Category Archives: IC

IC and the Antiinflammatory Effects of Colostrum

bladder, bladder pain, IC, Interstiial cystitis, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , , ,

Colostrum from the sourceIC (interstitial cystitis) bladder pain is a result of inflammation and the energy science describes this in terms of the hot quality  As I have talked about in the past there are many different things that people can do to reduce this quality in the gut:  aloe vera gel, CCF tea, spices such as turmeric  fresh basil and ginger, and herbs

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But not only do you want the antiinflammatory effect but it would be great if you could also enhance digestive strength at the same time  Aloe does this but colostrum does this as well and makes this bovine derived product an excellent choice for the treatment of IC

Digestive Strength and Enhancers

I have alluded to digestive strength in the past but not gone into much detail   This week in our webinar series the group will work on agni or digestive strength because it’s so important for gut health

Anything that enhances digestion induces agni (the word ingnite comes from this word)  So spices are important in food preparation because they stimulate agni or digestive strength

Probiotics enhance agni as well as herbs such as aloe vera   Research has shown that colostrum that has been used in IC with excellent results not only reduces the inflammatory response but also helps improve digestive fire

 

 

Colostrum:  A Two Headed Winner

This first milking substance is an amazing resource of substances necessary to support the  development and repair of cells and tissues, assure the effective and efficient metabolism of nutrients and establish and maintain a healthy immune system

Because of its physiologic functions it mimics the activity of growth hormone, a rejuvenative that could build tissues in people with chronic disease    The link has great resource information so you should check it out

In India, where cows are sacred, colostrum is delivered to the home with the milk and is used for medicinal purposes to treat everything from
age-related symptoms to the common cold   This practice began several thousand years ago with Ayurvedic physicians and sacred healers

In the Scandinavian countries, the birth of a calf is celebrated by the making of a pudding for human consumption from the extra colostrum after the calf is fed   This practice has gone on for centuries and is intended to promote good health   Research conducted in these countries as early as the late 18th century showed the benefits of colostrum on the health and development of cattle and laid the groundwork for the early medicinal use of colostrum by humans   The early Amish farmers in America practiced this same ritual

Where Available

Capsules of colostrum can be obtained in health food stores, on Amazon, or on the ic-solutions Amazon store 

Have a great week     To health as a Skill       Love DB

PS  My book Foods Heal is downloadable for FREE this week only on all mobile reading devices by going to http://amzn.to/fLYS3i under Kindle

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How Effectiveness in Dealing with IC Pain Can Be Changed

bladder pain, IC, Interstiial cystitis, Uncategorized,

Snow scene couple with hotIn all of Nature you only learn by contrast  You can’t know hot if you haven’t experienced cold   You can’t know the bladder pain of IC unless you’ve experienced the pleasure of being pain free

And then there is the contrast of male and female, quantitative and qualitative models of healing   Why is this important?  Because different models of healing lead to different results due to the way they view the disease process

Results Oriented Healing for IC

When you know the strengths and weaknesses of the models of healing you’re using you’re more likely to be successful at achieving the outcomes you’re looking for

Like a marriage or partnership, each person brings a strength to the relationship  And a weakness that each is hoping for support

Currently even though this difference in healing models exist it is not apparent to the participants   But nonetheless it is clear that the matter science approach to healing or what I refer to as the masculine side of healing while results oriented, has results that don’t serve the chronic disease model such as conditions like IC

Missing In Action

What is currently missing in the masculine side of healing, and therefore its weakness, is the ability to see the origin of disease

The energy science discipline, or the feminine side of healing, from its underpinnings the understanding of the origin and therefore can predictably prescribe a charted course for chronic disease

Currently we don’t have a treatment model like that   We have a disease detection and treatment program with really no eye on prevention or the ability to manage chronic disease

The energy science discipline of healing is excellent for guiding us with lifestyle change that literally changes the course of disease and supports not only the support of chronic diseases such as IC but actually the healing of IC

Change the Model of Healing and Change the Healing of IC

So the challenge is to embrace a different model of healing in order to be successful with IC

