IC and Homeopathy: Making Sense Out of the Alternative Medical World

For the general health consumer trying to figure out where to turn when the standard treatments are not helping, a deep troubling confusion begins to occur because they enter a world of the unknown  Not only is their disease and its management unknown in the traditional sense but the world of healing is unknown to not only them but their MD’s who have become their trusted medical advisors   So there is a very difficult environment of confusion created

However it may surprise many to find that in the treatments used by the energy science of Ayurveda that both the homeopathic and allopathic principles are held dependent on the situation being treated and what is being used

All Healing Under One Roof

The homeopathic principle of treatment of using like to cure like is one of the foundational treatments in disease management also called an agonist approach  Diarrhea is treated by homeopathic natural formulations in small dosing of plant based material that in higher doses would cause diarrhea  Ayurveda at times will use materials that in small doses will stop diarrhea but in larger dosings produce diarrhea  And at times will suggest no treatment of the diarrhea and allow the toxins to leave the body

The allopathic discipline which is used by most doctors in the West treats like with the opposite or an antagonistic approach  A classical example is the use of antibiotics(anti or against + bios or ‘life or organisms) to treat infections(bios or organisms)  This principle is also used in Ayurvedic treatment management of disease

So the energy science uses all principles of healing in coming up with a solution for a particular disease based on the patient and her condition  The way this occurs is through the magic of herbs  In some situations the complexity of the herb will be agonist to some qualities of the disease whereas the same herb may be antagonistic to other certain qualities in the same disease

Herbs as Homeopathic and Allopathic

Let’s see how that plays out with our IC herbal friend aloe vera  Aloe vera is clearly cooling and so it would be antagonistic for the hot quality but agonist or similar to the cool quality of the Kapha energy pattern that may play a role in the IC bladder pain syndrome(interstitial cystitis, vulvodynia, chronic prostatitis, IBS, GERD, and fibromyalgia)  The same applies to our commonly used CCF tea for  ICPBS, heating and cooling at the same time

Just by this knowledge one can have some solace that the principles of treatment are the same….different tools but same principles  This is the beauty of the energy science tradition

IC and 2 Seed Butters Safe to Use ALL the Time

The energy science of Ayurveda sees nutrition from an energy and not a molecular viewpoint  From this energy science perspective foods “look different” because they are seen from the vantage point of how they affect the individual energy mindbody not the molecules that compose them  The complexity of foods and molecular micromanagement  vanish using an energy science approach

Energy wise nuts are Pitta provoking so this is bad news for those with the IC bladder pain syndrome(interstitial cystitis, vulvodynia, chronic prostatitis, IBS, GERD, and fibromyalgia) since the syndrome is Vata and Pitta provoked  So does that mean that your hankering for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich go by the wayside?  Fear not and read on

Seed Butter Alternatives to Peanut Butter

Nuts are rich in fatty acids and hence are inflammatory or Pitta provoking  Almonds although categorized as a nut are actually seeds as are sunflower seeds  These two seed butters make excellent replacements for the commonly used nut butters that many of us grew up with

There are two seed alternatives to commonly produced nut butters….Barney Butter that is made with skinless almonds and sunflower butter that you can find in markets or on Amazon with the supplied links  Importantly the almond seed butter must be made from skinless almonds in the preparation of the butter because the skin contains physic acid and that’s what makes Barney Butter so special  If the skin is left on in the preparation of the almond butter then it just becomes another nut butter  Even though the molecular and energy science approaches to food are different there should always be correlation as there is in this case

In the Ayurvedic sense heating foods are Pitta provoking…..that is they produce excess heat in the body leading to any inflammatory conditions in the mindbody such as acid indigestion, GERD, the hot form of IBS, forms of inflammatory arthritis such as rheumatoid and gouty, even atherosclerosis which has a Pitta component to it  Psychologically Pitta provocation leads to anger, hostility, rage, all kinds of heated emotions

Another uncommon seed that is used in Indian sweets and cooking is charole, a small almond like seed that comes from a bush but it is not widely available  It’s seen in the image on blog entry page

