Do Cranberries Help Prevent UTIs?
 | | Image Courtesy of www.uscranberries.com |
Old wives tales and household remedies often tout the ability for common elements or techniques to cure or prevent certain illnesses.Some prove to be reliable and others are far from it. Let's take a closer look at this one: drinking cranberry juice to prevent a urinary tract infection (UTI).
A UTI is a common infection that is caused by bacteria in parts of the urinary tract, such as the kidneys, bladder or urethra. There are different ways for the bacteria to enter a woman's urinary track and cause a UTI. Some of them include:
- Wiping from back to front after a bowel movement
- Having sexual intercourse
- Waiting too long to urinate
- Using a diaphragm for birth control or spermicides during intercourse
- A kidney stone
- Having diabetes
- Having had a catheter in place
- Loss of estrogen and changes in the vagina after menopause
When bacteria enter the bladder through the urethra, they are able to stick to the wall of the bladder. Scientific studies have revealed that cranberries contain a class of compounds known as proanthocyanidins. These proanthocyanidins bind to the bacteria, preventing them from sticking to the bladder wall. This allows the natural flow of urine to flush the bacteria out before an infection can start.
To learn more about the benefit of cranberries and other tips for preventing UTIs, continue reading this article on our Living Well blog.
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Clinical Visit Summary Now Available on our Secure Patient Portal
If you are registered on our secure patient portal, you will now receive a summary of your appointment following each visit to our office. This document, called a clinical visit summary, will be sent as a secure message. At this time, the clinical visit summary will include the following information:
- Updates that were made to your list of medications
- Your most recent vital signs
- The services that were provided during your visit
- Tests that were ordered during your visit
- Your upcoming scheduled appointments
Please note: Any lab or test results will continue to be communicated in a separate secure message once we have received the results.
The clinical visit summary is a document that you can keep for your personal records. You can download, save and print the summary as needed and you may wish to share it with your other health care providers outside of Virginia Women's Center.
The clinical visit summary is one more way that we hope to strengthen the communication between our patients and their health care providers. We hope that this new feature will be informative and convenient for you as you interact with your VWC care team and that it will keep you engaged in your health care. In addition to receiving a clinical visit summary, you can use our secure patient portal on www.VirginiaWomensCenter.com to:
- Communicate via secure message with your VWC care team or our billing team
- Get prompt notification of your lab and test results
- Schedule an appointment
- Request a prescription refill
- Update, view, download and print your medical summary
If you have not yet registered on our secure patient portal, you can do so at anytime at www.VirginiaWomensCenter.com. To ensure your privacy and the security of your medical records, you will need a personal identification number (PIN) to access all of the portal features. If you verified your email address at a previous visit, simply call our office to request a PIN be distributed to you by email. Even without your PIN, you are able to register on the secure patient portal and request your next appointment.
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Boot Camp for New Dads
 Boot Camp for New Dads is a program, by men and for men, in which veterans (new fathers who bring their 2-12 month old babies) orient rookies (fathers-to-be) on the realities of fatherhood. During the three hour session that takes place on a Saturday morning, discussions will focus on caring for babies and new moms, balancing work life with fatherhood, financing a family, following conflicting advice and dealing with your mother-in-law.
On June 9, 2012, Boot Camp for New Dads will take place at Memorial Regional Medical Center in the Community Education Room. For more information, to see the class schedule or to register, visit the First Things First of Greater Richmond Web site.
The workshops emphasize the unique strengths and creativity that men have in caring for their children. When dads get involved in caring for their children in addition to moms, their children benefit greatly.
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2012 Best of Richmond
 | | Alice Hirata, M.D. |
Congratulations to Dr. Alice Hirata who was voted the Best Ob/Gyn in Richmond by the readers of Style Weekly. To learn more about this honor, read the article on Dr. Hirata's 21 years of practicing medicine in Richmond, which includes delivering more than 5,000 babies!
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