This requires trust   And the energy science doesn’t expect blind trust   The proof is in the pudding, so to speak  If you do the work, you will see the results   But real healing takes time  Give it 6 months and you’ll see the differences that will change your life

Until next week with a surprise                  To Health as a Skill  Love Dr Bill

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IC and 5 Herbs That Strengthen and Energize the MindBody

bladder pain, IC, Interstiial cystitis, Uncategorized, , , , , ,

Spices at the MarketI think it’s pretty much consensus that pharmaceuticals are not the panacea for IC and bladder pain.  At least that was my experience with the IC patients who I worked with.  Herbs offer an alternative to pharmaceuticals and we have discussed a number of them for use such as CCF tea, the use of turmeric in cooking, as well as aloe vera gel.

Herbs fall into 3 categories when looking at their functional effects.  Unlike pharmaceucals one herb category enhances digestive strength in all its various aspects of function, for example turmeric. A second category is composed of therapeutic herbs that solve very specific problems, such as aloe vera gel. Taken alone they are not as effective, but done with nutritional work they can be highly effiective. Aloe vera when combined with a Pitta-reducing nutritional format can have an almost immediate (one to two weeks) impact on flares.

The third category is a special group of herbs that are rejuvenative. These herbs restore youthful vigor and vitality and are the topic of this post.

Herbs can offer immediate relief in some situations and support the nutrition and metabolic lifestyle behaviors in the long term. But herbs, unlike pharmaceuticals, are not primary but secondary in management. This is a clear departure from current thinking about disease management, but is tantamount to success in dealing with chronic disease. Having said that herbs can help jumpstart a system that is under stress as in cases of patients who have long standing IC and are debilitated.

Rejuvenative Science

Herbs that are rejuvenative in nature are useful because they have the capability of strengthening the fatigued low energy body that has been under the stress of chronic disease such as IC,  while at the same time dealing with the imbalance that is going on.

The interesting thing about rejuvenative herbs is that they have an impact on mind. This can be very helpful for those who are depressed and feeling helpless. It is this particular aspect of rejuvenative therapy that can be quite helpful in creating more space for lifestyle changes.

So the special place that rejuvenatives have is that they impact or shift our DNA which in turn affect our choices in selection of various alternatives presented to us so that you make better choices with respect to the management of IC.  They also help to modify our lifestyle behavioral choices so that old habits that are not supportive of healing IC are easier to get out of.

5 Rejuvenative Herbs

 Aloe vera      I have mentioned this herb numerous times in the past because not only does it offer cooling to the hot urinary tract system but on top of this it is a rejuvenative.  That is, it has the capability of helping you morph lifestyle changes in choice of all kinds.  So for example when making choices about foods that may be not such good choices and choice about foods that are better choices, eg coffee habits. Also choice around lifestyle behaviors that are not conducive to healing and those that are.

Gokshura   Also known as Caltrops this herb targets the water or urinary tract channel and is effective in reducing inflammation but is also good at reducing the incidence of stone formation. It is this latter effect that suggests that gokshura is an important herb in facilitating glycosoaminoglycan (GAG) layer formation. Its best use is in formula, but it could be used in basti (below) due to the GAG-formation enhancement.

Purnarnava    Translated as “that which renews us” this herb also like gokshura has affinity to the urinary channel.  It strengthens the kidneys and in doing so aids in our overall health and vitality.  Its action is more tonifying to the kidney than to the urinary bladder and therefore would be a second line herb in dealing with straightforward IC.

Guduchi   An important rejuvenative for Pitta and nutritive herb to take during recovery periods.  It is a potent detoxifier, buring ama without aggravating Pitta.  It is a great tonic for the immune system .  Taken with ghee it reduces Vata, with sugar reduces Pitta, and with honey it reduces Kapha.

Shatavari  This is one of the more important herbs in reducing Pitta and used for women’s Pitta imbalances around menstruation but in the IC condition is unique in its application, particularly around tea decoctions for bladder therapy below.  It is a rejuvenative as well.  It is useful in treating dry and inflamed mucous membranes.  In addition to its Pitta pacifying use, it also soothes calms Vata.

