As part of the IC bladder pain syndrome fibromyalgia(FM) is a common(along with vulvodynia, chronic prostatitis, IBS, GERD) It’s estimated that 25% of people with IC have complicating FM but that percentage is probably much higher than the estimate because many with IC have some symptoms of FM but don’t meet the strict criteria for diagnosis Nonetheless the associated symptoms of FM make the IC syndrome difficult to manage
More women than men are affected and the symptoms may be unilateral(on just one side)….usually more on the right side due to the competitive nature of the person affected The symptoms are muscular in origin and don’t come from the joint itself but from muscles around the joint called the periarticular muscles It was called muscular rheumatism because of the confusion with the joint disease label of rheumatoid arthritis which is a true joint autoimmune disorder
The sed rate as a measure of inflammation is normal Symptoms are triggered by cold damp weather; worse in the evening and at sunrise and sunset mimicing rheumatoid arthritis
When there is poor posture people are prone to sprains in ligaments and tendons There is generally poor muscle tone due to lack of exercise due to pain It’s associated with the overweight condition and sciatica is common although it’s not a condition dependent on diagnosis
Frozen shoulder or tennis elbow are common presenting symptom complexes as well as costochondritis from pendular breast tissue One has to think of the diagnosis even with isolated carpal tunnel syndrome
To make a diagnosis according to the American Rheumatology Association(ARA) there must be 16 of 18 trigger points involved This may not be the case often times and hence the above skewing of the percentage involvement Interestingly all the trigger points used by the ARA are marma points and associated with the colon, respiratory or water channels of the energy body There are other points described that are not necessarily trigger points but are called tender points such as the deltoid, biceps/triceps, and subscapularis
Not surprisingly FM arises like IC from the colon and the disseminated qualities of hot and mobile find defective energetic spaces in the muscle tissue layer of the body Due to the mobile quality there is a tendency for one trigger point to become affected, only for another area to become affected later This migratory symptom complex of FM makes it very characteristic among myalgias
Since the colon is the seat of emotions in the energy body mind is often involved and mental toxicity is the result This must be taken into consideration in management of individual patients There is often erratic digestion in FM cases consistent with the colonic origin and an IBS like picture may be the result
#1 Ginger Baking Soda bath….1/3cup of dry ginger and 1/3cup of baking soda in a warm tub of water Soak for 20minutes
#2 Marma or accupressure can be very effective but the touch should be light…using mahanaryan or nutmeg oil to points when doing therapy can be helpful
#3 Herbal formulas according to the individual can be supportive to healing
#4 Nutrition according to energy constitutional makeup(see foodsheal.com)
#5 Guided yoga asana practice to involve the marma points is generally good Exercise and pranayama are good to add to this asana regiment(deep breathing releases endorphins)
In probably 20% of cases of FM there is an autoimmune component These cases are harder to treat but the treatment protocol is basically the same but the herbal protocol will vary
All the best in your healing journey Dr Bill
From an energy science view painful IC flares and bladder pain are a result of inflammation in the urinary channel(UT) since too much of hot produces inflammation. Interesting isn’t it that the words burning and flare are used to describe what is physically going on? I wrote a while ago about the use of the antiinflammatory cocktail using pomegranite juice and aloe vera gel and several of you have contacted me to tell me how helpful this has been. So here’s another antiinflammatory drink! This time a tea made from cumin...
read moreThe sour taste provokes painful IC flares The problem is that acidity is hidden away in matter science dietary recommendations It’s also widely known that cultural diets that favor a more alkaline nature tend to promote within cultures greater longevity (eg Asian diets) Animal based protein diets which are high in acidity(fatty acids) demonstrate decreased longevity From an energy science perspective this is not about vegetarianism; it’s about what increasing amounts of acid loading does to person Not only does...
read more“Mildred, I’ve got some good news and bad news,” says Dr Jones “The good news is that you don’t have a urinary tract infection by your culture But the bad news is that I don’t know why you have these symptoms of frequency and burning” But then Mildred proceeds to tell Dr Jones that the antibiotic that he prescribed before the culture results were back actually made her feel better Now both are scratching their heads But in the end Mildred doesn’t care because her symptoms are...
read moreThe pain of IC occurs because of an imbalance somewhere in inner space From our previous blogs it’s apparent that from an energy science point of view dis-ease or imbalance in the mindbody occurs due to imbalance of qualities beginning in the GIT(gastrointestinal tract) This is particularly important for those who have associated conditions such as GERD, IBS, fibromyalgia, and chronic prostatitis So the key is correct the imbalance in order to get your life back before IC changed it and turned into a shambles The Precious...
read moreIC pain and the pain of IBS(irritable bowel syndrome) are interrelated on an energy level because gut problems begin the imbalance that leads to IC symptoms What happens in the gut in IC eventually leads to problems in the urinary tract To be aware of this is to begin the healing of painful IC flares Why? Because when you begin to understand the origins of your dis-ease then you can be empowered to take on the challenges to live the life you once had And we have seen that there are often psychological similarities between those with...
