In the last couple of months I have written intermittently to you about the energy science’s understanding of toxic load(called ama) that occurs with all disease Since this kind of thinking is completely foreign to those of us following the matter science medical model, it represents a radical departure as to how we think about the origin and treatment of disease
The bladder pain syndrome is such a complex of physiologic imbalances composed of CPPS(chronic pelvic pain syndrome), fibromyalgia, GERD, IBS, IC, and vulvodynia that are all associated with ama
As I have said from an energy science perspective ama or this toxic moribund substance is the byproduct of poorly functioning metabolism Again the energy science describes poor metabolism as a result of low agni(digestive strength, power, or fire) This agni is in part the digestive capability of the entire GIT that we are all familiar with The agni in this part of the body is comprised of all the enzyme systems from the mouth to the rectum including all the bacterial systems as well
But there are other agnis in the body that are involved with the metabolism of the tissues and excretory functions And most importantly agnis that help us digest thoughts, feelings, and emotions When you digest well psychologically the result is mental clarity
If you’re tired you rest IF you’re listening to your body As you know there are many people who don’t listen to their bodies and that’s literally the first step to disease Eventually you have to listen because the body essentially gives out with resultant disease
If your agni is laboring, not up to par, and as a result your body is producing ama, then it makes sense that one of the first things to do is to give your agni a rest One of the simplest things to do is a monodiet
A monodiet is a certain type of food that is done over a period of time The type of food chosen for the diet is not as important as the consistency to do the monodiet for the period of time Some would call this a “fast” and it is in the loosest sense of the term but it’s essentially giving your digestive system rest Why? Because you’re using only one group of enzyme systems to digest the same thing over and over again The monodiet could be fruit, could be rice and yogurt, could be fruit juice The point is that it doesn’t matter what the monodiet is, as long as it’s repetitive for a period of time
How long? It depends If you are Pitta Vata at most 7 days If PK then 14 days
I’ve divided the body and mind apart for discussion purposes but we should be clear here that from an energy science perspective the mind and body are intimately spliced They’re one and the same What is mind is body and what is body is mind You can’t separate them As a matter of fact detoxification of the physical body does psychological detox and psychological detox does physical detox That’s how intimately spliced we are
Detox of the mind reduces mental ama and involves a form of monodiet as well But this monodiet is in the form of reducing mental activity The energy science is very clear that in order to remove mental ama some form of activity that reduces mental activity is most important
Why? Since we want to improve psychological agni we want to fast from thoughts The best way to do this is by meditation There are many ways to meditate The simplest is probably the most effective and involves watching the breath If you want you can add a mental instrument to trap the mind’s attention using SO HUM SO on inhalation and HUM on exhalation
Breathing exercises can be meditative as well as yoga posture practice if done properly
When we improve agni there are great gifts Probably the most important is mental clarity and therefore peace, less emotional turmoil When the GIT is given some time off there is improved digestion and elimination We simply digest food and emotions better Here are some benefits from improving your agni
Loss of cravings Feeling of lightness after eating Good taste perception
Steady weight Normal GI elimination Vigor vitality strength stamina
Healthy glow Mental clarity Sound sleep
Alertness Discrimination, intelligence Direction determination courage
Joy cheerfulness Contentment Affection enthusiasm
Patience Longevity Confidence
All because we have given our mindbody a break and improved our agni
To Health as a Skill DB
incompletely digested impressions, feelings and emotions
due to nutritional and lifestyle choices that we make
The inflammation that occurs with your IC pain as we’ve talked about in the past is from the hot and mobile qualities from an energy science viewpoint As you know this pain can be excruciating and unrelenting causing undue stress on relationships and plans And there are things that we have discussed that can help with temporary relief of symptoms But what would it be like it you lived a life without any bladder symptoms at all This is the cure of the apparent curable condition of IC The Hot Quality As we’ve mentioned before...
read morePelvic pain(also known as CPPS or chronic pelvic pain syndrome) has many different causes When everything has been ruled out with CT scan, cytology, and cystoscopy then the urologist is left with the diagnosis of IC or chronic prostatitis So the evaluation of IC pain is a diagnosis of exclusion To the astute clinician often the symptom complex of IC stands out from other pelvic pain complexes having nuances that separate them apart from the IC label Be that as it may it still is important to have studies done to be sure what you are...
read moreThe pain of interstitial cystitis(IC) is chronic, intermittent, and eventually debilitating It is pelvic in origin and often originates from the bladder but may also involve the vagina leading to painful intercourse(dyspareunia) The pain distribution is from belly button to midthigh and is associated with episodic urinary burning, urgency, and frequency Diagnosis of the Disease Label of IC This complex of symptoms is labeled by the current matter or molecular science healing discipline(your urologist) by many different names: chronic...
read moreThe pain of IC can be unpredictable which is distressing anxiety provoking in itself Let alone that you have to contend with the pain And sometimes diet suggestions of well meaning matter science dieticians(RD) work and sometimes they don’t Much of the current state of dietary recommendations is anecdotal even though touted as good molecular science Diet recommendations are not as exact a science as we would like If you feel good then the recommendations must be correct If you’re not feeling good then that information...