The basis of selection of which herb to use is based on the individual not on the disease.  So the evaluation of the individual to use targeted therapy is based on who needs it.

Sir William Osler, said to be the father of Modern Medicine wrote, “A good physician treats the disease, the great physician treats the patient who has the disease.”

Until next week                       To Health as a Skill   Love DrBil

PS  The forum is UP!!!  Go to ic-solutions.tv and be the first to enter a post or begin a new thread   The effort is to help get your questions answered and share your energy science experiences  

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5 Ways to Overcome the “I’ve Tried Everything” Syndrome

bladder, bladder pain, IC, Interstiial cystitis, Uncategorized, , , , , ,

Keep Trying Road SignThere is nothing more discouraging to IC patients than to get their hopes up that a new therapy is going to work only to find unfortunately after feeling well for a while the symptoms come back and it appears that things are back to the same bladder flares    You begin feeling a real sense of hopelessness  Why did it work for others and not work for me?

And these therapies run the gamut from those suggested by your doctor, urologist, acupuncturist, physical therapist, or friends   Because these treatments cover a wide spectrum, it’s difficult to evaluate each on their own merits  It becomes impossible to know which ones might have worked, if any of these worked, or if none of them worked

But I think more importantly it’s to get over the “I’ve tried everything” obstruction which is in the end a barrier manufactured in the mind

Opening Another Door

When confronted with anything in life (and this includes healing) the  mental barrier is often because so many different standard and not so standard therapies have been tried and failed   So there doesn’t seem to be any energy for hope for trying one more thing

But the way to remove obstacles is to be willing to always try one more thing   To be willing to muster the courage to get onto yet another path   The path to health should never end   Keep on seeking other avenues until you reach success   Everybody can get healed from this disease of IC   You just have to get the right pattern of remedies to make it happen for you

Why should I try this since everything else has not worked?  Because at this point, this may be the right solution for you

This creates a desparate resolve to move ahead with the strongest of intents  As a friend once said, “Dreams don’t come true  Dreams are made true”

The “I Eat Healthy” Refrain

I eat healthy yet I’m still sick with symptoms so it must not be the foods   I believe you eat healthy   This method I’m proposing is based on a different way of looking at nutrition  So what is healthy for one system may not be so good in another   Foods that you think are really good may not be such good choices for one with IC

And trying totally a different nutritional approach you have nothing to lose and everything to gain because this just might be the one thing that works

Costs Too Much

You’re worth it and your health deserves it   Yes, you have spent a lot on medical visits, prescriptions, as well as all types of alternative therapies What I’m prescribing is an alternative therapy that, as a urologist and alternative healer, have found to be highly successful with patients who have IC including the chronic sufferer of the disease

My Doctor Doesn’t Believe in Alternative Therapies

That’s OK  But if you begin feeling better then you’re better for it   And as a matter of fact I believe most doctors are open minded and willing to take information that’s been successful in someone’s life and use it with others if it’s going to help their patients

And think of it this way  If you find something that works, as a pioneer you will be able to help many others due to your being open   I believe one of the desires of all IC patients is to help others who have been suffering from this disease if they find solutions

Why Should I Try It?

The answer is, “Because you can”

This whole approach is based on the fact that you do have the strength to keep going  You have the resolve that you will find the solution that works for you, and ultimately, begin the journey reducing your IC symptoms

You can get help too   Keep trying another thing until you find your solution….give it a good try, give it 3 months   For everyone with this disease there is a solution  It’s just that your solution has not arrived or revealed itself to you  Keep moving ahead

Until next week                           To Health as a Skill   Love Dr Bill

PS  feel free to leave a comment  I read them all and would love to hear from you

 