read moreInterstitial cystitis(IC) bladder pain with flares can be amplified by the routine use of nuts of any kind and this includes their butters!! Peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter Why? Unlike the matter science(MS) nutritional information that fatty acids are good and bad, the energy science(ES) of Ayurveda states that all nuts are inflammatory due to these molecular fatty acids regardless of the “good or bad nature of them” The reason for this is that the post digestive(small bowel) effect is heating therefore...
read moreInterstitial cystitis (IC) pain is often associated with other conditions such food allergies or sensitivities or GERD which we have written about in the past This is difficult to understand from a molecular approach to dis-ease since the model looks at the problem within an organ system without taking into consideration the interrelationship of all organ systems This is frustrating to physicians as well as patients seeking to understand the pain of IC and how to treat it And it sometimes leads a real difficulty for IC patients in...
read moreThose with IC know that acidity has something to do with their bladder pain and other symptoms either intuitively or reading what others have to say about IC and its causative factors This leads to a large number of dietary recommendations to eliminate the acidity from the diet and to reduce symptoms of pelvic pain You can go a long way toward resolution of your symptoms if you do fundamental changes in your nutritional format just by eliminating known trigger foods from your food choices But as I have written before what foods to avoid...
read moreThe pain of IC is related to pelvic inflammation particularlyof the bladder The flares that occur are related to the episodic increase in intensity of this inflammation So it stands to reason that the treatment for such a chronic disease would be antiinflammatory(AIF) This is not rocket science, folks! And there is a wide host of naturally occurring AIF For example, tumeric is commonly used in cooking and is a well understood AIF which when used with black pepper is potentiated even further in terms of its AIF effect Now the well...
read moreAs you know the pelvic pain from IC can be so severe that it precludes having normal sexual activity In a survey done through the ICA organization 90% of IC patients report problems with intimacy And the majority of women(50-85%) have associated vulvodynia or pain specifically related to the vagina The fear of bringing on the pain and a flare can lead to avoidance and resulting isolation Some have reported breaking into a cold sweat due to anxiety just with foreplay And this can obviously put a severe strain on a marital relationship...
read more
By definition IC is diagnosable by having symptoms of a UTI but a negative culture, best done on a well done cath specimen If the culture is negative with lower tract irritative symptoms(LTIS of frequency, urgency, burning on urination) and no gross hematuria(blood seen in the urine), one is fairly safe in assuming IC, especially if this happens over and over again Other urological workup can be done but this definition essentially seals the deal
If there are associated symptoms of IBS, GERD, fibromyalgia, vulvodynia in women, prostatitis in men, this increases the likelihood that one is dealing with IC bladder pain syndrome This particular group of disease labels often accompany interstitial cystitis This is particularly the case for IBS since almost all women and men who have IC have disturbed bowel function(poor digestion, gas, bloating, poor appetite, diarrhea, constipation etc)
Most people with IC know their symptoms pretty well At times the flare doesn’t seem typical in the way the symptoms come on and how the flare evolves In these situations it’s best to get a urine culture on a cath specimen to be sure this atypical presentation is not a bacterial infection
Why do bladder infections occur with IC which is defined as a nonbacterial inflammatory change of the bladder? Well, let’s think about this Bacterial infections in the body are largely opportunistic Even if you innoculate a lady’s bladder with organisms the normal bladder within several voidings will show the bacteria the door No bacteria left in the bladder
In other words the bladder has the natural capability of removing bacteria It is suggested that almost all women get organisms pushed into the bladder during intercourse but few women get infected….or the human race wouldn’t be as successful at procreation as it is today
But the IC bladder mucosa is not normal and its GAG layer is more than likely defective due to the hot and mobile qualities energetically So the IC bladder is prone to bacterial infections
What this means is important for anyone with IC The imbalance in the bladder produces often times a mix of nonbacterial inflammatory episodes(that we call a flare) and bacterial infections that need treatment with herbs or antibiotics
I mentioned at the outset that further urological workup may be necessary This is particularly the case if there is gross hematuria associated with symptoms Although IC can produce gross hematuria with LTIS one should not ignore this cardinal symptom marker of urinary blood, especially if associated with clots
I have seen a patient who LTIS with gross hematuria and a classic Hunner’s ulcer by endoscopy, and a negative upper tract Xray who had by ureteroscopy a ureteral cancer Although this rare presentation of 2 diagnoses one must always be very vigilant when gross hematuria occurs in the clinical course of IC
Best in Health DB
From an energy science view painful IC flares and bladder pain are a result of inflammation in the urinary channel(UT) since too much of hot produces inflammation. Interesting isn’t it that the words burning and flare are used to describe what is physically going on? I wrote a while ago about the use of the antiinflammatory cocktail using pomegranite juice and aloe vera gel and several of you have contacted me to tell me how helpful this has been. So here’s another antiinflammatory drink! This time a tea made from cumin...
read moreThe sour taste provokes painful IC flares The problem is that acidity is hidden away in matter science dietary recommendations It’s also widely known that cultural diets that favor a more alkaline nature tend to promote within cultures greater longevity (eg Asian diets) Animal based protein diets which are high in acidity(fatty acids) demonstrate decreased longevity From an energy science perspective this is not about vegetarianism; it’s about what increasing amounts of acid loading does to person Not only does...
