “over 80% of you will experience a urinary tract infection at some point during your lifetime.”  So even if you’ve never had a UTI, getting your first one during the holidays would be especially unpleasant!  Since UTIs result from bacteria within the urinary tract, Kavaler suggests that drinking adequate amounts of water, and resisting the urge to “hold it” as you’re running from place to place can help you avoid that bacteria buildup which may lead to UTI. She advises that on average, four cups of fluid is enough to flush bacteria out of the bladder.

If you’re prone to UTIs, you may want to take an extra step at this time of year by using Cystex Liquid Cranberry Complex with Proantinox, a great-tasting, daily clinically proven to boost urinary health.  One tablespoon delivers the benefits of eight glasses of cranberry juice.   How’s that for simple?   Enjoy the holidays!

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As we prepare for Thanksgiving, we wanted to take some time to reflect on something we can all be thankful for…the cranberry!

Those of us who have dealt with recurrent UTIs know that cranberries aren’t just a delicious side dish…they have long played a role in helping to boost urinary health!  You may also know that it is the key component of Cystex Liquid Cranberry Complex with Proantinox.  Cystex Liquid Cranberry Complex is a lactose-, gluten-, and sugar-free synergistic combination of drug-free ingredients that delivers the benefits of 8 glasses of cranberry juice and contains 17 times more proanthocyanidins (naturally occurring compounds with high antioxidant properties) than cranberry tablets. 

So what is “Proantinox?”  It’s the Cystex Liquid Cranberry Complex formula that kicks up those cranberry benefits.  It includes natural cranberry concentrate to inhibit E. coli bacteria from adhering to the wall of the urinary tract; D-Mannose (the active component in cranberries), to help increase the bacterial anti-adherence effect (E.coli bacteria adhere instead to the D-Mannose and are expelled in the urine); Bromelain (from pinapples), a natural anti-inflammatory; Vitamin C, to help maintain adequate urine acidity, which creates a less welcoming environment for E.coli bacteria; and FOS (inulin), a prebiotic that stimulates the growth of bifidobacteria (healthy or “good” bacteria) in the colon to keep the “bad” bacteria in check.

And just for fun, here are some other cranberry facts!

• The majority of cranberries are harvested between September and October.
• Cranberries are almost 90% water.
• Native Americans and Pilgrims used cranberries as a red dye.
• The average number of cranberries used per can of sauce is 200.
• To keep cranberries at their best, do not wash them until just before using them.
• The cranberry is one of three fruits native to North America. The other two are the Concord grape and the blueberry.
• New England sailors once ate cranberries, a good source of vitamin C, to fight off scurvy.

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

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As we’ve learned from our Cystex Better Bladder Challenge participants, urinary problems, such as recurrent UTIs can seriously impact our quality of life. They can also be very troublesome and complicated, and require a lot of investigation and patience to get to the root of the problem and identify the right way to deal with it.

If a problem remains unresolved after several visits to your healthcare provider, it may be necessary to consult a specialist. But where to start? A good place to start your search is through a reputable professional organization, such as the American Urological Association, or, if you’re particularly interested in working with a female urologist, you can check out the Society of Women in Urology.  

We thought we’d share an interesting excerpt from New York Cityurologist Dr. Elizabeth Kavaler’s  book, A Seat on the Aisle, Please, in which she lists several essential questions to ask a specialist:

• How did he/she become a specialist?
• Did he/she spend three years in the lab doing research on animal bladders and now understands as much as anyone does about the physiology of the bladder? (very good)
• Did he/she spend a year studying with a preeminent expert in the field and is now performing the techniques that he/she learned during that year? (good)
• Did he/she spend four months as a resident with an attending physician who had a focused interest in the field? (may be good)
• Has he/she been in practice for 10 years, focusing his/her interests in one particular field? (very good)

 Dr. Kavaler recommends you then combine the information you gather from the answers to these questions with your intuition.

 “The first consideration, before you get to surgical skills and effective treatment options, is:  Does the physician have the interpersonal skills that suit your personality and needs?  You need a physician whom you can trust with the most intimate details of your life. You want the physician to respect you enough to listen and validate your complaints.  No matter how well a physician is trained, if he denies that your problem exists, he will not be able to help you.”

For more information about Cystex urinary health products, visit www.cystex.com or www.facebook.com/cystex.

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Three months ago, we gathered together a group of women of various ages from various parts of the U.S. They all had one thing in common:   they were self-identified “recurrent” UTI sufferers, meaning they suffer three or more urinary tract infections within a 12-month period. When asked to rate the discomfort they felt during UTIs (10 being worst/most painful), their average rating was 8. They also had a shared desire to make their bladders better.

