What do you do when you get a UTI during an important trip?  We all know that urinary tract infections pick the worst time to strike…and our most recent Cystex PLUS You winner was lucky enough to have Cystex PLUS Urinary Pain Relief Tablets on hand when it did.

“I was recently on a business trip and got a bladder infection. Cystex PLUS Urinary Pain Relief Tablets allowed me to finish my trip and control the pain and discomfort until I was able to go home and see my doctor. I will always make sure I have Cystex tablets with me when traveling,”  said Debbie.

Debbie not only salvaged her trip,  but sharing her story won her a prize pack containing Cystex PLUS tablets, Cystex Cranberry Urinary Health Complex, and a large cranberry red Coach wristlet!

For your chance to win, visit the Cystex Facebook page (www.facebook.com/cystex) to tell us  how Cystex® PLUS Urinary Pain Relief Tablets and Cystex® Cranberry Urinary Health Complex have been or could be a PLUS in your life.

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The doctor is “IN” on the Cystex Facebook page (www.facebook.com/cystex). Enter your “burning” questions about urinary health in the sign-up form, and it could be selected to be featured and answered in an upcoming “Dr. Kavaler’s Korner” video series! If your question gets chosen for the videos, you’ll get a prize pack of Cystex PLUS Urinary Pain Relief Tablets,  Cystex Cranberry Urinary Health Complex, a $50 gift card, and a copy of Dr. Kavaler’s book, “A Seat on the Aisle, Please.” Only first name and location will be used to reference your questions in the video, if selected.   Elizabeth Kavaler, M.D. is a board-certified urologist, Clinical Assistant Professor of Urology, currently in private practice in New York City, and is here to share her expertise* on urinary health topics.

*Please note that Dr. Kavaler can only provide general health information related to urinary health, and cannot diagnose or prescribe treatment for individual conditions.

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A few weeks ago, we launched our Cystex PLUS You Sweepstakes on the Cystex Facebook page (www.facebook.com/Cystex), where we asked our fans to share their thoughts about how Cystex® PLUS Urinary Pain Relief Tablets or  Cystex® Cranberry Urinary Health Complex have been (or could be) a “PLUS” in their lives.  We’ve received hundreds of great stories, and want to share the story of our first winner, Ava.

“I have had a history of UTIs. One day while at the doctor’s office one of the nurses told me about Cystex Plus Urinary Pain Relief Tablets. She told me that she used it as soon as she had any sign of a UTI, and had great results in relieving the discomfort. I tried it and now I can’t live without it. I keep some in my purse, at my desk at work and at home. I never go anywhere without it.

I now also use the Cystex Cranberry Urinary Health Complex and haven’t had a UTI since I began using it. It tastes yummy and really works to help fight off UTIs. Cystex has calmed my fears regarding the pain and misery of a UTI.”

Thanks to Ava for sharing her story — she will be receiving a beautiful Coach wristlet in cranberry red, as well as Cystex product!  Share YOUR story for your chance to win — check out the Cystex PLUS You button on the Cystex Facebook page.

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Do you have a story to tell about how Cystex® PLUS Urinary Pain Relief Tablets or  Cystex® Cranberry Urinary Health Complex have helped you out? Or maybe you have a thought about either of those products could be  a “plus” in your life. On the Cystex Facebook page (www.facebook.com/Cystex), we want to hear all of your stories about how the tablets and/or the liquid have helped in the past or could potentially be helpful in the future, whether it’s the urinary pain relief tablets helping to keep you going by managing painful symptoms until you can make it to the doctor, or the Cranberry Complex liquid helping boost overall urinary health, we want to hear about it!

By telling us your story, you have the chance to be featured on the Cystex Facebook page, as our “story of the month,” and could also win yourself a designer cranberry red wristlet too! (photo)

Check out the Cystex PLUS You sweeps on our Facebook page today, and enter for your chance to win.

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OK, so we’re one month into 2012…is your New Year’s Resolution to exercise more still in effect?  If the answer is “Yes,” congratulations!

While exercise of course provides countless great benefits, and is  imperative to a healthy lifestyle, one unpleasant side effect can be a painful UTI (urinary tract infection). Dehydration, back injury, and/or sitting around in sweaty workout clothes all can potentially contribute to a UTI — whether or not you have ever suffered from a UTI in your life!

So here are a few tips to keep in mind to help avoid UTI’s during your routine workouts:

• Stay hydrated. This cannot be stressed enough. Drinking ample amounts of water can help flush out any infection-causing bacteria (important all the time, not just when working out).
• Make a change. Try to change out of your sweaty workout clothes (including your underwear) right after you’re done working out; a warm, damp environment is the perfect breeding ground for UTI-causing bacteria. If you can shower, too, even better!
• Stay cool. Wear loose, clean, cotton underwear under your spandex. Cotton material lets moisture escape, as opposed to other fabrics that can trap it in.
• Watch your back! Lower back injuries can inhibit urine flow, which can contribute to the development of UTIs. If you’re prone to lower back problems, look into a back belt or brace for your workout, or find some exercises that strengthen back muscles and incorporate them into your workout routine.

If you do find yourself with UTI symptoms, call a health professional for an appointment right away. In the meantime, Cystex PLUS Urinary Pain Relief Tablets can help ease the pain of UTI symptoms with its built-in analgesic, and inhibit the progression of the infection with its extra antibacterial agent – something other non-prescription UTI products don’t have — until you can get to see the doctor.

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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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