4 Ways to Deal With the “Horrible Flare”

I have found it interesting that quite often the physical problems that we have often seek their verbal expressions in the physically manifested universe    This indirectly supports that we know we are intuitively part of Nature   That we are not apart from Her but an aspect of Her   We are Her in a real sense

To divorce ourselves from Nature through technology and the study of molecules misses our ability to resourcefully look within for the answers

As the saying goes, you haven’t lived until you’ve had a good bladder pain flare   And while that’s over the top for anyone who has experienced one nonetheless let’s lighten up and realize that no one has ever died from one   Here are 4 ways to deal with the tormenting flare

Short Course of Steroids

The inflammatory response that occurs with a flare from an energy science view is the Pitta energy pattern which carries the hot and spreading qualities   These qualities are enhanced by the mobile and light qualities of Vata   These two energy patterns tied together can make the flare unbearable

The energy patterns are most concentrated in the bladder wall muscle and a quick way to manage the muscular spasm caused by Pitta is by the potent steroids available by prescription   You can ask your urologist or family physician about the use of a short 7 day tapering pack of Medrol which has the dosings all laid out in the packaging   This is highly effective in the management of uncontrollable muscle spasm

By removing Pitta from the tissue using the cold quality of the steroid there will be an unblocking of Vata from the tissues which releases the light and mobile qualities from the bladder muscle

Cool Off

A flare is hardly the time to use hot spices like garlic, heavy fatty or oily foods(fatty acids =hot quality), or sit under the sun  since all these situations carry the hot quality   Better to start looking for a cool area of the house that’s dimly lit(intense light aggravates the hot quality) and take in nourishing cool sounds that are not jarring   Using cooling aromas such as rose, khus, mint, or jasmine are excellent particularly with your castor oil pack

This is a good time to go by the rule, “Feed a fever, starve a cold”   A flare is a fever whether the body’s temperature is elevated or not   So nutritionally(and it’s very natural) it’s best to do simple foods like juice  fasting based on your energy makeup(predominant Vata should leave this suggestion alone)  But the nutrition during a flare should be very simple   Maybe just dal(split mungl)rice, and veggies

 Castor Oil Pack

I’ve talked about the cooling external effects of castor and applying it over  the bladder acupuncture site(aka marma point) is an ideal way to relax the area involved    In addition the use of the above aromas with heat can be highly therapeutic   The use of heat with the pack can be helpful to reduce abdominal wall muscle spasm

So treating the horrible flare with acceptance and cooling off are energy science ways of thinking through the flare scientifically not hit and miss  And yes there are many other things you can do energetically that make sense eg chamomile or CCF tea    And the value of the flare is that it can bring on renewed commitment to stay on the energy science approach

Lay Low and Nourish Yourself 

This one may be surprising but it goes without saying that this is a time to nourish the body and not be disappointed in what’s happening   Who would say to a frightened child,  “Buck up kid!  You’re overreacting   How you’re acting is complete nonsense” ?

So too with the body, be compassionate, don’t force it to do what it doesn’t want to do   Allow it to be the way it wants to be   Be gentle, be kind   For people with IC the imbalance is the hot and mobile qualities and the pain makes you irritable, upset, not in control, and impatient(“Is it over yet?  Why isn’t it over?”)

The hot quality brings a strong sense of need for control of situations, circumstances, and things   There is also intensity, focus, competitiveness with this quality but impatience, and yes, anger, sometimes rage at not being well   A sense of disgust becomes overwhelming that the body is not cooperating

At that point say, “I know you’re not feeling well, dear body   But don’t worry   I’ll take care of you and we’ll get through this together   And I promise that when we’re through this that I’ll make better choices for you because I know I’m hurting you but I don’t know how or why”

Total acceptance of the difficult situation of flare can in itself reduce the pain and begin the restoration of balance   Fighting(hot quality) with it, wishing it was different, hoping that the body is going to “get over it”,is completely counterproductive to healing this acute situation

And if this post pissed you off you know you still have the hot quality lingering in excess

Until next time                    To Health as a Skill  Love DB

2 Herbal Methods to Reduce Vaginal Pain and IC

As a belated Valentine’s Day thought I would pass on this information for painful intercourse in IC   Vulvodynia can occur as an isolated clinical problem but more often than not the condition is more than likely associated with the IC bladder pain syndrome in some form   Obviously it’s a debilitating condition for relationships and the loss of womanhood becomes an inevitable psychological effect 

