It’s no secret that inflammation plays a major role in all disease and specifically the IC bladder pain syndrome(interstitial cystitis, vulvodynia, chronic prostatitis, irritable bowel syndrome, and fibromyalgia) is a great example where inflammation is a central theme to the disease process This manifests itself as burning on urination or in the tissues since from an energy science point of view the hot quality causes the inflammatory processAs you might find in looking at the above list it seems to leave little left to eat in the average American diet and has the potential of painting you in the proverbial “nutritional corner” which can become very restrictive for food choices
The energy science approach looks at nutrition from the view of who’s eating the food Energetically a PV would choose differently than a PK or a VK For more information please see foodsheal.com This can give you more understanding of what foods are best for you and also give you a broader range of choices
Most live foods are alkaline forming foods Alkaline foods are foods such as fresh fruits, vegetables, honey, and raisins Soaking and sprouting can reduce the acidity of grains, nuts, and beans
Most of us know, like it or not, that the healing of chronic interstitial cystitis(IC) bladder or pelvic pain requires changes occur in lifestyle behavior patterns(LBP) Those favorites that we hold dearly just don’t serve us very well and are the instigators of what got us in trouble in the first place As I talked about in the past, nutrition heads that list of LBP’s that get us headed in the wrong direction, but how we combine foods, how we rest(when to go to bed and when to get up), how we exercise, how much fluids we...
read moreIC 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 is some form of bowel involvement with symptoms since from an energy science point of view the disease arises from the GI tract Why the Pelvic Nerves? IC is a systemic disease Many matter science medical authorities who write about IC agree that in some way it is a systemic disease but the current matter science medical...
read moreThe chronicbladder 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...
read moreWhether you’re traveling like myself to get together with family or your friends and family are right there in your hometown I wish you and our IC community the best of Thanksgiving 2013 When we share our gratitude we occupy a different plane of reality, away from the mundane, day to day schedules So Thanksgivings give us a special time to express our gratitude for all that we have and to transcend the humdrum DB Happy...
read moreSome have asked about this problem of fatigue associated with the chronic bladder pain of the IC syndrome It is natural to have fatigue if you have a chronic disease associated with pain And of course all of us want more energy in our lives But to make the association of pain and fatigue is simplistic at best and will not get you closer to dealing with the problem of the pain most of the time Pain IC and Fatigue: An Energy Science Perspective So pain and fatigue are not related as to cause The association is true true unrelated Yes...
read moreSince flares are related to mounting inflammation in the mindbody and acidity is a primary source of the hot quality as a result of the sour taste in foods it makes sense that you would use alkalinity to reverse the process And many people with IC bladder pain, GERD, IBS, and fibromyalgia swear by it Recently a client told me about alkaline water It brought back memory of my friend’s picture seen to the left It is indeed stranger than fiction Now under the right conditions with minor acidity, using baking soda could be of value ...
read moreOur readers often posit questions about the painful bladder syndrome or IC that I think are valuable for our community In this week’s blog I wanted to address some of them that have come up about recently posted blog topics Why Detoxification? It is wonderful to see that you have such a clear grasp of IC and its many forms. I would love to hear more about the bowel connection (yes I have IBS as well) as well as the step required for detoxification Recent studies have suggested that IBS is associated with IC 80% of the time I...
read moreIn the practice of medicine no disease is really the same as someone else’s disease They all have their nuances of differences And this is true of IC No IC bladder pain syndrome is the same from one individual to another Some have more anxiety and frequency while others have more burning and spasm Some have other skin and eye conditions associated with their IC Some are fortunate enough to have a few nonbacterial “UTIs” and then things seem to rectify themselves and they never have symptoms again Others are...
read moreAs you know the bladder and/or pelvic pain of IC can be unbearable and there is not much for it except pain medications But the issue is what is the root cause of the pain You may find the answer from your matter science doctor if a workup is done(and I would suggest that you have this done) in order to rule out other causes of your pain But typically the workup is negative and from the Western perspective there is no root cause From an energy science point of view there is no pain with the Vata energy pattern Vata is the energy...
read moreIt is estimated that many people with fibromyalgia(FM) have an IC like symptom complex in mild form as well only to exacerbate as the years progress As a matter of fact that’s why IC is now looked upon as a syndrome of diseases rather than an isolated disease of the urinary bladder The energy science due to its way of looking at disease doesn’t create disease labels but sees all problems in the body as imbalances of qualities and hence with such a system of healing leaves clustering of disease labels as the way to understand...
