From an energy science perspective nutrition, rest, and exercise are the foundational pillars to a healthy life In chronic disease like the IC bladder pain syndrome (interstitial cystitis, vulvodynia, chronic prostatitis, IBS, GERD, and fibromyalgia) all pilllars get typically involved to produce disease progression But rest can be an energy drain to the mindbody and since healing is already an energy drain there is a significant stress on the physiology that requires remedy
The pineal gland located in the third ventricle is a significant endocrine gland involved in the daily rest cycle and secretes two important neurotransmitters, serotonin and melatonin The former is the energetic equivalent of groundedness and the latter is intimately involved in the diurnal variations of daylight and nighttime, signaling our mindbody when it is ready for rest
As usual in the energy science the amount of rest varies according to the constitutional energy makeup Vata due to its delicacy requires the most rest, typically 7-8h per night and Kapha requires the least, 5-6h and Pitta somewhere in between Most of us have 2 dominant patterns so PV would be around 6-7h and PK 6h But commonly Kapha loves to sleep in and so even though Kapha “desires” more rest, in fact Kapha needs to “move it” and take advantage of its good stamina and endurance
When there are health challenges we can see that there are more energetic demands on the mindbody so that naps are naturally an acceptable way to “catch up” So keeping the same rest schedule at night with PV in bed by no later than 103o and PK 1130 are reasonable guidelines Appropriate rising times no later than 7 for PV and 6 for PK are reasonable But if fatigue sets in during the afternoon a nap could be valuable
We are a culture guided by the alarm clock but the energy science of Ayurveda would suggest that such a tool is Vata provoking and physiologically disruptive So if we set a good sleeping schedule there becomes less of a need to use an alarm because the mindbody gets set into a rhythm of rest, allowing the mindbody to go “au naturale”
Sleep disruption comes in all forms of shapes and sizes Some have trouble getting to sleep, other wake up during Vata time(2-6a) and can’t get back to sleep, and others wake up to urinate several times a night due to interstitial cystitis
There are tools that can help with setting the tone for getting into a “normal rest cycle Of course this is not an all inclusive list but some of these have stood the test of time Using one or a combination of these solutions may be helpful
Having a set time for bed every night is a good lifestyle habit to cultivate The mindbody is subject to habit which sets the tone for rest
The bedroom should be just that….a place for the bed and for rest Some turn their bedroom into a media suite or library and this creates confusion
Cherry juice is a source of melatonin and seratonin as mentioned above are important in rest Amazingly cherry juice is a rich natural source of both and using glass of warm cherry juice with perhaps cinnamon before 30min before bed would be helpful for rest
Warm milk with ground almonds(without skins) and pinch of cardamom and pinch of nutmeg Nutmeg is a culinary sleep aid and can be quite effective
Chamomile tea has been a longstanding herbal remedy for inducing rest, relaxation, and sleep
Cup tomato juice with 2t sugar and 2 pinches nutmeg
Herbal therapies such as tagar can be helpful in inducing sleep
Bhringaraj oil to feet and head after a warm tub bath for relaxation can also help for sleep inducement
Practicing So Hum mantra meditation can be a way to soothe the Vata aggravated mindbody and put it in relaxation mode It’s a way of counting sheep but much more peaceful
The addition of a pharmacological such as Ambien or other sleep aids can be used as prescription and supported by the above
From an energy science view the symptoms of interstitial cystitis(IC) are related to the hot quality among others The burning on urination that feels like razor blades, the suprapubic or vaginal pain, the perineal pain of prostatitis are all related to this energetic quality that is in excess At this blog I have discussed extensively how the nutritional format is fundamental in clearing symptoms From my research 91% of patients doing aloe and a nutritional format that reduces this hot quality get 50% relief of symptoms in 6 weeks But...
read moreObviously this is a common question posed by those doing energy science work for clearance of their IC complex of bladder pain and possibly IBS, GERD and fibromyalgia As a child you may have asked, “Are we there yet?” and “Now are we there yet?” So when will this IC be over? The short answer is, “It’s over when it’s over.” But to be more specific, in general it takes 2 months of release for every year of imbalance So if you have had symptoms of IC for 10 years it will take 20 months of work to clear the...
read moreThe IC bladder pain syndrome(interstitial cystitis, vulvodynia, prostatitis, IBS, GERD, and fibromyalgia) produces not only bladder pain that can be intermittent(as in flares) but also often involves the vaginal canal(vulvodynia), pelvic floor muscles, and often the rectum And as is common with all people with IC there are some forms of bowel involvement with symptoms since from an energy science point of view the disease arises from the GI tract The Rectum and the Pelvic Nerves? IC is a systemic disease Many matter science medical...
read moreOver the last 20 years the interstitital cystitis(IC) complex of pelvic and bladder pain has been successfully treated by urologists with botox Initially used as a way to focally paralyze muscle fibers in the face as a cosmetic application, it quickly crossed many lines of therapy for use in other organ systems in the body to include the bladder The use of the agent in bladder injection therapy is that the bladder and pelvic pain is related to muscle spasm in these respective areas that paralysis of the muscles would reduce the pain Matter...
read moreThe pain of your IC flare is related to the movement of the qualities of hot, mobile, and dry These qualities lead to the burning in the pelvis and on urination as well as the frequency and intense urgency you experience(leading to the rusty zipper syndrome) These primordial vibrational frequencies(fancy term for qualities) are moving through a long tube in the mindbody This tube begins in the kidney and ends where the urine comes out when you urinate It’s that simple! Energy in the form of urine moves through this...
read moreThe inflammation that occurs with your IC bladder pain syndrome(interstitial cystitis, vulvodynia, chronic prostatitis, GERD, IBS, and fibromyalgia) 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...
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 For reasons not clear, ICA dropped the reference page to this statistic The stats come from a response survey of an IC population culled from members of the organization This numbers have been substantiated by other research The fear of...
read moreInterstitial cystitis (IC) painvsyndrome(intersitial cystitis, vulvodynia, chronic prostatitis, IBS, GERD, fibromyalgia) is often associated with other conditions such as food allergies or sensitivities and 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...
read moreThe interstitial cystitis(IC) bladder pain syndrome(interstitial cystitis, vulvodynia, chronic prostatitis, IBS, GERD, fibromyalgia)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...
read moreKapha is the energy pattern of stability in the physiology It is composed of the qualities of heavy, slow/dull, cool, slimy/smooth, liquid, dense, soft, hard, static, and sticky Think of the mucous from the common cold and you will have a good understanding of the qualities of Kapha which supports bodily structures When Kapha becomes excessive in the physiology it brings the static and heavy qualities in excess which block the lighter qualities of Vata and Pitta which are the primary instigators of the symptoms of the IC bladder pain...
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