In my soon to be released book IC Bladder Pain Syndrome I discuss the herbal therapy of this sister disease of IC   Survey respondents who received the book didn’t get this information so don’t look   Here it is  

Medical Disclaimer   Also even though I’m posting this it is as information only   Herbs should be prescribed just like pharmaceuticals in some respects and their side effects in particular clinical situations would not make them good choices   This gets beyond using aloe vera gel or CCF tea

Shatavari Ghee

This is a formulated ghee with a herb called shatavari which is a rasayana or rejuvenative for females that reaches all tissue layers

In chapter 5 I talked about ghee the oily essence of milk and in the appendix is the simple method as to how to prepare ghee   This universal medicine is used in many different ways in Ayurveda but it can be also used as a carrier to take herbs to parts of the body quickly   Think of it as a taxi cab with the herb as the passenger

Shatavari is a PV pacifying herb and also a rejuvenative as mentioned above   It is excellent in high Pitta conditions   As a rejuvenative it has the capability of altering behavior patterns   So coupling shatavari with ghee is a powerful way to treat vaginal pain in IC using it as a salve   Soaking a tampon in the ghee and inserting it vaginally can be highly effective over time   There are definite contraindications and as with any medication side effects so this is not something I can recommend as OTC

Vaginal Douche

Basti is a general term for application of herbs and/or oils to various parts of the body to introduce herbs and their therapeutic value   Most any herb can make a tea so that administration can be done   The reason that the herb is used is to change the movement of energy and remove its stagnation in the pelvic tissues

This is the case in vaginal pain in vulvodynia and IC   The hot and sharp stabbing pain involved with intimacy can be helped by using an appropriate herbal tea administered with an enema bag into the vaginal canal similar to what would be done in douching   Cooling herbs such as shatavari, bhringaraj, and brahmi can be used in combination or separately but should be done under the guidance of a trained Ayurvedic physician

If interested in this kind of therapy you can contact me through the usual website channels  And I’m excited to tell you that the IC Bladder Pain Syndrome book is in formal editing

Until next week                                   To Health as a Skill   Love DrBill

Forum and Your IC Community: More On Castor Packs

Thanks so much for all your participation in the survey that I announced to members last week   It was a great success and had 3x the amount of responses than I expected   I wanted to share with you the results of what the community thought about the various questions   If you haven’t participated and still want to you can go to this link and get your feelings counted

An Energy Science IC Forum

One of the threads that came out in the questions in various forms throughout your survey was the need for a place where you can post questions that I or the community can answer regarding the application of energy science principles in IC   The ICA and ICN both support members through threads and so it’s our thought that we would emulate them

Questions like the use of castor oil packs and frequency of application   BTW using heat with the castor oil pack seems to work better   Get the cooling effect of the castor energetically and the heat helps reduce muscle spasm   Since you’re applying the pack over the bladder area you’re also doing marma(acupuncture) therapy as well   Applying a sandalwood(kinda spendy) or Khus essential oil attars to the pack provides not only marma therapy but aromatherapy as well    If interested I’ll have it in the  Supporting Products section of ic-solutions.tv website in the next couple of weeks

This site is all about an energy science approach to the chronic disease of IC   Since this approach is different than what you’re used to seeing the site is not only about the  application of the principles but also education about what the energy science of Ayurveda is all about   The IC Bladder Pain Syndrome book was a gift for participating in the survey and is all about getting some of those basics questions answered

So I think a thread is a great idea and I’ll be posting a page called Forum in order for threads to be managed in the next couple of weeks   In the meantime you can post your questions in the Contact heading and I’ll make sure the question is posted

Survey Results

The most frequent question was how to control pain(in emergency situations as well ie vacations) but also about the bothersomeness of the voiding pattern problems of frequency and urgency   Another commonly asked question was how long will it take to get better, how to mentally cope and intimacy issues

Other interesting questions were about disease interconnectivity and what to do to maintain healing  Insomnia and the fear of long range damage came up

You were split about a course being offered but 70% felt that an energy science approach to the problem was valuable and you were nearly unanimous about having a guide help you with specific details about healing IC with this discipline

Lastly 46% felt that a course to help with intimacy issues would be of value   For your information the energy science uses medicated tea vaginal douches to lavage the vaginal lining that can be effective in dealing with stagnant pelvic energy responsible for intercourse pain

Until next week                      To Health as a Skill     Love DrBill

9 Herbs That Aid in Healing IC

There are many herbs that can be adjunctive in healing IC but they should be used in the context of who is the person using them.  By now you now know that each of us are unique expressions of VPK and this can change the use of a herb suggested.  And even though IC is the common disease label being treated, the person has unique imbalances that may dictate the use of one herb over another.

