Natural Support For This Embarrassing Problem
Inability to completely control the flow of urine is a common complaint, effecting up to twenty million Americans. Symptoms may range from a mild inability to hold urine when coughing or laughing to inability to hold urine at any time. The condition occurs in both men and women, although women and elderly people are more commonly afflicted.
Causes of urinary incontinence include weak pelvic floor muscle tone, weak urethral (bladder) muscle tone, medication side-effects, nerve damage, food allergy, urinary tract irritation (from drugs, foods, bacteria, viruses, fungi), imbalanced pH, and increased intestinal permeability. Some of the drugs used to treat incontinence have dangerous side-effects and should be avoided if at all possible. Self-help measures prove highly valuable.
Diet And Lifestyle Recommendations
- Finish daily water intake by 5 p.m. (This helps decrease nighttime urination). DO NOT, however, decrease daily water intake. Drink 64 ounces of pure water daily. Dehydration predisposes to urinary tract infections.
- Eliminate known food allergens (which can irritate the urinary tract and cause increased frequency).
- Check with your physician or pharmacist about any medications you are taking. Some can cause incontinence.
- Achieve and maintain a normal weight. Excess weight pushes down on the bladder and compromises muscular ability.
- Avoid caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol, all of which increase urination.
- Practice KEGEL exercises: tighten muscles to stop the flow while urinating. Feel the muscles at work? Tense these muscles during the day, hold as tightly as possible for a count of 10, relax. Repeat up to 20 times per day. (Do these when you are NOT urinating. The first time is done just to “feel” which muscles are at work). You can do this in a car, in line at the grocery store, etc. You will notice improvement beginning in 3 weeks.
Primary Support
- Maxi Multi: 3 caps, 3 times per day with meals. Optimal (not minimal) doses of antioxidants (A,C,E,beta carotene, selenium), are particularly important in treating urinary incontinence.
- Saw Palmetto: 1 cap, 2 times per day between meals. [Target dose: 240mg per day]. Although best known for male prostate gland enlargement, this herb is useful in both men and women to tone the urinary bladder sphincter muscle. It also has a positive effect on male and female libido.
Tests
- Consider having a male or female a href=”http://207.7.84.118/product/compplus-hormone-profile-with-2-16-eq/”>hormone profile performed. Decreased sex hormones are associated with a laxity of the bladder sphincter muscles. Natural hormone replacement therapy can be very helpful in this condition.
Dr. Myatt’s Comment
The above-listed measures, especially weight loss (if overweight), Kegel exercises, saw palmetto and hormone balancing really do work to correct urinary incontinence, even in very old people. Start those Kegel’s without delay or excuses and you can get rid of the adult diapers!
