Supplements To Avoid With Bladder Pain Syndrome
Interstitial cystitis or bladder pain syndrome is associated with pelvic floor dysfunction, which causes pain, urgency, and frequency. The root cause of IC is unknown yet, however. Some supplements worsen the symptoms.
So, to effectively treat interstitial cystitis, keep an eye on following supplements that worsen the condition.
The Vaginal And Urinary Microbiomes In Premenopausal Women With Interstitial Cystitis/bladder Pain Syndrome As Compared To Unaffected Controls: A Pilot Cross
- 1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States
- 2Department of Microbiology and Immunology, James Graham Brown Cancer Center, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States
- 3Department of Bioinformatics and Biostatistics, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States
Are Probiotics Good For Interstitial Cystitis & What To Do If I Have A Flare
There is also some evidence of an association between urologic pain syndromes, such as IC/BPS and CP/CPPS , with non-celiac gluten sensitivity in some people.
Most literature supports the belief that interstitial cystitis symptoms are associated with a defect in the bladder epithelium lining, allowing irritating substances in the urine to penetrate the bladderessentially, a breakdown of the bladder lining .
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Can An Interstitial Cystitis Diet Help
No one knows exactly what causes interstitial cystitis, but inflammation certainly plays a role. Autoimmunity, injuries or surgeries, infection, and cross-talk with other pelvic organs may all contribute to the development of IC as well.
Diet is one of the primary ways patients can control their IC flare-ups and even help treat root causes of interstitial cystitis.
Studies have found a strong link between the foods IC patients eat and symptoms. One 2007 study reported that over 90% of participants experienced stronger symptoms after eating certain foods.
Flare-ups can also be triggered by certain foods. IC pain often follows eating trigger foods, which are usually acidic, spicy, or pro-inflammatory.
Foods that make interstitial cystitis worse include acidic foods, foods with artificial sweeteners, and carbonated drinks. Many patients report more pain or flare-ups after ingesting these items. Certain beverages can also exacerbate IC symptoms, including acidic drinks and alcohol.
What is the best diet for interstitial cystitis? The best diet for interstitial cystitis excludes acidic or spicy foods and drinks, and artificial sweeteners. IC patients may want to try an elimination diet with a healthcare professional or dietitian to see which foods aggravate their symptoms.
The Best Supplements For Interstitial Cystitis
Supplements can be an important part of holistically treating interstitial cystititis. They are less expensive than medications and often have fewer side effects. But which supplements are best for IC, and which supplements may irritate bladder symptoms and you should avoid?
You’ll see recommendations for a wide variety of supplements for IC, and it’s hard to know where to start: aloe vera, l-arginine, quercetin, magnesium, collagen, Prelief and Omega-3 fish oils all have their proponents in the IC community. And there are several combinations like Bladder Builder, Cystoprotek, and others purporting to help with IC symptoms.
We do a full review of all the most important supplements we recommend to our patients with IC symptoms, and the ones that can be irritate bladder symptoms in the IC: Roadmap to Healing online course . but here is a great summary!
Supplements can be a great tool for IC and bladder pain, but generally aren’t enough by themselves to provide lasting relief. Instead, they are best when combined with a holistic treatment approach and pelvic floor physical therapy to resolve the underlying “why’ of your symptoms.
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New Treatments For Chronic Prostatitis
Dr. Hlavinka: We even are doing something quite exciting. Were doing whats known as intraprostatic injections of antibiotics for those that are very refractory and weve had some good success. We now have used a trans-perineal approach, meaning we dont have to go through the rectum, through the rear end, which really cuts down risk.
This trans-perineal approach with ultrasound guidance and injecting in the prostate is very exciting because I believe a lot of these patients just couldnt be helped. I have anecdote after anecdote of male patients that just were miserable, couldnt work, couldnt function quite honestly. And everybody called them the male version of chronic pelvic pain and no, that wasnt it. We actually hear from quite a few people in that situation which is why this question has come up and it does seem a difficult thing to treat. Yes it is.