read moreEveryone agrees that the pain of IC is related to inflammation but it may be surprising to find that all diseases from cancer to diabetes have an element of this inflammation And this is where we are at in our current understanding of disease from a matter or molecular science point of view And we as the signpost points are left with no direction There are many painful molecules that have now been identified that produce inflammation in the mindbody We have identified many of these molecules But what causes them to begin to show up in...
read moreYou 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 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 59% used Prelief (OTC...
read moreAs you know at times the pelvic pain from IC can become unbearable and many in the IC community have talked and written about the use of the castor oil pack As a matter of fact these packs can be a great refuge from the chronic pain Even if the relief is short lived it can bring a reprieve Wow, what would it be like if castor could give you complete relief and the pain never came back ever? In the energy science healing tradition of Ayurveda there are many reasons that a dis-ease occurs so the treatments must be multifactorial as...
read moreThe chronic pain from IC seeks a solution but you are told that the “dis-ease is treatable not curable” But what would it be like if there was a solution? Is it possible? We are led to believe a lie, when we give up hope And obviously there is no quick fix or IC wouldn’t be a problem But what would it be like to have your life back? Too hard to believe? Well read on The experience amongst IC patients is that the diet promoted by ICA or ICN may work for some, not for others Sometimes works for awhile then seems...
read moreA “flare” is a common phrase used in IC circles to describe the sudden occurrence of pain around voiding It can also describe the pelvic pain associated with the burning and frequency of urination that can be part of the recurrent symptom complex so characteristic of interstitial cystitis You may remember the graph on the home page near the bottom If not go check it out now because it will show you the ups and downs of ANY dis-ease in the physiology Even acute conditions such as renal colic from urinary stones or appendicitis...
read moreThis is a review of the summary of responses that we received from IC patients who were willing to spend their time to discuss the distressing pain of IC as well as the repercussions of the pain Dr Bill also was able to interview more than 50% of the survey respondents who graciously gave their time to talk with him regarding their difficulties with the dis-ease Survey Results Here are the questions: 1 What’s your biggest frustration with interstitial cystitis? Most common response was the unrelenting pain 2. What have you tried so far...
read more
Doing energy science work to heal is different than what you’ve been exposed to as you’ve wandered through the matter science world of medicine and nutrition This is because it does its science differently but its recommendations are at least grounded on a system of thinking that spans thousands of years, not just decades This approach to IC(interstitial cystititis….bladder pain syndrome), IBS, GERD, fibromyalgia, chronic prostatitis, and vulvodynia exposes us to a different way of thinking
Rumor has it that there is no specific diet for IC That’s true if the only diet you’ve been exposed to is based on fad We hear the term “fad diets” these days but what constitutes a diet as fad? The origins of the word “fad” comes from different sources and some are interesting; a hobby or pet project, from the early 1800’s; perhaps 18th century term, fiddle faddle, implying fashion or craze; from the French, fadaise meaning trifle or nonsense; unltimately from the Latin, fatuus meaning stupid
Whatever, we don’t take a fad seriously A passing fancy as implied But currently a fad is only a fad after we have experienced that there is no truth in its approach I would purport that a nutritional fad is grounded on the following:
No test of time to establish validity or that it actually helps with IC(is there still confusion in the ranks of IC patients?)
Guidelines are based on hearsay (Mary said that this was bad for her IC and corroborated by many other IC patients in a survey)
Based on a particular food(certain fruit, berry etc)
Based on a type of food(carbohydrate, protein)
Elimination of food types until there is nothing left to eat
Based on measurement(number of calories consumed, number of pounds lost)
Intuitively claims cannot be believed(in six weeks you’ll lose 30 pounds!)
No nutritional system supports the overall process(employing scientific concepts…..not molecular information)
This first and last guideline are the most salient because(and this seems like heresy) they place our current matter science nutritional model as suspect as fad
Why? Because there is no nutritional system that supports the underlying tenets of its dimension Therefore I would have to term our current molecular nutritional system as fad and I believe that’s why we fall for all the fad diets; we don’t have a system of nutrition that isn’t fad
How in the world could we know the difference between what is quality and real and fad when we have only been exposed to fad?
If you’ve read my books you’ll understand that nutrition is different than diet Nutrition focuses on how food qualities lead to disease Stay with me here Just because this may sound confusing doesn’t mean it should be discounted As the phrase goes, “how’s what you’re doing with diet working for you?” The energy science says that nutrition should take into account who the consumer is What a concept! You mean if I’m a Pitta Vata my food choices would be different than a Pitta Kapha?
