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8 Natural Ways To Treat An Overactive Bladder

About a year ago, I began noticing I was getting up several times a night to pee. Once I thought about it, I realized I was peeing a lot during the day, too. The problem escalated and escalated until I was getting up three to five times a night, leading to severe sleep deprivation. Desperate for a solution, I got tested for interstitial cystitis, ovarian cysts, diabetes, kidney stones, you name it. But with all the results negative, I instead got the frustrating diagnosis of overactive bladder (OAB).

I describe an OAB diagnosis as frustrating because it doesn’t have a simple cure. Your options are to go on medication, to see a physical therapist who can teach you helpful exercises or an osteopath who can manipulate your nerves, to try a more drastic treatment like Bladder Botox injections or electrical bladder stimulation, or to make a bunch of small changes to your lifestyle that can gradually alleviate the problem. “Even though treatment options exist, many patients opt for natural and homeopathic remedies, since no single treatment has been proven to be most effective,” Caleb Backe, Health and Wellness Expert for Maple Holistics, tells Bustle.

There are two main symptoms of OAB, Los Angeles-based urologist S. Adam Ramin, MD tells Bustle: urgency frequency (feeling like you have to pee a lot) and urgency incontinence (not being able to hold it in). Some people with OAB (like me) only have the first symptom, while others have both.

“Whether it’s that sense of urgency when you laugh or the incessant fear of not making it to the bathroom in time, women who suffer from an overactive bladder or urinary incontinence are often embarrassed by their condition and sometimes feel like the only people on the planet who must endure it,” says Ramin. “In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. While urinary incontinence does affect women more often than men, millions of women deal with some type of bladder control issue at some point in their lives. And the truth is this: If you suffer from an overactive bladder, it doesn’t have to be a condition that puts you in adult diapers for the rest of your life. In fact, there are some simple diet and lifestyle changes that can put you back on the road to bladder control.”

I know this is true because when I make it through the day without caffeine and alcohol, avoid sugar in the evening, relax before bed, and refrain from drinking anything a few hours before bedtime, I only get up to pee once or twice. I initially discounted this advice because, hey, I don’t want to give up alcohol or caffeine or sugar or *gasp* stop working at night. But after I tried a few medications that all had undesirable side effects, I realized lifestyle changes were worth it — and would probably make me healthier in the process.

If you’re experiencing symptoms of overactive bladder, like an urge to pee eight or more times a day, urinary leaks, or the need to wake up to pee twice or more per night, see a urologist. There are a lot of underlying conditions it could be related to, and you can learn more about treatment options. Whether there is some underlying cause or it’s just plain old OAB, though, these strategies should improve the condition.

1 Cut Back On These Bladder Irritants

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Just this evening, I realized my bladder was feeling much more irritated than usual. Then, I thought back to what I’d just eaten: Thai curry and a smoothie containing orange juice. Curry, oranges, and juice are all on Urology San Antonio’s list of bladder irritants. “Studies show that spicy foods can sometimes be an irritant to the lining of the bladder,” says Ramin. “Fare like spicy chili, chili peppers, or horseradish are examples of foods that can cause such irritation. Likewise, highly acidic foods can trigger a similar response.”

It may not be realistic for you to give up all foods that could irritate your bladder, but you can start to take note of which foods are worst for you, and avoid those when you can (especially before bed).

And a word to the wise: People often say you should drink cranberry juice for bladder health, but that’s to ward off UTIs. When it comes to bladder irritation, cranberry juice — along with most kinds of juice — could have the opposite effect you want. “Due to its high acidity, it can actually worsen the condition,” says Ramin.

2 Cut Back On Diuretics Like Caffeine and Alcohol

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Caffeine and alcohol are both double trouble, says Ramin. They’re diuretics (they make you pee) 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.

3 Stay Hydrated

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So what should you drink, then? When you’re already a peeing machine, drinking water may be the last thing you want to do. According to a 1,000-person survey by Poise, almost half of women believe that limiting water intake will limit their bladder leakage. The problem with this is, dehydration dilutes your urine, making it more concentrated and consequently more irritating to your bladder, Poise partner and OB/GYN Dr. Jessica Shepherd tells Bustle.

