IC and Inflammed Gut: How to Deal With It By Diet

Through the Ayurvedic lens of seeing disease in the IC bladder pain syndrome(interstitial cystitis, vulvodynia, chronic prostatitis, GERD, IBS, fibromyalgia) the GIT(gastrointestinal tract) is inflammed with acidic blood pH in the range of 5.5 to 6.5  Alkalinizing the GIT using diet is fundamental to healing the disease  This also helps heal over time the microbiome that is universally affected in these conditions

A unique combination of alkalinizing greens and protein can make a complete meal or as side dish for other foods on the table(can be used with squash, grain, and chutney).  Using ghee and water separates the lipid and water soluble materials from the ingredients which aids in the digestion, absorption, and assimilation of the food. The alkalinizing impact of the steamed greens heals an acidic inflammatory environment of an unhealthy GI tract and its agni

Equipment  Food processor

2 quart skillet with cover(preferably glass so you can see when the greens are done….see below0000000000000000000000000000)

Ingredients

Green source (choose one and vary from day to day)   Collard greens, Kale, Spinach, Chard rainbow

Can also initially steam broccoli, white daikon radish with asparagus, yellow crookneck squash before adding above greens

Subtle greens(choose one)   Cilantro, Fresh basil, Parsley, Mint

Lime juice

Ghee

Culinary spice mixture:  Mom’s masala or High Pitta Masala(chandika.com)

Soma salt(chandika.com)

Protein(choose one): white chicken, eggs, vegan powder(available at chandika.com), split mung dal, mung dal, split red, kulthi, black beluga, green-gray du puy, green french dal

Spring water is preferable(has more soma) in preparation

Instructions

Heat 1-2 inches water into a 2 quart pan with 2T ghee and 2t spice mixture.  Add greens(remove the fibrous steams in kale and collard greens using only the leaf) and steam with cover on the pot. If adding denser vegetables steam them first eg broccoli before adding the greens. Steam until the greens become bright green.  If you want a juicier green dish you can add00000000000 water.  Place in food processor and process after adding soma salt, lime juice, and tapioca flour. Place a bunch of subtle greens and complete processing. Do not cook the subtle greens with the rough greens.

The vegan powder(chandika.com) can be mixed 4T powder and 8oz water and added to the green composite in the food processor or you can simply sprinkle it over the greens

Add 1t olive oil if not cooking with chicken which is best when boiled. If using eggs cook scrambled and can then add to the green processed mixture. Another way to add the eggs is to poach them is boiling water, place them on toast with ghee, and place the green composite over the top of the poached eggs.

Detoxification and the Green Composite Protein Recipe(GCPR)

Toxins(Ayurveda calls this ama) will be liberated using this recipe so you may have some mild physiologic effects when beginning. If you have a more severe reaction you should contact me. The use of the GCPR can be beneficial as any liberation of toxin can be easily received as the GI tract is alkalinized and healthy.

Release of toxic load has to be done in order to regain health and clear the symptoms of the IC bladder pain syndrome.

The Neti Pot and IC: How It Works Energetically

It’s not just one thing that you do energetically to heal a problem but a multiplicity of things because it takes a multipliticity of things to cause IC in the first place  Neti is one on those things

Kapha is the energy pattern of stability in the physiology  It is composed of the qualities of heavy, slow/dull, cool, slimy/smooth, liquid, dense, soft, hard, static, and sticky  Think of the mucous from the common cold and you will have a good understanding of the qualities of Kapha which supports bodily structures

When Kapha becomes excessive in the physiology it brings the static and heavy qualities in excess which block the lighter qualities of Vata and Pitta which are the primary instigators of the symptoms of the IC bladder pain syndrome  This blockage of the free flow of the Vata and Pitta energy patterns leads to their expressions of hot and mobile which leads to urinary frequency and burning on urination

The Kapha energy pattern is involved in the majority of cases of the IC bladder pain syndrome(interstitial cystitis, vulvodynia, chronic prostatitis, IBS, GERD, and fibromyalgia)  One of the simplest ways to deal with this imbalance is to use the neti pot in order to remove excess Kapha from the sinuses but in the process remove excess Kapha from the body  This practice followed by a breath technique of kapalabhati followed by oil drops in the nose will gradually and slowly loosen Kapha’s blockage in the physiology

Releasing this blockage allows Pitta and Vata to move once again and unblock the channels in the pelvis leading to the IC bladder pain syndrome

To do neti one needs a good sized container…500cc available on Amazon  If you’d like more information I can send you more on request

Happy Holidays from IC Solutions

Wishing you all the best of health in your journey to eliminate the energy imbalance of interstitial cystitis from your life

