Blood in urine, also known as haematuria, is an indication of an underlying problem with your kidneys or urinary tract. In gross haematuria, blood is visible in the urine, whereas in microscopic haematuria, it is detected only under the microscope and is not visible to the naked eye. You are likely to get haematuria if you have any of the following conditions:
- A family history of renal disease
- History of kidney stones
- Enlarged prostate in men
- Taking certain medications like blood thinners, aspirin or other pain-relieving medicines or antibiotics
There may be a number of causes of blood in urine such as strenuous activity, menstruation in females, injury, viral infection, sexual activity or urinary tract infection. Some serious health problems that can cause you to have blood in urine are:
- Polycystic kidney disease
- Sickle cell disease
- Kidney or bladder cancer
- Clotting disorder of the blood
- Swelling or irritation in the kidneys, prostate in men or any part of the urinary tract
Blood in the urine may give the urine a maroon, pink, red or dark smoky colour. Certain food colours also cause red-coloured urine. Hence, your doctor will get the urine sample tested to confirm for the presence of blood. Treatment will depend upon the cause of blood in urine, e.g., antibiotics are used for the treatment of urinary tract infection. Homeopathy can be used as an adjunctive therapy with conventional treatment to manage hematuria. Since your doctor has to wait for the culture result for conventional treatment, homeopathic treatment can be started meanwhile to reduce the symptoms. Homeopathic treatment initially acts by reducing the infection and then by improving general health. Homeopathic medicines like cantharis vesicatoria, nux vomica, and sarsaparilla officinalis work on urinary tract infections, lycopodium clavatum, pulsatilla pratensis, causticum and belladonna are useful in treating urinary calculi, and lycopodium clavatum and pulsatilla pratensis are effective in cases of enlarged prostate as well.
Medicines like aconitum napellus, apis mellifica, arnica montana, belladonna, berberis vulgaris, cannabis sativa, cantharis vesicatoria, carbolicum acidum, equisetum hyemale, erigeron canadense, lycopodium clavatum, phosphorus, sarsaparilla officinalis, senecio aureus, nux vomica and nitricum acidum are few of the medicines used for treating haematuria.
- Homeopathic medicines for blood in urine
- Dietary and lifestyle changes for blood in urine patient as per homeopathy
- How effective are homeopathic medicines and treatments for blood in urine
- Side effects and risks of homeopathic medicine and treatments for blood in urine
- Takeaway
Homeopathic medicines for blood in urine
- Aconitum Napellus
Common Name: Monkshood
Symptoms: Monkshood is mainly used to treat restlessness. Individuals with fever resulting from inflammation, burning sensation in internal organs, tingling and numbness, and influenza are treated with aconitum napellus. The symptoms indicating the use of this medicine show no periodicity, but cause only functional disturbances. Other symptoms that warrant treatment with aconitum napellus are:- Red, hot, scanty and painful urination
- Suppressed and bloody urine
- Retention of urine with restlessness
- Increased urination with perspiration and diarrhoea
Symptoms worsen in the evening and at night, from tobacco smoke, and with exposure to dry and cold winds, but improve in the open air.
- Apis Mellifica
Common Name: The Honey-Bee
Symptoms: The characteristic symptom like that of the sting of a bee indicates the use of apis mellifica. Other guiding symptoms include a red, rosy hue, swelling in various parts of the body, and intolerance to heat and the slightest touch. Apis Mellifica is given in for the treatment of the following symptoms:- A swollen, red tongue, face, nose and uvula
- Anus feels open, involuntary motion may be passed that could be bloody and painless.
- Stinging pain, burning and soreness on urinating
- Incontinence with scanty and dark-coloured urine
Heated rooms, touch, pressure, and lying on the right side aggravate the symptoms; whereas, bathing in cold water, leaving the body uncovered and staying in the open air reduces them.
- Arnica Montana
Common Name: Leopard’s bane
Symptoms: It is best advised in an acute condition such as a traumatic injury or strain, which has led to blood in the urine. Individuals who benefit from arnica also experience the following symptoms:- Bruising under the skin and bleeding
- Venous stasis (reduced blood flow in veins)
- Rheumatism mainly of the back and shoulder muscles
- Clot formation and accumulation of blood in body cavities due to injury
- Influenza
- Dark brick red–coloured urine, painful urination
Symptoms worsen on slight touch, rest, on having wine, in damp cold weather, and on moving about, but improve on lying down or keeping one's head in the head low position.