The inflammation that occurs with your IC pain as we’ve talked about in the past is from the hot and mobile qualities from an energy science viewpoint As you know this pain can be excruciating and unrelenting causing undue stress on relationships and plans And there are things that we have discussed that can help with temporary relief of symptoms But what would it be like it you lived a life without any bladder symptoms at all This is the cure of the apparent curable condition of IC The Hot Quality As we’ve mentioned before...
read morePelvic pain(also known as CPPS or chronic pelvic pain syndrome) has many different causes When everything has been ruled out with CT scan, cytology, and cystoscopy then the urologist is left with the diagnosis of IC or chronic prostatitis So the evaluation of IC pain is a diagnosis of exclusion To the astute clinician often the symptom complex of IC stands out from other pelvic pain complexes having nuances that separate them apart from the IC label Be that as it may it still is important to have studies done to be sure what you are...
read moreThe pain of interstitial cystitis(IC) is chronic, intermittent, and eventually debilitating It is pelvic in origin and often originates from the bladder but may also involve the vagina leading to painful intercourse(dyspareunia) The pain distribution is from belly button to midthigh and is associated with episodic urinary burning, urgency, and frequency Diagnosis of the Disease Label of IC This complex of symptoms is labeled by the current matter or molecular science healing discipline(your urologist) by many different names: chronic...
read moreThe pain of IC can be unpredictable which is distressing anxiety provoking in itself Let alone that you have to contend with the pain And sometimes diet suggestions of well meaning matter science dieticians(RD) work and sometimes they don’t Much of the current state of dietary recommendations is anecdotal even though touted as good molecular science Diet recommendations are not as exact a science as we would like If you feel good then the recommendations must be correct If you’re not feeling good then that information...
read moreEveryone agrees that the pain of IC is related to inflammation but it may be surprising to find that all diseases from cancer to diabetes have an element of this inflammation And this is where we are at in our current understanding of disease from a matter or molecular science point of view And we as the signpost points are left with no direction There are many painful molecules that have now been identified that produce inflammation in the mindbody We have identified many of these molecules But what causes them to begin to show up in...
read moreYou 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 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 59% used Prelief (OTC...
read moreAs you know at times the pelvic pain from IC can become unbearable and many in the IC community have talked and written about the use of the castor oil pack As a matter of fact these packs can be a great refuge from the chronic pain Even if the relief is short lived it can bring a reprieve Wow, what would it be like if castor could give you complete relief and the pain never came back ever? In the energy science healing tradition of Ayurveda there are many reasons that a dis-ease occurs so the treatments must be multifactorial as...
read moreThe chronic pain from IC seeks a solution but you are told that the “dis-ease is treatable not curable” But what would it be like if there was a solution? Is it possible? We are led to believe a lie, when we give up hope And obviously there is no quick fix or IC wouldn’t be a problem But what would it be like to have your life back? Too hard to believe? Well read on The experience amongst IC patients is that the diet promoted by ICA or ICN may work for some, not for others Sometimes works for awhile then seems...
read moreA “flare” is a common phrase used in IC circles to describe the sudden occurrence of pain around voiding It can also describe the pelvic pain associated with the burning and frequency of urination that can be part of the recurrent symptom complex so characteristic of interstitial cystitis You may remember the graph on the home page near the bottom If not go check it out now because it will show you the ups and downs of ANY dis-ease in the physiology Even acute conditions such as renal colic from urinary stones or appendicitis...
read moreThis is a review of the summary of responses that we received from IC patients who were willing to spend their time to discuss the distressing pain of IC as well as the repercussions of the pain Dr Bill also was able to interview more than 50% of the survey respondents who graciously gave their time to talk with him regarding their difficulties with the dis-ease Survey Results Here are the questions: 1 What’s your biggest frustration with interstitial cystitis? Most common response was the unrelenting pain 2. What have you tried so far...
read more
In the energy science of Ayurveda there can be no disease without the presence of toxicity In this discipline it’s called AMA(this doesn’t stand for the American Medical Association) which means undigested, unprocessed food Hmmm, if I have unprocessed, undigested food hanging around in my GIT(GI tract) that must mean that my digestive capability is in some way impaired? Bingo
So in the end the root cause of all disease is the presence of bodily AMA And to heal any disease whether it be the IC(interstitial cystitis) bladder pain syndrome or CPPS(IC, IBS, GERD, chronic prostatitis, vulvodynia, fibromyalgia) or any other disease I must address AMA in the body
AMA physically is a substance that is thick(dense), sticky, heavy, slow to move, cold, slimy, and gross(meaning easy to spot in the body) Think of a thick plaque in a vessel wall that obstructs blood flow and you have a good idea of what AMA is And just like that plaque impairs flow of blood to the tissues that it supplies, energetically it impairs the flow of energy in the body
When there is energy stagnation in the physical or mental body there can be pain, either physical or emotional
So when you have pain from a bladder flare it implies that there is energetic stagnation and the free flow of energy has been disrupted
So if all diseases have AMA and my digestive fire is weak, then if I want to clear the diseases such as IC then I should work on improving my digestive power or agni(the words fire, power, strength, and agni are all used interchangeably here) This is a radical departure from current medical thinking since the models are so different But then again that’s why the energy model can be successful since it understands the origin of disease from an energy science view
So the first item on the agenda in healing IC is to improve digestion, absorption, and assimilation of the GIT
1 CCF tea Cumin, coriander and fennel tea is elemental to improve digestion because it stokes agni That’s why sipping on this tea all day, everyday is helpful for clearing AMA
2 Stop putting wet logs on your digestion When I entertain foods that don’t resonate with my energy makeup(Pitta diet or VP diet) or use IFC(incompatible food combinations) it’s like dampening my agni which is all the enzyme systems of the GIT from the mouth to lower rectum including the bacteria which are also part of agni
3 Using other agni enhancers Fresh ginger tea with a dash of cayenne(agni tea), cardamon, vanilla, cinnamon, turmeric are all excellent agni enhancers that I can use in my cooking or beverages to enhance agni
4 Breathing techniques(pranayama) Interestingly the yoga tradition has many different ways to physically enhance agni These breathing techniques can change the course of IC due to the power of clearing AMA
5 Yoga postures The digestive system is represented in the space of the abdomen and when you do postures that engage this area you literally engage agni and improve it From a molecular point of view this cannot be understood but energetically it makes perfect sense
So there you have it A starter sequence that can get you on your way to healing IC Oh, BTW, people have AMA and because they feel OK, they don’t think they have toxic load They’re only fooling themselves Everybody has it, it just depends where it’s going to show up
Another thing The AMA that occurs in the urinary tract channel has a good chance of getting cleared When the AMA starts showing up in other places (like fibromyalgia) it’s more difficult, doable but harder
The inflammation that occurs with your IC pain as we’ve talked about in the past is from the hot and mobile qualities from an energy science viewpoint As you know this pain can be excruciating and unrelenting causing undue stress on relationships and plans And there are things that we have discussed that can help with temporary relief of symptoms But what would it be like it you lived a life without any bladder symptoms at all This is the cure of the apparent curable condition of IC The Hot Quality As we’ve mentioned before...