And the best of holiday cheer in sharing this season with your loved ones

IC and Ways to Reduce Inflammatory Behaviors

From an energy science view the symptoms of interstitial cystitis(IC) are related to the hot quality among others   The burning on urination that feels like razor blades, the suprapubic or vaginal pain, the perineal pain of prostatitis are all related to this energetic quality that is in excess

At this blog I have discussed extensively how the nutritional format is fundamental in clearing symptoms   From my research 91% of patients doing aloe and a nutritional format that reduces this hot quality get 50% relief of symptoms in 6 weeks

But what else can you do from an energy science view to reduce symptoms?  This is one of many unique contributions of Ayurveda in helping us not only understand disease but also how to ameliorate symptoms

The Lifestyle of Over the Top and Inflammation

Let’s feel ourselves next to the stove and feeling the hot quality from the stove top   The hot quality is intense and you can’t stand it for very long without having to pull away  What would it look like if you live an intense lifestyle, that is, the energy pattern of Pitta is in excess and has localized somewhere in your body, let’s say the bladder?   You would be focused, driven and have a tendency for overworking, overeating, overexercising, and overachieving   And have a painful bladder that flares every so often or the bladder is always painful

There is no rest for the weary when Pitta is in excess   And this also becomes stressful for the body maintaining the symptoms of IC

Now for some this driven lifestyle doesn’t fit    Your Pitta excess as seen in the hot quality may have come in other legitimate ways such as types of foods eaten but one thing I can say is that if you have IC with burning on urination then the you have found some way to accumulate this quality

It is now known that DNA is very malleable and changes with our choice making   Inflammation is a phenomenon of DNA and so you can change inflammation and hence your IC by changing your behavior patterns that produce inflammation

Some Observations About Over

A friend once said to me, “The work will always be there tomorrow”   So avoiding burning the midnight oils for deadlines is an important step in helping control overwork   But this business of overworking is at times difficult in the corporate world   Setting times for bed is helpful:  Vata needs the most rest so in bed by 10p and up 630-7a; Pitta 1030p and up 6a; Kapha in bed by 11p and up 5 to 530a   If you don’t know your energy pattern you can do a questionnaire here

There is a  tendency for Pitta to overeat due to hot quality and what it does to the appetite   If you don’t eat your biggest meal of the day at noon you risk having an appetite that can get out of control due to the hot quality

Exercising in the hot midday sun is very provoking to Pitta   Not only are you not taking advantage of the metabolic fire ready to digest your foods but you’re overheating the body in the hottest part of the day

Finally you’re familiar with the hot mental patterns of behavior such as anger, hostility, judgement, criticism, and impatience   Interestingly if you do the nutritional work and pay attention to the behavioral guidelines these mental patterns will subside   That is, if you find yourself being critical and judgmental it will lessen with time

7 Guidelines To Curb the OVER and Resultant Inflammation

1  Get proper rest as noted above according to the time schedules  It’s common for the Pitta energy pattern to demand too much of the Vata pattern which is delicate like a flower and needs rest

2 Eat the biggest meal between 11a and 2p and make this a important part of the day for yourself  Use the Green Composite Protein Recipe and use every day

3  Exercise in the early cool morning hours

4 Wear sunglasses on sunny days as this reduces the hot quality to the Pitta sensitive eyes

5  If you find yourself overheating in your environment, stop and figure out how to cool off

6  A  harried lifestyle of Vata with the above makes the hot quality worse since the movement fans the intensity and heat of Pitta so slowing down by doing contemplative practices such as yoga for exercise or meditation can be helpful

7   Use the evening to wind down but try reducing the alcohol because this provokes the hot quality

In summary it’s not just one thing that you do that will bring your IC symptoms under control but it’s building on top of things  It’s a cumulative effect that pays dividends in reducing symptoms over time   The key is to be aware of the things that can provoke the hot quality to lifestyle behavior choices

Expectations About Healing IC

Obviously this is a common question posed by those doing energy science work for clearance of their IC complex of bladder pain and possibly IBS, GERD and fibromyalgia

As a child you may have asked, “Are we there yet?” and “Now are we there yet?”  So when will this IC be over?   The short answer is, “It’s over when it’s over.”  But to be more specific, in general it takes 2 months of release for every year of imbalance   So if you have had symptoms of IC for 10 years it will take 20 months of work to clear the energy qualities that have accumulated

This would make sense wouldn’t it?  The longer the imbalance the more work is required to get resolution   This doesn’t mean that there will not be improvement of symptoms   The flare intensity get less as the months go by and then the frequency lessens   But real healing takes time!

Are You Particle(Molecule) or Wave?