The Amazing Bowel Herb and the Flares of IC

bladder, bladder pain, IBS, IC, Interstiial cystitis, Uncategorized, , , ,

Spices at the MarketThe painful bladder flares of IC that disrupt relationships, affect social planning, and by and large make life very hard are poorly understood from a molecular point of view   The matter science medical perspective of disease is that the molecules cause disease   In contrast the energy science medicine sees all disease beginning in the GI tract as an imbalance as an imbalance of qualities

This contrast is important because it means the difference between tolerating the misery of flares versus clearing the disease that causes the flares

The Interface Between INSIDE and OUTSIDE

The energy science states that all of matter both inside the body and outside the body is made up of 10 pairs of vibrational frequencies each named as a quality (hot/cold, dry/oily etc)   This means the same qualities that energetically make are the food you consume are the same qualities that compose the body

When you take in a hot chili the quality of hot is taken in through the bowel interface and the quality of hot is increased in the body because of the choice to have that hot chili that increases the possibility of a flare   So the bowel surface becomes the membrane by which you experience the external world   Since the hot quality produces in large part IC and flares, you can see how important nutrition is in interstitial cystitis

Establishing Balance in the Body

Now that IC and flares are occurring for you, the excess hot quality is present in the body   There is an obvious imbalance in the body   How can you get rid of it and hence your flares?   That is bring about balance of the hot and cold qualities

You can stop adding more hot quality by changing your nutrition and not using incompatible food combinations, that’s one way   But another effective way is to reduce the amount of the hot quality in the gut and suck the hot quality back into the GI tract so it can be eliminated from the body

This is where a bowel herb like triphala can be useful   In this particular case of IC, triphala causes the reduction in the hot quality and urges the return of hot to the GI tract

Triphala

This herb is a standard prescription in the energy science of Ayurveda because it has the above effect   It balances all phases of digestion, absorption, assimilation and elimination    In the end it produces balance in the GI tract by tonifying or strengthening the bowel function   It’s very helpful for those with IC with complication IBS

Everyone who is struggling with painful flares and disruption in relationships due to IC should be taking triphala   My personal bias is that the powder form should be used over tablet form since there may be many additives in the tablet form

The best time to take the herb is at bedtime and this helps stimulate the colon for elimination the next morning   You can take the half a  teaspoon of powder straight up with water or boil for 5 minutes, strain, and drink as a tea in the evening

You can try it out with a small 2.5oz package that’s $5 with instructions on the package at this link

Another way to get this herbal formula is at ic solutions store at this link 

Until next week                     To Health as a Skill     Love Dr Bill

 

IC and 5 Tools to Empowerment

bladder pain, IC, Interstiial cystitis, Uncategorized, , ,

“Self empowerment is the key to a healthy life. Simply put, it means you can take charge of the things you do in your life in order to create and maintain the health you want. If you suffer a life threatening illness, you are fully capable of making the choices and changes necessary to help your body heal. It’s up to you and you alone; no one else can do it for you. Healing and maintaining your health is your responsibility, not the doctor’s. The doctors job is to help you buy time to heal.” Use this time well and begin planning now what you want your life to be after you recover!                                                                                                                                                         Glenn Warner MD (1919-2000)

Dr Warner was an oncologist but a maverick for his times because he told his cancer patients that they should take control   His colleagues felt differently and eventually got his medical license revoked   Today he is revered as a consummate healer who was ahead of his time in suggesting something as innocent as taking responsibility for our own healing

The Current Medical Model

The bladder pain of interstitial cystitis (IC) that can be unrelenting at times and want to be free of it

Medical ProfessionalsCurrently the matter science medical discipline practiced as the allopathic tradition has had the underlying treatment tenet that if you have a medical problem you should go to the medical doctor(MD)   The MD has studied the diseases and he knows what the answer should be or at least has the scientific  background to figure out a plausible and reasonable treatment solution

This is the medical standard under which we unconsciously live   And the MD has the high tech tools at his disposal to make this standard very strong in our culture   And I argue that there is great value for such a high tech system to “bail us out of catastrophic medical problems”   If you unknowingly create diabetes and come to the office with severe ketoacidosis, there is the capability to deal with the problem and straighten out this metabolic disease   Or if you have a life threatening injury from a car accident, the medical tradition can bring you back