However, you have to balance this information with the knowledge that drinking before bed will increase your chances of waking up to pee. So, Shepherd recommends drinking eight eight-ounce glasses during the day and then cutting off fluids four hours before bedtime.

4 Do Kegel Exercises

Ashley Batz/Bustle

Kegel exercises — when you repeatedly squeeze and relax your PC muscles (the ones you use to hold in pee) — have a ton of benefits, two of which are reducing urinary incontinence and urinary urgency, Brent Reider, an author and referee for medical and scientific peer review journals and designer of several FDA-cleared medical devices including the Yarlap, tells Bustle.

“Exercise therapy to tone and re-educate the pelvic floor muscles is an essential aspect of pelvic care and often recommended by physicians as the first line of overactive bladder treatment,” he says. “The muscle contractions that cause urge/OAB (and can be the cause of nocturia) are like spasms caused from inactivity and where the muscle needs respiration. Blood flow from the workout gets the muscle respirated.”

How do you do them, then? “One of the most promising techniques is for patients to trigger their pelvic floor muscles (kegels) as soon as they sense the urge to urinate and engage these muscles for around 10 seconds,” says Backe. “Alternatively, you can do five to seven rapid contractions until the urgency diminishes, and then go to the toilet.”

If you can’t find the energy to do Kegel exercises or want to make sure you’re doing them right, a device called the Yarlap will do them for you by delivering electric pulses to your vagina that cause it to contract. As an added bonus, many Yarlap users also find that they start having better sex, says Reider.

5 Try Physical Therapy

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Regular sessions with a pelvic floor physical therapist can help retrain your bladder muscles and nerves through kegels and other exercises. “Although this modern form of physiotherapy can be extremely time-consuming and frustrating, it offers patients the best chance of regaining control of their bladder,” says Backe. “These bladder drills function to retrain the brain to retain the power of the bladder’s muscle contractions.”

The exercise program to help with overactive bladder is called “bladder retraining,” Rachel Gelman, DPT, PT, Branch Director at the Pelvic Health and Rehabilitation Center, tells Bustle. “Many people have developed habits over time, like going just in case, so then the bladder starts to send a signal that it is full when it really isn’t,” she says.

“Sometimes, the pelvic floor muscles can become restricted or hypertonic/spasmotic, which can lead to urinary urgency and frequency,” Gelman says. “Working on the myofascial restrictions with manual therapy and exercises to help relax the muscles may be beneficial can help address these symptoms as well. Many times, patients actually have poor bowel habits and suffer from constipation, which can lead to pelvic floor dysfunction and bladder issues, so working on bowel mechanics can actually improve bladder symptoms.” Since the problems are different for each person, the exercises will be, too, so a physical therapist can recommend the right ones for you.

6 Reduce Stress

Ashley Batz/Bustle

When my bladder issues first started, a psychic and a spiritual intuitive both told me the main cause was anxiety. I didn’t listen until my urologist, a Yale Medical School graduate, said the same thing. The nerves in your brain connect to the nerves in your bladder, he explained, so anxiety can lead to hypersensitive bladder nerves.

After learning this, I think I figured out what happened to me. I was dealing with crippling insomnia when my bladder issues started, and I’d become obsessive about everything that could keep me up, my bladder included. I’d lie in bed for a few minutes then get up to pee again and again out of fear that if I didn’t, I wouldn’t sleep. By thinking about my bladder so much, I must have built up the connections between it and my brain, developing a hyper-awareness. That’s my theory, at least.

This is just one way that anxiety can lead to bladder issues. Whatever the mechanism, it’s pretty clear that it does. One 2016 study in Urology found that overactive bladder patients had more anxiety than controls. “Mental stress can cause increase autonomic nervous system activity,” says Ramin. “This leads to increased bowel and bladder activity. Increased bowel leads to irritable bowel syndrome (aka IBS). Increased bladder activity leads to overactive bladder.”