Best Probiotics For Cystitis
Clinical trials have shown that a number of strains of Lactobacillus are particularly effective at helping to support vaginal health in those with female intimate health problems such as cystitis. A study2 showed that taking a probiotic containing various strains of Lactobacillus, amongst other interventions including cranberry tablets, resulted in significant health improvements and symptom relief. These specific strains have been clinically trialled to survive transit through the gut, and then successfully colonise the vagina and bladder where they exert their beneficial effects3. In a large clinical trial4 involving 252 post-menopausal women, it was found that after a period of twelve months, the occurrence of UTIs was reduced by 50% in the women who were given a combination of the above two strains. This was equally as effective as antibiotic treatment, but in those who were treated with antibiotics there was also a 90% rate of antibiotic resistance. This demonstrates that specific probiotics could perform to the same standard as antibiotics, without the risk of pathogens developing resistance.
Read more about the research behind these strains on the Probiotics Database.
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The Benefits Of Probiotics
Many of my patients, despite being very knowledgeable about supplements and being interested in natural remedies, are still not taking probiotics on a regular basis. Even when they are taking antibiotics for a flagrant bacterial infection, they may not think of taking probiotics. There was even one episode where a patient of mine told me that her pharmacist strictly warned her to specifically not take probiotics while on antibiotics.
I find this interesting, because if there was one thing we learned in integrative medicine fellowship, it was that probiotics are our friend. The stronger yeast strains may be concerning for those who are immune-compromised, but in general, probiotics are our friend.
Take a recent study, for example, published in May 2012 in the Journal of American Medical Association. A review of 63 randomized controlled trials showed that out of 11,811 people, those who were on probiotics had an associated reduction in risk of antibiotic-associated diarrhea. So, even if you are one of those people who don’t like to take daily pills, at least if you are taking antibiotics, try adding a probiotic to your routine during the time you are on the medication to make sure that your intestinal tract stays healthy and balanced.
Let me take this opportunity to talk about a few patient cases that demonstrate the benefits of probiotics.
References:
For more by Julie Chen, M.D., .
For more on natural health, .
Interstitial Cystitis: 5 Natural Ways To Help Relieve Bladder Pain
Approximately 36 percent of all women living in the United States suffer from the painful pelvic condition called interstitial cystitis . IC is much more common in women than in men, but it also affects somewhere between 14 million men in the U.S. alone. Children can also be affected be interstitial cystitis in fact, many adult patients with the condition claim that their symptoms have affected them since a young age.
Although IC cannot be completely cured , treatment can help to manage symptoms and reduce pain. What types of interstitial cystitis natural treatments are available? These include acupuncture for improving pain tolerance exercises like yoga or tai chi to increase blood flow and a healing diet to reduce inflammation. Chronic stress and unhealthy habits like smoking can also worsen interstitial cystitis symptoms, so lifestyle changes to address these contributing factors are also important.
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Fecal Species Altered In Ic
Specific stool OTUs are associated with IC.
qPCR was performed on healthy control and IC stool DNA using species-specific primers . Species with significant, differential abundance are indicated . Interactive network diagram integrating qPCR findings with 16S data by MIC analysis to detect relationships between features. ROC curves for C. aerofaciens qPCR data.
Evidence Of An Immune Response To Implants
Dr. Hlavinka: But when you get to things like breast implants, vaginal mesh implants that are functioning well, its a little bit more tricky to say that theres cause and effect. We know that theres an immune system boost to the foreign implant, even in ones that have not caused the patient any problems whatsoever youve had it in for years, you dont even know its there and you remove them and you see this sort of inflammatory rind around them, inflammatory peel around it that the body has walled off.
If you send that to the pathologist, the results are some inflammatory cells, white cells in reaction. I do neuro-simulator implants, and Ive removed these and Ive seen that, Ive seen the tissue as it comes out. So I think that its probably a combination of local factors that create a pro-inflammatory response that weakens the immune system.