A Problem

But the singular problem that has occurred with this matter science discipline is that it has unwittingly wrested away from you the responsibility for your own health at a subconscious level

And when that happens you naturally put all of the trust in the MD and his way of doing things  The next high tech research will solve my IC   The next drug will help me in some way

When relying on alternative therapies for the treatment of IC, you enter a different realm of healing   But carrying your old mindset of the MD will take care of me doesn’t translate  When you enter this world of healing you will have to be ready to assume responsibility for healing

And this is NOT like “going it alone” which is very scary   You should have and expect guidance in this road of travel if you so chose it

What does that look like, this responsibility for self healing?

I think there are at least 5 awareness tools to assume self healing and become empowered to take responsibility

1 Understand that self healing takes time

2 In this realm of healing multiple therapies are the absolute key to healing

3  Guidance with understanding the lay of the land is of value to help facilitate change

4 Remember baby steps   Self healing often requires changes in lifestyle behaviors, such as nutrition, exercise, or changing bedtimes or wakeup times

5 Be aware that the mind’s fear of change will argue to abandon this whole empowerment thing

This last tool of awareness is probably the most important because it’s our fears played out in friend’s “good advice” and well meaning family members(spouses included) who deter you from your path to empowerment   Everyone wants you to maintain the status quo

But the question is, “How’s it workin’ for ya?”

Most with chronic IC, if honest will have to say, “Well, not so hot”   There’s a common aphorism, “If you keep going out the same door and falling into a hole, the solution is to find another door”

Here’s for looking for another door                         To Health as a Skill  Love DrBill

 

IC and Freedom from Pain and Anxiety of a Damaged Bladder

bladder, bladder pain, GERD, IC, Interstiial cystitis, Uncategorized, , , , ,

PillsIn the energy science world of healing it’s not just one thing but a mulitiplicity of treatments that you do that brings about healing of your IC   This is in contrast from the matter science model of healing that says if you do just this one thing (take a pill) you will get major benefit such that you won’t have to do anything else   For example if your blood pressure is high then take this pill and you’ll be better    Or better yet, take two or three different types of pills and you’ll be better

So pill popping is the ONE way to deal with the pain of  interstitial cystitis (IC) in matter science medicine   And there’s nothing wrong with that approach except for the fact that it usually doesn’t work most of the time

Energy Science Healing

Because of the nature of the energy science model of healing using a qualitative approach not all qualities that are out of balance can be addressed with just one approach   For example, the hot quality of IC exhibiting as burning on urination and heartburn or acid indigestion can be reliably dealt with by cooling herbs such as CCF tea, aloe vera gel, and the antiinflammatory herbs that I have written about in the past

But the symptoms of urgency, frequency, and to some degree of pain are related to the qualities of light, subtle, rough, and dry   These are best managed not only with herbs but with internal and external oleation with or without marma therapy, a nutritional format for your mindbody constitution, and basti therapy that I have discussed in the past

So you can see that in energy work it’s not just one thing but a multiplicity of things that are used in order to bring about balance of the qualities that are out of whack and producing the symptoms that you’re experiencing all the time or when flares occur

Anxiety About Bladder Damage

If you’re experiencing symptoms in the body then there is an imbalance being expressed   So if you’re experiencing anxiety there’s an imbalance in the nervous system of the qualities of light, subtle, clear, and mobile   See that the same qualities that are producing frequency, urgency, and pain are some of the same qualities that are creating anxiety   This is why people with IC often are anxious about their disease or imbalance which is completely understandable and why they need the qualities of heavy, gross, cloudy, and static   These qualities provide grounding and stability

In this case however some of the aforementioned therapies would be different  For example the herbs used would be those that would calm the nervous system, yoga asana practice could be used, yoga nidra as a form of meditation or a practice of calming the mind could be done, and aromatherapy    Here you see a group of therapies quite different from the above treatment for the hot quality because different qualities are being treated in order to bring them into balance

Another Important Difference from the Matter Science Model of Healing

Thus far I have talked about the pill oriented one step approach with the matter science healing model and contrasted that to the energy science multifaceted approach to disease

But another important difference is the time of exposure to treatment   Real healing takes time   So the rule is that for every year of imbalance it will take two months of treatment for recovery   And then you’re done   Not a bad tradeoff

Let’s see forever having symptoms with the matter science approach versus 2-3 years with the energy science approach   Which would you choose?

