Effect On Urinary Tract Infections
In the 2002 issue of Reviews in Urology, Kristene E. Whitmore, M.D., suggests that the presence of mucopolysaccharides in aloe vera might be beneficial for treating interstitial cystitis, a condition in which the patient suffers from pain in the pelvic region that includes, but is not limited to, urinary tract infections (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1476005/ ‘inline-reference::Reviews in Urology Complementary and Alternative Therapies as Treatment Approaches for Interstitial Cystitis Kristene E. Whitmore, M.D.include:
- In the 2002 issue of Reviews in Urology, Kristene E
Whitmore M.D. suggests that the presence of mucopolysaccharides in aloe vera might be beneficial for treating interstitial cystitis a condition in which the patient suffers from pain in the pelvic region that includes but is not limited to * urinary tract infections 2. Whitmore, however, does not suggest that aloe vera is beneficial specifically for treating urinary tract infections. Further testing is necessary before any real benefit can be confirmed.
- Whitmore, however, does not suggest that aloe vera is beneficial specifically for treating urinary tract infections.
Herbal Remedies For An Overactive Bladder
Bladderwrack: This is a form of seaweed rich in iodine. Although commonly used to treat an underactive thyroid, it can also be beneficial for treating an overactive bladder.
Gosha-jinki-gan: Studies have found this Japanese herb to be effective in reducing overactive bladder symptoms, particularly in men with an enlarged prostate. Horsetail: This herb has been found to aid in urinary leaks, bladder stones, and urinary tract infections.
Goldenseal root: This is considered a great treatment for urinary tract infections. You can drink it as a tea or take it orally as a supplement.
Uva ursi : The leaves of this plant have been found to help treat urinary tract infections.
Buchu: Dried leaves of buchu can be steeped in a tea to reduce bladder infections.
Hachi-mi-jio-gan: This Chinese herb has been found to relax bladder muscles to prevent spasms.
Cleavers: The leaves are usually brewed in a tea to help relieve urinary tract infections. Some patients have noted it can soothe an overactive bladder too.Cornsilk: These fine threads are packed with antioxidants and vitamins to help fight bladder infections and have recently been used to treat overactive bladder.
Ganoderma lucidum: This mushroom is common in Chinese medicine, and a Japanese study found it can prevent prostate enlargement to reduce the risk of overactive bladder in men.
Misconception #: Only Women Get It
More women than men are diagnosed with IC, but according to IC Help, the number of men with IC may be underestimated because they’ve been misdiagnosed with other conditions like chronic prostatitis or chronic pelvic pain syndrome. “IC can affect patients from all races, sex, and age,” says Linehan. “There is no discrimination.”
If you’re experiencing symptoms of interstitial cystitis, talk to a urogynecologist or urologist about treatment options. And remember, as bad as things are right now, they will get better, so don’t give up hope.
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Recommendation For Future Research
As BPS/IC is complex, for many patients, several treatments are necessary at the same time. This was presented at GIBS 2019 as the piano model. In this way, a combination of treatments is tailored to an individual patient depending on the symptoms, age, and patients characteristics. In the art of medicine, especially when dealing with BPS/IC patients, pressing the right key at the right time makes the difference.
Keywords:
Take Charge: Seek Your Doctors Advice
Approximately 80% of those affected by urinary incontinence can be cured or improved, yet only one in 12 people with incontinence issues seek help. Talk to your doctor about your bladder control as it can dramatically improve your lifestyle.
Your doctor can investigate and establish a cause for your overactive bladder. Treatment can then be tailored to this cause and may involve medications, bladder retraining, pelvic floor exercises, absorbent products, surgery, or combinations of these options.
Plus, consider joining the Drugs.com Overactive Bladder Support Group. Here, you can connect with people with similar questions and concerns, share your experiences, and keep up with the latest new drug approvals, ongoing research, and medical news.
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Nay On Horsetail Cranberries
Horsetail , an ancient plant that resembles a bristly tail when dried, may produce a mild diuretic effect. The goal of OAB treatment is control over random bladder spasms, not increased urine flow. The diuretic effect and lack of studies mean you should cross horsetail off your list if youre looking for help for OAB.
The same is true for cranberries. The fruit is very acidic, which may aggravate the symptoms of OAB. Cranberries may change the way bacteria adheres to the bladder in a urinary tract infection, but bacteria isnt involved in involuntary contractions that cause OAB.
Dietary Changes And Fluid Management
One of the most straightforward methods in the treatment of OAB involves making dietary changes. This involves cutting out several known food irritants from the diet and limiting fluid intake.
