Herbs and Painful IC Flares

The use of herbal preparations in the treatment of the IC bladder pain syndrome(interstitial cystitis, vulvodynia, chronic prostatitis, GERD, IBS, and fibromyalgia) can be effective if we understand the world of herbology

Herbs have their medicinal effects on multiple systems and go where they are most needed in the physiology unlike their pharma counterparts who are made to have specific molecular physiologic effects  However herbs are similar to the effects antibiotics have in that they support the system in correcting the disruption  Antibiotics don’t eradicate the infection as much as they support the immune response to the invading organisms  For example, if someone develops pneumococcal pneumonia, the immune system is not up to the challenge to clear the organism  In that case the antibiotics help the immune system in clearing the pneumococcus from the lungs and in actuality do not eradicate the organisms completely

Similarly herbs due to their specific energetics help support the physiology to clear energetic imbalances that are created by unconscious choices  Even though herbs are thought of as molecules by nutraceutical companies and are marketed as such, the proper use of herbs will not be done effectively until we use them as healing energetics

Understanding the Origin of the Imbalance Being Treated

Probably the most important aspect in the energetic use of herbs is understanding the imbalance that has been created  Any healer whether allopathic or Ayurvedic would admit that you have to know what you’re treating before you decide on the direction of therapy  In the allopathic discipline the physician  through the course of testing comes up a disease label such as cancer, hypertension, autoimmune disease  At times not much testing is required and at other times a lot of testing is needed

Similarly in the energy science of Ayurveda a precise understanding of the energetic imbalance is required in order so that a successful herbal protocol is prescribed  It requires more than taking a pill conjured up by some nutraceutical company but rather an in depth analysis of what is going on energetically based on what is being reported by the patient

It may be surprising to you to hear this but no two cases of the IC bladder pain syndrome are alike  So as we are each uniquely different from one another so we are uniquely different in the way we create our diseases

Absorption of Herbs

An important aspect of the use of herbs is their digestion, absorption, and assimilation  Healthy agni is required for this to occur or they are excreted through stool or urine  The unfortunate problem for most is that the agni is not healthy  What’s more is that if the herbs are attempted to be digested they will be turned into ama which is undigested unprocessed food

This is a serious problem even though as a unsophisticated audience we don’t understand what deleterious effects we are physiologically creating We merrily go along our way popping nutraceuticals hoping we’ll get better when in actuality we are making ourselves sick by our actions

This specific problem can be averted by taking advantage of the agni in our skin through the use of transdermal herbal creams  Also through the use of submucosal delivery of herbs we can avoid the digestive system altogether  Using both types of delivery systems we can physiologically herbs into the system where they are needed for healing

Real Healing Takes Time

Healing is subtle not gross  That is to say, healing using an energetic approach requires observing for subtle changes in the body’s reporting of symptoms and noticing how improvement is occurring  Otherwise we miss the signs of healing and sooner rather than later we say “this isn’t working”So any healing whether allopathic or energy science requires patience and discipline when using a herbal approach otherwise we lose in the end

Another aspect to real healing is to understand that as we get better we reverse our disease process  What this means is that we have apparent aggravation of symptoms as the imbalance is corrected  We hate to hear this but it’s a fact  As we gently release the excess energy that we have created by unconscious choices in the past the net result is gentle symptoms of release

IC and Dementia

Many commonly used OTC(over the counter drugs) have been linked with dementia(goo.gl/ihYhgc) according to a recent study from the University of Washington  Among these are commonly used drugs used in urology and in particular with the IC bladder pain syndrome(interstitial cystitis, vulvodynia, chronic prostatitis, IBS, GERD, and fibromyalgia)

Oxybutynin (Ditropan) and tolterodine (Detrol) have been used for overactive bladder have been linked with dementia in a recent study from the University of Washington These drugs share a common feature with other OTC drugs in that they affect levels of acetylcholine(ACh), a common neurotransmitter in the body  The short term changes such as confusion and loss of mental clarity are well known to prescribing physicians but these long term consequences of dementia are not recognized

Alzheimer’s disease is a one of early senility or poor brain function and is associated with very low levels of ACh  There is also evidence now that these changes may be irreversible because they produce permanent neurological changes

