IC and DMSO: An Energy Science Clue to the Cause of IC

In essence if we want to direct our lives, we should take control of our consistent actions. 

It’s not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives but what we do consistently.           Anonymous author

 

As I have written in a past blog the origin of IC from an energy science point of view is the pelvic quality expression of hot, sharp, mobile, light, dry, rough, spreading, soft, cloudy, and sticky  In the past I have simplified these qualities to hot and mobile because they are so dominantly expressed but you should be aware that there is the potential for these other qualities to produce their symptoms as well in the physiology  For example it’s not uncommon for patients to report a sharp, spreading, and stabbing pain in parts of the perineum or pelvic area

As I have written the pelvic nerve involvement is the common pathway to the symptom complex of the IC bladder pain syndrome(interstitial cystitis, vulvodynia, chronic prostatitis, irritable bowel syndrome, GERD, and fibromyalgia) and from an energy science perspective the above qualities become involved in the nervous tissue of the pelvis leading to this perplexing group of symptoms

DMSO and Its Role in IC

DMSO bladder instillation has long been known to produce symptom relief in some of those with the IC bladder pain syndrome and there are published results of its effectiveness  The reason for the symptom improvement is unclear or unstated from a matter science point of view  But if we look at DMSO’s properties it has specific skin or mucosal permeability characteristics which has made it an ideal vehicle to carry various materials into the anatomy  Much of the urologic concern around safety of use has been focused on bladder wall damage particularly for concentrations greater than the recommended RIMSO 50  It has been suggested that high concentrations of DMSO can lead to permanent bladder wall damage that might eventuate in surgical removal of the the bladder

DMSO has a predilection for nervous tissue and has been shown in an animal model to produce cell death in developing nervous tissue  This cell destruction is probable in its human use from what we know from animal models  Nonetheless the important observation is that DMSO can seek out pelvic nervous tissue as a target and has potentially damaging effects on that tissue

It is clear that there is systemic absorption from the garlic like odor that is elicited in patients receiving DMSO bladder instillation therapy  So it’s quite reasonable to consider that DMSO’s mode of action in the case of IC is to penetrate the bladder mucosa and infiltrate the local pelvic nerves to in effect numb or even destroy the pelvic nerves leading to transient symptom relief

DMSO as Evidence of the Cause of IC

In previous blogs I have discussed the energy science’s explanation of how the IC bladder pain syndrome occurs  Vata Pitta and even Kapha qualities move from the colon  The Vata qualities have a predilection for nervous tissue as many of the qualities of Vata are shared by those of the nervous system tissue  The energy science also tells us that the Vata quality of mobile carries the qualities of Pitta and Kapha into the pelvic nerve tissues as well

The stage is then set for these qualities to begin causing the characteristic symptoms of IC  Urinary urgency and frequency(mobile), burning on urination(hot, sharp, spreading), dull ache(slow/dull, heavy, sticky,dense), generalized sporadic pain(cold, light, mobile, dry, rough, subtle)  These symptoms occur not only in the bladder and general pelvic area but also lead to those in the vagina and prostate  The colon may also have symptoms from the buildup of these qualities and would be interpreted as IBS

So the use of DMSO numbs or destroys the pelvic nerves and gives relief  It also serves as an anti-inflammatory which is know to be present energetically in the pelvic nerves  But unfortunately it becomes a bandaid which does not address the basic underlying imbalance which remains  The pelvic qualities like phantom pain still remain  It’s well known that cystectomy and/or prostatectomy does not clear the symptoms of IC or chronic prostatitis  This is because the causative qualities are still present in the remaining tissues

Energy Science Solutions for Symptom Relief in Acute Flares

There are points in therapy after nutrition and basic lifestyle behavior patterns are completed that basti management as previously described can be instituted to create a reduction of the qualities in the colon so that the qualities in the pelvis can come back to the colon for elimination

Another avenue for temporary relief from symptoms is lower rectal lidocaine administration using basti technique  This is routinely done in urologic practice through bladder instillation with the use of other drugs such as steroids and heparin  Labeled as bladder rescue instillations the urologist is essentially treating the pelvic nerves not the bladder  My patient experience suggests that the rectal route is more effective than the bladder route but both are temporary at best  The rectal administration also lasts longer and when the pain does come back it is typically not as severe as before the lidocaine

Our understanding of the etiology of IC with the help of the mechanism of action of DMSO completely supports the energy science model of how the IC bladder pain syndrome evolves