read morePelvic pain(also known as CPPS or chronic pelvic pain syndrome) has many different causes When everything has been ruled out with CT scan, cytology, and cystoscopy then the urologist is left with the diagnosis of IC or chronic prostatitis So the evaluation of IC pain is a diagnosis of exclusion To the astute clinician often the symptom complex of IC stands out from other pelvic pain complexes having nuances that separate them apart from the IC label Be that as it may it still is important to have studies done to be sure what you are...
read moreThe pain of interstitial cystitis(IC) is chronic, intermittent, and eventually debilitating It is pelvic in origin and often originates from the bladder but may also involve the vagina leading to painful intercourse(dyspareunia) The pain distribution is from belly button to midthigh and is associated with episodic urinary burning, urgency, and frequency Diagnosis of the Disease Label of IC This complex of symptoms is labeled by the current matter or molecular science healing discipline(your urologist) by many different names: chronic...
read moreThe pain of IC can be unpredictable which is distressing anxiety provoking in itself Let alone that you have to contend with the pain And sometimes diet suggestions of well meaning matter science dieticians(RD) work and sometimes they don’t Much of the current state of dietary recommendations is anecdotal even though touted as good molecular science Diet recommendations are not as exact a science as we would like If you feel good then the recommendations must be correct If you’re not feeling good then that information...
read moreEveryone agrees that the pain of IC is related to inflammation but it may be surprising to find that all diseases from cancer to diabetes have an element of this inflammation And this is where we are at in our current understanding of disease from a matter or molecular science point of view And we as the signpost points are left with no direction There are many painful molecules that have now been identified that produce inflammation in the mindbody We have identified many of these molecules But what causes them to begin to show up in...
read moreYou 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 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 59% used Prelief (OTC...
read moreAs you know at times the pelvic pain from IC can become unbearable and many in the IC community have talked and written about the use of the castor oil pack As a matter of fact these packs can be a great refuge from the chronic pain Even if the relief is short lived it can bring a reprieve Wow, what would it be like if castor could give you complete relief and the pain never came back ever? In the energy science healing tradition of Ayurveda there are many reasons that a dis-ease occurs so the treatments must be multifactorial as...
read moreThe chronic pain from IC seeks a solution but you are told that the “dis-ease is treatable not curable” But what would it be like if there was a solution? Is it possible? We are led to believe a lie, when we give up hope And obviously there is no quick fix or IC wouldn’t be a problem But what would it be like to have your life back? Too hard to believe? Well read on The experience amongst IC patients is that the diet promoted by ICA or ICN may work for some, not for others Sometimes works for awhile then seems...
read moreA “flare” is a common phrase used in IC circles to describe the sudden occurrence of pain around voiding It can also describe the pelvic pain associated with the burning and frequency of urination that can be part of the recurrent symptom complex so characteristic of interstitial cystitis You may remember the graph on the home page near the bottom If not go check it out now because it will show you the ups and downs of ANY dis-ease in the physiology Even acute conditions such as renal colic from urinary stones or appendicitis...
read moreThis is a review of the summary of responses that we received from IC patients who were willing to spend their time to discuss the distressing pain of IC as well as the repercussions of the pain Dr Bill also was able to interview more than 50% of the survey respondents who graciously gave their time to talk with him regarding their difficulties with the dis-ease Survey Results Here are the questions: 1 What’s your biggest frustration with interstitial cystitis? Most common response was the unrelenting pain 2. What have you tried so far...
read more
IC with its associated inflammatory disease labels such as acid indigestion, GERD, chronic prostatitis, IBS, fibromyalgia, and vulvodynia all have one thing in common Inflammation so it behoves those to stay away from inflammatory foods To figure out which those are, the energy scince looks at tastes
In energy science nutrition there are six tastes: sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent Three of these are inflammatory Can you guess which ones they are?