Please like this on FB or here at the website if you find this helpful and valuable

Until next week                              To Health as a Skill      Love Dr Bill

5 Ways to Heal IC Anxiety

bladder, bladder pain, IC, Interstiial cystitis, Uncategorized, , , , , ,

In many different encounters with IC patients over the years I’ve found that there is often a feeling of ungroundedness from lack of direction, a feeling of being without a rudder, and the uncertainty as to whether this problem will ever go away

This feeling gives a sense of insecurity about the future (will I have this the rest of my life?), a feeling of hopelessness, and overall anxiety born out of the fear that IC will never go away  There is a feeling of loss of control over the body (not making to the bathroom) due to not knowing what has been done to cause the symptoms in the first place

There can be insomnia due to this free floating anxiety that is difficult to manage  And all of this is an energy drain leading to fatigue and loss of get up and go (as one described “bone weary”)  This leads to a sense of failure, restriction, and exasperation, anger, and irritability

But what if this feeling went away?  All respond that to have this anxiety lifted would be miraculous and they would be ecstatic, elated, energized and be able to dream again  They would be able to contribute again  One patient said, “It would be like getting a ‘Get out jail’ card”  or like “winning the lottery”

The Role of Stress and Symptoms of IC

Even though many respond that the symptoms are accelerated with stress, deadlines, and troubled relationships the matter science cannot offer an answer as to why this occurs  But the energy science using the VPK energy paradigm sees that mind is in every cell of the body  So in IC what happens in the mind, happens in the bladder!

For example, Vata, the energy pattern of movement has the qualities of cold, light, mobile, dry, rough, subtle, and clear  The body is thin (light) and the mind is subtle, light, and mobile making it very creative but susceptible to anxiety and fear

Can you see how stress could then cause bladder symptoms? If the mind is light and mobile then so will the bladder become those same qualities, light and mobile translating into frequency and urgency  And if this Vata energy stimulates the hot quality of Pitta then you’ve got a flare

The Solutions

Mind turbulence creates body turbulence so the key in this situation is to reduce the mind’s activity  Here are 5 ways to do that

1  Meditation using breath awareness  If you have trouble sitting for twenty minutes in the morning and evening just do 5 minutes and build up your tolerance  If it’s just not possible to sit then try just being aware of the breath during daily activities  Mental turmoil is the result of too much pent up energy in the mind  Meditation helps release this energy and consistent practice helps keeps this energy reduced  This therapy improves creativity, attention span, memory retrieval, and learning ability  Due to these effects it brings about a sense of confidence and courage that you can do this!

2 Breathing techniques  There are mind settling breathing techniques such as alternate nostril breathing or making the sound of a bumblebee that can calm the mindbody

3 Herbs  There are a number of herbs that placed with specific carrying agents that calm the mind  Brahmi, shankha pushpi, saraswati, and jatamamsi all have medicinal benefits on the mind, producing a calming effect

4  Daily oil massage  The use of self applied oil massage in the morning before showering can ground (heavy) the body because it counteracts the light quality of the mind

5 Nutritional format  And don’t forget that food can produce a calming effect to the mind  Using foods that don’t aggravate your IC will surely not aggravate your mind as well

This is a whirlwind tour of how to calm the mind but it gives you some approaches to improving your quality of life while you make progress with your IC using other techniques that I have described earlier

If you’re interested in going deeper into this topic you can set up a free consult to see if this can be of help for you  Just go to Services/Resources