The relationship to poor brain function and dementia and drugs that control symptoms by lowering levels of ACh should be disturbing to those who rely on these anticholinergic drugs to control their symptoms of the IC bladder pain syndrome

The Study

To evaluate whether cumulative anticholinergic use is associated with a higher risk for incident dementia, researchers examined medical records from 3,434 participants 65 years or older with no dementia at study entry  Initial recruitment occurred from 1994 through 1996 and from 2000 through 2003 and data through September 30, 2012 were also included in these analyses

Exposure to anticholinergic was determined from computerized pharmacy records  Cumulative exposure was updated as participants were followed up over a 10-year period. About 20% of the population was found to be using anticholinergic drugs

During the evaluation period, 797 participants (23.2%) developed dementia with 637 of these (80%) developing Alzheimer disease  A 10-year cumulative dose-response relationship was observed for dementia and Alzheimer disease. In other words, the higher the cumulative anticholinergic use, the greater the increased risk for dementia  The highest risk threshold was taking the minimum daily effective dose of one the anticholinergic agents every day for 3 years

Based upon these results, the authors of the study propose efforts to increase awareness among health care professionals and older adults about the risk of the use of these drugs over time  Even at low dosage or recommended levels chronic use of these drugs should be avoided

The Message

It seems self evident that anticholinergic use that is so prevalent in the IC population keep the use of anticholinergics reduced in treating their symptoms, looking for more alternative ways of managing their symptoms

IC and Sex: An Energy Science Herbal Approach

As you know the pelvic pain from IC can be so severe that it precludes having normal sexual activity  In a survey done through the ICA organization 90% of IC patients report problems with intimacy   And the majority of women(50-85%) have associated vulvodynia or pain specifically related to the vagina

The fear of bringing on the pain and a flare can lead to avoidance and resulting isolation

Some have reported breaking into a cold sweat due to anxiety just with foreplay   And this can obviously put a severe strain on a marital relationship unless one is fortunate to have an understanding spouse who doesn’t want to inflict pain to his best friend

But for others it can lead to failed relationships or inability to find new ones   As one IC patient told me, “I feel like I’m damaged goods”   Others express a sense of loss of womanhood much as men are fearful of the same for themselves

As we know the matter science approach to the chronic IC problem is unfortunately not helpful since this model doesn’t deal with chronic disease well

But sexual intimacy need not be dead   The energy science can successfully deal with pelvic pain and hence restore intimacy once again

The Energy Science Take on Pelvic Pain

We have discussed the energy and matter science approaches in doing their work   The energy science approach is about balance of qualities; too much hot(responsible for the shearing pain) balanced by delivering the cold; too much subtle balanced by the gross quality(the energy field is subtle and the matter biological field gross);  too much mobile(responsible for the urinary frequency and pain) balanced by the stable or static quality

In energy science parlance we can call these qualities primordial vibrational frequencies

So the symptoms of IC in the pelvis from an energy science view is related to an imbalance of qualities   Now you can see how different these two healing disciplines are when we compare their ways of doing their science

The Energy Science Approach to Pelvic Pain and Vaginal Pain

There are many different tools available from the energy science of Ayurveda to balance the qualities that are imbalanced and localized in the pelvis   Of course the foundation is changing one’s nutritional format and looking at poor food combinations that we have talked about in the recent past

But there are other energy science treatment options to explore  for vaginal pain   Herbal supplements can be used topically such as transdermal creams and submucosal herbal delivery systems

So if we see the mindbody with fresh eyes we will make available to you today

The Inflammatory Tastes

The sour, salty, and pungent taste provoke painful IC flares in the IC bladder pain syndrome(interstitial cystitis, vulvodynia, chronic prostatitis, GERD, IBS, and fibromyalgia)  The reason for this energetically is that all three tastes carry the hot quality

And the hot quality translates in the matter science world to acidity which is hidden away in matter science dietary recommendations   It’s also widely known that cultural diets that favor a more alkaline nature tend to promote within cultures greater longevity (eg Asian diets)

Animal based protein diets  which are high in acidity(fatty acids) demonstrate decreased longevity   From an energy science perspective this is not about vegetarianism; it’s about what increasing amounts of acid loading does to person   Not only does increased dietary sour decrease longevity, but it can provoke painful IC flares