Stress reduction can mean many different things, from seeing a therapist to spending time doing things you enjoy. If you have issues with peeing at night, doing something relaxing before bed can be a huge help (taking a bath helps for me).

7 Get Acupuncture

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Acupuncture — a Chinese healing technique where someone places tiny needles in your skin near pressure points — can help with all sorts of physical ailments, and research suggests overactive bladder is one of them.

One study by Whipps Cross University Hospital and University College of London Hospital found that 79 percent of overactive bladder patients saw significant improvement after 10 weeks of weekly 30-minute sessions. These patients had already tried typical treatments like behavioral changes and medications. An advantage to acupuncture is that unlike medications, it doesn’t tend to cause many side effects (though there are a few rare ones).

8 Get Visceral Manipulation

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For a fairly new technique called Visceral Manipulation, an osteopath uses their hands to move around the nerves in your pelvis and abdomen. “Visceral manipulation refers to manual therapy techniques that work directly with organs and their surrounding connective tissues to restore normal motility, structure, and function,” OB/GYN Eden Fromberg, DO tells Bustle. Connective tissue is the scaffolding that connects different parts of the body, from the surface of the skin to the internal organs.

“Removing stuck stress from the tissues, literally hydrating and unsticking dry connective tissue, restores the sensitivity of the core and neurofascial system and kicks in repair and healing processes,” Fromberg says. Visceral manipulation can help alleviate overactive bladder by changing the way your bladder nerves communicate with the rest of your body.

Living with OAB is truly awful. I would know — with all the sleep mine has lost me, I don’t remember what it’s like to not be exhausted. But I try to think of it this way: Discomfort is your body’s way of telling you something’s wrong. And maybe if you fix whatever’s wrong by making the changes needed for a healthier bladder, your whole body and mind will also become healthier in the process. At least that’s what I’m hoping.

The common but embarrassing side-effect of hay fever plaguing women

Stress urinary incontinence is when pee leaks out from the bladder when it is under stress – like when you cough and sneeze
There’s a little side effect of hay fever that few people talk about – pee.

For women who suffer with incontinence, every sneeze hay fever brings on comes with a side of panic.

A simple sneeze during hay fever season can be enough for a woman to suffer incontinence

ALAMY

The condition is essentially a loss of bladder control caused by weakened muscles down there.

Incontinence is more common in women who have given birth because of the incredible strain it puts on the pelvic floor muscles, but it can affect anyone.

Stress urinary incontinence is when wee leaks out from the bladder when it is under stress – like when you cough and sneeze.

So women with this condition who also suffer from hay fever can suffer through a pretty rough few months.

Stress urinary incontinence is when wee leaks out from the bladder when it is under stress - like when you cough and sneeze

GETTY

The sunny weather is set to shine, but that brings with it a higher pollen count and, you guessed it, more sneezing.

Luckily, there is one exercise you can do to strengthen your pelvic floor and help put an end to incontinence.

Training your pelvic floor muscles not only boosts your sex life, it also prevent incontinence

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Pelvic floor muscle exercises also help prevent the unthinkable – prolapse of a woman’s internal organs, something that can happen after giving birth.

Pelvic floor exercises strengthen the muscles around the bladder, vagina or penis and back passage.

Also known as kegels, the exercises can help prevent urinary incontinence, treat prolapse and even make sex better by increasing sensitivity and boosting orgasms in women.

How can you do pelvic floor exercises?

To strengthen your pelvic floor muscles, sit and squeeze and release 10-15 times in a row.

Don’t hold your breath or tighten your tummy, bum or thigh muscles at the same time.

When you get used to the exercises, you can hold the squeezes for a few seconds – and do more reps.

Each week add more squeezes to your daily routine and within a few months you should notice results, enjoying greater sensitivity during sex.

Keeping your pelvic floor strong can also prevent the unthinkable – prolapse of a woman’s internal organs, something that can happen after giving birth.

In severe cases a uterine prolapse can result in a woman needing to undergo a hysterectomy, leaving her infertile.