read more“Mildred, I’ve got some good news and bad news,” says Dr Jones “The good news is that you don’t have a urinary tract infection by your culture But the bad news is that I don’t know why you have these symptoms of frequency and burning” But then Mildred proceeds to tell Dr Jones that the antibiotic that he prescribed before the culture results were back actually made her feel better Now both are scratching their heads But in the end Mildred doesn’t care because her symptoms are...
read moreThe pain of IC occurs because of an imbalance somewhere in inner space From our previous blogs it’s apparent that from an energy science point of view dis-ease or imbalance in the mindbody occurs due to imbalance of qualities beginning in the GIT(gastrointestinal tract) This is particularly important for those who have associated conditions such as GERD, IBS, fibromyalgia, and chronic prostatitis So the key is correct the imbalance in order to get your life back before IC changed it and turned into a shambles The Precious...
read moreIC pain and the pain of IBS(irritable bowel syndrome) are interrelated on an energy level because gut problems begin the imbalance that leads to IC symptoms What happens in the gut in IC eventually leads to problems in the urinary tract To be aware of this is to begin the healing of painful IC flares Why? Because when you begin to understand the origins of your dis-ease then you can be empowered to take on the challenges to live the life you once had And we have seen that there are often psychological similarities between those with...
read moreInterstitial cystitis(IC) bladder pain with flares can be amplified by the routine use of nuts of any kind and this includes their butters!! Peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter Why? Unlike the matter science(MS) nutritional information that fatty acids are good and bad, the energy science(ES) of Ayurveda states that all nuts are inflammatory due to these molecular fatty acids regardless of the “good or bad nature of them” The reason for this is that the post digestive(small bowel) effect is heating therefore...
read moreInterstitial cystitis (IC) pain is often associated with other conditions such food allergies or sensitivities or GERD which we have written about in the past This is difficult to understand from a molecular approach to dis-ease since the model looks at the problem within an organ system without taking into consideration the interrelationship of all organ systems This is frustrating to physicians as well as patients seeking to understand the pain of IC and how to treat it And it sometimes leads a real difficulty for IC patients in...
read moreThose with IC know that acidity has something to do with their bladder pain and other symptoms either intuitively or reading what others have to say about IC and its causative factors This leads to a large number of dietary recommendations to eliminate the acidity from the diet and to reduce symptoms of pelvic pain You can go a long way toward resolution of your symptoms if you do fundamental changes in your nutritional format just by eliminating known trigger foods from your food choices But as I have written before what foods to avoid...
read moreThe pain of IC is related to pelvic inflammation particularlyof the bladder The flares that occur are related to the episodic increase in intensity of this inflammation So it stands to reason that the treatment for such a chronic disease would be antiinflammatory(AIF) This is not rocket science, folks! And there is a wide host of naturally occurring AIF For example, tumeric is commonly used in cooking and is a well understood AIF which when used with black pepper is potentiated even further in terms of its AIF effect Now the well...
read moreAs you know the pelvic pain from IC can be so severe that it precludes having normal sexual activity In a survey done through the ICA organization 90% of IC patients report problems with intimacy And the majority of women(50-85%) have associated vulvodynia or pain specifically related to the vagina The fear of bringing on the pain and a flare can lead to avoidance and resulting isolation Some have reported breaking into a cold sweat due to anxiety just with foreplay And this can obviously put a severe strain on a marital relationship...
read more
Everything that we observe whether it’s our body or the world around us can be viewed as either a wave or a particle When it’s a particle we see the world as reassuringly solid and palpable From this world view we see things around as molecules; but when the world is seen as a wave our view changes The world is seen as vibrating pulsating energy
These vibrational frequencies are identified as money, struggles, obstructions to what we want, the passion of life itself Biologically vibrational frequencies are what make us up as an identifiable body in space
In the allopathic medical tradition measurement of molecules or their molecular arrangement is how disease is both detected and serves as a monitor for the effectiveness in treatment In contrast in the energy science medical disciplines imbalances that lead to disease is based on a disturbance of vibrational frequencies in the body called qualities
As I’ve written in the past the qualities prominent in the IC bladder pain syndrome are hot and mobile(of the total of 20 contrasting qualities, eg hot and cold, mobile and static, heavy and light etc) So in IC, IBS, GERD, fibromyalgia, vulvodynia, and chronic prostatitis these qualities play important roles in the disease process
So from the above it would not be surprising that hot weather is problematic for IC You see, the quality that affects the physiology from a energy science perspective doesn’t have to be ingested If you are exposed to hot weather the energy body absorbs that quality as if you ingested it
The difference between ingesting the hot quality and being environmentally exposed to hot is that when ingested that hot qualitya remains with you to be processed over a 35 day period whereas if you’re simply exposed to the quality and its effect goes away after exposure
But what happens if you work in a hot kitchen for your occupation Then day in and day out, week after week, month after month the hot quality exposure is consistent and persistent Then over time it will be like you’re ingesting the hot quality every day and indeed it will have a physiologic impact
So you feel pretty good after that cup of coffee so no big deal….didn’t have any influence on you, right? Well, the energy science would say that anything that is taken in has an effect and that there is a compounding effect that takes place when coffee is taken, hot weather is thrown into the equation, perhaps a cheeseburger with ketchup,etc etc This compounding effect produces the flares