read more
Anything that we want to achieve in life….getting in better physical condition, losing weight, improving people’s lives by working in a business or profession, changing a lifestyle pattern of behavior like smoking etc….requires that some form of structure be put into place so that a pattern of behavior is done over a period of time Hopefully the change is the pattern of behavior causes the desired change
So for example in the case of chronic disease, specifically the IC bladder pain syndrome(interstitial cystitis, vulvodynia, chronic prostatitis, irritable bowel syndrome or IBS, gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD/hearburn, and fibromyalgia) in order to cause a physiologic shift toward balance and improvement in your symptoms, you undertake certain things that you think will make a change in your flares
This may be CCF tea or using a Pitta pacifying nutritional format or taking colostrum Whatever the choice(s) are you’re hoping by doing them consistently that they will bring about a change
But let’s face it even with good intentions life goes on and requires our participation and so distractions arise The deadline at work, finishing work projects, the upcoming holidays, getting the right Halloween costume…these sometimes get in the way of our healing intentions
In other words life’s distractions affect how we heal They directly impact our ability to follow through with our intentions to heal
I believe that getting time is a major problem in healing chronic disease Healing parts of the IC bladder pain syndrome is doable but it requires time to do the things necessary and enjoy the process as you go along Healing need not be arduous and painful On the contrary it’s exciting and exhilarating to see your health unfold before your very eyes
In the energy science discipline it’s not just one thing that promotes healing but rather a multiplicity of things that bring about physiologic change This multimodality energy science approach begins with lifestyle measures focused on nutritional formats as discussed in the past but there are other things that can be done to support this approach and laugh as you’re doing it
1 Overcoming inertia is the biggest challenge and keeping up with it is the next biggest hurdle
2 Use a calendar (here’s a downloadable calender you can use on your computer) and mark down what’s needed to create the change that you want to see happen….then check it every day
2 Expect it to be awkward at first…kind of like finding your groove You may forget and that’s what the calendar is for Be easy with yourself and have a good laugh when you see issues that confront you
3 Daily do that activity at specific times of the day marking your items on the calendar
4 The more things you do to effect the change the better the chances of getting the desired result of healing
5 Make it a set of activities A morning routine has a set of things to do and these all work together to set the tone for the day as well as each activity supporting each other
It takes about 6-8 weeks for the change to be made Then you can move on to add more new activities to advance your healing journey
And sometimes it means deleting behaviors that don’t serve us well…..for example going to bed earlier sets up the morning times to do some activities
Having a coach to support and help produce structure is valuable in these efforts You can make an appointment for a free consultation to get started
Most of us know, like it or not, that the healing of chronic interstitial cystitis(IC) bladder or pelvic pain requires changes occur in lifestyle behavior patterns(LBP) Those favorites that we hold dearly just don’t serve us very well and are the instigators of what got us in trouble in the first place As I talked about in the past, nutrition heads that list of LBP’s that get us headed in the wrong direction, but how we combine foods, how we rest(when to go to bed and when to get up), how we exercise, how much fluids we...
read moreIC 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 is some form of bowel involvement with symptoms since from an energy science point of view the disease arises from the GI tract Why the Pelvic Nerves? IC is a systemic disease Many matter science medical authorities who write about IC agree that in some way it is a systemic disease but the current matter science medical...
read moreThe chronicbladder 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...
read moreWhether you’re traveling like myself to get together with family or your friends and family are right there in your hometown I wish you and our IC community the best of Thanksgiving 2013 When we share our gratitude we occupy a different plane of reality, away from the mundane, day to day schedules So Thanksgivings give us a special time to express our gratitude for all that we have and to transcend the humdrum DB Happy...
read moreSome have asked about this problem of fatigue associated with the chronic bladder pain of the IC syndrome It is natural to have fatigue if you have a chronic disease associated with pain And of course all of us want more energy in our lives But to make the association of pain and fatigue is simplistic at best and will not get you closer to dealing with the problem of the pain most of the time Pain IC and Fatigue: An Energy Science Perspective So pain and fatigue are not related as to cause The association is true true unrelated Yes...