While the matter science nutritional format only sees four of these, the pungent and astringent tastes are important from an energy science perspective And yes, you’re right the pungent taste is inflammatory, composed of the elements of fire and air This makes sense since our experience is of the hot quality when we take in hot chiles, horseradish, salsa, or cayenne
The other two tastes that are inflammatory because they are composed of the fire element are sour and salty As you would expect if the taste is composed of the fire element it would necessarily carry the hot quality
With this background we are lead to the conclusion that meat that has spent its life in the saltwater would not only be inflammatory but would provoke IC if used consistently
I think the word “consistently” is important here Many of our readers are from coastal areas such as Florida where seafood is abundant For them with a steady diet of saltwater fish this issue of seafood could be problematic
As I have talked about in the past any food can be an IC problem if the agni(digestive fire) is low So eating occasional seafood once a month would not be a problem but “consistent” use of seafood would clearly lead to flares
Often a condiment that is served with saltwater fish is lemon Of course the lemon is sour and from the above it carries the hot quality A substitute is the immature lemon, the lime that can be used without a problem
But what about the omega fat value of seafood? How can we give that up?
Molecular studies of freshwater fish show that they are as equally rich in the good omega fats as seafood So no problem there
In the Midwest of the US , land locked so to speak, fresh water fish is relatively abundant Trout, bass, perch, walleye and a particular favorite of mine, tilapia are available for our palate
But again stay away from the lemon and use lime in moderation(3x per week)
Some writers on the IC subject in the community have suggested that there is no specific diet for IC……that is, there is no specific information that can give you guidelines as to what to eat And that’s true if the recommendations are based on hearsay
This particular topic gives you just a small inkling as to the efficacy of the energy science nutritional approach It shows how choices of foods should be based on the disease process, such as in IC Avoiding the hot quality avoids the foods that produce flares
Now I think that can be useful for the IC community
All the best in your healing journey Love DB
The inflammation that occurs with your IC pain as we’ve talked about in the past is from the hot and mobile qualities from an energy science viewpoint As you know this pain can be excruciating and unrelenting causing undue stress on relationships and plans And there are things that we have discussed that can help with temporary relief of symptoms But what would it be like it you lived a life without any bladder symptoms at all This is the cure of the apparent curable condition of IC The Hot Quality As we’ve mentioned before...
read morePelvic pain(also known as CPPS or chronic pelvic pain syndrome) has many different causes When everything has been ruled out with CT scan, cytology, and cystoscopy then the urologist is left with the diagnosis of IC or chronic prostatitis So the evaluation of IC pain is a diagnosis of exclusion To the astute clinician often the symptom complex of IC stands out from other pelvic pain complexes having nuances that separate them apart from the IC label Be that as it may it still is important to have studies done to be sure what you are...
read moreThe pain of interstitial cystitis(IC) is chronic, intermittent, and eventually debilitating It is pelvic in origin and often originates from the bladder but may also involve the vagina leading to painful intercourse(dyspareunia) The pain distribution is from belly button to midthigh and is associated with episodic urinary burning, urgency, and frequency Diagnosis of the Disease Label of IC This complex of symptoms is labeled by the current matter or molecular science healing discipline(your urologist) by many different names: chronic...
read moreThe pain of IC can be unpredictable which is distressing anxiety provoking in itself Let alone that you have to contend with the pain And sometimes diet suggestions of well meaning matter science dieticians(RD) work and sometimes they don’t Much of the current state of dietary recommendations is anecdotal even though touted as good molecular science Diet recommendations are not as exact a science as we would like If you feel good then the recommendations must be correct If you’re not feeling good then that information...
read moreEveryone agrees that the pain of IC is related to inflammation but it may be surprising to find that all diseases from cancer to diabetes have an element of this inflammation And this is where we are at in our current understanding of disease from a matter or molecular science point of view And we as the signpost points are left with no direction There are many painful molecules that have now been identified that produce inflammation in the mindbody We have identified many of these molecules But what causes them to begin to show up in...
read moreYou 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 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 59% used Prelief (OTC...
read moreAs you know at times the pelvic pain from IC can become unbearable and many in the IC community have talked and written about the use of the castor oil pack As a matter of fact these packs can be a great refuge from the chronic pain Even if the relief is short lived it can bring a reprieve Wow, what would it be like if castor could give you complete relief and the pain never came back ever? In the energy science healing tradition of Ayurveda there are many reasons that a dis-ease occurs so the treatments must be multifactorial as...
read moreThe chronic pain from IC seeks a solution but you are told that the “dis-ease is treatable not curable” But what would it be like if there was a solution? Is it possible? We are led to believe a lie, when we give up hope And obviously there is no quick fix or IC wouldn’t be a problem But what would it be like to have your life back? Too hard to believe? Well read on The experience amongst IC patients is that the diet promoted by ICA or ICN may work for some, not for others Sometimes works for awhile then seems...
read moreA “flare” is a common phrase used in IC circles to describe the sudden occurrence of pain around voiding It can also describe the pelvic pain associated with the burning and frequency of urination that can be part of the recurrent symptom complex so characteristic of interstitial cystitis You may remember the graph on the home page near the bottom If not go check it out now because it will show you the ups and downs of ANY dis-ease in the physiology Even acute conditions such as renal colic from urinary stones or appendicitis...