You see, it’s not just one choice that brings about the flare but a multitude of choices that go back 35 days That’s why it’s actually quite fallacious to say that the choice made yesterday caused the flare today The flare is actually the cumulative body response of many different choices that have been made over at least the last month
And this doesn’t take into consideration the level of the say the hot quality in the body before the ingestion Say the level of the hot quality is a 5 and it takes a 10 to get a flare Well then, you have a cushion You could do a number of different things to provoke and not get a flare until you reach 9 then the hot day is the straw that breaks the proverbial camel’s back
Lastly for some the flares for the above reasons don’t occur during the hot time of year They occur after the summer mounting up time and in the fall one is more predisposed to the flare It’s much like the spring cold which is just a physiologic release of all the buildup of the heavy qualities that developed during the winter months
1 The obvious is not to expose yourself to heat unnecessarily, whether it be at the beach, work, or at home Look for ways to cool off your local environment
2 Pay close attention to what foods y0u are taking in during the summer months(icdiet.com) and particularly use cooling foods such as fresh cilantro or coconut
3 Use cooling herbs such as mint, cumin, coriander, fennel, turmeric, wintergreen in cooking foods
Just being aware of the hot quality can go a long ways to prevent buildup of the hot quality and the flares it produces
To Health as a Skill DB
From an energy science view painful IC flares and bladder pain are a result of inflammation in the urinary channel(UT) since too much of hot produces inflammation. Interesting isn’t it that the words burning and flare are used to describe what is physically going on? I wrote a while ago about the use of the antiinflammatory cocktail using pomegranite juice and aloe vera gel and several of you have contacted me to tell me how helpful this has been. So here’s another antiinflammatory drink! This time a tea made from cumin...
read moreThe sour taste provokes painful IC flares The problem is that acidity is hidden away in matter science dietary recommendations It’s also widely known that cultural diets that favor a more alkaline nature tend to promote within cultures greater longevity (eg Asian diets) Animal based protein diets which are high in acidity(fatty acids) demonstrate decreased longevity From an energy science perspective this is not about vegetarianism; it’s about what increasing amounts of acid loading does to person Not only does...
read more“Mildred, I’ve got some good news and bad news,” says Dr Jones “The good news is that you don’t have a urinary tract infection by your culture But the bad news is that I don’t know why you have these symptoms of frequency and burning” But then Mildred proceeds to tell Dr Jones that the antibiotic that he prescribed before the culture results were back actually made her feel better Now both are scratching their heads But in the end Mildred doesn’t care because her symptoms are...
read moreThe pain of IC occurs because of an imbalance somewhere in inner space From our previous blogs it’s apparent that from an energy science point of view dis-ease or imbalance in the mindbody occurs due to imbalance of qualities beginning in the GIT(gastrointestinal tract) This is particularly important for those who have associated conditions such as GERD, IBS, fibromyalgia, and chronic prostatitis So the key is correct the imbalance in order to get your life back before IC changed it and turned into a shambles The Precious...
read moreIC pain and the pain of IBS(irritable bowel syndrome) are interrelated on an energy level because gut problems begin the imbalance that leads to IC symptoms What happens in the gut in IC eventually leads to problems in the urinary tract To be aware of this is to begin the healing of painful IC flares Why? Because when you begin to understand the origins of your dis-ease then you can be empowered to take on the challenges to live the life you once had And we have seen that there are often psychological similarities between those with...
read moreInterstitial cystitis(IC) bladder pain with flares can be amplified by the routine use of nuts of any kind and this includes their butters!! Peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter Why? Unlike the matter science(MS) nutritional information that fatty acids are good and bad, the energy science(ES) of Ayurveda states that all nuts are inflammatory due to these molecular fatty acids regardless of the “good or bad nature of them” The reason for this is that the post digestive(small bowel) effect is heating therefore...
read moreInterstitial cystitis (IC) pain is often associated with other conditions such food allergies or sensitivities or GERD which we have written about in the past This is difficult to understand from a molecular approach to dis-ease since the model looks at the problem within an organ system without taking into consideration the interrelationship of all organ systems This is frustrating to physicians as well as patients seeking to understand the pain of IC and how to treat it And it sometimes leads a real difficulty for IC patients in...
read moreThose with IC know that acidity has something to do with their bladder pain and other symptoms either intuitively or reading what others have to say about IC and its causative factors This leads to a large number of dietary recommendations to eliminate the acidity from the diet and to reduce symptoms of pelvic pain You can go a long way toward resolution of your symptoms if you do fundamental changes in your nutritional format just by eliminating known trigger foods from your food choices But as I have written before what foods to avoid...
read moreThe pain of IC is related to pelvic inflammation particularlyof the bladder The flares that occur are related to the episodic increase in intensity of this inflammation So it stands to reason that the treatment for such a chronic disease would be antiinflammatory(AIF) This is not rocket science, folks! And there is a wide host of naturally occurring AIF For example, tumeric is commonly used in cooking and is a well understood AIF which when used with black pepper is potentiated even further in terms of its AIF effect Now the well...
