Over the last 20 years the interstitital cystitis(IC) complex of pelvic and bladder pain has been successfully treated by urologists with botox Initially used as a way to focally paralyze muscle fibers in the face as a cosmetic application, it quickly crossed many lines of therapy for use in other organ systems in the body to include the bladder
The use of the agent in bladder injection therapy is that the bladder and pelvic pain is related to muscle spasm in these respective areas that paralysis of the muscles would reduce the pain
In the disease of IC the matter science medical thinking in justifying botox’s use is that the pelvic pain and burning is caused by a neuromuscular event in the pelvic nerves And that the individual symptom complex(bladder pain in one, vaginal pain in another, pudendal nerve involvement leading to perineal pain in another) could be dealt with by botox injection into the offending pelvic nerves
The success reported using bladder injection therapy is for a number of conditions that have associated with the problem an overactive bladder(OAB) Neurologic conditions such as multiple sclerosis, bladder overactivity from traumatic cord injury, and nonapparent neurological disease such as urinary incontinence have been treated with good success
As I wrote in a recent post about the use of the interstim, the primary indication for botox and the interstim device appears to be OAB for whatever etiology Injection of the botox is usually done 20-30 sites in the bladder and those with an apparent Hunner’s ulcer would have direct and peripheral injection around the lesion
Of course spreading from the area of local injection can have potential lethal consequences(the number of FDA reported deaths linked to botox are rare given the usage, 28 since 2000 monitoring began) But what is more important are side effects that don’t result in respiratory distress such as swallowing and breathing problems
It’s clear that the pelvic accumulation and localization of the hot and mobile qualities in IC that I have discussed in the past come from the GI tract according to the energy science model of healing
The isolated botulinum toxin produced by a bacterium reduces specific muscle activity by blocking the overactive neural impulses that trigger excessive muscle contraction activity The use in IC is based on the theory that the spasm responsible for the IC pain is caused by overactive pelvic nerves that are irritable for some unknown reason
Localized injection into the bladder muscle may produce transient relief but long term relief from the condition leading to OAB may not deal with the global neuromuscular problem
There are basically two problems with botox injection therapy
1 If there is burning pain in the pelvis or the bladder with urination botox is unlikely to deal with the problem of interstitial cystitis Botox causes a neuromuscular blockade but will not deal with sensory changes such as burning
2 There is a belief in research circles that IC is actually a pelvic disorder not just involving the bladder Attempting to block a spastic pelvic floor would be futile and dangerous
So what causes these overactive pelvic nerves to occur in the first place? From an energy science perspective the pelvic neuromuscular complex is in a heightened state of activity due to the mobile quality and the burning shearing pain from the hot quality Trigger point injection to areas of pain may work transiently but as said earlier, one can’t inject the entire pelvic floor as these energetic qualities are throughout the pelvis including the bladder
In a recent article the Washington Post(https://wapo.st/30TtyIT) reviewed the reasons people are reluctant to take the COVID vaccine. One significantly addressed reason in the article is that many antivaxxers are followers of alternative health social media platforms that sow misinformation about the current vaccines which mislead their loyal followers who have grown to trust the messaging as reliable and trustworthy. In the past while heavy metal adjuvants such as mercury and aluminum may have had significant effects in...
read moreLast time we talked about a long list of Ayurvedic lifestyles that will enhance immunity Here’s a shortlist of trace metals that are important in immunity which is the only way we individually will improve our immunologic response when infected by a viral load such as COVID 19 Nasal breathing Many of us breathe through the mouth The simple transition to nasal breathing can enhance nitric oxide which improves immunologic response among other things Neti use can improve immunity directly and indirectly Because it clears ...
read moreIt’s now surprising that as we have been discussing the microbiome and how healing it can lead to healing ICPBS that treating the microbiome can be instrumental in protecting yourself and loved ones during this COVID 19 pandemic now going on in the US Here’s a video link for more information: And below is the supporting information referred to in the video THE RELEVANCE OF AGNI AND GUT MICROBIOME TO HEALTH From an Ayurvedic perspective our digestive strength and function (agni) is central to the disease process....
read moreFrom previous blogs the IC bladder pain syndrome(interstitial cystitis, chronic prostatitis, irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia, and vulvodynia) is a neuropathy that stems from an imbalance in the agni of the colon specifically the rectosigmoid and rectum. This leads to an energetic imbalance in the colon leading to an imbalance in the pelvic nerves. In the last blog we discussed the role of the common probiotics in today’s marketplace by way of the handout offered to subscribers on request These common probiotics are...
read moreFrom previous blogs the IC bladder pain syndrome(interstitial cystitis, chronic prostatitis, irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia, and vulvodynia) is a neuropathy that stems from an imbalance in the agni of the colon specifically the rectosigmoid and rectum. This leads to an energetic imbalance in the colon leading to an imbalance in the pelvic nerves. In the last blog we discussed the role of the common probiotics in today’s marketplace by way of the handout offered to subscribers on request These common probiotics are...
read moreBacteria populate the gut in increasing numbers from the upper smalll bowel to the densest population residing in the colon which are “good and bad guys” From previous blogs the IC bladder pain syndrome(interstitial cystitis, chronic prostatitis, irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia, anf vulvodynia) is a neuropathy that stems from an imbalance in the agni of the colon specifically the rectosigmoid and rectum. This leads to an energetic imbalance in the colon leading to an imbalance in the pelvic nerves. From an AY...
read moreIn the world of Ayurveda the IC bladder pain syndrome(interstitial cystitis, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic prostatitis, fibromyalgia) arises from a disturbance in the ability to digest food. This impaired digestion leads to toxic buildup that then leads to toxins collecting in areas outside the bowel. One of the areas where this buildup occurs in the pelvic nerves surrounding the large bowel. This leads to all the bladder symptoms that occur in IC such as urinary frequency, urgency, and episodic burning on urination but also the...
read moreThrough the Ayurvedic lens of seeing disease in the IC bladder pain syndrome(interstitial cystitis, vulvodynia, chronic prostatitis, GERD, IBS, fibromyalgia) the GIT(gastrointestinal tract) is inflammed with acidic blood pH in the range of 5.5 to 6.5 Alkalinizing the GIT using diet is fundamental to healing the disease This also helps heal over time the microbiome that is universally affected in these conditions A unique combination of alkalinizing greens and protein can make a complete meal or as side dish for other foods on the table(can...
read moreIt’s not just one thing that you do energetically to heal a problem but a multiplicity of things because it takes a multipliticity of things to cause IC in the first place Neti is one on those things Kapha is the energy pattern of stability in the physiology It is composed of the qualities of heavy, slow/dull, cool, slimy/smooth, liquid, dense, soft, hard, static, and sticky Think of the mucous from the common cold and you will have a good understanding of the qualities of Kapha which supports bodily structures When Kapha becomes...
read moreWishing you all the best of health in your journey to eliminate the energy imbalance of interstitial cystitis from your life And the best of holiday cheer in sharing this season with your loved...
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