IC and Hyperacidity

You would do anything to deal with the pain of the IC bladder pain syndrome(interstitial cystitis, vulvodynia, chronic prostatitis, GERD, IBS, and fibromyalgia) especially when flares occur so it would stand to reason that using an antacid of some form would be appropriate since for some it gives them relief of their heartburn but has also been anecdotally reported by some to help with their IC symptoms

Interestingly acid indigestion(heartburn) and GERD are strongly associated with IC  In an online survey done by the ICA:

559 respondents to the diet survey 

84% found diet helped reduced symptoms

Perhaps because this was an online survey the results are not available for search at the ICA site any longer but the survey obviously underscores the importance of nutrition and shows the interesting correlation with acid indigestion and IC   From our previous blog discussion this correlation would be expected as the hot quality in the gut moves to affect the urinary system

Two Bowls of Ice Cream and Pharma

My father in law didn’t have IC pain and lived a relatively comfortable life except for anxiety now and then  He had an interesting habit that I think is germane to our discussion today

As a matter of evening routine he would sneak into the kitchen late at night to have his two bowls of Hagen Daz ice cream after which he would take his cholesterol lowering pills(maybe two for good measure!)  Comfortable that he had done his ounce of prevention he would then trundle off to bed

I think most would feel that taking two Lipitor after eating ice cream is …. well not preventative  But isn’t that the same thing we are doing with antacids?  Prelief  is an antacid like many OTC antacids to help with the stomach symptoms of heartburn GERD  Even Tagamet has been used off label for IC    But isn’t that the same thing?

Freedom: But At What Price?

We all want our freedom of choice and the energy science of Ayurveda does not say “Never”  It says that we all have free choice but we don’t have a choice about the consequences of our choices

Drugs and nutraceuticals are not meant to cover over poor food choices that cause the pain of IC which can be managed more successfully without the use of pharma

Of course there is the sentiment “My life is over  All of my favs taken away from me!”  These energy science nutritional formats are not an “all or none” proposition but the more closely you adhere to the format the better you will feel  And after a while you’ll get tired of taking in foods that make you feel sick

In the end the energy discipline can help us with a qualitative scientific assessment of what foods are best for our mindbody energy makeup

Three Ways to Manage Acid Indigestion

Go to foodsheal.com right now and take the quiz    Then choose the appropriate nutritional format and print the pdf format off so you have it to follow

Read the incompatable food combination list and print off that file as well and post both on your refrigerator so you can reference them regularly

Use aloe vera gel(not the juice) on a regular basis (2T three times per day)   Take it to work, travel with it, and make a ritual out of its use

IC and an Ayurvedic Cookbook

Recently there’s been a release of the best Ayurvedic cookbook thus far written for a Western audience 

What makes the book so good is that it’s written by a Westerner under the guidance and direction of an Ayurvedic physician so all the key Ayurvedic principles are there with the help of understanding why you are eating the way that is suggested

This book starts you on the path to healing the IC bladder pain syndrome(interstitial cystitis, vulvodynia, chronic prostatitis, fibromyalgia, GERD, and IBS) because anyone with these problems has toxicity that I have shared with you in the past that is called ama from an Ayurvedic perspective

If you want to heal your gut and get rid of IC you have to detox and this book is a major helping start in that direction

Here’s a link  goo.gl/KUj1wP

IC and Vulvodynia

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(interstitial cystitis, chronic prostatitis, vulvodynia, fibromyalgia, IBS, GERD)   Obviously it’s a debilitating condition for relationships and the loss of womanhood becomes an inevitable psychological effect 

Actually vulvodynia is like prostatitis in that the pelvic nerves become involved by abnormal energy patterns that from the lower rectum in the pelvis  This sets up abnormal nerve sensations in the vagina, prostate, and bladder

Transdermal Creams

When the properly applied cream(s) are applied to the perineum and appropriate marma points around the vaginal entry(introitus) these creams can have profound effects to the pelvic nerve tissue

Herbal Nectars

When nectars are created so that just the energetics of the herb are delivered there is no need for absorption of the herb from the GI tract and its digestive capability….the herbs quickly move through the mucosa of the mouth and esophagus  In this way the nectars are very much like the transdermal creams in that the skin and its digestive capability is able to move the herbal energetics into the body

Is It Always An Infection?