read moreThis is a review of the summary of responses that we received from IC patients who were willing to spend their time to discuss the distressing pain of IC as well as the repercussions of the pain Dr Bill also was able to interview more than 50% of the survey respondents who graciously gave their time to talk with him regarding their difficulties with the dis-ease Survey Results Here are the questions: 1 What’s your biggest frustration with interstitial cystitis? Most common response was the unrelenting pain 2. What have you tried so far...
read more
The matter science discipline has made the relationship between IBS(irritable bowel syndrome) and intersitial cystitis from population studies but due to its model of healing it has little to say about the association It exists but we don’t know why
The energy science model relates that the vast majority of disease begins in the GI tract This is why nutrition becomes the first mainstay of therapy Of course it depends on what kind of nutritional advice is given Molecular nutritional advice as I talk about in IC Bladder Pain Syndrome is at best guess work based on anecdotal IC sufferers reports
But what about this link between IBS and IC? It’s estimated that about 70% of people with IC have some signs and symptoms of IBS From my vantage point in dealing with patients…..it’s more like approaching 100% And this makes sense because of what I just related about the origin of almost all chronic diseases
The symptoms of IBS are related to poor digestion This leads to the increased qualities of hot and mobile which leave the GI tract and lodge in weak bodily areas predisposed to disease The mobile quality leads to the frequency, urgency, getting up at night, and at times incontinence if certain characteristics of the continence mechanism are present The hot quality leads to the intermittent burning in the bladder and vagina leading to vulvodynia like symptoms In men the symptoms of chronic prostatitis are similar except that the perineal burning is often more severe
Approximately 60-70% of people with IC become either asymptomatic and their symptoms dramatically lessen over time with minor flares that are tolerable and dealt with by small interventions that quiet the above qualities The remaining 30% of patients become debilitated with symptoms
More often than not this debilitated group of patients have not only IC symptoms(bladder, prostate, and vagina) but also extreme bowel symptoms as well This leads to the diagnosis of IBS Unfortunately there is little from the matter or molecular science discipline to deal with these symptoms as well So this unfortunate group of patients have IC and IBS both of which are not managed well by the current medical system Nothing to be offered
So incapacitating IC almost always has a component of IBS that is also severe Since all disease starts in the GI tract the management of these severe cases must hinge around dealing with the problems in the GI tract Typically when the GI symptoms are managed the IC symptoms take care of themselves
As I talked about earlier the cause of IBS is poor digestive strength Once this process of poor digestion is set in motion the accumulation of undigested unprocessed food leads to disruption of absorption and assimilation of food leading to toxicity
But all of these digestive disruptions lead to increased mucous production by the lining of the GI tract Because of the hot and dry qualities in the GI tract this mucous over time becomes thick ropey and creates intermittent functional bowel obstruction, leading to bloating and pockets of gas Another serious problem with this inspissated mucous is that it is incredibly inflammatory which produces severe cramping pain
Over years this mucous becomes a major obstacle to clearing symptoms not only in the bowel but also the bladder And both systems create symptoms that interrelate causing a constellation of symptoms that are uninterpretable by the matter science doctors
If early on in symptoms using licorice or slippery elm can serve as demulcents to the problematic mucous Until the mucous is cleared the symptoms won’t be relieved But the healing process of bowel recovery is another hurdle that has to be managed until the gas and bloating is controlled
The important realization to the management of these difficult situations is that the process of healing from an energy science view requires time There is no magic fix, no magic pill, no magic operation Only patience, diligence, and the courage to do the work
All the best in your healing journey DB
The inflammation that occurs with your IC pain as we’ve talked about in the past is from the hot and mobile qualities from an energy science viewpoint As you know this pain can be excruciating and unrelenting causing undue stress on relationships and plans And there are things that we have discussed that can help with temporary relief of symptoms But what would it be like it you lived a life without any bladder symptoms at all This is the cure of the apparent curable condition of IC The Hot Quality As we’ve mentioned before...
read morePelvic pain(also known as CPPS or chronic pelvic pain syndrome) has many different causes When everything has been ruled out with CT scan, cytology, and cystoscopy then the urologist is left with the diagnosis of IC or chronic prostatitis So the evaluation of IC pain is a diagnosis of exclusion To the astute clinician often the symptom complex of IC stands out from other pelvic pain complexes having nuances that separate them apart from the IC label Be that as it may it still is important to have studies done to be sure what you are...
read moreThe pain of interstitial cystitis(IC) is chronic, intermittent, and eventually debilitating It is pelvic in origin and often originates from the bladder but may also involve the vagina leading to painful intercourse(dyspareunia) The pain distribution is from belly button to midthigh and is associated with episodic urinary burning, urgency, and frequency Diagnosis of the Disease Label of IC This complex of symptoms is labeled by the current matter or molecular science healing discipline(your urologist) by many different names: chronic...