read moreSince flares are related to mounting inflammation in the mindbody and acidity is a primary source of the hot quality as a result of the sour taste in foods it makes sense that you would use alkalinity to reverse the process And many people with IC bladder pain, GERD, IBS, and fibromyalgia swear by it Recently a client told me about alkaline water It brought back memory of my friend’s picture seen to the left It is indeed stranger than fiction Now under the right conditions with minor acidity, using baking soda could be of value ...
read moreOur readers often posit questions about the painful bladder syndrome or IC that I think are valuable for our community In this week’s blog I wanted to address some of them that have come up about recently posted blog topics Why Detoxification? It is wonderful to see that you have such a clear grasp of IC and its many forms. I would love to hear more about the bowel connection (yes I have IBS as well) as well as the step required for detoxification Recent studies have suggested that IBS is associated with IC 80% of the time I...
read moreIn the practice of medicine no disease is really the same as someone else’s disease They all have their nuances of differences And this is true of IC No IC bladder pain syndrome is the same from one individual to another Some have more anxiety and frequency while others have more burning and spasm Some have other skin and eye conditions associated with their IC Some are fortunate enough to have a few nonbacterial “UTIs” and then things seem to rectify themselves and they never have symptoms again Others are...
read moreAs you know the bladder and/or pelvic pain of IC can be unbearable and there is not much for it except pain medications But the issue is what is the root cause of the pain You may find the answer from your matter science doctor if a workup is done(and I would suggest that you have this done) in order to rule out other causes of your pain But typically the workup is negative and from the Western perspective there is no root cause From an energy science point of view there is no pain with the Vata energy pattern Vata is the energy...
read moreIt is estimated that many people with fibromyalgia(FM) have an IC like symptom complex in mild form as well only to exacerbate as the years progress As a matter of fact that’s why IC is now looked upon as a syndrome of diseases rather than an isolated disease of the urinary bladder The energy science due to its way of looking at disease doesn’t create disease labels but sees all problems in the body as imbalances of qualities and hence with such a system of healing leaves clustering of disease labels as the way to understand...
read more
From an energy point of view all disease begins in the GI tract The energetics of the foods taken in can produce flares and the continuing chronic condition of the IC bladder pain syndrome(interstitial cystitis, vulvodynia, fibromyalgia, chronic prostatitis, IBS, and GERD) This is why nutrition is so important in the management of any chronic disease and as you know particularly with IC As we have talked about in recent blogs the importance of bowel health and specifically digestive power is a major step in improving not only your general overall health but also to help control the flare symptoms of IC syndrome
Wouldn’t you think it unusual for someone not to ever take some time off? To maintain mental strength and creativity we all need breaks from work and a little R and R
So if it’s true for our lifestyle choices shouldn’t it be true for parts of us as well? However the idea of giving the bowel some time off doesn’t seem to be part of the equation Trigger words such as water or juice fasting come up for many and cause people to cringe at the thought of going without food
But a bowel vacation means that the heavy foods normally consumed(pizza, rich cream sauces, lots of meat, heavy dairy. ice cream as examples) are removed from the nutritional meals for 3 or 4 days and a more simple diet is taken
You see the enzyme systems(the chemical fire if you will) need to be replenished and if you’re continually asking our agni or digestive power to be used over and over again it becomes overtaxed These above wet logs as I call then place a heavy strain on your campfire(agni) and at times it is not up to par leading to toxic accumulation In essence increase of toxic load is what is behind the whole idea of detoxification
1 Make something simple to digest Kitchari is a time honored energy science nutritional tool to give your bowel enzyme systems a break from their work You can find it here at this link Do this for 5 days and notice how your bowel symptoms begin melting away!
2 If hungry snack on a piece of fruit but not in the meal
3 Consider an occasional juice day
4 Use cooling spices(cumin coriander fennel vanila turmeric cardamom) and avoid hot ones (eg garlic oregano sage rosemary thyme etc)
5 Use 2 handfuls as a guideline as to how much to eat at any one time
These simple things done based on your energy constitutional makeup will go a long ways toward improving your digestive power and enhancing your health
Most of us know, like it or not, that the healing of chronic interstitial cystitis(IC) bladder or pelvic pain requires changes occur in lifestyle behavior patterns(LBP) Those favorites that we hold dearly just don’t serve us very well and are the instigators of what got us in trouble in the first place As I talked about in the past, nutrition heads that list of LBP’s that get us headed in the wrong direction, but how we combine foods, how we rest(when to go to bed and when to get up), how we exercise, how much fluids we...
