Hi I wonder if anyone can help? My friend (on my recommendation) has been on atkins for 10 days - she started off with no problems and she phoned me today with a problem. She thinks she might have a urine infection - but I'm not so sure...she has had some blood in her urine (she described it as *bits* floating in the pan), this obvously does not seem normal - and she is going to the dr to have her urine checked. I was wondering if anyone else had suffered in this way and if so what it turned out to be?

Many thanks for any suggestions.

Emma xx

Infections are caused by bacteria, not LC.....it's probably just coincidence that it hit right after she started LC.....unless she's not eating enough and has put herself into starvation.....THAT can decrease you resistance to bacteria.....but still won't cause an infection.

Thanks Cindy, I hope she gets her results soon, I have never had blood in my urine so I don't really know what to tell her.
xx

Oh so now I'm MAD I phoned my friend this morning after about 5 days of not speaking to her because we were both so busy - her DR told her to come off of atkins because it could be DAMAGING HER KIDNEYS!!!!!!!!!!! OMG.
What happened was...she had that blood test done, and it came back with a trace of ecoli (what the heck???????) anyway, he gave her some antibiotics to take - and within three days she was doubled over couldn't walk etc - so they took more blood, this time is came up with a big infection of the kidneys - so he changed her medication over and now she's getting better - but she said at one stage her urine was completely red where there was so much blood in it.
Anyway, I said to her this morning, did they actually check you for kidney stones or anything, but no, they just told her to come off of the diet as that was what was causing it.
I'm really mad.
Emma

I don't understand why the medical community is so against low carb dieting. I can understand why they are against the Induction phase of Atkins because that is really restrictive, but an on-going restriction in the number of carbs one eats can only be good for you.

Who needs all that sugar and starch in your diet? If you simply replace some of your high carb foods with lower carb choices, how can that be bad?

Any diet - when done to extreme - is bad for you. But when used with common sense and a real, working knowledge of OWL - how can Atkins be worse than what I was doing - having fast food for nearly every noon meal - eating only high calorie starch for supper - eating cake and pie more often than any normal person does???

However, on another note - I am blaming my hair thinning on l/c. But then again, I've been trying to keep my carbs at 30 and my calories at 1,200 for the last year. This may be too restrictive to be healthy, but even at this level, I may only lose a couple of pounds a month - and a couple of pounds is a "good" month.

The hair thing is really scaring me, but you would think - if it is being caused by my diet - my body should already be used to this level of eating and not "reacting" to it. I guess the hair loss could be coincidental - I am almost 56 and my family doesn't "keep" their hair. However, the hair thing is too coincidental to dismiss.

It hasn't deterred me, though. I am eating a little more since I decided to stay at this plateau - but I am still drastically restricting my carbs because they are the foods that are highest in calories. Besides, weighing 160 has to be better for my general health than weighing 230 - I know it's better for my mental health.

Try eating coconut oil for the hair loss. It works.

Diet does NOT cause infections!

Just like you can't get a cold from going out in the rain without your raincoat.....you can't get an infection from a diet!!!!! Well, not a bladder one anyway.

Doctors routinely say people have a "kidney" infection when they really mean "bladder" infection. THERE IS A BIG DIFFERENCE!!!!!!!!!!

Bladder infections from EColi are very common....it's the MOST common cause of bladder infections. It's from not cleaning properly after a bowel movement. Tell your friend to wipe front to back ONLY and get back on LC!

GRRRRRRRRRRRRR this is ONE thing that really ticks me off!

PS. bleeding is common with bladder infections, it's due to the irritation of the bladder wall. Kidney infections cause pain in the lower back....the kidney area and frequently chow no other symptoms.

Actually, and I'm sorry, but I have heard of this happening to other LC'ers - my neighbor is a doctor and isn't hateful of the lowcarb diet or anything, but said this can be a side effect of this diet in some people prone to it. I've also read information in magazines and online that back it up, so I wouldn't get angry about it, you can't change factual data, just be careful if you should show any symptoms like this - not everyone does, after all.

nope...sorry...but an infection is caused by bacteria entering the urinary system. Normally urine is sterile, but bacteria can be easily introduced by improper cleaning, sex, other irritants.

The ONLY way LC can be blamed is IF this woman went into starvation mode for several days....then her resistance would be lowered and she;d be more susceptable.

Otherwise, you can't get a UTI from the types of food you eat!

I'll repeat what others have stated here ... infections are caused by bacteria, not diet. However, a HIGHcarb diet can provide a sugar-rich environment in the urinary tract, which allows bacteria to thrive.

Some health professionals erroneously think that low-carb diets cause kidney disease (not infections though ) because of the fact that high protein intake can be stressful on kidneys that are already damaged from some previous disease, trauma or infection. There is absolutely no evidence that high protein intake will harm HEALTHY kidneys .. otherwise we'd be reading and hearing about a lot of athletes keeling over from kidney disease and needing dialysis before each race That being said, low-carb diets are not high-protein ... they're moderate-protein and high FAT.

Bladder infections are unfortunately common in women due to the shorter length of her urethra and more risk of external bacteria getting in. Wiping the area in the wrong direction after toileting, as well as vigorous sex with a partner who's less than meticulous about their own cleanliness are common causes. Also not drinking enough water, combined with not emptying the bladder when the call of nature strikes (many women have jobs that don't allow necessary breaks from their work-station).

If her pain was in the front lower abdomen, above the pubic bone, then it's a bladder infection. Bladder spasms can be excruciatingly severe , not to mention the burning when trying to empty.

The kidneys are located high up, above the waist ... pain from kidney problems radiates to the sides at the ribcage level .. the so-called flank region.


Doreen

i agree with you that low carb diet does not cause infections, it's just all those advocates against the diet talking... but kidney infection can cause bleeding. I had one when I was 6 and my urine was dark red, bloody color.

just my 5 cents

I don't do the Adkins but I do low carb at my own modification.
and your friend maybe she needs some Cranberry juice.
doesn't Adkins say not to have fruit? well, that is one of the problems I have with Adkins.
I got rid of most sugar and the refined carbs that turn into sugar, but still eat healthy fruit and veggies.
I am into whole wheat, whole grains, but limit myself on them.
so maybe your friend can modify her diet to where her body won't be in such harsh shock.

Emma,

I'm a little bit worried for your friend. When my father had blood in his urine, it turned out to be bladder cancer.

What worries me is that the doctor may have dismissed the problem too quickly as a result of her diet. Maybe it has to do with the diet, maybe not. I'm just concerned that what might be a serious problem might have been explained away too quickly.

Just thought I'd mention it.

No, Atkins does not say that. Maybe you should read the book.

UTI's can also be caused by a jaunt in a whirlpool. Apparently the swirling water can force bacteria up there too.