9 Things You Should Know About Postpartum Exercise (and Probably Don’t)

There’s a lot of confusing information out there about how fitness can change once you’ve had a baby. Here we clear things up.
There is no bigger wake-up call than the difference between how a woman pictures herself as a mom and the actual reality of the situation. Set aside all of the “I’ll definitely do X, Y, or Z as a parent” claims—especially when it comes to exercise.

Postpartum fitness will likely be an entirely different ball game than you anticipated. (Just look at star trainer Emily Skye, whose pregnancy journey was totally different than she planned.) Even the best-intentioned new moms may find that their fitness takes a backseat when they have a new little one in the house. Here, some need-to-know facts about postpartum exercise that may not be on your radar.

1. Your core will be stretched—or even separated.

Unsurprisingly, one of the biggest differences between your pre-baby workouts and postpartum exercise lies in your core. One 2015 study suggests that virtually all women experience diastasis recti (when the right and left abdominal muscles separate) at the end of pregnancy and that up to 39 percent still have some level of separation at six months postpartum. (Related: Kelly Rowland Gets Real About Diastasis Recti)

Diastasis recti aside, “most women are surprised by just how different their core feels once baby has arrived,” says trainer Maura Shirey, a certified pregnancy fitness educator and owner of Bodies for Birth. “The core remains overstretched and the woman is left with a belly that feels very different. Women will describe feelings of vulnerability, disconnection, absence, vacancy, and nonexistence when referencing how their postpartum core feels in the early days.” Combined with a weakened pelvic floor, this can make returning to fitness quite challenging for new moms, since core strength is vital for overall health and basic fitness. Shirey recommends a focus on strengthening the transverse abdominis (the deepest muscles in your core) to regain strength and stability. (Try these abs exercises that can help heal diastasis recti or go see a physical therapist or trainer who specializes in postpartum training.)

2. Every labor and healing experience is different.

“Postpartum recovery time is different for every woman,” says Gina S. Nelson, M.D., fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and ob-gyn at Kalispell Regional Medical Center. “My impression, based on experience alone, is that your pre-pregnancy level of fitness is the biggest determinant of how you’ll do in postpartum recovery.” If you have good fitness habits and a degree of conditioning beforehand, you’ll likely have an easier transition back to fitness after giving birth. “That said, the vast majority of women will be able to resume all normal activities, including exercise, by six weeks postpartum,” she says.

There are several complications that can interfere with postpartum exercise, including “postpartum depression, c-section, postpartum hemorrhage, excess weight gain in pregnancy, pubic bone symphysis, and diastasis recti,” says Dr. Nelson, but all of these situations have solutions. A six-week post-partum check-up is the standard, but Dr. Nelson says you shouldn’t wait that long if you suspect something is wrong. “Many caregivers now are seeing patients at one or two weeks postpartum to identify problems early,” she says. Ideally, your doc will bring up the topic of exercise and give the go-ahead to get active again. But you should also have questions ready for your six-week visit and can ask specifics about returning to workouts that you may have been doing pre-baby.

Even without complications, Dr. Nelson suggests starting exercise “gradually and gently with much more mindfulness than before.” She says women should use the first three months of postpartum exercise to get their bodies used to working out again and not to make gains. For example, runners can start with walking, then walk-jogging.

3. You’ll experience brand-new aches and pains.

You hear all about relaxin (the hormone that helps loosen joints for labor) during pregnancy, but it actually stays in your system well beyond the birth of your baby. “Some sources believe that relaxin can stay in the body for up to 12 months after weaning,” says Shirey. This means your joints remain looser than usual. That lack of stability means your body is more prone to aches, pains, and injury.

Your new lifestyle could result in some aches too: “Motherhood can be a very ‘reactionary’ time, where we’re not slowing down to think about how we’re moving and positioning our bodies because there are needs that feel (and often are) more urgent (baby is crying, needs a diaper change, is hungry, etc.),” says Shirey. “You find yourself hanging out in super-uncomfortable positions until a leg or foot goes numb, with a full bladder, in an attempt to keep baby sleep.” She recommends focusing on alignment both during exercise and in everyday life.

mom-baby-postpartum-exercise.jpgPhoto: Fizkes / Shutterstock

4. There are emotional challenges, too.

Postpartum depression (PPD) has gained a lot of attention in recent years—and rightfully so, since the American Psychological Association estimates one out of every seven new mothers will experience PPD. Even women without diagnosable depression will likely experience hormonal shifts and possible mood swings as a new mom. (Emily Skye and Kate Middleton have both shared their personal experiences with the “post-baby blues.”)