Energetically the sour taste is the acid taste in Nature so from an energy science nutritional view meats rich in fatty acids are not the only culprits

Any acid in food carries energetically the sour taste  Even though we consider sour fruits acidic due to the citric acid(eg grapefruit), we don’t think of tomato(primarily in the seeds), banana, nuts, mayonnaise, red meat(dark chicken, dark turkey, beef, duck, lamb, and pork) and egg yolk as sour   Even though they don’t taste sour, energetically they physiologically produce the effects of sour   For more guidance you can go to icdiet.com or foodsheal.com for a more complete list

The salty taste needs no explanation but using Soma salt which is not heating like other salts makes this the best way to avoid heating 

We get the pungent taste in hot chiles and cayenne pepper, chili pepper, and black pepper  All of these types of seasonings and foods will provoke as many already know

From an energy science view all six tastes should be present at a meal for it to be balancing so a wee bit of sour is not a problem as experienced say in a churan

For Pitta Vata(PV) some the sour taste is important in moderation – not all the time but 1-2x per week

For a Pitta Kapha(PK) energy makeup the sour taste should be kept to a minimum

What happens when the physiology sees too much of the sour taste?  Energetically we find inflammation such as seen in IC, chronic prostatitis, vulvodynia, IBS, GERD, and fibromyalgia in the body and psychologically there is judgement, criticality, jealousy, and hate

As we can see the sour taste can lead to degenerative changes even in PV due to the inflammatory nature of the taste if it becomes excessive for that particular physiological pattern

A simple rule:  Eat according to your specific mindbody energy pattern

Cumin Coriander Fennel Tea: An Antiinflammatory Drink

From an energy science view painful IC flares and bladder pain are a result of inflammation in the urinary channel(UT)  since too much of hot produces inflammation.  Interesting isn’t it that the words burning and flare are used to describe what is physically going on?  I wrote a while ago about the use of the antiinflammatory cocktail using pomegranite juice and aloe vera gel and several of you have contacted me to tell me how helpful this has been.

So here’s another antiinflammatory drink!   This time a tea made from cumin coriander and fennel(CCF) seeds   Due to the cold energy of these herbs they also can be benefiicial in dealing with excess hot in the UT   Create a stash of seeds by placing equal amounts of cumin, coriander and fennel into a ziploc bag and shake it so it’s well mixed   From your stash you can draw one teaspoon and steep in cup of hot water   Or if making a thermos to carry with you during the day placing enough in the thermos for the amount of hot water that will be placed   The tea may need diluting if it gets too strong at the end of the day

Spices = Herbs = Medicinal Effects

Your kitchen’s spice drawer is a medicine cabinet and using spices skillfully over time can produce positive medicinal and physiologic effects  But the converse is also true   If you are using spices randomly and for flavor alone there can be adverse consequences   For example, most spices are heating so they can be provoking if you have IC   Or another example is the use of salt – too much leads to water retention

In general the value of spices is that they buck up our digestive fire or enzyme system responsible for digestion, absorption, and elimination  This is why for us in the northern hemisphere at this time of year the use of spices is important because our digestive strength gets diminished

Cumin coriander and fennel uniquely have an energetically cold effect to the physiology when using them and so are particularly useful in dis-eases with lots of inflammation with poor or impaired digestive strength   Cumin(not to be confused with curcumin from tumeric) is a unique digestant in that it bucks up digestive strength but brings balance to the GI tract   Coriander seeds come from the plant we get cilantro   The use of the fennel bulbs in the fresh vegetable section can give you a double whammy if you cook with it as a vegetable

Another interesting aspect of CCF is that all 3 herbs resonate with the UT   They are specific to the UT channel and therefore bring their cold quality to the UT mucosa

What’s Hot and What’s Not?

Of course not all spices are created equally   For the easiest way to find which spices are safe to use go to icdiet.com   There are grades or shades of hot within each herb so within the Favor list there are those asterisked    These are spices that should be used in moderation

Notice the positioning of fresh basil and fresh ginger   These are both beautiful spices to use on a consistent basis to bring about balance in the GI tract and improve digestion