read moreAs you know the pelvic pain from IC can be so severe that it precludes having normal sexual activity In a survey done through the ICA organization 90% of IC patients report problems with intimacy And the majority of women(50-85%) have associated vulvodynia or pain specifically related to the vagina The fear of bringing on the pain and a flare can lead to avoidance and resulting isolation Some have reported breaking into a cold sweat due to anxiety just with foreplay And this can obviously put a severe strain on a marital relationship...
read more
Oils may be overlooked when looking for the “apparent trigger foods” in the IC diet In the energy science approach there are specific oils that carry the hot quality and these in the end will aggravate the small bowel, the seat of Pitta energy which is as you recall the energy of transformation in the body These oils if used improperly can produce the bladder pain of the IC bladder pain syndrome
Why would the small bowel be the focal point of transformative energy? It’s in the small bowel that foods are literally transformed from a vegetable, say broccoli…. and that piece of broccoli is transformed into molecules that can be used by your body for repair or energy to do things So when oils heat the small bowel they increase the energy pattern of Pitta which is responsible for the burning on urination as well as the pelvic burning that is associated with IC, chronic prostatitis, fibromyalgia, and vulvodynia IBS is also associated with diarrhea due to the hot quality in the small bowel The heat of GERD happens in the stomach
Almonds are actually seeds and in the skin of the almond are numerous enzymes that produce transformation so the almond can reproduce itself into another tree If the skin of the almond is left in place during the production of the oil then the oil will be heating The same is true for almond butter
Apricot, corn, mustard, safflower, and sesame round the list of oils to avoid
So you should think twice about fried foods in restaurants since you have no control over what kinds of oils are used
You may remember that castor oil is heating internally but when applied to the skin it has a cooling effect This particular fact can be utilized as a treatment effect in terms of utility in the management of IC flares as I’ve written earlier
Coconut and avocado oils can be used like castor externally due to their cooling effect but unlike castor they also have too much of a cooling effect internally so should not be used in cooking Hence routine use of coconut oil internally, even though the rage from a matter science view currently, is not a good idea as it will disrupt agni which is extremely important for health and improving your chances of healing IC
Sunflower, ghee, canola, olive, soy, flaxseed, primrose, and walnut are most suitable in descending order….so sunflower is the most cooling and walnut the most heating even though it has a cooling effect to the small bowel
So armed with this information you can begin to make better energetic choices around the choice of cooking oils in the kitchen
Ghee or clarified butter is an excellent cooking oil(high burn point) because not only does it cool the small bowel but its qualities are those of our digestive fire
Said another way, many who have IC have poor agni, ie poor digestive strength Using ghee on a regular basis helps promote strong digestion and in an indirect way begins healing IC
Anyone with IC should use ghee on a regular basis In our next post together we’ll discuss how to make this amazing cooking oil
From an energy science view painful IC flares and bladder pain are a result of inflammation in the urinary channel(UT) since too much of hot produces inflammation. Interesting isn’t it that the words burning and flare are used to describe what is physically going on? I wrote a while ago about the use of the antiinflammatory cocktail using pomegranite juice and aloe vera gel and several of you have contacted me to tell me how helpful this has been. So here’s another antiinflammatory drink! This time a tea made from cumin...
read moreThe sour taste provokes painful IC flares The problem is that acidity is hidden away in matter science dietary recommendations It’s also widely known that cultural diets that favor a more alkaline nature tend to promote within cultures greater longevity (eg Asian diets) Animal based protein diets which are high in acidity(fatty acids) demonstrate decreased longevity From an energy science perspective this is not about vegetarianism; it’s about what increasing amounts of acid loading does to person Not only does...
read more“Mildred, I’ve got some good news and bad news,” says Dr Jones “The good news is that you don’t have a urinary tract infection by your culture But the bad news is that I don’t know why you have these symptoms of frequency and burning” But then Mildred proceeds to tell Dr Jones that the antibiotic that he prescribed before the culture results were back actually made her feel better Now both are scratching their heads But in the end Mildred doesn’t care because her symptoms are...
read moreThe pain of IC occurs because of an imbalance somewhere in inner space From our previous blogs it’s apparent that from an energy science point of view dis-ease or imbalance in the mindbody occurs due to imbalance of qualities beginning in the GIT(gastrointestinal tract) This is particularly important for those who have associated conditions such as GERD, IBS, fibromyalgia, and chronic prostatitis So the key is correct the imbalance in order to get your life back before IC changed it and turned into a shambles The Precious...
read moreIC pain and the pain of IBS(irritable bowel syndrome) are interrelated on an energy level because gut problems begin the imbalance that leads to IC symptoms What happens in the gut in IC eventually leads to problems in the urinary tract To be aware of this is to begin the healing of painful IC flares Why? Because when you begin to understand the origins of your dis-ease then you can be empowered to take on the challenges to live the life you once had And we have seen that there are often psychological similarities between those with...
read moreInterstitial cystitis(IC) bladder pain with flares can be amplified by the routine use of nuts of any kind and this includes their butters!! Peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter Why? Unlike the matter science(MS) nutritional information that fatty acids are good and bad, the energy science(ES) of Ayurveda states that all nuts are inflammatory due to these molecular fatty acids regardless of the “good or bad nature of them” The reason for this is that the post digestive(small bowel) effect is heating therefore...