read moreIC 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 is some form of bowel involvement with symptoms since from an energy science point of view the disease arises from the GI tract Why the Pelvic Nerves? IC is a systemic disease Many matter science medical authorities who write about IC agree that in some way it is a systemic disease but the current matter science medical...
read moreThe chronicbladder 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...
read moreWhether you’re traveling like myself to get together with family or your friends and family are right there in your hometown I wish you and our IC community the best of Thanksgiving 2013 When we share our gratitude we occupy a different plane of reality, away from the mundane, day to day schedules So Thanksgivings give us a special time to express our gratitude for all that we have and to transcend the humdrum DB Happy...
read moreSome have asked about this problem of fatigue associated with the chronic bladder pain of the IC syndrome It is natural to have fatigue if you have a chronic disease associated with pain And of course all of us want more energy in our lives But to make the association of pain and fatigue is simplistic at best and will not get you closer to dealing with the problem of the pain most of the time Pain IC and Fatigue: An Energy Science Perspective So pain and fatigue are not related as to cause The association is true true unrelated Yes...
read moreSince flares are related to mounting inflammation in the mindbody and acidity is a primary source of the hot quality as a result of the sour taste in foods it makes sense that you would use alkalinity to reverse the process And many people with IC bladder pain, GERD, IBS, and fibromyalgia swear by it Recently a client told me about alkaline water It brought back memory of my friend’s picture seen to the left It is indeed stranger than fiction Now under the right conditions with minor acidity, using baking soda could be of value ...
read moreOur readers often posit questions about the painful bladder syndrome or IC that I think are valuable for our community In this week’s blog I wanted to address some of them that have come up about recently posted blog topics Why Detoxification? It is wonderful to see that you have such a clear grasp of IC and its many forms. I would love to hear more about the bowel connection (yes I have IBS as well) as well as the step required for detoxification Recent studies have suggested that IBS is associated with IC 80% of the time I...
read moreIn the practice of medicine no disease is really the same as someone else’s disease They all have their nuances of differences And this is true of IC No IC bladder pain syndrome is the same from one individual to another Some have more anxiety and frequency while others have more burning and spasm Some have other skin and eye conditions associated with their IC Some are fortunate enough to have a few nonbacterial “UTIs” and then things seem to rectify themselves and they never have symptoms again Others are...
read moreAs you know the bladder and/or pelvic pain of IC can be unbearable and there is not much for it except pain medications But the issue is what is the root cause of the pain You may find the answer from your matter science doctor if a workup is done(and I would suggest that you have this done) in order to rule out other causes of your pain But typically the workup is negative and from the Western perspective there is no root cause From an energy science point of view there is no pain with the Vata energy pattern Vata is the energy...
read moreIt is estimated that many people with fibromyalgia(FM) have an IC like symptom complex in mild form as well only to exacerbate as the years progress As a matter of fact that’s why IC is now looked upon as a syndrome of diseases rather than an isolated disease of the urinary bladder The energy science due to its way of looking at disease doesn’t create disease labels but sees all problems in the body as imbalances of qualities and hence with such a system of healing leaves clustering of disease labels as the way to understand...
read more
As discussed in recent previous blogs the energy science states that agni is fundamental to good health and that when disease such as the IC bladdder pain syndrome(interstitial cystitis, irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia, chronic prostatitis, GERD and vulvodynia) part of the solution and management must include helping the debilitated agni
But improving agni does NOT cause inflammation Increasing Pitta increases inflammation but improving agni balances and improves Pitta inflammation Seems counterintuitive but this is the value of the energy science model
The concept of agni while central to health in the energy science model is completely missing in the matter or molecular science approach for managing disease
This major departure from the way the matter or molecular science approaches disease has a rippling effect in terms of understanding the disease process, the timeliness of recommendations about bowel symptoms, the approach to bowel symptoms(often Pharma related), and ignoring the importance of lifestyle behavior patterns around nutrition
This lack of understanding of agni also percolates into the molecular approach to nutrition There is much misinformation from the ADA(American Dietetic Association) because of this simple lack of understanding the concept of agni
The energy science of Ayurveda offers many suggestions to enhance agni But what’s the value of improving agni?
