In the IC bladder pain syndrome as in many chronic diseases such as fibromyalgia, vulvodynia, IBS, GERD, or chronic prostatitis, there is often times the occurrence of cravings particularly around food Sometimes these cravings are normal and should be satisfied But if we understand the energy model we will understand when some cravings should not be satisfied
I’m using the word “craving” here in a very specific way and different than addiction In addiction I’m speaking about a continual need for something you really don’t want in the first place The alcoholic needs to drink to satisfy a psychophysiologic need whereas a person who craves a beer on a hot sunny day can take or leave the beer at other times In general any kind of addiction is just an attempt to stimulate agni
At times a craving may mask a real need For example, a person who has an physiologic craving for chocolate is not actually seeking the chocolate but the sweet taste that comes along with the chocolate that may or may not be a physiologic craving So let’s look at this issue of cravings
Cravings can be due to psychological or physiological factors If the sweet taste is craved it may mean that the person is craving love However, if there is an imbalance of the hot quality someone may be craving the sweet taste to reduce the hot quality because the sweet taste carries the cold quality In IC one may be looking for ice water in order to cool down the hot quality While this may be considered a normal craving it has not so good physiologic consequences as such a habit would impair agni Or one may be thinking about a cold shower to cool down In this setting such a habit would aggravate Vata and would not be a good idea
So normal cravings that you respond to may adversely affect your physiology Normal physiologic food cravings are typically healthy and don’t adversely impact the body
Vata, the energy pattern of movement has a normal cravings for the warm drinks and hot foods that carry the spicy, mushy oily properties If it’s cold out during the winter, Vata becomes aggravated in the gut and you would naturally seek warmth and a cup of hot chocolate or cider
Pitta, the energy pattern of transformation expresses the hot quality amongst others and when it’s hot out a person will nnormally craves cold foods, drinks, and cool air
When Kapha, the energy pattern of stability becomes aggravated in the gut, the cool quality will prompt the person to normally seek hot, spicy food
So you can see that you will naturally seek out how to bring about balance in the body if you are sensing aggravation in yourself And these are normal cravings In actuality they are not real cravings as much as the body just looking to balance itself
Once there is dissemination of these bodily qualities and tissues are affected, wrong cravings show up
For example, someone with too much of the hot quality begins craving the hot qualities in foods such as hot chiles, cayenne pepper, and horseradish dependent on what’s available and the personal preferences for the hot taste These are abnormal cravings and should not be satisfied
When someone is overweight, they already have too much of the sweet taste whose qualities are heavy, slow/dull, liquid, oily, cool, dense, static, cloudy When they crave cookies, candy, and chocolate, they are adding more to the already imbalance of qualities This then becomes again an abnormal craving
If someone is a skinny mini and has a strong Vata imbalance, seeking out cold salads, rough, dry, and crunchy salty chips, there is an abnormal craving being satisfied
1 Determine if the craving is normal or abnormal; if abnormal try not to cave into the craving Of course, this is easier said than done but just by observing the mind obsessing about a particular food can be a ginormous step in the right direction Then let it go if you succumb to the craving Just making the observation is enough
2 Improve your agni There are multiple ways to do this Using ginger pickle, observing appropriate food choices according to your energy makeup, avoiding incompatible food combinations are all fundamental first steps to enhancing digestive fire Use of ghee or clarified butter which has the qualities of digestive fire or agni will help burn away toxic load in the peripheral tissues
3 Fasting of any kind is beneficial Chose one day a week and fast for that day If Vata or Pitta dominant, do juice fasting If Kapha, do water fast for 24h Fasting will be difficult for Kapha but it is a major player is managing cravings long term for this energy pattern There are many other different forms of fasting that can be explored but this one day a week is a good start
So have fun with your cravings and see them for what they are
To health as a Skill Love DrBill
This is based on whether the food sought is on the food list For example, if you’re looking for tomato soup and you have IC you can bet that it’s a craving if you’re Pitta Vata body makeup
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
Any chronic disease produces stress The stress can be good or it can be bad When stress is managed well there are adaptive behavioral patterns that are adopted that lead to changes that help heal or place the person in situations that help them have unique insights about their disease Whether the disease is IC or its sister related labels of IBS, GERD, vulvodynia, fibromyalgia, or chronic prostatitis matters little What’s important is how the individual deals with the stress
But as we know stress can be damaging and affect our ability to heal usually because the stress brings lack of mental clarity and confusionsi
Anyone with chronic disease of any kind will have challenges in relationships unless their disease is not significantly advanced or adaptive patterns are developed well enough to manage through issues at hand whatever they may be
But with advanced disease support becomes very important and one is blessed when one has systems in place(IC groups or understanding spouses or friends) that can acknowledge that the person is not alone with their challenge
What is not very adaptive are forums or groups where victimized mentality is supported or even advocated When this kind of dynamic is set in motion it stifles creativity, clarity, and personal responsibility for the disease
When we are “up against it” so to speak there is value…. particularly in dealing with close relationships…. in keeping in mind what I believe are sound guidelines for not impairing our relationships with others