The body is simultaneously a matter field and an energy field.  The former expresses itself as molecules or particles and the latter as waves of energy   So this is how the energy field expresses dis-ease    In waves

Sound familiar?  The waves are flares that occur in the body.  And they continue to express themselves until you do something about it.  Until you decide to intervene   Otherwise the expression of the excess qualities will continue to occur

Because the matter field is a gross expression of the more subtle energy field, you now can see why dis-ease begins with qualities that then eventually become manifest as particles or molecules in the matter field   This is why I can say with certainty that the matter science will never be able to heal IC with its molecular approach to dis-ease

The Concept of Release

Once the urinary tract is involved with the energy patterns of Vata and Pitta, the symptoms of Vata presence begin episodic expression of light, cold, rough, dry, and mobile which lead to urgency, frequency and a feeling of incomplete emptying of the bladder   Pitta’s presence of inflammation lead to burning on urination, burning pain in the pelvis, vagina, and even rectum due to the sharp, hot, liquid and spreading qualities

These qualities lodge in the urinary tract and express as energy or wave   So the intermittent flares that occur in the body are waves of energetic expression

But what happens when you decide to do things to differently?  You begin paying attention to your day and how you live it   Energy science nutrition becomes important and you start seeing food as medicine   You choose certain herbs that can help with IC and use them regularly

When you no longer support the overexpression of these qualities in the body by the foods that you eat, the body naturally begins letting go of these excess qualities of light, cold, rough, dry, mobile, sharp, hot, liquid and spreading   This takes time but by and by there is lessening of the symptoms that the qualities brought and healing begins to occur

What you see is gradual regression of the symptoms   They do not stop all at once   There is a receding of the complex of symptoms much like the outgoing tide on the beach

3 Therapies to Heal IC

The IC bladder pain syndrome(interstitial cystitis, vulvodynia, prostatitis, IBS, GERD, and fibromyalgia) produces not only bladder pain that can be intermittent(as in flares) but also often involves the vaginal canal(vulvodynia),  pelvic floor muscles, and often the rectum   And as is common with all people with IC there are some forms of bowel involvement with symptoms since from an energy science point of view the disease arises from the GI tract

The Rectum and the Pelvic Nerves?

IC is a systemic disease  Many matter science medical authorities who write about IC agree that in some way it is a systemic disease but the current matter science medical model limits their thinking in how IC can be systemic

From the energy model perspective the energy patterns of primarily Vata and Pitta leave the GI (GERD and IBS)after being provoked usually by the foods consumed that are unbalancing, by using incompatible food combinations, and having particular lifestyle behavioral patterns that provoke

These energy patterns find weak and vulnerable areas in the physiology   In the case of IC they initially cause imbalance in the rectum and then the spread to the pelvic nerves bringing about the symptoms of IC in the bladder  The nerves can also affect the vagina and perineal floor as well  As you can see in the accompanying anatomical diagram the vagina, bladder, and rectum are all intimately associated and the pelvic plexus that innervates all these contiguous structures  You can also see how close everything is to the pelvic floor and why the pelvic muscles would also be involved

When the pelvic nerves are involved, the muscles and organs supplied by these nerves may go into spasm or become symptomatic secondary to the vibrational frequencies involving the pelvic plexus  Hence physical therapy has been prescribed for IC pain that seems localized to the pelvic floor or for what appears to be pelvic floor dysfunction

As the pelvic nerves are  part of the pelvic structures they can become involved due to the process of imbalance in the rectum  When this happens, even if the bladder and vagina are targeted with herbal therapy, either by instillation or taking herbs by mouth, it may not be enough as the nerves are not in the path of the instillations but peripheral to them

3 Techniques for Improving Pelvic Nerve Health

1  The use of basti or medicated herbal enema therapy can be a hallmark therapy if the above disease process is understood  The energy pattern of Vata is always involved in the IC bladder pain syndrome and always reduced by basti treatment  Using other herbs can be effective in reducing the offending vibrational frequencies such as the hot(burning) and heavy, dull sensation in the pelvis  The use of detoxification procedures is important as with most therapies

2 Intrarectal transdermal creams coupled with herbal memory nectars can be effective in reducing the imbalance  Particularly the former can be effective in reduing the offending vibrational frequencies causing the bladder and vaginal symptoms  Transrectal administration is best coupled detoxification procedures

3 Another energy science technique called pranayama(breathing exercies) can strengthen the pelvic muscles but at the same time can bring about clearance of abnormal accumulatons of energy that prevent the free flow of energy through the pelvic cavity  The specific breath technique is called kapalabhati which can be seen at this link  The individual demonstrating the technique is advanced but you can only start where you are  Pay attention to those who should not practice this technique

When done with regularity and associated with other foundational work with attention placed on these techniques will help with the energy disturbance present in the pelvic cavity  If you want more information on these therapies set up an appointment for consultation