UTIs

Here’s an excerpt from Chapter 5, Urinary Tract Infections: Myths, Truths, and Cures

OK, moms and dads, it’s pop quiz time! The best way to prevent urinary tract infections (UTIs) in a young girl is to make sure she:
A. Always wipes from front to back.
B. Takes showers instead of a baths.
C. Avoids drinking soda.
D. A and B.
E. None of the above.

I won’t keep you in suspense. The answer is E. But if you didn’t guess correctly, don’t sweat it. When it comes to UTIs, there’s no shortage of mythology floating around the Internet, moms’ clubs, even pediatricians’ offices.

Let me add one more misconception: Little girls don’t get UTIs. In fact, 5 to 7 percent of girls age three to ten have had a UTI, and the recurrence rate is high. Some of my patients have been referred to me after getting infection after infection, sometimes ten or twelve in a year!

Chapter 5 covers the following topics:
•The real reasons kids get UTIs
•The poop-UTI connection
•Staying clean, dry and infection-free
•Common myths about UTIs