By electing to blanch the almonds there is a creation of a Pitta pacifying almond butter that makes it a superb choice and substitute for any nut butter on the market today  Almonds also happen to be one of the 4 pure sattvic foods in Nature(sattvic means harmonious to the mindbody and therefore balancing…milk dates and ghee are the other 3)  As you can see by not having the skins almonds become a gift from Nature herself

IC and Day in Balance

One of the foundational therapies for anyone embarking on energy science work to deal with the IC bladder pain syndrome(interstitial cystitis, vulvodynia, chronic prostatitis, IBS, GERD, and fibromyalgia) is to cultivate a daily routine that brings about physiologic balance  Balance from the energy science of Ayurveda perspective means that when you are suffering from a disease by bringing balance to your lifestyle keeps you from getting worse  But more importantly it helps promote healing

I ran across a website that talks about a young lady’s experience with IBS/IC that is worth looking at  The key that strikes me through her post is the need for consistency in taking action and the use of herbs to clear her physiologic imbalance  So just as consistency for nutrition and herbs is important so is it true for our daily routines or lifestyle choices

Some people are blessed in beginning their lives in families that had some form of structure or routine  The main difference in these kinds of routine and the Ayurvedic routine is based on living in harmony with Nature herself and the morning things to do as you will see

Getting Healthy Rest

The energy science suggests that the next day’s tone is set by what you’ve done the previous night  So getting to bed by 10 to 1030 for Pitta and Vata and 11p for Kapha ensures that you can begin the following day rested and fresh….and early between 6 and 7a  Kapha’s should need less sleep so they can afford going to bed later and then waking early  Vata and Pitta should be in bed earlier for different reasons  Vata hypermetabolic state needs more rest and Pitta if they stay up tend to “raid the fridge” for night time snacking

So now we’re up and ready to go for the morning routine  It isn’t as arduous as you may think but all of the steps have important physiologic functions that help the energy mindbody wake up and get ready for the day  A full list of things to do is at the ic-solutions.tv website under Services and Resources  Here’s a link to the page

Ayurvedic Daily Routine

A strong consistent morning routine with attention to particular detail is very beneficial to your health in general and specifically when going through physical challenges  Volume of fluids for the day should be around 50-60oz for PV and 40-50oz for PK and by consuming 20oz in the early am gets you started with bowel activity but also gets you started for the day with healthy volume consumption  Increased fluids consumed around mealtimes is not a good habit because it dilutes agni and if you already have a compromised agni(most people do) then digestion, absorption, assimilation will be affected

Lunchtime should be the biggest meal of the day because the physiology is ready for the experience of food between 11a and 2p  Fruits make a great snack for in between meals and every once in a while just do a day of nothing but fruit or fruit fast

Dinner should usually be less than the noon meal which would be what you could hold in your two hands  It should normally not be later than 8 to 830p

There are other details on the routine  If you have questions you can leave them with this post

Remember

Roger Bannister broke the 4 minute mile world record that had stood for decades  Shortly after he did it many men became sub 4 runners as well  Roger broke through the idea that it was possible  So can you when it comes to IC  It is possible to deal with IC and change your life

Update on Acid Indigestion and IC : 5 Sustainable Ways to Go Beyond Prelief

As part of the IC bladder pain syndrome(interstitial cystitis, vulvodynia, chronic prostatitis, IBS, GERD, and fibromyalgia) acid indigestion as manifested in hyperacidity syndrome(HAS) or gastroesophageal reflux disease(GERD) would not be surprising  This is because from an energy science point of view the hot quality(Pitta energy pattern) is a major contributor to the imbalance that creates interstitial cystitis(IC)…the burning on urination, vaginal burning are related to this quality  The other IC imbalancing quality is the mobile quality of the Vata energy pattern

The Spectrum of Disease

All physiologic disease shows up as an array of symptoms from not so bad to terrible  Patients with occasional heartburn can then begin to have it all the time  This makes it eligible for the disease label of HAS  If it progresses to a sour taste in the mouth or a burning in the chest then it advances to GERD  And if GERD progresses then it can become the disease label of Barrett’s esophagitis