“I witness this being a very emotional time for many women at some point or another,” says Shirey. While many women experience some mild mood changes during or after the birth of a child, 15 to 20 percent of women experience more significant symptoms of depression or anxiety, according to Postpartum Support International. Symptoms can appear any time during pregnancy and within the first year after childbirth. (Here are some signs and symptoms of PPD to keep an eye out for.)

While PPD or general postpartum mood swings may lead to a lack of interest in exercise, Dr. Nelson says working out will help improve your mood and boost confidence—which is especially important when you’re bombarded with crazy expectations of what your post-baby body and fitness should look like.

“I often find that there are very unrealistic expectations about what postpartum fitness should look like,” says Shirey, “I credit this to social media and the overall lack of good information found on the internet. With a general emphasis on ‘getting your body back’ postpartum and Instagram images of celebrities in waist trainers wearing their skinny jeans with a 6-week-old in tow, it can be overwhelming to discern what’s realistic for postpartum recovery.”

5. Sleep is as important as ever.

Sure, your new little bundle of joy will sleep about 20 hours per day at first, but that happens in several increments. This means most mothers have trouble getting enough consecutive hours of sleep to feel well-rested and to feel like they have the energy to work out.

“This can be a bit of a ‘catch-22,'” says Shirey. “Exercise has the potential to provide more energy, but it also has the potential to be completely depleting—especially when you’re already sleep-deprived.” Exercise should not add to exhaustion, so listen to your body and consider less-strenuous workouts when necessary. “One day, a higher intensity walk including some hills might feel great,” she says. “On another day, when feeling particularly fatigued, some stretching and breathing work might be the right fit.”

6. It takes a village.

One potential barrier to postpartum exercise is the fact that baby needs a place to be while you work out. Your days of grabbing your gym bag and heading out the door without a second thought are history. Now, you have three options: work out with baby (which often means your workout takes a backseat), pay for childcare (some moms are not comfortable with a stranger babysitting early on), or leave baby with your partner or another trusted family member or friend. This means your support system is key. “A disorganized family life where there is inadequate help is a big barrier to resuming exercise,” says Dr. Nelson. (Take a peek at these mommy-and-me fitness classes that actually give you a solid workout.)

7. Jogging strollers come with caveats.

Before becoming a mom, most female runners probably think they’ll just load up the stroller and their annual half marathon schedule won’t need to budge a bit. But there are some things to consider. First, do your research and make sure your stroller is actually built for jogging. (Believe it or not, there are strollers that have “jogging” in the name but aren’t suitable or safe for jogging.) Just like any baby product, there are options in varying price ranges. But expect a jogging-appropriate stroller to set you back more than its non-jogging counterparts.

In addition, Shirey says you should check with your baby’s pediatrician and your jogging stroller’s manufacturer to find out when your little one can safely tag along on a run. Most babies aren’t ready until they’re 6 to 8 months old. After all of the above, “They can be surprisingly challenging to push and get used to using,” says Shirey, “so it’s best to be patient, take it easy to start and focus on alignment/core strength while working with this extra resistance.” (This Pilates stroller workout can be a great place to start.)

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Photo: Tomsickova Tatyana / Shutterstock

8. Breastfeeding burns calories, but it’s not a workout.

Nursing may not count as strength or cardio, but breastfeeding and making milk does demand a large amount of metabolic resources, says Dr. Nelson: “Breastfeeding requires an additional 300 calories above that required at the end of pregnancy,” she says.

