What Treatment Options Are Available If Urinary Incontinence Still Won’t Go Away
Seeing a urogynecologist as early as possible can help ensure that you completely understand your condition and treatment options.
“Stress and urgency incontinence typically respond well to behavioral modifications, but if things are not improving, it’s best to get evaluated,” says Dr. Lindo. “This is why I always recommend seeing a specialist about your condition right away. You never want to play the guessing game with your health, especially when your condition affects your quality of life.”
In addition, your doctor can recommend a pelvic floor physical therapy program. While Kegels can play an essential role in alleviating urinary incontinence, Dr. Lindo says they’re performed more than 80 percent of the time incorrectly.
“An incorrect Kegel will not help correct urinary incontinence,” warns Dr. Lindo. “Seeing a physical therapist specializing in pelvic floor exercises can help ensure you’re performing Kegels and other exercises correctly and truly strengthening your pelvic floor.”
And suppose your condition continues to progress or worsen. In that case, your urogynecologist has the expertise to perform testing and recommend a range of urinary incontinence treatment options and procedures that can help correct your condition and address your specific situation.
Using Nerve Stimulation For An Overactive Bladder
If you’re finding lifestyle changes and medication cant control your overactive bladder symptoms, your doctor may recommend a slightly more invasive approach for long-term relief.
A procedure known as nerve stimulation involves implanting a small electronic device into the body, almost like a pacemaker, which sits under your skin and sends electrical impulses to the sacral nerve, which plays a significant role in bladder emptying.
This treatment aims to strengthen the supporting muscles of the bladder and leads to better control. However, there’s no guarantee that this procedure will eradicate all of your overactive bladder symptoms.
Take An Otc Pain Reliever
Over-the-counter pain medications can temporarily relieve pain caused by a UTI. Use caution here, and always speak with a doctor first, as some UTIs can turn into kidney infections. In these cases, patients should avoid taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, making the infection worse.
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Supplements To Help Alleviate Male Incontinence
There is a shortage of clinical science on the use of natural supplements to treat incontinence. Still, the following supplements have been long used and shown some success in remedying urinary function:
Buchu is a shrub native to South America and has been used to promote healthy urinary tract function and urine flow, per myconfidentlife.com. The extract of this plant has also been used to treat urinary tract infections. Buchu has been favorably mentioned in a study published in Reviews in Urology. Here at Wonder Labs, buchu is found in K-U supplements designed for overall urinary health
Gosha-jinki-kan is a traditional Japanese herb, or, actually, a combination of herbs, that has been mentioned favorably in the same study in Reviews in Urology. Myconfidentlife.com mentions another study that discusses Gosha as useful in balancing one’s sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, which govern muscular impulses. One of the most studied herb combinations has been in overcoming an overactive bladder.
Cornsilk has been thought to encourage urinary health for multiple reasons. It has been used to treat both bladder infections and urinary tract infections. Its also cited in Reviews in Urology as a hopeful agent in treating incontinence.
Saw palmetto has been cited as a supplement helpful in overcoming enlarged prostate in men, per myconfidentlife.com, which is one of the potential causes of incontinence.
Overactive Bladder Causes Symptoms And Treatments
Think you may have an overactive bladder? Use this guide to understand the causes of an overactive bladder, common symptoms, and get treatment options.
Do you urge to urinate more than 6 to 8 times a day? Do you often feel like youâre having âpee emergenciesâ that send you running to the bathroom, unsure if youâll make it in time? You may have an overactive bladder. Use this guide to understand the main causes of an overactive bladder, learn about common symptoms and get treatment options.
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Overactive Bladder Vs. Urinary Incontinence
Overactive Bladder
- Condition in which the bladder can no longer hold urine typically.
- Often feel a sudden urge to urinate or experience an accident.
- Defining symptom is urgency, or the inability to postpone urination.
- OAB is typically a chronic problem
- Often requires strengthening of pelvic floor muscles to get rid of symptoms like urinary incontinence.
- Symptoms, including urinary incontinence are ongoing.
- Bladder muscle problems are at the root of it.
- This can result from regularly consuming alcohol and caffeine in large quantities.
- Severe health conditions can lead to OAB, including a stroke, diabetes, kidney disease, multiple sclerosis, or Parkinson’s disease.
Urinary Incontinence
- It is when you lose control of your bladder.
- Isn’t a condition; its a symptom.
- It is a symptom of OAB.
- It can be caused by a loss or weakening of control over the urinary sphincter.
- It can be a sign of something simple like a singular occasion of too much fluid consumption, a temporary problem.
- Is a common symptom of a UTI, along with a burning sensation during urination and blood in the urine.
Drink Plenty Of Water
Drink 6 to 8 glasses of fluid a day unless your doctor advises you otherwise.