Foods to avoid
Foods and drinks, which are known to cause or worsen the symptoms of OAB include:
As triggers from food vary from person to person, it can be helpful for people to keep a diary detailing food intake and bladder symptoms. A diary can help people work out which foods are causing the greatest problems.
Manage fluid intake
Drinking enough water is essential for health. Too little water can lead to concentrated urine, which can irritate the bladder lining, increasing urgency. Too many liquids may worsen frequency symptoms. Fluid intake before bed can contribute to urinating during the night.
A , published in Research and Reports in Urology, recommends limiting fluid intake to 6 to 8 glasses of water daily, and avoiding liquids for 2 to 3 hours before bedtime.
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Supplements For Adequate Nutrition
Developing a diet free of irritants can take some trial and error. During this time, its important to get the recommended amount of daily nutrients.
Be sure to talk with your doctor about your individual nutritional needs. They can help determine the appropriate supplements for you.
You may find it beneficial to supplement your diet with a daily multivitamin or nutrition drinks. Popular nutrition drinks include shakes, such as Boost or Ensure, and formulas, such as ProNourish.
Check in with your doctor before adding a supplement or nutrition drink to your regimen. Certain ingredients may interfere with your medications or otherwise negatively impact your overall health.
Swami Ramdev Shares Ayurvedic Remedies To Get Rid Of An Enlarged Prostate
According to Swami Ramdev, to treat enlarged prostate and prostate cancer, along with Yogasanas, one should also follow Ayurvedic remedies.
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Losing Weight May Help To Improve Your Bladder Control
Excess weight puts extra stress on your pelvic floor muscles and contributes to an overactive bladder and loss of bladder control. If you can lose even a small amount of weight, it will help with bladder control.
The best weight loss plans are always those that set realistic goals combined with healthy eating habits and physical activity. Fad diets, although often successful short-term, rarely achieve sustainable weight loss, because once you tire of the diet, you often revert to ingrained unhealthy eating habits.
Check out our Obesity and Weight Loss guide for more information.
Managing Symptoms Of Ic
Ultimately, management of IC is a highly individualized program. Many people benefit from a combination of medication, pelvic floor physical therapy, and using Aloe vera supplements to help keep pain at bay and improve their overall quality of life. It is beneficial to discuss with a doctor the use of supplements over medications to determine best fit.
References
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Benefits Of Supplements For Ic
Supplements can have many benefits for IC – they are far less expensive than prescription medication, often have fewer side effects, and can be purchased online or over-the-counter at stores. In general, supplements are not rigorously proven in clinical trials, and the claims on the bottles are not evaluated by any regulatory agency . We’ve included links below to some of the brands we typically recommend to our patients.
As with medication, there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach – everyone with IC is unique and responds differently. You may want to try several of the options below and see what works best for your body. Using a symptom log can help you evaluate if the supplement is showing a benefit for you. Finding the right supplement can have significant upside for you, and little downside. As we always say: if it works, keep it if not, discard it!
Several Tests Can Help Pinpoint The Cause Of Your Oab:
- Cystometry Checks the bladders capacity for storing urine, your ability to sense fullness, and helps detect detrusor overactivity
- Postvoid residual volume Measures the amount of urine left in your bladder after urination
- Urinalysis Tests the composition of your urine
Aloe Vera Gel is not sold on its taste as we all know but for its many benefits. Aloe Vera Gel is an excellent source of micronutrients and trace elements with an anti-inflammatory and pain-killing action and an ability to balance the immune system through its long chain sugar acemannan, giving the consumers an increased sense of wellbeing.
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Seek Help From A Qualified Physical Therapist
Talk to your doctor, who may refer you to a qualified physical therapist who specializes in pelvic floor therapy if you have any incontinence or pain that doesnt go away after giving birth. Embarking on proper rehabilitation soon after having your baby may help you avoid more serious gynecological problems later on.
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Determine Which Foods And Drinks Are Your Triggers
This is sometimes easier said than done, however, there are a few dietary offenders that should be eliminated to determine if they trigger your symptoms. These foods and drinks tend to be irritating due to their acidity, diuretic properties or inflammatory action on the bladder. Avoid the following foods and drinks for a period of three weeks to determine if there is improvement: alcohol, coffee, caffeinated tea, spicy foods, citrus fruit, cranberry juice, tomato products, artificial sweeteners, cured meats, MSG and carbonated drinks. This is not an all-inclusive list but a good start if you consume these regularly. Often when I have a look at a patients common dietary choices, I eliminate more foods or test for IgG mediated food sensitivities to look for other foods that may contribute to bladder inflammation.
