This week, the lovely husband and I have been involved with our first ever case of keeping up with the Jones's. Aside from the week where Jasper had an unauthorised rampage round the neighbourhood, settling into our new home had so far been largely uneventful. That is, until the estate-wide Christmas lights competition began in earnest.

The first family to wrap their palm tree in fairy-lights and hang a wreath on their door inspired an unprecedented flurry of activity that has culminated in our little corner of the rock looking like Las Vegas. Coming home in the dark used to be depressing but now we are welcomed by rows of angels, leaping reindeer, candy canes and a gigantic inflatable Santa. This is of course brilliant, but we have just realised that unless we take part too – we're going to be the party poopers on the block, and we can't have that …

Therefore, both Belco and Masters will be pleased to know that along with half of Bermuda, I have now purchased 10,000 fairy-lights and a variety of other Christmas paraphernalia. Only this year am I fully grasping that covering every inch of your house and garden in Christmas lights is in fact a national pastime.

So as the fairy-light activity hots up island-wide, so does the party season. But along with the parties come the hangovers, weight gain and other holiday maladies that can dampen your Christmas spirit. This means that the next few weeks will be dedicated to helping you stay healthy all the way through Christmas.

Question of the week:

I keep getting cystitis – is there anything I can take to help prevent it? – TT, Warwick

Cystitis is especially common at this time of year as people get tired, drink more alcohol and eat more sugar throughout the Christmas period. Fortunately, there are several things you can do to help prevent it.

Cystitis is a bacterial infection of the urinary tract that makes peeing burn a bit at best, and at worst, makes it absolutely agonising. Think hot knives!!

One of the problems is that to cure it, you need to drink plenty of fluids, but as this increases urinary flow, many people are afraid to drink. There are some excellent medications that can help, but unfortunately, cystitis is a recurring drama for many people. This is a classic example of where modern medicine can sometimes fail us, because in an effort to get rid of the symptoms in the short-term, the root causes of an infection or illness are often not addressed. This means the problem can come back, or manifest itself in another form.

So let's look at cystitis in more detail. It is a bacterial infection, but there are several factors that can trigger it or make it worse. Below are the triggers, some dietary steps you can take to address/prevent cystitis and some suggestions for supplements.

TRIGGERS

1. Dehydration: This means a lack of water, not just a lack of fluids. Sugary, artificially sweetened and caffeinated drinks can all irritate the urinary tract. Dehydration itself also irritates the urinary tract as the lack of urinary flow prevents bad bacteria being washed out. Each person needs to drink approximately 1.5 litres of water daily and an extra cup of water for every caffeinated or alcoholic drink.

2. Low levels of friendly bacteria: Friendly bacteria in your digestive tract are responsible for 60percent of your immune system. They are also present in the vagina. A low level can mean vulnerability to any infection. Although antibiotics are sometimes given for bad cases of cystitis, they also deplete friendly bacteria and so can trigger recurrences in the longer term. Therefore, it's important to follow a course of antibiotics with a course of probiotics (friendly bacteria) – more on this in the supplements section! Please also bear in mind that the birth control pill, sugar, stress, alcohol and yeast are also known to deplete levels of friendly bacteria.

3. Excess alcohol: As well as causing dehydration and depleting friendly bacteria, excess alcohol can irritate the urinary tract.

4. High sugar intake: Sugar depletes friendly bacteria and increases unfriendly bacteria in the digestive tract and vagina - both of which can irritate the urinary tract. Cookies, candy, cakes, pastries, concentrated fruit juice, sodas and fruit punch are all obvious forms of sugar. Be careful for hidden sugars too, in sauces, soups and flavoured yoghurts. Anything that has 10g of "sugars" or more, per serving, is high in sugar.

5. High sexual activity: Lots of sex can aggravate cystitis, especially in the absence of lubrication (natural or otherwise!) Sexual contact can also put you at risk from infection, especially if you are not using condoms.

6. Structural abnormality: Structural abnormality of the urinary tract can prevent free-flow of urine and cause irritation. Your doctor will be able to tell you if this may be a concern for you.

Dietary steps for preventing and addressing cystitis:

• Drink LOTS of water! Filtered, mineral, spring or clean tank water. Aim for 1.5 litres daily and have an extra cup for any caffeinated or alcoholic drink.

• Eat plain, natural, live or "active" yoghurt as this contains friendly bacteria. You can add a little fresh fruit for sweetness.

• Replace tea/coffee with decaf herbal teas.

l Avoid alcohol totally if you have cystitis, until a week after you have got rid of the infection. Afterwards if/when you do drink, avoid sugary mixers and make sure you fully rehydrate afterwards. As a preventive measure, don't exceed 7 alcoholic drinks a week and don't have these all at once!

• Avoid all forms of refined sugar – sugar itself, cookies, candy, cakes, sodas, dried fruit etc. Snack on raw veg with salsa, hummus or cottage cheese instead. Try wholewheat toast with almond butter (Marketplace, Lindos, Harrington Hundreds, Down to Earth). Fresh fruit, nuts, sunflower and pumpkin seeds are also good options.

• Replace refined carbohydrates (white rice, white bread, mashed potato, most breakfast cereals) with complex carbs (brown rice & bread, sweet potatoes, wholegrain cereals.) Sugar and refined carbs promote the growth of unfriendly bacteria.

•If you currently have cystitis, try cranberry juice – so long as it's just real cranberry juice - no added sugar or artificial extracts (which are both irritants.) Cranberry extract has been shown to prevent bad bacteria adhering to the wall of the urinary tract. Blueberry juice is also supposed to be good! 8 fluid oz max daily though, and preferable diluted with water (still or sparkling) as it's still high in naturals sugars.

Beneficial supplements (please consult your GP before taking supplements):

1. A quality multi vitamin and mineral. Choose one with a good vitamin A content (soothes the mucous membrane of the urinary tract) so long as you are not pregnant, or planning on becoming pregnant – pregnant women should not exceed 750ug daily. Also choose one with a high antioxidant content as antioxidants boost immunity. Life Extension, Solgar, Twinlab and Natrol are all good brands.

2. Friendly bacteria. Critical for replacing friendly bacteria. The Kyo-Dophillus brand is particularly good and has a dairy-free formulation. Once opened, keep in the fridge and do not take with hot food or drinks.

3. 1000mg vitamin C daily. Look for Ester-C as this is gentle on the stomach. This helps to boost the immune system and fight infection. As vitamin C thins the blood, consult your doctor before taking if you are on blood thinning meds.

4. Uva Ursi, Cranberry or Grapefruitseed extract (this tastes very bitter!). These are natural agents that help to prevent cystitis. Take at a different time of day to the friendly bacteria. Check with your doctor if you are already on any medication.

The advice given in this article is not intended to replace medical advice, but to complement it. Catherine Burns is a qualified Nutritional Therapist. Contact her at at 291-4725 or clinicalnutrition[AT]gmail.com