But notice that in all these advancing disease labels one thing remains constant  The hot quality  So in the end these disease labels are related to the increasing intensity of this quality  But wait there’s more from an energy science perspective  The Pitta energy pattern displays the hot quality when out of balance in its functional seat, the liver

So again from an energy science point of view the liver imbalances due to Pitta must be addressed if a patient is having problems with GERD

Reducing the heat

There are a number of ways to go beyond Prelief which like all its molecular relatives( such as over the counter Prevacid and various expensive pharmaceuticals) represent pharma bandaids  From an energy science treatment perspective the alternatives not only provide relief but done properly with other allied therapies become permanent solutions, not bandaids

Wouldn’t you rather have something that is sustainable long term instead of relying on a pharmacological bandaid?  Here are some basic energy science treatments that can bring about control of this Pitta energy pattern of transformation

Avipattikar  This herb combination is an excellent way to get control of raging hot Pitta in the stomach reducing the hot quality

Aloe vera gel  This herb is not only cooling to the small bowel therefore reduces the Pitta energy pattern but because it is effective for Pitta disorders in general it is a good liver protectant  This makes it a valuable herb overall in treating Pitta disorders  From an energy point of view aloe is special because it falls into a special group of herbs called rasayana  This means it is a tissue rejuvenative and restorative of bodily tissues  There are no Western pharma that can make that claim

However there has been consumer concern regarding food additive carrageenan to the aloe gel products on the market  I have gone on record two years ago as saying “not to be concerned” but the below should be of concern

In their report, they explained why even food-grade carrageenan is dangerous, yet how many food companies have continued to unscrupulously add it to their products  According to Cornucopia, animal studies show that “food-grade carrageenan causes gastrointestinal inflammation and higher rates of intestinal lesions, ulcerations, and even malignant tumors”. It can also cause cancer, because food grade “undegraded” carrageenan is contaminated with “degraded” carrageenan (the kind that’s not considered “food grade”)  The World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer and the National Research Council of the United States have both determined that degraded carrageenan is a carcinogen. So, it clearly should not be in our food

So I’m can no longer support aloe products with carrageenan and suggest that you look at products particularly tablets but buyer beware  Any readers that have suggestions, please leave a comment!!

Psyllium husk  Using this herb may sound strange as it is used as a laxative but 1t at bedtime mixed with fresh yogurt or with warm water will absorb Pitta in the small intestine and stop the colonic wall irritation

Nutritional format and incompatible food combinations We can take all the herbs in the world but if we continue to take into our bodies the same imbalancing qualities then no gains will be made  It’s like 2steps forward and 3 steps back  If there is HAS or GERD then no doubt the person is a strong Pitta and these conditions would be the ways that they might go out of balance  One should follow a Pitta pacifying diet At the very least one should follow the PK or PV formats at foodsheal.com 

Kefir milk  When Pitta is out of control and the hot quality is raging, the microbiome or the gut flora becomes affected  Since the gut flora is an important aspect of agni it’s important to replenish and support this vital aspect to our health  Kefir does this by providing new healthy bacteria to our gut microbiome population  You can get it in the stores or make it yourself by finding some Kefir granules from someone willing to share

Like all energy work it is subtle and the healing shifts occur slowly over months but the good thing is that they are sustainable long lasting effects

IC and Stress: 7 Energy Science Techniques to Cope

When I read posts from the IC community about triggers for their IC many respond that stress is a common trigger  This makes complete sense from an energy science point of view because the IC bladder pain syndrome(interstitial cystitis, vulvodynia, chronic prostatitis, IBS, GERD, and fibromyalgia) is caused from the provocation of the energy patterns of Vata(energy of physiologic movement) and Pitta(energy of transformation or metabolism)  Both of these energy patterns are involved in stress and engages the control dramas of Vata which is flight(run away) or Pitta(fight) or a mixture of the two energy patterns

