Cranberries

remedies. we get born and raised into cultures where remedies for various illnesses are given as givens. not as cultural conclusions but universal scientific facts down to the nuclear reactions of this and that. Like feed a cold starve a fever. Have a sore throat or cold? No dairy products for you. In Cuzco, if we had sore throats they told us we had to wear scarves to protect our sensitive throats. Or, in the States, if you have diarrhea your diet should be BRAT (banana, rice, applesauce, toast). In Argentina BRAT changes by taking out the applesauce and adding rice and cheese. CHEESE?!?! In the American perspective if you have diarrhea, you definitely do. not. eat. cheese.

So imagine. You are in Argentina, you get a urinary tract infection. Which I didn't, this isn't the point of the story, but rather the example that made me ponder in the first place.

So, back to it. You are in Argentina. you've got a urinary tract infection. UTI. What do you do?

Cranberry juice. Cranberry juice. Cranberry juice.


We have all had the powers of the cranberry juice drilled into our brains as the magical cure (although I never found it has magical as proclaimed) for UTIs.

But what about the rest of the world, like Argentina, that doesn't have cranberries? There isn't even a word for cranberries really. Frutos de Bosque? ehh.. I can say blueberry, I can say blackberry, but cranberry? nope nope. SO What do they do? How is the rest of the world managing to survive their UTIs without the powerful cure that is cranberries!??


they take antibiotics. and I guess it's working out just fine. When I get a UTI, and I don't have my beloved cranberry juice, but instead have to result to actual medication, I'll let you know how the two size up and who's really got the magical remedy.