If you have the IC bladder pain syndrome by taking care of your agni you essentially do 5 things 1 you improve your bowel symptoms that are invariably not healthy 2 you prevent your IC bladder pain symptoms from getting worse 3 by improving agni you have the possibility of reducing the severity of your IC and the flares of IC 4 you improve your overall health 5 you improve mental clarity
When agni is improved it’s like turning up the digestive heat Now of course we don’t want to turn up the heat of Pitta which is responsible for the hot qualities of the IC bladder pain syndrome But these are methods to improve the agni yet not increase Pitta
1 Kitchari monodiet….for easy digestion along with simple veggies
2 Homemade yogurt to make lassi….for probiotic
3 Herbs to increase agni without heating the system….chitrak, CCF tea, fresh ginger(not dry)
4 Lifestyle behavior patterns ….biggest meal at noon,no ice, exercise, sleep patterns
5 Pranayama……..to balance agni…..by correcting disturbed agni one can make significant strides toward correcting the imbalances causing disease
These 5 simple methods can enhance agni and reduce the IC bladder pain syndrome symptoms but can go a long way toward improving health longterm In the coming weeks I’ll take each one of these and discuss them in greater detail
Most of us know, like it or not, that the healing of chronic interstitial cystitis(IC) bladder or pelvic pain requires changes occur in lifestyle behavior patterns(LBP) Those favorites that we hold dearly just don’t serve us very well and are the instigators of what got us in trouble in the first place As I talked about in the past, nutrition heads that list of LBP’s that get us headed in the wrong direction, but how we combine foods, how we rest(when to go to bed and when to get up), how we exercise, how much fluids we...
read moreIC 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 is some form of bowel involvement with symptoms since from an energy science point of view the disease arises from the GI tract Why the Pelvic Nerves? IC is a systemic disease Many matter science medical authorities who write about IC agree that in some way it is a systemic disease but the current matter science medical...
read moreThe chronicbladder 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...
read moreWhether you’re traveling like myself to get together with family or your friends and family are right there in your hometown I wish you and our IC community the best of Thanksgiving 2013 When we share our gratitude we occupy a different plane of reality, away from the mundane, day to day schedules So Thanksgivings give us a special time to express our gratitude for all that we have and to transcend the humdrum DB Happy...
read moreSome have asked about this problem of fatigue associated with the chronic bladder pain of the IC syndrome It is natural to have fatigue if you have a chronic disease associated with pain And of course all of us want more energy in our lives But to make the association of pain and fatigue is simplistic at best and will not get you closer to dealing with the problem of the pain most of the time Pain IC and Fatigue: An Energy Science Perspective So pain and fatigue are not related as to cause The association is true true unrelated Yes...
read moreSince flares are related to mounting inflammation in the mindbody and acidity is a primary source of the hot quality as a result of the sour taste in foods it makes sense that you would use alkalinity to reverse the process And many people with IC bladder pain, GERD, IBS, and fibromyalgia swear by it Recently a client told me about alkaline water It brought back memory of my friend’s picture seen to the left It is indeed stranger than fiction Now under the right conditions with minor acidity, using baking soda could be of value ...
read moreOur readers often posit questions about the painful bladder syndrome or IC that I think are valuable for our community In this week’s blog I wanted to address some of them that have come up about recently posted blog topics Why Detoxification? It is wonderful to see that you have such a clear grasp of IC and its many forms. I would love to hear more about the bowel connection (yes I have IBS as well) as well as the step required for detoxification Recent studies have suggested that IBS is associated with IC 80% of the time I...
read moreIn the practice of medicine no disease is really the same as someone else’s disease They all have their nuances of differences And this is true of IC No IC bladder pain syndrome is the same from one individual to another Some have more anxiety and frequency while others have more burning and spasm Some have other skin and eye conditions associated with their IC Some are fortunate enough to have a few nonbacterial “UTIs” and then things seem to rectify themselves and they never have symptoms again Others are...
read moreAs you know the bladder and/or pelvic pain of IC can be unbearable and there is not much for it except pain medications But the issue is what is the root cause of the pain You may find the answer from your matter science doctor if a workup is done(and I would suggest that you have this done) in order to rule out other causes of your pain But typically the workup is negative and from the Western perspective there is no root cause From an energy science point of view there is no pain with the Vata energy pattern Vata is the energy...
read moreIt is estimated that many people with fibromyalgia(FM) have an IC like symptom complex in mild form as well only to exacerbate as the years progress As a matter of fact that’s why IC is now looked upon as a syndrome of diseases rather than an isolated disease of the urinary bladder The energy science due to its way of looking at disease doesn’t create disease labels but sees all problems in the body as imbalances of qualities and hence with such a system of healing leaves clustering of disease labels as the way to understand...
