Letter: Better to prevent than to cure
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Your support makes all the difference.MAYBE Dr Tony Smith is happy to upset his gut with antibiotics on a regular basis (Second Opinion, 24 April), but I am not. Suffering from cystitis is a recurrent problem for many women. Recommending regular treatment with antibiotics as a cure-all without mentioning side-effects - in my case an upset stomach and a general feeling of lethargy and nausea - was misleading. Making disparaging comments about self-help measures which can help to prevent the attacks in the first place was irresponsible.
After many years of taking the kind of advice Dr Smith doles out, I have found the most effective way to manage the problem is by means of a few sensible precautions: a reasonable standard of hygiene, drinking plenty of water at the first sign of a 'twinge', and urinating after sex to wash out the urethra.
This kind of preventative management is surely more desirable than waiting for a painful attack and then bombarding your body with drugs. And cheaper.
Anne Green-Armytage
Dereham, Norfolk
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