Many people with urinary incontinence avoid drinking fluids as they feel it causes more problems. However, limiting your fluid intake makes incontinence worse because it reduces your bladder’s capacity.
Not drinking enough fluid can also cause constipation or make it worse.
Find out which are the healthiest drinks.
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Natural Ways To Help Calm An Overactive Bladder
As many as 30 percent of men and 40 percent of women in the U.S. live with symptoms of an overactive bladder.
The often embarrassing condition can cause a sudden urge to urinate. It can interfere with your work life, your social life and especially your sleep.
But there are some natural ways to lessen the symptoms.
About 33 million Americans have an overactive bladder, a condition that causes a sudden or frequent urges to urinate.
Here are a few simple changes: First, cut out alcohol.
Alcohol is not only an irritant to the bladder, as you know, but also a diuretic, meaning that it impacts the kidneys to make more urine, Dr. R. Mark Ellerkmann said.
Other drinks to avoid include caffeinated or carbonated beverages, citrus juices and cranberry juice.
Also, steer clear of spicy foods and acidic foods, like tomatoes, chocolate and artificial sweeteners.
Doctors also recommend keeping track of how much you drink and how often you go.
A 24-hour voiding diary can be very helpful,” Ellerkmann said. “Better yet is a three-day voiding diary that can give us a little more specific information about what is being consumed, especially with respect to bladder irritants. How much is being consumed and how often one is voiding.
But if these natural remedies dont work, see a doctor for other treatment options, which may include medications or certain procedures. They could offer you much-needed relief.
NATURAL WAYS TO HELP OVERACTIVE BLADDER
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What Can You Do To Relieve Urinary Incontinence
Urinary incontinence almost never goes away on its own. But there are steps you can take to help relieve your symptoms.
“Alleviating urinary incontinence starts with understanding which type of incontinence you’re experiencing and what’s causing it,” says Dr. Lindo. “A specialist such as a urogynecologist can help provide those answers for you, as well as help you understand which behavior modifications and other treatments will be most effective for alleviating your incontinence.”
Weight loss almost always helps relieve urinary incontinence because it reduces the amount of pressure being placed on your pelvic floor. In fact, losing just 5 percent of your weight can improve your urinary symptoms by up to 70 percent.
Similarly, pelvic floor exercises, such as Kegels, can help reduce symptoms of either type of incontinence. In the case of stress incontinence, pelvic floor exercises are a way to restrengthen your weakened muscles. For urge incontinence, these exercises can help calm and retrain your bladder.
“For women experiencing stress incontinence after childbirth, sometimes weight loss and postnatal pelvic floor exercises are all it takes for symptoms to resolve over time,” adds Dr. Lindo.
Depending on the type of incontinence you’re experiencing, your doctor may suggest trying additional modifications.
Behavioral modifications for stress incontinence:
- Weight loss
- The use of a vaginal insert, such as a tampon, while exercising
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Natural Remedies To Beat Urinary Incontinence
Urinary incontinence is something no one talks about, but it is actually an extremely common problem. The National Association for Continence states that this annoying, and sometimes downright debilitating urological disorder affects more than 25 million Americans.
This is an extremely common problem for most women at one time or another in their lives, although it can affect men as well.
There are three main types of incontinence:
- Stress incontinence This is perhaps the most common type. It occurs when simple physical activities such as laughing, sneezing, coughing, or jumping put pressure on the bladder, causing it to release urine involuntarily.
- Urge incontinence This is perhaps the most annoying type of incontinence. This occurs when an overactive bladder gives a person an extremely intense feeling of needing to urinate. This feeling is so strong that it often stops people in their tracks, afraid to move! This often leads to the release of urine either immediately after the urge passes or when the urge hits.
- Overflow incontinence This is the inability to empty the bladder completely, which can lead to frequent and in some difficult cases even a constant dribbling of urine. This is the most common type of incontinence for men.
To really get rid of this problem, the person needs to find out the underlying causes. Be certain that you check with your doctor to be sure that you don’t have a more severe problem such as bladder cancer.
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How To Naturally Treat Urinary Incontinence And Overactive Bladder
Do you suffer from an overactive bladder or urinary incontinence? Well, for sure, you are losing patience when it comes to the frequent bathroom visits and night awakenings that are caused by this condition. You may sometimes feel embarrassed, isolate yourself, or limit your work or social life with an overactive bladder. Maybe you already have tried prescription medicines or you’re not willing to take on their risks.
At present, there were pieces of evidence found that a herbal blend containing horsetail could help treat this condition without any dangerous side effects of prescription drugs.
A study published in the BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine journal looked at the botanical blend known as Urox. This blend contains the extract of Japanese evergreen spicebush root, Crateva nurvala stem bark, and horsetail stem extract.