Because you burn calories from breastfeeding (but it doesn’t necessarily count as exercise), you may notice the scale dropping while your clothes still don’t fit the way they did the last time you were at that weight. Shirey says that most women experience some degree of de-conditioning during pregnancy. She recommends slowly and methodically progressing resistance training to build or rebuild strength and muscle tone. (Related: This Woman’s Heartbreaking Confession About Breastfeeding Is #SoReal)

Very strenuous workouts can actually impact breast milk too, though your supply should stay intact as long as you’re eating enough and drinking enough water. Dr. Nelson recommends consuming extra calories and increasing water intake by one or two liters per day while nursing.

“Beyond sheer calories and hydration, I know of nothing about working out that diminishes milk volume,” says Dr. Nelson. Studies show that regular exercise at moderate to high intensity does not alter the quality or quantity of breast milk, but that extremely intense anaerobic exercise (read: jumping, sprinting, etc.) may alter the taste of milk due to physiological byproducts of exercise (such as lactic acid) and may impact your baby’s nursing behavior, according to a review published in Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology.

9. Take it easy and know it’s worth the effort.

With all of these challenges and precautions, it’s still worth it to carve out time for exercise as a new mom. “When women resume workouts after a baby is born, they often comment on how much it means to them,” says Dr. Nelson. “The time they spend on themselves takes on a heightened importance which they cherish.”

There are so many benefits to postpartum exercise, says Dr. Nelson. “I encourage new mothers to be patient with themselves, their babies, and their families. I would like them to be self-accepting and to give themselves permission to take time for a workout once they have recovered. They should be encouraged that it will be good for them and good for their family too.”

Original Article: By Andrea Blair Cirignano | May 07, 2018  https://www.shape.com/fitness/tips/things-you-should-know-about-postpartum-exercise

Physical Therapy for your Pelvic Floor – Video

A light hearted look at a serious issue that is common – but not normal.

You’ve heard of physical therapy, but did you know there’s PT for your vag? It’s true. Your down under can get the help it needs to be in tip-top shape. Today, Madge the Vag sits down with Amy Stein from Beyond Basics Physical Therapy to learn more about exercise and massage techniques that can help with pelvic floor issues. Sign us up!

 

 

Acupuncture can relieve neck pain, new study confirms

Do you have a pain in your neck that just won’t go away? Instead of taking painkillers, you could try acupuncture. A Canadian-led review recommended the procedure as a cost-effective and safe way to relieve mechanical neck pain, according to a National Center for Biological Information article.

It is a famous technique where thin needles are carefully inserted into certain parts of the body. It’s a staple part of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and used for many centuries to treat a wide variety of symptoms.

In 2006, a McMaster University research team investigated the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating sudden, semi-sudden, and long-term neck pain. Led by Kien Trinh, they wished to find out its efficacy for adults plagued with neck pain.

A decade later, Trinh’s team decided to update their earlier review. They consulted six major databases for published trials dating from their beginning to August 2015. They also looked up reference lists, a pair of trial registers, and the Traditional Chinese Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System (TCMLARS), a database specializing in acupuncture.

The researchers included new evidence accumulated after the publication of the first study. They scored the treatment according to how much it relieved pain, its effectiveness at reducing disability or restoring functionality, how satisfied the patient was, and the overall effect perceived by the patient.

Their efforts narrowed down the relevant material to 27 studies. These covered whiplash-associated disorders (WADS), chronic muscle neck pain, arthritis-related chronic pain, chronic neck pain with no specific causes, neck pain with radicular signs, and subacute or chronic cases of mechanical neck pain.

Acupuncture is safe and effective for relieving neck pain

In the studies, acupuncture is compared to either sham acupuncture, inactive treatment (placebo), or wait-list control, where the participants only receive attention once the active treatment group has finished. (Related: Acupuncture found to relieve depression symptoms at the molecular and behavioral levels.)

According to their findings, acupuncture is shown to benefit patients with mechanical neck pain at the following stages:

  • immediate-term follow-up versus sham acupuncture for reducing pain intensity;
  • at short-term follow-up versus sham or inactive treatment for alleviating pain intensity;
  • at short-term follow-up versus sham treatment for disability; and
  • at short-term follow-up versus wait-list control for lowering pain intensity and improving neck disability.