read moreInterstitial cystitis (IC) pain is often associated with other conditions such food allergies or sensitivities or GERD which we have written about in the past This is difficult to understand from a molecular approach to dis-ease since the model looks at the problem within an organ system without taking into consideration the interrelationship of all organ systems This is frustrating to physicians as well as patients seeking to understand the pain of IC and how to treat it And it sometimes leads a real difficulty for IC patients in...
read moreThose with IC know that acidity has something to do with their bladder pain and other symptoms either intuitively or reading what others have to say about IC and its causative factors This leads to a large number of dietary recommendations to eliminate the acidity from the diet and to reduce symptoms of pelvic pain You can go a long way toward resolution of your symptoms if you do fundamental changes in your nutritional format just by eliminating known trigger foods from your food choices But as I have written before what foods to avoid...
read moreThe pain of IC is related to pelvic inflammation particularlyof the bladder The flares that occur are related to the episodic increase in intensity of this inflammation So it stands to reason that the treatment for such a chronic disease would be antiinflammatory(AIF) This is not rocket science, folks! And there is a wide host of naturally occurring AIF For example, tumeric is commonly used in cooking and is a well understood AIF which when used with black pepper is potentiated even further in terms of its AIF effect Now the well...
read moreAs you know the pelvic pain from IC can be so severe that it precludes having normal sexual activity In a survey done through the ICA organization 90% of IC patients report problems with intimacy And the majority of women(50-85%) have associated vulvodynia or pain specifically related to the vagina The fear of bringing on the pain and a flare can lead to avoidance and resulting isolation Some have reported breaking into a cold sweat due to anxiety just with foreplay And this can obviously put a severe strain on a marital relationship...
read more
You would do anything to deal with the pain of IC especially when flares occur so it would stand to reason that using an antacid of some form would be appropriate since for some it gives them relief of their heartburn but has also been anecdotally reported by some to help with their IC symptoms But interestingly disease labels such as IBS, fibromyalgia, and even vulvodynia share the problems of too much heat in the physiology
Interestingly acid indigestion(heartburn) and GERD are strongly associated with IC In an online survey done by the ICA:
559 respondents to the diet survey
84% found diet helped reduced symptoms
Perhaps because this was an online survey the results are not available for search at the ICA site any longer but the survey obviously underscores the importance of nutrition and shows the interesting correlation with acid indigestion and IC From our previous blog discussion this correlation would be expected as the hot quality in the gut moves to affect the urinary system
Some foods to avoid are obvious such as cayenne pepper, chili pepper, and horseradish But other foods such as tomatoes, salt, and grains like buckwheat and corn are below the radar screen There is a compounding effect in the energy science discipline of healing Over time these foods effects mount up and then produce symptoms So the lesson is to avoid these cumulative effects to begin with by watching what you take in the first place
From an energy science point of view the tastes that carry the hot quality are sour, salty, and pungent It’s often difficult to know which foods carry the subtle tastes that can affect the GI tract so that’s why nutritional formats are so important
My father in law didn’t have IC pain and lived a relatively comfortable life except for anxiety now and then He had an interesting habit that I think is germane to our discussion today
As a matter of evening routine he would sneak into the kitchen late at night to have his two bowls of Hagen Daz ice cream after which he would take his cholesterol lowering pills(maybe two for good measure!) Comfortable that he had done his ounce of prevention he would then trundle off to bed
I think most would feel that taking two Lipitor after eating ice cream is …. well not preventative But isn’t that the same thing we are doing with antacids? Prelief is an antacid like many OTC antacids to help with the stomach symptoms of heartburn GERD Even Tagamet has been used off label for IC But isn’t that the same thing?
We all want our freedom of choice and the energy science of Ayurveda does not say “Never” It says that we all have free choice but we don’t have a choice about the consequences of our choices
Drugs and nutraceuticals are not meant to cover over poor food choices that cause the pain of IC which can be managed more successfully without the use of pharma
Of course there is the sentiment “My life is over All of my favs taken away from me!” These energy science nutritional formats are not an “all or none” proposition but the more closely you adhere to the format the better you will feel And after a while you’ll get tired of taking in foods that make you feel sick
In the end the energy discipline can help us with a qualitative scientific assessment of what foods are best for our mindbody energy makeup
Go to foodsheal.com right now and take the quiz Then choose the appropriate nutritional format and print the pdf format off so you have it to follow
Read the incompatable food combination list and print off that file as well and post both on your refrigerator so you can reference them regularly
Use aloe vera gel(not the juice) on a regular basis (2T three times per day) Take it to work, travel with it, and make a ritual out of its use
To Health as a Skill Love DrBill
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From an energy science view painful IC flares and bladder pain are a result of inflammation in the urinary channel(UT) since too much of hot produces inflammation. Interesting isn’t it that the words burning and flare are used to describe what is physically going on? I wrote a while ago about the use of the antiinflammatory cocktail using pomegranite juice and aloe vera gel and several of you have contacted me to tell me how helpful this has been. So here’s another antiinflammatory drink! This time a tea made from cumin...