Everyone agrees that the pain of IC is related to inflammation but it may be surprising to find that all diseases from cancer to diabetes have an element of this inflammation  And this is where we are at in our current understanding of disease from a matter or molecular science point of view  And we as the signpost points are left with no direction

There are many painful molecules that have now been identified that produce inflammation in the mindbody  We have identified many of these molecules  But what causes them to begin to show up in the first place? The answer from the matter science is infection often times because foreign organisms incite a white cell response which produce this molecular inflammatory response

But IC is defined as a nonbacterial inflammatory response  So no infection but inflammation nonetheless  And we are all well aware of many different diseases that produce inflammation without infection such as rheumatoid arthritis

This is why at this point in time the matter science urologist has no answer for your IC  No infection No Cure  Treatable but not curable

Understanding Inflammation Through Energy Science Glasses

If we take off our matter(molecule) science glasses and view the mindbody through energy field glasses we see the mindbody as an energy field

There are three necessary biologic energy patterns according to the science of Ayurveda:  the energy of movement Vata, the energy of transformation Pitta, and the energy pattern of stability Kapha

As we discussed with you earlier inflammation is a result of excessive hot quality resulting in inflammation regardless of whether there is infection or not  

When the energy pattern of Pitta becomes excessive(too much of the hot quality) then inflammation and the excruciating pain of IC is the result

3 Ways To Reduce Inflammation and IC Symptoms

Unless we’re breatharians we routinely do one thing every day:  EAT  This is why foods become so important in the management of this chronic condition labeled as IC   “Label” is a specific term for the broader term inflammation  Other labels used by the matter science urology tradition include chronic pelvic pain syndrome(CPPS) and chronic prostatitis

So you can do 3 things right now:

Go to foodsheal.com right now and take the quiz    Then choose the appropriate nutritional format and print the pdf format off so you have it to follow

Read the incompatable food combination list and print off that file as well and post both on your refrigerator so you can reference them regularly  Incompatible foods produce inflammation

Use aloe vera gel(not the juice) on a regular basis (2T three times per day)   Take it to work, travel with it, and make a ritual out of its use  Why?  This herb reduces the hot quality(think of applying aloe on a hot sunburn) by using the opposite quality of cold

IC and IBS

IC pain and the pain of IBS(irritable bowel syndrome) are interrelated on an energy level because gut problems begin the imbalance that leads to IC symptoms   What happens in the gut in IC eventually leads to problems in the urinary tract

To be aware of this is to begin the healing of painful IC flares  Why?  Because when you begin to understand the origins of your dis-ease then you can be  empowered to take on the challenges to live the life you once had

And we have seen that there are often psychological similarities between those with IC and those with IBS

The Biological Energy Prototypes and IC/IBS

From an energy science medical view Nature is described in terms of the VPK(Vata Pitta Kapha) frame of reference   Everything in Nature can be seen as these energy patterns and they’re composed of primary vibrational frequencies or qualities that contribute to their expression in the mindbody

As we have talked about in the past from an energy science view they represent who we are in the world and we’re varying proportions of these energy patterns of  Vata, Pitta, and Kapha   They are mindbody energy expressions or combined mental and physical characteristics   And the pain of IC and IBS come as expressions of imbalances of the energy patterns of Vata and Pitta

When there is imbalance of the qualities of hot and mobile the Vata and Pitta energy patterns are provoked and may be expressed as IC and IBS first at the gut level then at the bladder   This is the relationship between these two apparent dissimilar dis-eases

When you are in balance there is no excess of these qualities

When we are out of balance or unbalanced, using our example above there’s an excess of the qualities of mobile or hot  In this way we would see more mobility of thought, movement, and the GI tract as in diarrhea; excessive hot in the GI tract suggesting acid indigestion or heartburn, headache, or the painful flares of IC

What Three Things Can You Do Right Now With This Information?

1  Take this energy pattern test and thank God you can’t fail the test!

2 Choose the nutritional format best for your energy mindbody makeup- you’ll see that when you take the quiz

3 Make a deal with yourself that you’ll do one thing to change something that is not consistent with the nutritional format you choose

IC and Sexual Intimacy

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 orally or topically   In matter science circles the use of suppositories as a means of delivering pharmaceuticals is commonly done today   Along those lines herbs can be delivered rectally in the form of a low volume enema called basti in the energy science terminology

I have managed patients who have reported remarkable results with medicated enema   I have even had an IC patient report to me that she was having so much pressure that she tried an enema and much to her surprise experienced relief of pelvic symptoms at least for awhile

So if we see the mindbody with fresh eyes we will make available to ourselves new modes of treatment that can bring about astounding results