read more
In the past we’ve discussed CCF tea(cumin coriander and fennel seeds) to bring about cooling in the urinary tract in patients with IC bladder pain syndrome(interstitial cystitis, vulvodynia, irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia, GERD, and chronic prostatitis) Each of these herbs target specifically the urinary tract and have a cooling affect So CCF reduces the severity of IC flares due to its reduction in inflammation
But as we’ve discussed in the several blog posts agni is an important aspect of health and healing IC As a matter of fact agni or digestive power must be addressed in any chronic disease in order to have any chance of healing
Agni is all the enzyme and bacterial systems for digestion, absorption, and assimilation from the mouth to the anus So you can see how all encompassing this system is But there’s more The energy science states that the central system of agni indicates the strength of all metabolic systems in the body including cellular metabolism because agni is in essence the metabolic fire of the body
The matter science talks about agni but in a way that does not make the association between the GI tract(GIT) and the rest of the body This primary difference in the disciplines allows the energy science to state the origin of disease is known while the matter science continues to struggle to find the molecules responsible for chronic illness
But there’s more If you have strong agni you’ll have better mental clarity You’ll make better choices for your health and healing chronic disease Disease is often self perpetuating due to this “brain fog” For most people they dont realize they’re fogged until they look back and compare with where they are now and where they were back then(whatever that timeline is) and realize that now they have more clarity This is the benefit of rejuvenative herbs They help us with mental clarity….eing able to see things with better understanding and awareness Sometimes it’s hard to see this because we’re in a fog and the proverbial “Whatever” occurs
Whenever energy is low then agni is low This may or may not be associated with a change in bowel habit(diarrhea, constipation, or both) This is the first symptom of disturbed agni and needs to be corrected
So CCF tea is not only medicinal to the urinary tract and helpful in the IC bladder pain syndrome but is also very valuable in building agni Ahh that’s a tremendous benefit But it gets even better….CCF tea helps improve agni without heating the system up as well Spices(using the terms spices and herbs interchangeably because spices ARE herbs) can heat the system and provoke IC flares such as garlic, oregano, sage, rosemary, and thyme
And some of the best rejuvenatives you have for improving mental clarity are in your kitchen How so? Spices are agni builders which as we discussed earlier enhance the mind, reduce “brain fog”, and create better decision making
You can make CCF tea by placing equal amounts of the seeds(not the powder) in a ziploc bag, toss them around so there is an even mixture of the seeds and then add a 1T of the mixture to 6oz of boiling water for 5minutes If you want more volume, more tablespoons and boiling water
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 at icdiet or VP diet at foodsheal) or use IFC(incompatible food combinations at foodsheal) 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 And avoid difficult to digest proteins like gluten(wheat rye barley), lactose, and fats found in nuts and dairy
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 you 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, if you have poor agni chances are you have undigested and unprocessed food And because you feel OK, doesn’t mean you don’t have toxic load
Most of us know, like it or not, that the healing of chronic interstitial cystitis(IC) bladder or pelvic pain requires changes occur in lifestyle behavior patterns(LBP) Those favorites that we hold dearly just don’t serve us very well and are the instigators of what got us in trouble in the first place As I talked about in the past, nutrition heads that list of LBP’s that get us headed in the wrong direction, but how we combine foods, how we rest(when to go to bed and when to get up), how we exercise, how much fluids we...
read moreIC 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 is some form of bowel involvement with symptoms since from an energy science point of view the disease arises from the GI tract Why the Pelvic Nerves? IC is a systemic disease Many matter science medical authorities who write about IC agree that in some way it is a systemic disease but the current matter science medical...
read moreThe chronicbladder 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...
read moreWhether you’re traveling like myself to get together with family or your friends and family are right there in your hometown I wish you and our IC community the best of Thanksgiving 2013 When we share our gratitude we occupy a different plane of reality, away from the mundane, day to day schedules So Thanksgivings give us a special time to express our gratitude for all that we have and to transcend the humdrum DB Happy...
read moreSome have asked about this problem of fatigue associated with the chronic bladder pain of the IC syndrome It is natural to have fatigue if you have a chronic disease associated with pain And of course all of us want more energy in our lives But to make the association of pain and fatigue is simplistic at best and will not get you closer to dealing with the problem of the pain most of the time Pain IC and Fatigue: An Energy Science Perspective So pain and fatigue are not related as to cause The association is true true unrelated Yes...