So…What Happened?!
Eight fabulous women completed the Cystex® Better Bladder Challenge, a 12-week non-scientific trial during which they would use Cystex® Liquid Cranberry Complex with Proantinox® daily. At the conclusion, we asked if they felt they had a “Better Bladder.”  The result was a unanimous answer of “Yes.” Additionally, our participants indicated that in the 12 months prior to beginning the Challenge, they had paid an average of 4 visits to their doctors for UTI treatment. During the 12 weeks of the Challenge, the total number of doctors’ visits for treatment of UTIs reported by the participants was ZERO.

Urologist and author of the book A Seat on the Aisle, Please Dr. Elizabeth Kavaler, frequently references the quality of life impact that UTIs can have, and calls the Better Bladder Challenge feedback “impressive.”

“All of the patients report improvement after initiating use of Cystex® Liquid Cranberry Complex, and none reported an adverse reaction,” says Dr. Kavaler. “Although this is not a scientific study, there is no better substantiation than personal accounts of the impact!”

Some other key highlights:
o Average improvement in self-rating of bladder health from beginning to end of Challenge: 37%

o Number if participants who reported experiencing emotional distress due to UTIs before taking the Challenge: 7 out of 8 ; During the 12-week Challenge: 0

o Average improvement in self-rating of the level of UTI-related interference with normal activities with family, friends, etc.: 84%

o Percentage of participants who said they plan to continue using Cystex Liquid Cranberry Complex with Proantinox: 100%

To see additional information and discussion on Cystex® Liquid Cranberry Complex with Proantinox® please visit our Facebook page www.facebook.com/cystex.  For purchase information visit the Where-to-Buy section on the Cystex website.

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Don’t mess with Texas!  Temperatures have been hitting triple digits in our Better Bladder Challenge participant Kristi’s area…and for many UTI-prone people, summer is the UTI season!   See what she has to say about spending THIS summer with Cystex Liquid Cranberry Complex with Proantinox!

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Our resident health expert, urologist Elizabeth Kavaler, M.D., mentioned in one of her guest blog posts that UTIs are more than a health problem…they can seriously affect quality of life!  As we’re heading into the last few weeks of the Cystex Better Bladder Challenge, several of our participants are confirming that sentiment. As their ninth week taking Cystex Liquid Cranberry Complex with Proantinox concluded, everyone who checked in rated their bladder health a “9″ or a “10″ (on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the best), and gave the same ”9″ or “10″ score when asked to rate their quality of life. Here are some of their personal statements:

“I enjoyed a wonderful vacation with no UTI symptoms and no worries about my bladder health at all. It was great.” — Emma, Minnesota

“I no longer live in fear of the next UTI hitting at the worst time.” Brandy, Missouri

“VERY happy…I haven’t done this well in years…” Ann, New Mexico

“I feel very positive…I recommended it to a lady this week!”  Tracey, Tennessee

Only three more weeks left!  Stay tuned for our next updates, and to see where everyone nets out when the Challenge is completed.

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One of our Cystex Better Bladder Challenge participants, Tracy, wanted to boost her bladder health, but dislikes cranberry juice. So when she heard that she could replace eight glasses of cranberry juice with one tablespoon of Cystex Liquid Cranberry Complex with Proantinox, she was eager to give it a shot. Hear what she has to say after 6 weeks!

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Emma, one of our Cystex Better Bladder Challenge participants, checked in with us to talk about her experience with Cystex Liquid Cranberry Complex with Proantinox.  See what she had to say!

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“I am starting to remember life before recurrent UTIs and I love it!”  

Those were the words of one of our Cystex Better Bladder Challenge participants as she finished Week 6 of the program.  So what else is happening with our Better Bladder Challenge participants as they’ve hit the halfway point of the 12-week Challenge?  The better question is what ISN’T happening…UTIs!    

After Week 6, none of our participants reported in any urinary tract infection symptoms. And as temperatures soared sky-high in much of the U.S., several pointed out that while hot weather is a common UTI trigger for them, they have remained symptom-free while taking daily servings of Cystex Liquid Cranberry Complex with Proantinox.  

“I am amazed that as hot as it is in Texas right now, that I have not had one UTI or problem this summer so far…” – Kristi, Texas

 “I have been on vacation this week and have been in 95-degree and higher temps and have had no symptoms like I usually have when it is very hot!” — Tracey, Tennessee

When asked to rate their bladder health on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the highest), 5 of our participants gave themselves “Perfect 10s.”  Check in next week to get the latest from the Better Bladder Challenge!

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Cindi, one of our Cystex Better Bladder Challenge participants, talks to us about her first month’s experience with Cystex Liquid Cranberry Complex with Proantinox.  Hear what she has to say!

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