Interstitial Cystitis (IC) Specialist Arlington VA

Bladder Problems

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Bolster Your Bladder
Q Are there alternative therapies for interstitial cystitis?

A Yes—which is a good thing, since many of the conventional therapies for this debilitating bladder condition don’t help those who have it.

No one really knows what causes interstitial cystitis (IC), which triggers painful urination dozens of times a day, as well as lower back spasms, mainly in women. Some researchers think it’s an autoimmune reaction in the bladder, while others suspect an infection is to blame. Chinese medicine views it as a result of a kidney imbalance, and possibly food allergies.

Some women report that acupuncture eases their symptoms. And in a small double-blind study conducted by the Urology Wellness Center in Rockville, Maryland, 88 percent of the women who took anti-inflammatory aloe vera capsules for three months reported relief from at least some of their discomfort. Stress reduction techniques can also be helpful.

Stay tuned for other possibilities: Last year, the National Institutes of Health awarded the University of California, Los Angeles funds to create a research center to study how the brain, stress, and emotions contribute to disorders affecting mainly women, including IC.

For more information on IC, go to www.ichelp.org .

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