read moreThe sour taste provokes painful IC flares The problem is that acidity is hidden away in matter science dietary recommendations It’s also widely known that cultural diets that favor a more alkaline nature tend to promote within cultures greater longevity (eg Asian diets) Animal based protein diets which are high in acidity(fatty acids) demonstrate decreased longevity From an energy science perspective this is not about vegetarianism; it’s about what increasing amounts of acid loading does to person Not only does...
read more“Mildred, I’ve got some good news and bad news,” says Dr Jones “The good news is that you don’t have a urinary tract infection by your culture But the bad news is that I don’t know why you have these symptoms of frequency and burning” But then Mildred proceeds to tell Dr Jones that the antibiotic that he prescribed before the culture results were back actually made her feel better Now both are scratching their heads But in the end Mildred doesn’t care because her symptoms are...
read moreThe pain of IC occurs because of an imbalance somewhere in inner space From our previous blogs it’s apparent that from an energy science point of view dis-ease or imbalance in the mindbody occurs due to imbalance of qualities beginning in the GIT(gastrointestinal tract) This is particularly important for those who have associated conditions such as GERD, IBS, fibromyalgia, and chronic prostatitis So the key is correct the imbalance in order to get your life back before IC changed it and turned into a shambles The Precious...
read moreIC pain and the pain of IBS(irritable bowel syndrome) are interrelated on an energy level because gut problems begin the imbalance that leads to IC symptoms What happens in the gut in IC eventually leads to problems in the urinary tract To be aware of this is to begin the healing of painful IC flares Why? Because when you begin to understand the origins of your dis-ease then you can be empowered to take on the challenges to live the life you once had And we have seen that there are often psychological similarities between those with...
read moreInterstitial cystitis(IC) bladder pain with flares can be amplified by the routine use of nuts of any kind and this includes their butters!! Peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter Why? Unlike the matter science(MS) nutritional information that fatty acids are good and bad, the energy science(ES) of Ayurveda states that all nuts are inflammatory due to these molecular fatty acids regardless of the “good or bad nature of them” The reason for this is that the post digestive(small bowel) effect is heating therefore...
read moreInterstitial cystitis (IC) pain is often associated with other conditions such food allergies or sensitivities or GERD which we have written about in the past This is difficult to understand from a molecular approach to dis-ease since the model looks at the problem within an organ system without taking into consideration the interrelationship of all organ systems This is frustrating to physicians as well as patients seeking to understand the pain of IC and how to treat it And it sometimes leads a real difficulty for IC patients in...
read moreThose with IC know that acidity has something to do with their bladder pain and other symptoms either intuitively or reading what others have to say about IC and its causative factors This leads to a large number of dietary recommendations to eliminate the acidity from the diet and to reduce symptoms of pelvic pain You can go a long way toward resolution of your symptoms if you do fundamental changes in your nutritional format just by eliminating known trigger foods from your food choices But as I have written before what foods to avoid...
read moreThe pain of IC is related to pelvic inflammation particularlyof the bladder The flares that occur are related to the episodic increase in intensity of this inflammation So it stands to reason that the treatment for such a chronic disease would be antiinflammatory(AIF) This is not rocket science, folks! And there is a wide host of naturally occurring AIF For example, tumeric is commonly used in cooking and is a well understood AIF which when used with black pepper is potentiated even further in terms of its AIF effect Now the well...
read moreAs you know the pelvic pain from IC can be so severe that it precludes having normal sexual activity In a survey done through the ICA organization 90% of IC patients report problems with intimacy And the majority of women(50-85%) have associated vulvodynia or pain specifically related to the vagina The fear of bringing on the pain and a flare can lead to avoidance and resulting isolation Some have reported breaking into a cold sweat due to anxiety just with foreplay And this can obviously put a severe strain on a marital relationship...
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The energy body is composed of three types of energy using the energy science model of Ayurveda As I have talked about in the past how it is articulated in other models such as the Traditional Oriental Medicine discipline is different but in essence it’s the same, the mindbody is being seen as an energy field, not a matter field
The three energy patterns in the Ayurvedic model are Vata(energy of movement), Pitta(energy of transformation or metabolism), and Kapha(energy of stability) You need all three to function but they are expressed in degrees in all of us Someone may be born Vata 3 Pitta 2 Kapha 1 while her friend might be V1P2K3
As we talked about before the diseases of the IC bladder pain syndrome are a result of imbalances of the energy patterns of VP Hence such problems as IC, IBS, GERD, fibromyalgia, chronic prostatitis, and vulvodynia are patterns of imbalances where there is too much V and P
The energy patterns described in the Ayurvedic energy model simply are They are mental constructs created by healers 1000’s of years ago in order to make sense of what they were observing in themselves They had no microscopes, MRI’s, or Xray machines They only had their powers of observation They saw that there was movement around them and they saw movement in the healthy body and so they called this Vata and we now term it a biological energy Similarly observations in Nature showed the transformation and stability was seen and those were also observed in the human body and these energy patterns were called Pitta and Kapha But Nature Herself is innocent and so are the energy patterns that make Her up….she simply exists
These energy patterns are simply expressions of Nature herself So there are Pitta dogs, Kapha type cats, Vata like birds And our mindbodies are expressions of Nature as well This is the basis of understanding the energy model as it applies to us as biological energy patterns
Disease in the energy body occurs because we make unconscious choices that cause these energy patterns to become more active than they should be If we run, run, run….eventually we run out of energy…..we deplete the body because by all that running the energy of movement gets so active in the body that it causes depletion
So disease is typically a depletion of the energy body due to poor unconscious choices that we make The energy patterns are innocent They’re just being part of Nature…it’s our mind and its choices that go against Nature that produces disease
Working the night shift might seem like a way to make a living but it goes against Nature’s intelligence which sleeps at night….She’s not working
So when we make choices that restores these energy patterns back to balance, back to the times when they were not provoked(when we were children) then healing occurs This is the healing is seen in the energy science at least
We restore this innocence by making choices that do not aggravate the energy patterns in our body For example by following the nutritional formats we avoid making food choices that lead to imbalances in the body that eventually lead to disease And as you know nutrition is the cornerstone to dealing with your IC
So here’s to restoring innocence Best DB
From an energy science view painful IC flares and bladder pain are a result of inflammation in the urinary channel(UT) since too much of hot produces inflammation. Interesting isn’t it that the words burning and flare are used to describe what is physically going on? I wrote a while ago about the use of the antiinflammatory cocktail using pomegranite juice and aloe vera gel and several of you have contacted me to tell me how helpful this has been. So here’s another antiinflammatory drink! This time a tea made from cumin...