- Belladonna
Common Name: Deadly nightshade
Symptoms: Belladonna acts well on the nervous system; therefore, it is used effectively in treating convulsions, twitching, furious excitement and pain. Deadly nightshade is frequently associated with hot-red skin, flushed face, epileptic spasms and exophthalmic goitre. Other symptoms that indicate a need for this remedy are:- Bluish-red face with dilated pupils
- Bleeding from the nose
- Teeth grinding
- Constricted throat
- Dysenteric stools that are green in colour
- Acute urinary infection with retention
- Scanty urine but dark-turbid in colour with increased phosphate content
- Haematuria in the absence of pathology
- High fever
Symptoms worsen with touch and noise, in the afternoon and in the lying down position; while they improve by sitting in a semi-erect position.
- Berberis Vulgaris
Common Name: Barberry
Symptoms: This medicine acts strongly on the venous system and results in pelvic swelling. It is also used in gallstones, renal problems, to promote the flow of bile from the liver and to manage urinary disturbances in arthritis patients. Radiating pains are one of the major indications for this remedy. Those who benefit from berberis vulgaris also experience the following symptoms:- Inflammed kidneys with blood in urine
- Burning pain while urinating
- Urine is thick in consistency, brick red in colour
- Pain in the thighs and loin area after urinating
- Frequent urination
Symptoms worsen on standing and by moving about.
- Sarsaparilla Officinalis
Common Name: Smilax
Symptoms: It is commonly used in renal colic, bone pain due to sexually transmitted disease, urinary symptoms, boils and eczema. Those who can be treated with sarsaparilla also experience the following symptoms:- Depression caused by pain
- Metallic taste in the mouth with white tongue and lack of thirst
- Urine is scanty, bloody, flaky and sandy in appearance
- Increased pain at the end of urination
- A tender and distended bladder
- Urine is passed in a thin, feeble stream
These symptoms aggravate at night, before periods and after urinating. Yawning also worsens the symptoms.
- Nux Vomica
Common Name: Poison-nut
Symptoms: Individuals who benefit from nux vomica are thin, nervous, active and do a lot of mental work. Such individuals may also experience other symptoms like:- High irritability, inability to bear noises, light and odour
- Vertigo
- Headache with direct sunlight
- Constipation
- Frequent but scanty urination
Symptoms worsen after meals (especially with spicy food), with mental exertion, in dry and cold weather, but improve after taking a short nap and in damp and wet weather.
- Cantharis Vesicatoria
Common Name: Spanish fly
Symptoms: This medicine is known to be used for violent inflammations, delirium, perverted sexual behaviour and symptoms of hydrophobia (fear of water). It is also used in Irritation, inflammation of the lower bowel, haemorrhages and burning pain. Other symptoms that can be managed by this remedy are:- Frequent urge to urinate
- Gastric, abdominal and hepatic complaints that are aggravated after drinking coffee
- Sudden syncope
- Nephritis with bloody urine
- Urine is jelly-like and is passed drop by drop
The symptoms worsen on touch, urinating or drinking cold water or coffee.
- Lycopodium Clavatum
Common Name: Club moss
Symptoms: This remedy is commonly given for problems related to the gut and urinary tract. It is also effective against atony, malnutrition, and impaired liver function. Other symptoms experienced by those who benefit from this remedy are:- Craving for warm drinks
- Symptoms occur mostly on the right side from 4 to 8 p.m.
- Kidney problems with backache and presence of red particles in urine
- Fear of being alone, apprehension
- Dry, swollen, and cracked tongue with blisters
- Bloating
- Slow urine flow
- Back pain before urinating, which reduces after urination
- Sciatica, mostly on the right side
- Fever with chills between 3 and 4 p.m.
Symptoms are worse on the right side, in hot air, on the application of warmth; symptoms improve after midnight, on movement, on keeping the body uncovered, on getting cold or on having warm food or drink.
- Phosphorus
Common Name: Phosphorus
Symptoms: The conditions that are remedied by this medicine mostly affect slender, tall, narrow-chested individuals with increased nervous weakness. This medicine can be useful in symptoms such as inflammation of the mucous membranes (membranes lining the inner side of organs), nerves and spinal cord; paralysis; bone loss, metabolic disturbances; liver degeneration and haemorrhage. It can also be used for other symptoms such as:- Liver cirrhosis
- Scurvy
- Sudden fainting with sweating
- Haematuria like in Bright’s disease with turbid, brown urine with red sediment
- Hearing difficulty
- Foetid stools with flatus and increased weakness after passing stool
Symptoms worsen on having warm food, exertion, change in weather, in the evening, and on climbing stairs; they improve in the dark, on lying on the right side, in the open air, with cold water and with sleep.