read moreSince flares are related to mounting inflammation in the mindbody and acidity is a primary source of the hot quality as a result of the sour taste in foods it makes sense that you would use alkalinity to reverse the process And many people with IC bladder pain, GERD, IBS, and fibromyalgia swear by it Recently a client told me about alkaline water It brought back memory of my friend’s picture seen to the left It is indeed stranger than fiction Now under the right conditions with minor acidity, using baking soda could be of value ...
read moreOur readers often posit questions about the painful bladder syndrome or IC that I think are valuable for our community In this week’s blog I wanted to address some of them that have come up about recently posted blog topics Why Detoxification? It is wonderful to see that you have such a clear grasp of IC and its many forms. I would love to hear more about the bowel connection (yes I have IBS as well) as well as the step required for detoxification Recent studies have suggested that IBS is associated with IC 80% of the time I...
read moreIn the practice of medicine no disease is really the same as someone else’s disease They all have their nuances of differences And this is true of IC No IC bladder pain syndrome is the same from one individual to another Some have more anxiety and frequency while others have more burning and spasm Some have other skin and eye conditions associated with their IC Some are fortunate enough to have a few nonbacterial “UTIs” and then things seem to rectify themselves and they never have symptoms again Others are...
read moreAs you know the bladder and/or pelvic pain of IC can be unbearable and there is not much for it except pain medications But the issue is what is the root cause of the pain You may find the answer from your matter science doctor if a workup is done(and I would suggest that you have this done) in order to rule out other causes of your pain But typically the workup is negative and from the Western perspective there is no root cause From an energy science point of view there is no pain with the Vata energy pattern Vata is the energy...
read moreIt is estimated that many people with fibromyalgia(FM) have an IC like symptom complex in mild form as well only to exacerbate as the years progress As a matter of fact that’s why IC is now looked upon as a syndrome of diseases rather than an isolated disease of the urinary bladder The energy science due to its way of looking at disease doesn’t create disease labels but sees all problems in the body as imbalances of qualities and hence with such a system of healing leaves clustering of disease labels as the way to understand...
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From an energy science point of view irritable bowel syndrome(IBS) is a collection of bowel symptoms related to disturbed digestive fire or what Ayurveda terms agni As I have written in the past most people’s agni is not up to par The reason for this is quite simple The concept of agni is not even in our health vocabulary
How would you know about it and hence take care of it if you don’t know it exists?
This is a significant problem for the present day health consumer but unfortunately she is duped by the matter science model into believing it is complete Suffice it to say the majority of the population suffers from symptoms of IBS
The types of IBS fall into four categories: Vata Pitta Kapha and combination patterns By far and away the latter makes up the majority of those affected by symptoms The most common symptom of IBS is bloating after eating for short or extended periods of time
Many people don’t know that they bloat and some who have an exaggerated bloat know it very well Abdominal distention occurs as a result of the gaseous bowel distention Other symptoms include diarrhea, constipation, or a mixture of diarrhea and constipation At times flatulence or excessive gas that may be malodorous may occur
When the Kapha energy pattern is manifested in large degree mucous will be present in the stools but the worst IBS of all is when the mucous becomes dried in the GI tract This creates a marked problem for elimination This latter group of IBS can become severely debilitated professionally, physically, and often emotionally drained due to the chronicity of the disease This is the ultimate in the manifestation of IBS and the matter science has little to offer in such cases
IBS and IC go together The bowel dysfunction related to disturbed agni is fundamental to the unfolding causative process of interstitial cystitis
IBS as part of the IC bladder pain syndrome(interstitial cystitis, IBS, chronic prostatitis, vulvodynia, and fibromyalgia) is the cause of the accumulation and migration of the vibrational frequencies of hot, mobile, dry, rough, heavy, static into the pelvic nerves leading to the symptoms of the pelvic syndrome itself
So treating IC requires that IBS is treated as well According to my last post there are essentially two levels of therapy for any energetic imbalance in the mindbody The first level is to stop the condition from getting any worse The second level is to remove the offending vibrational frequencies using specific therapeutic modalites that have already been discussed
But one of the integral therapies in IBS treatment is to deal with the cause of the problem…..disturbed agni This is paramount to successful management and since the matter science doesn’t even have the concept all bets are off that IBS management will be successful
Many many of the blog posts done in the past have made suggestions about how to promote better agni CCF tea, agni tea, ginger tea are all about promoting better balanced agni Herbs can be very impactful in this regard and it’s beyond the scope of this dialogue today to address them
Using a nutritional format appropriate for your energy constitution and avoiding incompatible food combinations can be very helpful in not aggravating the condition In this regard the daily use of churans as talked about in the past is very advantageous
A specific pranayama(breathing exercises) flow sequence can really help impaired disturbed agni by balancing it Dependent on the severity of the IBS other methods can be employed And yoga asana practice has been successfully employed in the matter science literature
As in all energy work however it’s not just one thing that creates healing….healing requires a multifaceted approach to bring about real healing and the eradication of the IC bladder pain syndrome completely
Most of us know, like it or not, that the healing of chronic interstitial cystitis(IC) bladder or pelvic pain requires changes occur in lifestyle behavior patterns(LBP) Those favorites that we hold dearly just don’t serve us very well and are the instigators of what got us in trouble in the first place As I talked about in the past, nutrition heads that list of LBP’s that get us headed in the wrong direction, but how we combine foods, how we rest(when to go to bed and when to get up), how we exercise, how much fluids we...