Stress and Retraining the Nervous System to Reduce IC Flares

Our reaction to an event in our environment as a perceived threat can engage the flight or fight response  This mental response to “out there” prompts a part of our nervous system named the sympathetic nervous system  The opposing part is the parasympathetic nervous system  It turns out that the former is engaged in times of stress(fight or flight) and the latter is engaged during periods of relaxation

The accumulation of stress events that are not dealt with adequately leads to a heightened level of stress over and above baseline  This increased sympathetic nervous system activity puts us in a altered physiologic state where we are then more responsive to simple stress events that would not ordinarily trigger us(crying child puts us over the top)  This is called “chronic stress syndrome” but is nothing more than a primed sympathetic system that is operating over and above what is appropriate  Done for long periods of time it can lead to adrenal fatigue

Everyone experiences stress in their lives but it’s how we deal with it that’s important  So retraining our nervous system out of hypervigilance or “fight or flight response” and to teach it to be calmer in the face of that “perceived threat” whatever it might be is the key to dealing with the stress trigger that can lead to IC flares

9 Energy Science Things That You Can Do To Reduce Stress and Flares

The energy science of Ayurveda and the yoga tradition state that it’s not just one thing that we do to help deal with stress but a multiplicity of things that we can do to invoke a more calm(parasympathetic) response to events that occur to us in our environment

Nutrition Amazingly when we eat foods that produce imbalance it brings about a minor stressor   Over time as discussed earlier this loads the sympathetic nervous system, raising its level of activity

Herbal support There a number of Ayurvedic herbs that can lend support to the nervous system that are called rasayanas  These are a special group of herbs that can provide strengthening support to an overloaded system

Pranayama  These are breathing practices that can have a calming effect to the autonomic nervous system by increasing the activity of the parasympathetic nervous system which happens to be in very high concentration anatomically in the diaphragm

Nasya  At the upper part of the nasal cavity is a plate that has direct access to the brainstem  Named the cribiform plate this provides herbal access to the nervous system so that they can provide strengthening support to an overly fatigued nervous system

Asana practice Done properly by focusing on bodily sensations, asana practice can be meditative and hence reduce the mind’s tendency to respond in a sympathetic way

Meditation is an energy science tool to quiet the mind  In so doing it produces a parasympathetic response, that is, a calming effect  Done over time(at least 3mo of practice) it will retrain the nervous system so that it is not so reactive to events in our environment

Watching thoughts as clouds   This practice helps us disengage our internal world  At times our thoughts become so real for us that we think they are us!  But we are not our thoughts we are the observer of our thoughts  Thoughts are like hotel guests….they come and go but we as the observer….we never change  When we watch the thoughts come and go as clouds we disengage from the mind

By and by introducing each of these tools can be life changing and help you conquer IC flares  Just begin with 5 minutes and you’ll see benefits and want to spend more time

IC and the Energy Patterns of VPK

If we want to talk about the mindbody as an energy field then we need a vocabulary or means of discussing the human energy field especially if we want to talk about disease such as the IC bladder pain syndrome(interstitial cystitis, vulvodynia, chronic prostatitis, IBS, GERD, and fibromyalgia)

The energy patterns of Vata, Pitta, and Kapha are the energy science’s way of defining the function of the mindbody’s physiologic energy field  Vata is the energy of physiologic movement so anything(blood, nerve impulses, thoughts) that is moving is under the guise of the Vata energy pattern  Pitta is the energy of transformation….it governs the mindbody’s metabolism(broccoli is changed or transformed from one state to another)  Kapha is the energy of stability and supports the mindbody’s structure  It is the most physically express of the energy patterns

We are not aware of these energy patterns when we’re healthy but when there is an energetic imbalance of qualities that become expressed then we become aware of dis-ease  For example, we are unaware of Vata’s movement except when we become aware of dry and rough skin or constipation  These events wouldn’t occur unless the energy pattern of Vata was physiologically increased

In this video I talk about these fundamental energy concepts