The breast implant surgeons would tell you that thats not the case, they feel like theyre sort of the pariahs now in the surgical field. The bottom line is that weve had enough patients with these histories of, Ive had this condition, it was really bad, or it was worse, got my foreign body removed and my condition is better.
So to me, that is that sort of anecdotal evidence all of us docs in the era of COVID have learned to pay attention to. To trust our own instincts about a patient and finally listening to people who say my infections are fewer since it was out there was a reason for that.
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Foods That Can Trigger An Ic Flare
Many foods can trigger interstitial cystitis flare-ups. Some foods, like acidic fruits, spicy foods, and soy, cause more widespread symptoms, while others only affect some IC sufferers. Its essential to find the foods that have a negative effect on your unique symptoms.
What foods cause IC flare-ups? Some foods that cause IC flare-ups include:
- Acidic foods, including tomatoes and fruits high in citric acid like citrus fruits
- Acidic drinks and juices, including cranberry juice
- Artificial sweeteners like aspartame , saccharin, and acesulfame potassium
- Spicy foods and foods that contain hot peppers or horseradish
- Soy products, including dairy substitutes
- Onions
- Chocolate, particularly dark chocolate
- Gluten, which can cause inflammation if you have a sensitivity to it
One drink on the avoid list that might surprise you is cranberry juice. Most people think cranberry juice is bladder-friendly because of its reputation as a treatment for mild UTIs. But, its very acidic, which can exacerbate bladder symptoms in patients with interstitial cystitis.
Its important to read food labels carefully, particularly for additives and ingredients like artificial sweeteners, which frequently sneak into foods like salad dressings and low-calorie desserts.
Can Probiotics Prevent Cystitis
We know that there are lots of friendly bacteria living in the gut, but did you know that our more intimate areas need a healthy number of friendly bacteria too? In fact, cystitis often occurs when pathogens find their way into the urinary tract or the vagina.
Probiotics have been suggested as a natural alternative to antibiotics because they encourage more friendly bacteria to grow, which can prevent pathogens from colonising in the urinary tract and causing issues like cystitis. Antibiotics, on the other hand, wipe out both friendly and unfriendly bacteria, after which the unfriendly ones tend to recolonise more easily.
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When To Seek Medical Treatment
Familiarizing myself with the function of bacteria in the gut gave me a better grasp on healing my body. However, I still avoid antibiotics and wait for emergencies to visit the doctor, so naturally, I questioned at what point to seek medical attention if a UTI doesnt go away. “For a UTI, if no flank pain, nausea, or fever, and when not pregnant and not immune suppressed, its best to try to self-treat for up to three days,” Dr. Gersh advises. “If extremely miserable, take the over-the-counter bladder numbing medicine and contact your physician.”
The Chinese Approach To Complementary And Alternative Medicine Treatment For Interstitial Cystitis/bladder Pain Syndrome
Ran Pang1, Abdullah Ali2
Department of Urology, Guang An Men Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100053, China Department of Urology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
Contributions: Conception and design: R Pang Administrative support: R Pang Provision of study materials or patients: All authors Collection and assembly of data: R Pang Data analysis and interpretation: R Pang Manuscript writing: All authors Final approval of manuscript: All authors.
Correspondence to:
Keywords: Interstitial cystitis bladder pain syndrome complementary and alternative medicine integrative medicine multimodal therapy individualized therapy
Submitted Jul 28, 2015. Accepted for publication Aug 09, 2015.
doi: 10.3978/j.issn.2223-4683.2015.08.10
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Journal Of Advances In Medicine And Medical Research
Abstract
Interstitial cystitis is a poorly understood chronic bladder disorder that is generally characterized by bladder discomfort and increased urination urgency and frequency. Vitamin D levels are associated with bladder pathology, and both rat and human bladders express receptors for vitamin D3. Vitamin D significantly reduced edema and bladder wall leukocyte infiltration in a IC animal model. Genetic studies have provided the opportunity to determine which proteins link vitamin D to IC pathology class II molecules, the transcription factor nuclear factor kappa B , RANTES , epidermal growth factor , transforming growth factor beta family, and vascular endothelial growth factor ). Vitamin D also exerts its effect on IC through non-genomic factors, i.e., Bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccination, mast cells and histamine, prostaglandins , reactive oxygen species , and inducible nitric oxide synthase .Conclusion: Vitamin D may have a beneficial role in IC. Calcitriol is best used for IC because it is the active form of the vitamin D3 metabolite, and it modulates inflammatory cytokine expression. Further investigation with calcitriol in IC patients is needed.
