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More Serious than Many Realize
"Symptoms of a urinary tract infection can be tricky to recognize," saidRosemary Young, NP, Scientific Affairs Manager at Amerifit Brands. "Thoughfrequent urination and bladder pain are well-known symptoms, other indicatorswhich can be misleading include tiredness, nausea, back pain and fever, whichare often associated with other ailments."
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An untreated urinary tract infection may result in bacteria travelingthrough the body creating infections in the bladder and kidneys. The resultis 250,000 women developing kidney infections and 100,000 being hospitalizedfor treatment.(3)
To test for a urinary tract infection, Amerifit Brands came out with AZOTEST STRIPS(R) which offer the same test pads as the strips used by doctorsand take just two minutes to diagnose a urinary tract infection. In addition,AZO STANDARD Maximum Strength(R) is the No. 1 pharmacist recommended brand forover-the-counter urinary health. It contains the highest amount ofphenazopyridine permitted in a non-prescription product. This activeingredient is known to relieve painful UTI symptoms, such as burning andurgency in as little as 20 minutes.
"I love AZO STANDARD Maximum Strength because as soon as I feel a UTIcoming on, I use it right away to relieve the pain and it gets me throughuntil I can see a doctor," says consumer Pam Tournoux. "It is the best stuffever!"
However testing and taking something for the immediate pain is not enough.Though pain may subside, a doctor must treat the infection with an antibiotic.
Overcoming Shame
The main causes of urinary tract infections are sexual intercourse,medications that lower immunity, hormonal changes and exposure to dampclothes, like bathing suits.
Yet, many still feel embarrassed about going to the doctor.
"There tends to be a lot of self-blame with urinary tract infections,whether the female is a young girl or an older woman. However, the truth isthat these infections are very prevalent, particularly in the summer monthsand can be managed very successfully," said Dr. Lauri Romanzi, ClinicalAssociate Professor of Gynecology at Weil Corner Medical Center/New YorkPresbyterian Hospital in New York City.
To facilitate proactive urinary health, AZO recently came out with animproved version of AZO CRANBERRY(R), which includes the immune-boostingprobiotic Lactobacillus. This supplement can enhance protection of theurinary bladder wall, without the sugars and tart taste associated withcranberry juice. In fact, studies reported in Clinical Infectious Diseasesshowed a 50 percent drop in infections for sexually active adult women withrecurring UTIs when their cranberry intake increased.(4)
Education is Key
In order to educate women about treating urinary tract infections,Amerifit Brands encourages people to visit www.AZOproducts.com. The Web siteincludes information about urinary tract infections, including an interactivequiz and discusses over-the-counter tools that are currently available.
The AZO urinary tract product line, which includes AZO STANDARD MaximumStrength(R), AZO STANDARD(R), AZO CRANBERRY(R) and AZO TEST STRIPS(R) isavailable over-the-counter at food, drug and mass