read moreThe pain of IC can be unpredictable which is distressing anxiety provoking in itself Let alone that you have to contend with the pain And sometimes diet suggestions of well meaning matter science dieticians(RD) work and sometimes they don’t Much of the current state of dietary recommendations is anecdotal even though touted as good molecular science Diet recommendations are not as exact a science as we would like If you feel good then the recommendations must be correct If you’re not feeling good then that information...
read moreEveryone agrees that the pain of IC is related to inflammation but it may be surprising to find that all diseases from cancer to diabetes have an element of this inflammation And this is where we are at in our current understanding of disease from a matter or molecular science point of view And we as the signpost points are left with no direction There are many painful molecules that have now been identified that produce inflammation in the mindbody We have identified many of these molecules But what causes them to begin to show up in...
read moreYou 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 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 59% used Prelief (OTC...
read moreAs you know at times the pelvic pain from IC can become unbearable and many in the IC community have talked and written about the use of the castor oil pack As a matter of fact these packs can be a great refuge from the chronic pain Even if the relief is short lived it can bring a reprieve Wow, what would it be like if castor could give you complete relief and the pain never came back ever? In the energy science healing tradition of Ayurveda there are many reasons that a dis-ease occurs so the treatments must be multifactorial as...
read moreThe chronic pain from IC seeks a solution but you are told that the “dis-ease is treatable not curable” But what would it be like if there was a solution? Is it possible? We are led to believe a lie, when we give up hope And obviously there is no quick fix or IC wouldn’t be a problem But what would it be like to have your life back? Too hard to believe? Well read on The experience amongst IC patients is that the diet promoted by ICA or ICN may work for some, not for others Sometimes works for awhile then seems...
read moreA “flare” is a common phrase used in IC circles to describe the sudden occurrence of pain around voiding It can also describe the pelvic pain associated with the burning and frequency of urination that can be part of the recurrent symptom complex so characteristic of interstitial cystitis You may remember the graph on the home page near the bottom If not go check it out now because it will show you the ups and downs of ANY dis-ease in the physiology Even acute conditions such as renal colic from urinary stones or appendicitis...
read moreThis is a review of the summary of responses that we received from IC patients who were willing to spend their time to discuss the distressing pain of IC as well as the repercussions of the pain Dr Bill also was able to interview more than 50% of the survey respondents who graciously gave their time to talk with him regarding their difficulties with the dis-ease Survey Results Here are the questions: 1 What’s your biggest frustration with interstitial cystitis? Most common response was the unrelenting pain 2. What have you tried so far...
read more
In keeping with our theme from last week, I wanted to discuss with you this week the use of yoga postures for irritable bowel syndrome(IBS), fibromyalgia, vulvodynia, and chronic prostatitis All of these matter science disease labels are associated in high percentages with IC
Yoga has been used as a discipline for healing at the Ayurvedic Institute since the 1980’s and has been trademarked as Ayuryoga The uniqueness of the breathing techniques that I talked about last week and the poses this week is that paired with energy science healing techniques they can restore normal health without IC
The key is that certain yoga postures improve GI health and restore digestive power that has been lost over the years You will not heal IC until you address the digestive health of your gut
Yoga as a discipline of healing using the Ayurvedic model has been around for 5000+years and has used yoga postures for healing In the late 1990’s Dawn Mahowald, a certified yoga instructor began having symptoms of IC She began using yoga postures for her problem and was pleasantly surprised that her symptoms improved to the point she wasn’t bothered any further During that time she sought out the help of a urologist, Emmy Ripoll MD who was open minded enough to follow Dawn’s progress and see the improvemnts
This led to a collaborative effort and a book on the subject showing how IC can be helped with yoga They currently practice in Boulder Colorado They were interviewed by Jill Osborne of the ICN in 2002
As I have pointed out over the years the difference between the matter science and the energy science medical healing models is that one is based on molecules and the other on seeing the body as an energy field You simultaneously coexist as these fields If I put on my molecular glasses I see the body as an collection of molecules If I put on a different pair of glasses I see the body as an energy field
When I have those energy glasses on I see the body as a collection of qualities, hot and cold, hard and soft, liquid and dense, slow/dull and sharp/penetrating, heavy and light, etc So these qualities become my window of observation as to how the energy field is doing If I feel sluggish and fatigued then I’m out of balance and should take measures to correct the problem
If you have IC you have an imbalance in the hot and mobile qualities that cause you go to the toilet frequently and when in a flare experience burning on urination
So yoga can be therapeutic but a sequence in a yoga studio may cause you a setback if you don’t know how the activity can affect you So the ongoing discussion below is meant to be a reference for you for future questions that you may have Therapeutic yoga when combined with Ayurvedic energy science techniques can be healing and transforming
Using yoga as a therapeutic tool is extremely valuable but you have to have some basic understanding of what yoga asana(postures, poses) do to the energy body As a matter of fact, people report being made worse when they go to a yoga class This would be particularly the case if you attended a “hot yoga” (Bikram) session and this would make complete sense from what I said above Here are some suggestions
Chandra namaskar(moon salutation) is an excellent cooling dynamic flow sequence for IC
Doing all sequences and poses slowly(opposed to the mobile quality) is also therapeutic
Forward bends are heating and backbends and expansion poses are cooling in general
After these generalizations the building of a posture practice is based on the individual and their needs but safe asanas to use are: trikonasana, ardha chandrasana, and utthita parsvokonasana Most standing poses are heating
Balancing poses are very grounding for Vata and therefore reduce the mobile quality: vrksasna, natarajasana, and gaurudasana
Agni building poses are safe such as uttana padasana, naukasana, and mayurasana
Inversions are in general heating but these can be used safely: halasana, bhadharasana(downward facing dog), and short periods in headstand(sarvangasana) are OK but sirasana and variations should be avoided
Twists are cooling so ardha matsyendrasana and jathara parivattasana are great
Seated postures with backbending components are cooling: setu bandhasana, dhanurasana, pawanmuktanasana, baddha konasana, gomuksasana, virasana, supta virasana, ustrasana, matsyasana, vajrasana, upward dog, and bhujangasana
This list is to give you and your yoga teacher some guidance as to what postures can be aggravating for IC If you haven’t explored yoga, maybe it’s time to try it out with this guidance It’s great exercise!