read moreThe sour taste provokes painful IC flares The problem is that acidity is hidden away in matter science dietary recommendations It’s also widely known that cultural diets that favor a more alkaline nature tend to promote within cultures greater longevity (eg Asian diets) Animal based protein diets which are high in acidity(fatty acids) demonstrate decreased longevity From an energy science perspective this is not about vegetarianism; it’s about what increasing amounts of acid loading does to person Not only does...
read more“Mildred, I’ve got some good news and bad news,” says Dr Jones “The good news is that you don’t have a urinary tract infection by your culture But the bad news is that I don’t know why you have these symptoms of frequency and burning” But then Mildred proceeds to tell Dr Jones that the antibiotic that he prescribed before the culture results were back actually made her feel better Now both are scratching their heads But in the end Mildred doesn’t care because her symptoms are...
read moreThe pain of IC occurs because of an imbalance somewhere in inner space From our previous blogs it’s apparent that from an energy science point of view dis-ease or imbalance in the mindbody occurs due to imbalance of qualities beginning in the GIT(gastrointestinal tract) This is particularly important for those who have associated conditions such as GERD, IBS, fibromyalgia, and chronic prostatitis So the key is correct the imbalance in order to get your life back before IC changed it and turned into a shambles The Precious...
read moreIC pain and the pain of IBS(irritable bowel syndrome) are interrelated on an energy level because gut problems begin the imbalance that leads to IC symptoms What happens in the gut in IC eventually leads to problems in the urinary tract To be aware of this is to begin the healing of painful IC flares Why? Because when you begin to understand the origins of your dis-ease then you can be empowered to take on the challenges to live the life you once had And we have seen that there are often psychological similarities between those with...
read moreInterstitial cystitis(IC) bladder pain with flares can be amplified by the routine use of nuts of any kind and this includes their butters!! Peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter Why? Unlike the matter science(MS) nutritional information that fatty acids are good and bad, the energy science(ES) of Ayurveda states that all nuts are inflammatory due to these molecular fatty acids regardless of the “good or bad nature of them” The reason for this is that the post digestive(small bowel) effect is heating therefore...
read moreInterstitial cystitis (IC) pain is often associated with other conditions such food allergies or sensitivities or GERD which we have written about in the past This is difficult to understand from a molecular approach to dis-ease since the model looks at the problem within an organ system without taking into consideration the interrelationship of all organ systems This is frustrating to physicians as well as patients seeking to understand the pain of IC and how to treat it And it sometimes leads a real difficulty for IC patients in...
read moreThose with IC know that acidity has something to do with their bladder pain and other symptoms either intuitively or reading what others have to say about IC and its causative factors This leads to a large number of dietary recommendations to eliminate the acidity from the diet and to reduce symptoms of pelvic pain You can go a long way toward resolution of your symptoms if you do fundamental changes in your nutritional format just by eliminating known trigger foods from your food choices But as I have written before what foods to avoid...
read moreThe pain of IC is related to pelvic inflammation particularlyof the bladder The flares that occur are related to the episodic increase in intensity of this inflammation So it stands to reason that the treatment for such a chronic disease would be antiinflammatory(AIF) This is not rocket science, folks! And there is a wide host of naturally occurring AIF For example, tumeric is commonly used in cooking and is a well understood AIF which when used with black pepper is potentiated even further in terms of its AIF effect Now the well...
read moreAs you know the pelvic pain from IC can be so severe that it precludes having normal sexual activity In a survey done through the ICA organization 90% of IC patients report problems with intimacy And the majority of women(50-85%) have associated vulvodynia or pain specifically related to the vagina The fear of bringing on the pain and a flare can lead to avoidance and resulting isolation Some have reported breaking into a cold sweat due to anxiety just with foreplay And this can obviously put a severe strain on a marital relationship...
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