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Smoking May Increase The Urge To Urinate
Smoking irritates the lining of the bladder, and also makes you cough, both of which are unhelpful if you have an overactive bladder.
It is a good decision for both general health reasons and overactive bladder reasons to stop smoking. Work with your health care provider to start a formal “Quit Smoking” program, which may involve smoking cessation medications and group support for the most successful outcome.
Learn more: Our Quit Smoking center also has some helpful advice.
Medications For Diabetes Interacts With Aloe
Aloe gel might decrease blood sugar. Diabetes medications are also used to lower blood sugar. Taking aloe gel along with diabetes medications might cause your blood sugar to go too low. Monitor your blood sugar closely. The dose of your diabetes medication might need to be changed.Some medications used for diabetes include glimepiride , glyburide , insulin, pioglitazone , rosiglitazone , chlorpropamide , glipizide , tolbutamide , and others.
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Misconception #: Doing Kegels Will Help
Soon after my symptoms began, I went to a physical therapist, who taught me to do kegels when I felt like I had to pee so that the urge would subside. A psychotherapist told me to do the same. But not only do kegels not help with IC they can actually aggravate it. “Kegels are definitely not always the best advice and can often cause more issues,” says Florio. “Since tight pelvic muscles are often also associated with IC, using a tightening therapy like Kegels could contribute to the issue making IC worse.”
Ways To Ease Bladder Irritation And Interstitial Cystitis
Do you experience frequent trips to the bathroom and ongoing urinary bladder pain or constant sensation of pressure in the bladder? Of course the first thought might be that these symptoms are due to a urinary bladder infection. In many cases however, urinary testing reveals no infection is present yet these uncomfortable symptoms persist!
In this case, the likely cause of the ongoing discomfort is Interstitial Cystits.
Interstitial cystitis is irritation and inflammation of the bladder without an infection present. Often there are inflammatory changes present in the bladder in the form of small ulcers, sometimes however these cannot be seen. Naturopathic medicine has many options for treatment of interstitial cystitis and often a combination of dietary elimination and supplementation helps to improve and resolve the majority of cases.
Here are 3 approaches that work in my practice:
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Misconception #: If You Have Ic You Will Be In Pain Forever
There isn’t a cure for IC, but many people with it go into remission, or at least manage their symptoms and have normal lives. There are a number of medications and procedures used to treat it, as well as diet and lifestyle changes, OB/GYN Barry Jarnagin, MD tells Bustle. Because different cases present differently, there’s often a bit of trial and error before the symptoms become manageable, says Linehan. So, don’t give up just because your first attempt at treatment hasn’t worked.
Determine If Your Supplements Are Your Triggers
Health supplements you are taking to keep you healthy may actually be irritating your bladder! This can be especially true for health products that contain B vitamins, Vitamin C, certain herbal preparations including cranberry pills or health products with many fillers or artificial colours. I typically ask my patients to stop most supplements for a period of 3 weeks. Once bladder symptoms resolve, we re-introduce one at a time every few days.
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Aloe Vera & Kidney Disease
Fact Checked
Although aloe has been used since ancient Egyptian times to treat skin problems and constipation, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has removed laxatives containing aloe from the market due to safety concerns. Aloe may interact with some medicines you are taking and may worsen certain conditions that you may have, such as kidney disease, says the National Institutes of Health or NIH. As with any supplement, consult with your doctor before taking aloe medicinally.
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Aloe Vera For The Bladder
Unfortunately, IC remains a fairly understudied condition and therefore we dont really have many papers looking at aloe vera for IC specifically.
However, from what we know about aloe we can come to theoretical conclusions about its potential usefulness for the bladder:
One of the characteristics of interstitial cystitis is red and inflamed bladder tissue. Aloe vera may be supportive for the tissue because of its skin-protective and wound-healing activities .
Another characteristic of IC can be a disrupted GAG-layer. Mucus-like polysaccharides, like those found in aloe vera, may act as a temporary protective layer .
Aloe vera is thought to have anti-inflammatory properties , so again this could help support the bladder tissue.
We now also know that underlying causes of IC could be microbial imbalances or hidden infections. Again, aloe vera could be useful here because of its antimicrobial properties , its mannose content and also fermentable fibre content . For example, aloe has been shown to be effective for IBS , which is also a syndrome with microbial imbalances as a possible root cause.
Unfortunately, this is mostly theoretical. Here is what we have in terms of actual scientific papers:
So we do have a foundation for the use of aloe vera for IC, but the outcomes may be individual .
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Uses Of Aloe Vera For Urinary Tract Infections