Most of us are vaguely aware that it's the urinary bladder that accounts for our trips to the bathroom, and if those trips become very frequent, our awareness moves from vague to acute. Just what is this organ that is so vital to our day-to-day well-being?

First of all, it is positioned on the pelvic floor. It's hollow, is made up of muscles, and is very elastic. Its purpose is to collect, hold, and expel urine, which flows from the kidneys. The action is called urination.

The body itself helps in the urination process by signaling the sphincter. However, urination doesn't normally happen until there is voluntary action–a deliberate effort to empty the bladder. It's when the muscles are not working properly that we begin to lose control and experience what is known as incontinence–that is, expelling of urine when we do not intend to do so. This is, of course, very embarrassing.

Even in a healthy person, if the bladder is 100% full, then the sphincter will expel the urine regardless. The urge to urinate usually kicks in when the bladder is about 75% full. If it gets too full, the sphincter's automatic action avoids real disaster–the bursting of the bladder. Most urinary bladders hold between 1½ cups to 2½ cups of fluid.

1. Cystitis is caused by cysts and is chronic. The most common symptoms are frequent urinary tract infections (UTIs).
2. Interstitial cystitis occurs when the bladder wall becomes inflamed and scars develop. Symptoms are muscle spasms, blood in the urine, urgency, increased frequency, and painful urination.
3. The bladder can actually rupture if it's overfilled. This rarely occurs except in the case of binge drinkers.

In the first place, it's important to keep the fluids flowing in the body in order to keep the urinary tract functioning as it's intended to function. The human body is 60% to 70% water. When that percentage begins to drop, the urinary tract suffers. So drinking a lot of water is essential. The healthy person makes water the primary fluid in the daily routine. The reason we become thirsty is that our bodies are telling us that we need fluid. Chronic insufficiency leads to the painful, life-limiting ailments listed above.

In an age when so many people drink everything under the sun except water–the Super Bowl ads lead one to suspect that carbonated drinks and beer fuel the nation– the wise person who cares about his or her bladder will switch to water. The removal of sugar-laden soft-drink machines in our schools is a move in the right direction.

Secondly, vegetables and fruits are loaded with water and should make up the largest part of our daily diets. When they are cooked, the first thing lost is water content. The structured water in fruits and vegetables facilitates our biological processes and keeps our urinary tracts healthy.

How long does it take to see a difference? Judy Bowen, who lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, is 60 years old and has begun to experience frequent urination and some incontinence, and she is looking for remedies. Judy rarely drinks water. She survives on Cokes and Dr. Peppers. She also likes BLTs for lunch and steaks or hamburgers for dinner. A friend suggested that she change her eating and drinking habits and start drinking at least eight glasses of water a day instead of sugar-laden soft drinks. She also recommended a raw-food diet of primarily raw vegetables and fruits.

Judy thought, “What the heck? I might as well try it.” It was difficult at first to change lifetime habits, but she had regular reminders when she frequently had to stop everything and go to the bathroom. She also had a couple of embarrassing situations when her slacks revealed her incontinence. So she gradually switched to the eight-glasses-a-day water regimen and began to realize how good water actually tastes! She also began to eat more and more raw foods. She was also surprised at how satisfied she felt. She rarely had a BLT attack. Within a few weeks, she noticed that she didn't have the urge to urinate so often. She also began to realize that she hadn't had an embarrassing incontinence episode in weeks.

The results will vary, of course, with different people. Even so, if you’re suffering from UTI symptoms, it's worth a try to add raw foods to your daily diet!

By TTS Cofounder Botanical Chef Omid Jaffari