All the best           To Health as a Skill        Love DB

8 Acute and 4 Chronic Management Methods to Reduce IC Flares

bladder, bladder pain, IC, Interstiial cystitis, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , ,

 

 

 

 

The accompanying graph depicts what happens in the formation of any disease process of imbalance   There is a gradual buildup of excess qualities such as the hot quality in IC   This can occur over years of unconscious choice making that leads to at first GI tract symptoms that then eventuate in dissemination of the quality(ies) to various parts of the body

In the case of IC the dissemination of the qualities of hot, light, mobile, dry, rough, and subtle to the urinary tract leads to the early symptoms of bladder wall irritability and pain that takes you to the doctor thinking you have a UTI

As the hot quality along with others  progresses over further time the symptoms become flares that become unpredictable and ever more painful to the point of incapacitation   At this point the disease is in its full manifestation and as depicted in the left hand side of the graph these qualities are most often delivered in the foods that are eaten

Chronic Management of IC Flares

From the above you can see that if you don’t do anything with the nutrition that you have been unconsciously taking then all bets are off that you will have any success long term   So the fundamental shift in food choices is important and probably the most difficult for IC patients since the shift requires giving up comfort foods and “friends”

1  As you can see once you stop the aggravating foods that are delivering the qualities that are responsible for your symptoms the ceiling begins to be lowered and instead of the spikes off the top of the chart they begin to come down to lower horizontal lines   The ceiling for symptoms is lowered and so are the symptoms themselves

2  Next avoiding food incompatibilities that overproduce acidic loading can again reduce the chances for flares in the future

3  The third chronic thing to do is help the body eliminate the qualities from the urinary tract by using aloe vera gel on a regular basis   I have written about that earlier

4  Using CCF tea to bathe the urinary tract mucosal lining with these herbs on a regular basis helps calm and soothe the irritated bladder muscle leading to again a reduced ceiling   When you drink this CCF tea on a regular daily basis this goes a long way toward medicinally medicating the bladder

The Acute Flare Management Tips

The ground state is now established with the above chronic work but as you can see we’re not out of the woods yet because there will still be more releasing to go which will mean flares but gratefully not as severe as the ones before you began doing the chronic maintenance work as described above

1  The castor oil pack placed over the two large pelvic and bladder marma(accupuncture) points help cool off the pelvis and bladder   Adding a cooling aroma such as jasmine, sandalwood, or peppermint can be beneficial as well    Ani marma can also be effectively treated with cooling aromas    Ani is located at the inside of the elbow at its crease and massaging for a minute or two can help with pain

2  Eating foods that are cooling and trying cucumber milk or other recipes to cool off is good to do and you can try these recipes:

Coconut Milk Smoothie                                                                                   

1cup coconut milk

1cup sweet strawberries, cherries, or other berries available in season

0.5 tsp sucanat

1 Tablespoon coconut flakes

Blenderize and add water to change consistency

Cucumber Milk

Cut up a half of a cucumber and blenderize it with a cup of room temperature cow’s milk with a 0.5 teaspoon of cumin or turmeric.  Milk acts as a taxi cab to take the cooling qualities of the cucumber to the urinary tract.

Cilantro Smoothie

2cups of cilantro(this is the leafy part of the coriander plant and cooling)

1cup of kale

1cup of carrot

0.5 teaspoon of cumin

Blenderize to pleasing consistency

Add water as needed

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3  Sipping on freshly grated ginger that has been steeped in hot water can be cleansing to the GI tract and help bring the hot quality back to the GI tract where it can be eliminated

4 Getting plenty of rest during these energy draining times is very valuable and avoiding any exercise.

5 If you live in a hot climate such as Florida, Texas or the Southwest, it’s important to stay out of the heat   Use sunglasses as often as possible.