1 Give up the need for control Whenever chronic disease occurs and we are constantly reminded of the disease because of symptoms it brings up fear for each and every one of us We all fear the unknown and the lack of knowing where this chronic disease is taking us is very frightening When we get into fear one of the first things we reach for is to control This gives us a feeling of stability and groundedness Unfortunately if this need for control spills over into our relationships, then they feel controlled If one just has the awareness of this there will be great understanding as to your relationships with others
2 Practice unconditional love Make a deal with yourself that no matter what happens in any relationship that there is complete acceptance of what is This is the practice of unconditional love…complete and total acceptance of what is You may not like it but accept it as what is No trying to change it….wishing it were different….wishing the other person was different…just accept as what is This can be very liberating and usually leads to resolution of needing to control or #3
3 Watch and Be Aware of Reaction A reaction is like an automatic reflex, like the knee being tapped at the doctor’s office and the leg automatically responds Unfortunately emotional knee jerk responses are disabling and can play havoc in relationships The Vata and Pitta energy patterns which are imbalanced in the disease of IC can lead to impatience and potentially knee jerk emotional responses
So what I would suggest is that you place these on your mirror and review them every morning until they are part of you I’m not in control, I totally accept everything that occurs, and I will not react to anything in my awareness
Best of health in healing IC 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
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 moreIn the past I’ve talked about various options open to an IC population interested in pursuing healing rather than palliative matter science methods The energy science also has palliative methods as well but the topic of this blog is not to palliate the IC bladder pain syndrome but to eliminate it
The energy science model’s understanding of the origin of disease makes this possible and allows you to understand why the below therapies work in eliminating IC as well as its sister diseases of IBS, GERD, fibromyalgia, vulvodynia, and in men chronic prostatitis
As I’ve discussed in the past the energy science views disease as originating in the GIT(gastrointestinal tract) due to vibrational frequencies(aka qualities) that become excessive The common reasons for the accumulation are related to nutrition and lifestyle behaviors that I’ve discussed in the past This explains why dietary advice becomes so foundational for people with IC(see icdiet.com)
One of the common sites of accumulation of these frequencies is the colon Most if not all people with IC have abnormal bowel patterns consisting of gas, bloating, and constipation and/or diarrhea(often leading to the diagnosis of IBS) These colon symptoms are associated with abnormal agni or digestive capability
The common frequencies that are involved are hot and mobile which leads to the burning on urination and frequency of urination along with urgency Once the accumulation of these vibrational frequencies become excessive they move to various parts of the bladder
In moving horizontally these qualities leave the colon where they have become excessive and affect the bladder leading to the above symptoms
As you can see the effect of bladder symptoms is just that The effect of the underlying vibrational disturbance in the colon So as you can surmise treatment of the bladder does not deal with the cause, namely the disturbance of vibrational frequencies in the colon Otherwise one treatment of hydrodistention, botox, or bladder instillations will not deal with the problem’s origin
Hence in the energy science discipline of healing most effort is directed toward clearing the basic imbalance in the colon
#1 The most effective way of bringing these abnormal vibrational frequencies back to the colon for elimination is by medicated herbal enemas One might ask why not just do the same thing but through the bladder since you could eliminate these abnormal increased frequencies that way
This is a great question The answer lies in the root cause If these qualities of hot and mobile are arising from the colon and they are not eliminated at the source they will continue to feed the already disturbed bladder despite being removed from the bladder
#2 The hot quality or vibrational frequency although excessive in the colon actually has its origin in the small bowel and disrupts colon function The best and easiest way to remove this vibrational frequency is through purgation triphala, or using herbs to cause a short period(one day) of diarrhea Common purgative herbal agents that can do the trick are nisshotra(very mild),(mild), and castor oil(strong)
#3 Herbal formulas support both of the above techniques as well as the bladder and the body as a whole during the process These formulas are specific to the other imbalances that are present as well (treating IBS, GERD, fibromyalgia, vulvodynia)
There is a tendency in all of us to want the quick fix, hoping that if we just find that one magic pill, remove that one irritating food that IC will go away But the reversal of this energy pattern that sometimes has taken years to develop takes time As I’ve written before at least 2months for every year of imbalance in straight forward cases
Does this mean there will not be relief of symptoms for that long? No, as you do the work things gradually begin getting better but it does take time It just depends on how severe your symptoms and whether you’re tired of being sick
In the end the energy science brings about real healing because it deals with the origin of the disease If interested in knowing more about this approach you can contact me through ic-solutions.tv for a free one hour consultation where we can review your case together
Best in your 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...
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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...
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