Keywords:
Do You Need To Take Probiotics To Keep Your Gut Healthy
But probiotics can help keep your gut healthy. Your body doesn’t need probiotics. You already have healthy bacteria in your gut. But it usually doesn’t hurt to take them, and adding them to your diet might help. They might lower the number of “bad” bacteria in your gut that can cause illness or inflammation.
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What To Do For An Interstitial Cystitis Flare
There are a variety of causes that can lead to a flare-up of the symptoms caused by interstitial cystitis. To treat those flare-ups, it is very much necessary to understand their causes and their duration. Few of the causes which can cause a flare-up of interstitial cystitis are dietary factors such as large consumption of carbonated beverages, medicines especially containing supplements and vitamins, exercise and sexual intercourse which can increase the pressure on bladder, stress and hormonal imbalance which may disrupt the neuronal balance of the patient, long trips and prolonged sitting, tight clothing, etc.
The flare-up of this condition can occur at any time and is characterized by sudden worsening of the bladder symptoms that were already appearing. The duration of the flare-up may range variably and also can be both predictable and unpredictable.
The treatment of flare-up depends upon its origin. If it is related to dietary factors, then the causative food items are avoided and the patient should drink a lot of water to dilute the urine and reduce the effect of the dietary item. If it is related to sexual intercourse or a long trip including a phase of prolonged sitting then it can be avoided by muscle relaxants and heating pad to calm the surrounding muscles. Exercise should be avoided in such situations because it can worsen the condition.
Antacids For Interstitial Cystitis
The majority of patients with IC have some level of food sensitivity. For many, this involves only a small handful of trigger foods – common triggers include citrus fruits and juices, caffeine, alcohol, tomatoes, artificial sweeteners, and spicy/exotic foods. Others are more diet-sensitive and have to be more careful about the foods they avoid.
Calcium Glycerophosphate – A mineral supplement and antacid, Prelief is the most common brand name for IC patients. Calcium glycerophosphate is taken before meals, particularly before eating or drinking a known trigger, to try and mitigate the dietary trigger. While there is conflicting evidence around the impact of acid – and ‘acid in’ does not always equal ‘acid out’ – in a survey conducted by the Interstitial Cystitis Association, Prelief was the highest-rated supplement, with nearly 75% of patients reporting a positive effect. When taken right before meals or eating a trigger food, the supplement has been reported to reduce both pelvic pain and urgency. This may be a great option for patients who are highly food-sensitive.
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Do Probiotics Help Ic
Priobiotics are being investigated as a potential treatment for different diseases such as interstitial cystitis , as well as a supplement to support general wellness.These friendly bacteria are similar to the beneficial microorganisms which are found in the human gut. One theory is that probiotics encourage growth of good bacteria in your intestinal tract which helps to boost your bodys natural immune defenses. For example, probiotics have been shown to help keep babies from getting allergic eczema. Whether probiotics can actually treat conditions like allergies is less clear, but there is intriguing evidence. In a pilot study, people with grass pollen allergy who drank a probiotic drink for five months had lower blood levels of grass pollen antibody.
There are lots of types of probiotics and the effects found from one species or strain of probiotics do not necessarily hold true for others, or even for different preparations of the same species or strain. At this time, there is also limited evidence supporting the use of probiotics in IC and the information available is contradictory.
- Some IC patients report that foods naturally containing probioticsfermented and unfermented milk, miso, tempeh, and some juices and soy beveragesmay be bothersome to their IC.
- Other patients shared in the ICAs 2009 Complementary and Alternative Medicine Survey, that probiotic supplements appear to help reduce IC symptoms.