6  If it can be tolerated using targeted herbal therapy instillations to the bladder lining can be therapeutic as well

7  Lastly take time during an acute flare to nourish yourself   Try not to be impatient but compassionate with the body as it sheds this unwanted hot quality

8 Continue to do the maintenance work as above

All the best                  To Health as a Skill   Love DrBill

 

Fibromyalgia and IC: An Energy Science Understanding

bladder pain, fibromyalgia, IC, Interstiial cystitis, Uncategorized, , , , , , ,

It is estimated that many people with fibromyalgia(FM) have an IC like symptom complex in mild form as well only to exacerbate as the years progress   As a matter of fact that’s why IC is now looked upon as a syndrome of diseases rather than an isolated disease of the urinary bladder   The energy science due to its way of looking at disease doesn’t create disease labels but sees all problems in the body as imbalances of qualities and hence with such a system of healing leaves clustering of disease labels as the way to understand how to treat

So if the imbalance is just Vata and Pitta in the urinary tract it’s just IC(if Vata is predominant you will experience frequency and urgency but not burning pain labeled as overactive bladder OAB)   But as you will see if you see Vata and Pitta both affect the muscles of the body along with ama then FM can coexist with the IC symptoms

Fibromyalgia is rheumatoid arthritis(RA) like pain that doesn’t involve the joints   All of the complaints are related to the muscular and connective tissue system with the accompanying aches and pains   The commonality between RA and FM is ama

Tongue Monitoring and Ama

The bodily systems are fully exposed on the tongue  By scraping the tongue in the am and checking it out you get a snapshot of how the body is   If you’ve been traveling and you have had cracks and crevices on the tongue these become more prominent   If there have been several days of heavy eating the tongue will show more coating due to the digestive strength being weakened    It’s a very good way to monitor your health on a day to day basis

So if you see a brownish, yellowish, or white coating on the tongue it implies that there is undigested material in the GI tract that needs to be digested   This material is called ama and is a significant contributor to chronic disease   If you have a coated tongue the first step in recovering your health is to clear ama from the GI tract which I’ll spend some time with you in the future

The Creation of FM

Once the qualities of Vata become excessive in the colon where Vata primarily localizes Vata due to its mobile quality carries this toxic residue of undigested material through the lymphatics and blood to the muscular tissue    This produces irregular temperatures due to this ama in the blood stream(it’s like the fever experienced with overeating)   Vata localizes with its ama load in certain Vata predisposed areas of the body, namely the shoulder and pelvic girdles

Pains of FM vary   As in the bladder if just Vata is involved then clinicians label the problem as OAB   And so if just Vata is involved then the pain of FM can be variable, migrating, and excruciating    If Vata in the colon is blocked by excessive hot or Pitta then the pain will be burning and sucking, accompanied by a metallic taste in the mouth(Pitta in the blood layer), experiencing a smokey aroma, and notable irritability   If Kapha and Vata are involved the pain will be dull but will be sweet because it lets you sleep

Psychological or Mind Aspects of FM

From an energy science perspective the subconscious mind is located in the connective tissue of the body   All the tissue that connects the muscles together, attaches them to bones, and maintains form of the body is related to this connective tissue system that we call fascia   So fascia is the subconscious mind and those emotions that you don’t want to face get pushed into the fascial layer

This is why when Vata enters into the fascial layer of the body it creates instability, anxiety, and fear   This is due to the mobile quality of Vata but leaves you the owner of the body very ungrounded because the subconscious mind is ungrounded

It is not infrequent that people go into yoga poses and experience emotional releases due this very fact

But if Pitta is there with Vata not only may you experience anxiety but also anger and irritability   And if Kapha is present with Vata then you may experience inertia, lack of motivation, lethargy, and mental fatigue

Summary

So this is an overview of FM and its relationship with IC and you can see why it would be so easy for these conditions to overlap   The ama condition of FM differentiates itself from IC where there is no tissue layer for the ama to localize   In IC the ama has no place to localize and so it’s simply passed through in the urine   But it can’t do that in the bodily tissues    There’s no place for it to be removed so it has to accumulate in some tissue to which Vata has carried it

The treatment for FM and IC together doesn’t vary much more than if you were treating them as separate diseases    You first have to get rid of the ama which I will talk about in future blogs

Until next time                                                  To Health as a Skill  Love DrBill