Having said that there is a uniqueness to the prescribing of herbs that are commonly used herbs in IC.  I have heard people talk about allergy to certain herbs and while I don’t discount those experiences, I would say that allergies are very uncommon.  Often times the “allergy” is a result of other products being taken and not the herb in question but this must be sorted out an individual basis.

Aloe vera(Kumari, Aloe barbadensis)  This herb is an excellent choice for inflammatory conditions of all kinds and can be used by all mixes of VPK.  As mentioned earlier certain herbs can be rejuvenative and aloe is one of them.  This enhances its tonifying quality to tissues.  It specifically balances the hot quality due to its cold quality.

Aloe can be used with pomegranate juice which augments its anti-inflammatory characteristic.  Diarrhea can occur if too much is dosed and reducing the dose after the diarrhea has subsided will be usually sufficient.  Dosing is 1 T  three times per day.

Aloe vera is best used as a gel due to its slow release in the GI tract such that it lavages the gut mucosa in the upper intestinal tract, ie the stomach and small intestine.  The natural thickener carrageenan is used to make juice thicker hence making it a gel.  At times there has been consumer concern that carrageenan could be carcinogenic or that it would irritate IC.  Although it is a seafood plant which energetically would be salty and hence aggravate IC, in the amounts that it is used it is likely safe.

Ginger(Ardrakam, Zingiber officinale)  Called the universal medicine ginger as a herb can be used dry or fresh.  When used dry it has a hot quality and therefore would not be beneficial in IC.  Since it promotes digestive fire it  is a digestant in cooking in its fresh form is medicinal to GI tract function.

Ginger can be used as an appetite(indicator of digestive fire) stimulant by using a 0.25 inch disc of sliced ginger soaked in lime juice with a pinch of rock or sea salt.   Again given the clinical situations there are many different combinations with other herbs in which ginger can be used.

Turmeric(Curcuma longa Haridra)  This rhizome that is similar to ginger in physical appearance imparts the yellow color to the food when using it.  It is an incredible spice for inflammation particularly for skin conditions.  The spice is very safe to use and you can use literally grams of it at one time without deleterious side effects.

As a herb as noted above it promotes digestive fire without overheating the system which is a particularly valuable property in IC patients.  Turmeric helps in the digestion of protein and strengthens  and balance all metabolic functions.  It helps stretch the ligaments and is therefore helpful in the practice of yoga.

Triphala is a mixture of 3 different herbs, haritaki, amalaki, and biblitaki each respectively pacifying the energy patterns of Vata, Pitta, and Kapha.  Each herb can bring balance to function of the energy patterns in the colon, small bowel, and stomach respectively.  Each is a rejuvenative until itself which makes this mixture or formula highly effective and prescribed commonly.

There are many different ways to use these herbs separately or in combination based on the clinical situation.  Dosing is 0.5t steeped in hot water 30 minutes before bed.

Cumin Coriander Fennel  The use of these three herbs in the management of IC underscores how cooking spices are herbs which the medicinal extension of foods themselves.  All three of these herbs are medicinal to the urinary tract and because they are cooling digestants they provide the cold quality to the hot urinary tract of IC patients.

Each seed is placed in equal amounts in a Ziploc bag and from that 1T of the mixture is used for one cup of water to make a tea.  A larger volume can be made and placing in a thermos to sip on all day is a nice way to lavage the urinary tract mucosa throughout the day.

Castor oil(Ricinus communis)  This herb is interesting in that its application externally is cooling and when used internally it is hot.  The energy science takes advantage of this by using external packs in the pelvic region for relief of symptoms.  Of course the internal effect of castor is increasing bowel motility due to the hot quality leading to diarrhea, making it an effective laxative.

Chamomile(Anthemis nobilis)  Like the CCF mixture above, chamomile as a tea is a Pitta pacifying beverage and has been used successfully for staving off IC symptoms.  It is balancing to the emotions making particularly effective for PV patients who are having trouble coping with the waves of flare.   It has an effect of sedating nerve pain.

A little fresh ginger prepared with it makes chamomile a completely balanced beverage and counters any emetic effect it might have.  Externally it can be used as a poultice for nerve pains.  For most medicinal purposes its action is mild and serves as a harmonizing adjunct.

Have a great week              To Health as a Skill           DB