Urethritis is an inflammation of the urogenital tube called the urethra. This inflammation is usually caused by some kind of infection that occurs. Usually, when there is some kind of infection in the genital region, the pall of suspicion usually falls upon sexually transmitted disease but in the case of urethritis, this doesn’t necessarily have to be the reason. Infections of the urethra can come from swimming in polluted waters, public areas, bad hygiene, and also introduction from fecal residue. The last item in the list is something that women have to really be careful about. Women are generally more susceptible to urinary tract infections because their urethra is shorter than men’s. This means that bacteria have a shorter distance to travel and there is a reduced risk of being flushed out by the force of urine. Urethritis is a disease that is not considered very risky because it can be easily treated with antibiotics and antifungal medications.
One would imagine that the urinary system, being an excretory system, is one that is filled with bacteria but nothing could be further from the truth. Urine is actually sterile and is only populated by bacteria in the external environment. One of the other mechanisms that ensure that bacteria don’t get a foothold in the urinary system is the natural act of urination. The epithelial lining of the urethra contains a substance that prevents bacteria from adhering to it. This means that any bacteria that could possibly find their way in are pushed out with the force of urine. The typical signs of urethritis include colored discharge from the urinary opening. Since men tend of urinate and ejaculate from the same area, just the discharge is not adequate to diagnose the condition. Further testing is done by inserting a cotton swab into the urinary opening of the penis and taking a sample of discharge.
Curing the condition requires the use of medications like clotrimazole, antifungals that also work on protozoan infections. From a home remedies perspective, the standard therapy has to be followed up with the use of tea tree oil applied around the urinary opening and copious amounts of cranberry juice drunk often. Cranberry juice contains a substance that is similar to the anti-adhesive that is naturally created to prevent bacteria from moving up the urinary tract. It is also a good idea to increase the amount of garlic in the diet because of its strong antibiotic and antifungal properties.