read moreIC 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 is some form of bowel involvement with symptoms since from an energy science point of view the disease arises from the GI tract Why the Pelvic Nerves? IC is a systemic disease Many matter science medical authorities who write about IC agree that in some way it is a systemic disease but the current matter science medical...
read moreThe chronicbladder 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...
read moreWhether you’re traveling like myself to get together with family or your friends and family are right there in your hometown I wish you and our IC community the best of Thanksgiving 2013 When we share our gratitude we occupy a different plane of reality, away from the mundane, day to day schedules So Thanksgivings give us a special time to express our gratitude for all that we have and to transcend the humdrum DB Happy...
read moreSome have asked about this problem of fatigue associated with the chronic bladder pain of the IC syndrome It is natural to have fatigue if you have a chronic disease associated with pain And of course all of us want more energy in our lives But to make the association of pain and fatigue is simplistic at best and will not get you closer to dealing with the problem of the pain most of the time Pain IC and Fatigue: An Energy Science Perspective So pain and fatigue are not related as to cause The association is true true unrelated Yes...
read moreSince flares are related to mounting inflammation in the mindbody and acidity is a primary source of the hot quality as a result of the sour taste in foods it makes sense that you would use alkalinity to reverse the process And many people with IC bladder pain, GERD, IBS, and fibromyalgia swear by it Recently a client told me about alkaline water It brought back memory of my friend’s picture seen to the left It is indeed stranger than fiction Now under the right conditions with minor acidity, using baking soda could be of value ...
read moreOur readers often posit questions about the painful bladder syndrome or IC that I think are valuable for our community In this week’s blog I wanted to address some of them that have come up about recently posted blog topics Why Detoxification? It is wonderful to see that you have such a clear grasp of IC and its many forms. I would love to hear more about the bowel connection (yes I have IBS as well) as well as the step required for detoxification Recent studies have suggested that IBS is associated with IC 80% of the time I...
read moreIn the practice of medicine no disease is really the same as someone else’s disease They all have their nuances of differences And this is true of IC No IC bladder pain syndrome is the same from one individual to another Some have more anxiety and frequency while others have more burning and spasm Some have other skin and eye conditions associated with their IC Some are fortunate enough to have a few nonbacterial “UTIs” and then things seem to rectify themselves and they never have symptoms again Others are...
read moreAs you know the bladder and/or pelvic pain of IC can be unbearable and there is not much for it except pain medications But the issue is what is the root cause of the pain You may find the answer from your matter science doctor if a workup is done(and I would suggest that you have this done) in order to rule out other causes of your pain But typically the workup is negative and from the Western perspective there is no root cause From an energy science point of view there is no pain with the Vata energy pattern Vata is the energy...
read moreIt is estimated that many people with fibromyalgia(FM) have an IC like symptom complex in mild form as well only to exacerbate as the years progress As a matter of fact that’s why IC is now looked upon as a syndrome of diseases rather than an isolated disease of the urinary bladder The energy science due to its way of looking at disease doesn’t create disease labels but sees all problems in the body as imbalances of qualities and hence with such a system of healing leaves clustering of disease labels as the way to understand...
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