If you would like some personal guidance you and I could develop a personalized program that could be progressed and at the same time get some other help with treatment of your IC condition
There are specific postures in yoga that can help improve your digestion which are called above agni building poses These are amazing because they help restore digestive health which is foundational on your road back to recovering from IC
As always best in your healing journey Love DB
PS Don’t forget April 5 for the free webinar on the use of yoga in IC!
The inflammation that occurs with your IC pain as we’ve talked about in the past is from the hot and mobile qualities from an energy science viewpoint As you know this pain can be excruciating and unrelenting causing undue stress on relationships and plans And there are things that we have discussed that can help with temporary relief of symptoms But what would it be like it you lived a life without any bladder symptoms at all This is the cure of the apparent curable condition of IC The Hot Quality As we’ve mentioned before...
read morePelvic pain(also known as CPPS or chronic pelvic pain syndrome) has many different causes When everything has been ruled out with CT scan, cytology, and cystoscopy then the urologist is left with the diagnosis of IC or chronic prostatitis So the evaluation of IC pain is a diagnosis of exclusion To the astute clinician often the symptom complex of IC stands out from other pelvic pain complexes having nuances that separate them apart from the IC label Be that as it may it still is important to have studies done to be sure what you are...
read moreThe pain of interstitial cystitis(IC) is chronic, intermittent, and eventually debilitating It is pelvic in origin and often originates from the bladder but may also involve the vagina leading to painful intercourse(dyspareunia) The pain distribution is from belly button to midthigh and is associated with episodic urinary burning, urgency, and frequency Diagnosis of the Disease Label of IC This complex of symptoms is labeled by the current matter or molecular science healing discipline(your urologist) by many different names: chronic...
read moreThe pain of IC can be unpredictable which is distressing anxiety provoking in itself Let alone that you have to contend with the pain And sometimes diet suggestions of well meaning matter science dieticians(RD) work and sometimes they don’t Much of the current state of dietary recommendations is anecdotal even though touted as good molecular science Diet recommendations are not as exact a science as we would like If you feel good then the recommendations must be correct If you’re not feeling good then that information...
read moreEveryone agrees that the pain of IC is related to inflammation but it may be surprising to find that all diseases from cancer to diabetes have an element of this inflammation And this is where we are at in our current understanding of disease from a matter or molecular science point of view And we as the signpost points are left with no direction There are many painful molecules that have now been identified that produce inflammation in the mindbody We have identified many of these molecules But what causes them to begin to show up in...
read moreYou 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 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 59% used Prelief (OTC...
read moreAs you know at times the pelvic pain from IC can become unbearable and many in the IC community have talked and written about the use of the castor oil pack As a matter of fact these packs can be a great refuge from the chronic pain Even if the relief is short lived it can bring a reprieve Wow, what would it be like if castor could give you complete relief and the pain never came back ever? In the energy science healing tradition of Ayurveda there are many reasons that a dis-ease occurs so the treatments must be multifactorial as...
read moreThe chronic pain from IC seeks a solution but you are told that the “dis-ease is treatable not curable” But what would it be like if there was a solution? Is it possible? We are led to believe a lie, when we give up hope And obviously there is no quick fix or IC wouldn’t be a problem But what would it be like to have your life back? Too hard to believe? Well read on The experience amongst IC patients is that the diet promoted by ICA or ICN may work for some, not for others Sometimes works for awhile then seems...
read moreA “flare” is a common phrase used in IC circles to describe the sudden occurrence of pain around voiding It can also describe the pelvic pain associated with the burning and frequency of urination that can be part of the recurrent symptom complex so characteristic of interstitial cystitis You may remember the graph on the home page near the bottom If not go check it out now because it will show you the ups and downs of ANY dis-ease in the physiology Even acute conditions such as renal colic from urinary stones or appendicitis...
read moreThis is a review of the summary of responses that we received from IC patients who were willing to spend their time to discuss the distressing pain of IC as well as the repercussions of the pain Dr Bill also was able to interview more than 50% of the survey respondents who graciously gave their time to talk with him regarding their difficulties with the dis-ease Survey Results Here are the questions: 1 What’s your biggest frustration with interstitial cystitis? Most common response was the unrelenting pain 2. What have you tried so far...
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