- Equisetum Hyemale
Common Name: Scouring-rush
Symptoms: It mainly acts on the bladder and is a widely used remedy for involuntary urination and painful urination. Individuals who benefit from equisetum hyemale also experience:- Severe pain in the urinary tract, which is not relieved on urinating
- Frequent urination with increased pain at the end of urination
- Burning pain in the urethra while urinating
- Incontinence in children and old women
- Urine comes out in drops
Symptoms aggravate on lying on the right side or on sitting down, by moving about, with pressure or touch. Symptoms improve in the afternoon and while lying down.
- Erigeron Canadense
Common Name: Fleabane
Symptoms: This is the remedy of choice for treating haemorrhages of the bladder or the uterus with painful urination. Other symptoms that indicate a need for this remedy are:- Profuse bright red blood in urine
- Leucorrhoea with retention of urine
Symptoms worsen on lying on the left side.
Dietary and lifestyle changes for blood in urine patient as per homeopathy
Homeopathic medicines are used in minute doses. Therefore, any substance in the diet that has medicinal properties can potentially alter the effects of these medicines. Here are some lifestyle modifications advised by homeopathic physicians to prevent such interference with the treatment.
Do’s:
- Include moderate exercise in your daily routine.
- Take a nourishing and balanced diet.
- Living in unhygienic and damp marshy areas also results in unhealthy conditions, which obstruct the healing effect of homeopathic medicines.
- In acute cases, doctors advise gratifying the patient’s desires without giving any sort of diet that may hinder the efficacy of homeopathic medicines.
Don’ts:
- Beverages like coffee, herbal teas or beer and liquor with medicinal substances are best avoided.
- Excessive warmth and tight clothing must be avoided in warm weather.
- Over-exertion of the mind and excessive exciting emotions must be avoided.
How effective are homeopathic medicines and treatments for blood in urine
Kidney disorders are one of the most common health problems. The conventional treatment of kidney diseases is not easy and economical. This has lead to a shift of patients to complementary and alternative medicines (CAM). Homeopathic medicine is the biggest CAM with 50% of the Indian and UK population depending on it. There has been scientific evidence that shows the efficiency of homeopathic medicines in the treatment of haematuria.
For example, in a case study, antimonium crudum was given to a man for the treatment of bilateral kidney masses, after confirmation with a thorough investigation. After the treatment, the patient observed relief from pain in flanks, acute retention and blood in urine. The study concluded that homeopathy can be given effectively to treat malignancies such as renal cell carcinoma, where surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy are the only options On receiving individualised homeopathic treatment, the patient not only lives longer but with good quality of life that is devoid of hypertension, anaemia or weight loss.
Side effects and risks of homeopathic medicine and treatments for blood in urine
Homeopathic remedies are made from natural ingredients which are highly diluted before administration, so, they don't have any dangerous side effects. Adverse effects, if at all, are only transient aggravation of a few symptoms like headache, dizziness or diarrhoea. Homeopathic medicine is considered to be safe for babies, children and pregnant and lactating women. These remedies do not interfere with conventional medicine and are thus beneficial as a complementary treatment. However, it is best to consult a doctor before taking any homoepathic medicine.
Takeaway
Homeopathy is designed to treat a person as a whole, instead of just symptomatic management. Although homeopathy cannot replace all other forms of treatment, it can definitely be used as the first line of treatment in a variety of urinary conditions that produce blood in urine. Talk to a homeopathic doctor before taking any remedy.
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References
- American Kidney Fund. Blood in urine. Rockville, MD; [Internet]
- British Homeopathic Association. Urinary tract infections. London; [Internet]
- P Paul Sumithran. A case of multiple urinary calculi. Year : 2016 Volume : 10 Issue : 2 Page : 142-149
- William Boericke. Homoeopathic Materia Medica. Kessinger Publishing: Médi-T 1999, Volume 1
- Harvard Medical School. Blood in the Urine in Men. Cambridge, Massachusetts; [Internet]