Misconceptions about infection causes.

The myths and folklore surrounding urinary tract infections needlessly can confuse those suffering from this common medical condition. "There are many misconceptions about how urinary tract infections arise, how they might be prevented and cured," notes Calvin M. Kunin, Pomerene Professor of Internal Medicine at Ohio State University, Columbus, and author of Urinary Tract Infections: Detection, Prevention, and Management. For example, there is a little evidence that poor personal hygiene is responsible or that cranberry juice can treat the condition.

Such infections, in which the urine and structures of the urinary tract become colonized with bacteria or other microbes, are especially common among women, Kunin indicates, and some females are much more susceptible than others. There is considerable speculation about the factors that predispose certain women to infection. "Some believe that cold feet, the weather, diet, personal hygiene, bathing, frequency or patterns of urination, failure to void after intercourse, or the direction of wiping after defection increase susceptibility to infection." There is weak or nonexistent clinical evidence to support most of these notions, he maintains.

There is evidence that sexual intercourse can be a factor in...