* Take warm Epsom salt baths with a few drops of grapefruit seed oil or hydrogen peroxide in the water to prevent any bacteria from traveling to the bladder. This will relax muscles and ease the pain throughout the body.
* Use flexible magnets on the bladder. It is best to start with a low strength flexible magnet and keep it on for 15 minutes at a time. This can be alternated with the ice and DMSO.
* Drink plenty of pure water to flush the bladder of irritants and take corn silk herb as a diuretic and anti-inflammatory.
* Rest as much as possible and avoid tensing muscles. When in pain the tendency is to tense muscles in anticipation of the oncoming wave of pain, but that actually puts tensions on muscles and creates even more pain.
* Take deep breaths and be aware of your breathing. Shallow breathing is normal when in pain but deprives the body of needed oxygen to help resolve the pain.
* Find a diversion, such as a movie or TV to avoid focusing on the pain.
* Be especially aware of following the IC diet during the time of the flare to eliminate any possible food irritants.
* Follow up with an evaluation of what triggered the flare in the first place. Try keeping a journal of events and flares. It should become obvious, with time, what is a good activity for you and what is best to avoid. Keep in mind that even environmental toxins, such as mold in a room, can trigger bladder pain.
DISCLAIMER
Any and all information provided by Diana Brady, Natural Healing, LLC, its agents, employees, merchants, sponsors and third party content providers is for information purposes only. It is not intended to substitute for advice given by a physician, or other licensed health care professional. Always consult with your own health care provider. Information and statements regarding dietary supplements are based upon anecdotal evidence only and have not been evaluated by the food and drug administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or health condition. Reliance on any materials presented shall be at your sole risk.
REPRINTED COURTESY OF CYSTITIS OVERACTIVE BLADDER FOUNDATION - UNITED KINGDOM
Interstitial Cystitis can be difficult to manage on a good day however when IC symptoms flare it can be overwhelming. The pain may start very mildly in the bladder by something as innocuous as a bump or jolt to the pelvic region. However that simple “trigger” can begin a cascade of inflammation and pain that travels throughout the entire body. During this ever increasing painful, inflammatory cycle people often complain “even my skin hurts”. The pain may peak at about 4 to 6 hours after the triggering event but may take days, even weeks to resolve. Avoiding the triggers as much as possible is certainly advisable but not always possible. The real question is what to do when a flare occurs. Since it is hard to function when in intense pain, I recommend having an “IC emergency kit” ready and in a place easy to reach. Following are a few steps that will help manage the pain and other symptoms of an IC flare.
* Ensure that there is no bladder infection. PH paper is a good tool to use, inexpensive and reliable. A bacterial infection increases the ammonia in the urine and therefore increases the PH. Usually anything over 7.4 is considered indicative of a possible bladder infection.
* Take the natural pain killers that work best for you. Among the possible candidates are Minor Pain Comfort (hops), Chinese herb combination (Calm Down), Saventaro (cat’s claw), Essiac tea, 714X to name a few. Individual results will vary but there are many to choose from. It may be wise to keep one strong one, e.g. Minor Pain Comfort just for flares to retain its potency and guard against any possible allergic reaction to the herb.
* The standard treatment for IC bladder pain is always ice on the bladder and heat on the back. Treating both the bladder and lower back is advisable as pain is transmitted along the nerves and muscles from the bladder to the back and vice versa. However do not ever put heat on the bladder! This may cause or exacerbate an infection.
* Apply topical DMSO 70% rose cream to the bladder every few hours as needed. DMSO cream is an anti-inflammatory and anti-spasmodic agent. Ensure that you purchase a pure product from a trusted manufacturer as some DMSO has come under attack for impurities.