Urinary Tract Infection and Mental Health – The Role of Dietotherapy and Traditional Chinese Medicine

The urinary system infection is a common health problem, mostly affecting women, due to the abnormal presence of microorganisms in the urinary system. This study aims to research and investigate the relationship between urinary infections and mental health, connecting conventional medicine with traditional Chinese medicine. Considering the human being as an integrated system, traditional Chinese medicine focuses on balancing the body’s vital energy, the Qì, and on harmonizing organic systems through different methods, such as diet therapy, herbal medicine and practices like tai chi and qigong. Diet therapy and physiotherapy are two of the approaches developed in this study, as they are topics that have created interest among the scientific community, especially the last one, due to the search for non-antibiotic treatments in urinary infections, because of their side effects. Despite conventional medicine prioritizing its attentions to microbiological and anatomical aspects and the scientific validation of their concepts, the World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”. This definition is based on the concept of TCM, which considers mind and body independent from each other in the origin of pathologies. From the research made in this study, we found that although most studies relate urinary disorders to the presence of bacteria and congenital deficiencies, there are many cases of cystitis of unknown etiology. A possible relation with stress, anxiety and depression leads us to believe that there is a bidirectional relationship between urinary infections and mental health. The methodology used is based on a literature review, on scientific databases and on classical Chinese texts, such as Nei Jing and Nan Jing. The results of the studies researched indicate a positive correlation between urinary symptoms, depression, anxiety and trauma, negatively influencing patients’ life quality. The evidence obtained from the studies highlights the importance of individualized and integrated approaches in the urinary disorders treatment, incorporating both medical care and psychological support.