The study includes 150 participants, men, and women aged 18 and over who suffered from symptoms like excessive night urination at least twice a night, urinating more than 10 times per day, urgency at least twice a day, and incontinence once a day or more during the past 6 months. The participants were divided into a placebo group and a group that was given 420 mg of Urox per day. After that, the subjects of the study were given an instruction to report their urinary frequency. Throughout the eight-week study, they also visited doctors at the beginning and every two weeks.
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Absorbent Pads Catheters And Medical Devices
If medical treatments can’t completely eliminate your incontinence, you can try products that help ease the discomfort and inconvenience of leaking urine:
- Pads and protective garments
- Catheter
- Pessaries and vaginal inserts a small device inserted into the vagina to help provide support to prevent leakage
Why Does Urinary Incontinence Happen
There are two main types of urinary incontinence:
- Stress incontinence
- Urge incontinence
“Stress incontinence occurs when your pelvic floor muscles, the muscles that support your bladder and urethra, weaken, either due to childbirth or over time,” says Dr. Lindo.
If you’re experiencing stress incontinence, you might find yourself leaking urine when you cough, sneeze, laugh, exercise, or lift something heavy.
“Urge incontinence, on the other hand, occurs when the bladder muscle squeezes to empty out urine when it is not supposed to. It may be due to the amount or type of fluids you drink, resulting in spasms,” explains Dr. Lindo. “Additionally, urgency incontinence can sometimes be a sign of a larger health complication, such as a bladder infection.”
With urge incontinence, you likely experience an overwhelming, sudden need to urinate and leak urine before you can make it to the bathroom.
“For many women, the exact cause of their urge urinary incontinence is unknown,” adds Dr. Lindo. “However, many treatments can help you manage symptoms.”
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Stick To A Healthy Diet
To prevent UI, be careful about your food choices. In several studies, urinary leakage has been tied to symptoms of obesity. One study found that men with metabolic syndrome have larger prostates, a leading cause of UI. Men with both metabolic syndrome and enlarged prostates bear an 80% greater risk of experiencing a sudden, intense urge to urinate, often during the night.
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What Causes Urinary Incontinence
It helps to know that male urinary incontinence is not a disease but rather a symptom of an underlying problem, per Michigan Medicine. To understand this, it’s important to know some basic physiology:
After urine is produced in the kidneys, it goes to reside in the bladder, and then it travels through the urethra to exit your body. When urine is residing in the bladder, the urethra muscles are contracted while the bladder is relaxed. When it’s time to pee, the urethra muscles relax while the bladder works to move the urine out. If either of these muscles doesn’t do its job properly, incontinence can occur. Naturally, there are various potential causes for this.
Hopkins Medicine explains that there are usually two types of incontinence. The first is stress incontinence, in which the muscles in your urinary system malfunction due to stress put on the abdomen from sneezing, coughing, or other activities. The other typical occurrence is urge incontinence, in which your brain, spinal cord, and bladder don’t work together properly to allow you to hold and release urine at the right time. It’s important to know that both types can happen at the same time. There are other possible causes, as well. It’s also important to know that male incontinence doesn’t occur entirely out of your control. Following are some ways to prevent it.
How Can Older People With Urinary Incontinence Have A Better Quality Of Life And So Live Better
If you suffer from bladder problems yourself or care for someone who does, then improving your quality of life is probably top of your agenda. Urinary incontinence can cause stress and anxiety, making it harder for elderly people to socialize. Feeling comfortable leaving the house and meeting friends and family is essential, so we want to give you all the support we can in achieving this. On the platform, you can find tips and advice for living with age incontinence that we hope you will find useful.
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Add Vitamin C To Your Diet
Not only does vitamin C help strengthen your immune system, but it may also acidify your urine, which limits the growth of some bacteria and may prevent urinary tract infections from occurring. Just be careful of eating too many acidic foods when you have a UTI, as they can potentially irritate your bladder, which may only make your UTI symptoms worse.
Cut Back On Diuretics Like Caffeine And Alcohol
Caffeine and alcohol are both double trouble, says Ramin. They’re diuretics and they stimulate bladder function. “If you suffer from urinary incontinence, one of your worst enemies can be caffeinated beverages,” he says. “Though it can be much easier said than done, limiting or eliminating caffeine altogether has been known to be successful in diminishing and resolving issues of urinary incontinence in some women.”
Similarly, he adds, “alcoholic beverages act as bladder stimulants and diuretics in most people. So when you have a problem with urinary continence, consuming even slight amounts of alcohol can make matters worse.”
If you can’t function without your daily cup of coffee, try to keep it to the morning so you’re not getting up to pee at night. And if you like having a glass of wine to wind down, at least limit it to one and keep it as far from bedtime as possible. Or, just take a break from caffeine or alcohol for a week or two, and see if the benefits you notice are worth it.
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