The meta-analysis likewise favored acupuncture over sham treatment, placebos, or delayed treatment.

Trinh further reported that patients reported only minor negative effects such as bruising, dizziness, fainting, local swelling, pain, and worsening of symptoms. None of these effects are dangerous, which suggests acupuncture is safe.

Chronic neck pain may require multiple treatment sessions due to the lengthy duration of the condition. However, acupuncture has been shown to have no serious side effects, so undergoing several sessions is safe.

The body of evidence is growing

In conclusion, the McMillan University researchers said they had accumulated significant amounts of evidence that acupuncture can relieve pain better than sham acupuncture. This is true both during the completion of the treatment and during the short-term follow-up.

Furthermore, patients who underwent acupuncture treatment reported feeling less pain and disabled than those who were forced to wait in line for their turn to receive conventional treatment. Finally, Trinh and her colleagues have evidence to show that acupuncture outperforms placebo treatment for pain relief during short-term follow-ups.

Acupuncture might be unconventional for some, but it’s shown to work rather well with few and minor ill effects.

Visit Healing.News to get more articles on alternative ways to alleviate your aches and pain.

Sources include:

NCBI.NLM.NIH.gov

CochraneLibrary-Wiley.com

 

How To Keep Your Pelvic Floor Healthy

Pelvic floor function affects both men and women, and faulty mechanics can contribute to a number of issues.
  •  Margot McKinnon Pilates and movement specialist, founder and president of Body Harmonics Studios/Clinics in downtown Toronto.

Pelvic floor health is already one of the hottest topics of the year. More and more physiotherapists are specializing in pelvic floor issues as research shows strong correlations between poor pelvic floor function and many health conditions and postural misalignments. Yes, pelvic floor function affects both men and women, and faulty mechanics can contribute to back pain, hip issues, incontinence and SI Joint dysfunction to name a few.

PRASIT PHOTO VIA GETTY IMAGES

Medical communities in various parts of the world treat the pelvic floor differently. In Europe, for example, pregnant women and new mothers receive physical therapy to recondition this area of the body as part of the regular medical protocols around pregnancy and birthing. In North America, this is a relatively new line of thinking that is only starting to catch on.

What is the pelvic floor?

The pelvic floor is made up of a series of muscles that fold and drape over each other, wrapping around the openings at the base of the pelvis. Women have three openings and men have two. You can think of the pelvic floor muscles like a layered hammock that stretches from front to back (pubic bones to tailbone) and side to side (between sitting bones). The pelvic floor has four functions, and one of the most important is how it helps to support our pelvic organs (bladder, bowels, and uterus).

The two primary muscle groups of the pelvic floor are the levator ani set at the front and the coccygeus muscle at the back. There is a causal relationship between the two. Interestingly, the pelvic floor works in an automatic, reflexive, and voluntary way. To ensure optimal function in this area of the body, manual intervention by a trained physiotherapist along with specialized exercises to improve timing, strength, and elasticity of the pelvic floor can work wonders.

Too tight? Too weak?

When we look at how the pelvic floor works, it is not an either-or situation of being too tight or too weak. We want the pelvic floor to be elastic and supportive, front to back and side to side so that it can fulfill its different roles. A typical scenario of dysfunction occurs when the coccygeus muscle at the back becomes overly contracted, while the pubococcygeus muscle at the front becomes weak and non-supportive. The result is a fixing and downward pull on the tailbone; the sacrum, in turn, can become destabilized and the deep spine stabilizers, elongated and weak. In this most common case, the sitting bones (ischial tuberosities) are unable to widen when we sit down, reinforcing poor mechanics that then can result in pain syndromes, incontinence, or even sexual dysfunction.

What causes pelvic floor problems?

When it comes to pregnancy, the sacred Kegel is not as beneficial as we once thought. Doing hundreds of Kegels a day as often prescribed, may end up strengthening the part of the pelvic floor that is already strong and weakening other areas by default. In fact, you may end up exacerbating existing problems or creating new ones. Some cues may also create imbalanced tension and weakness in the pelvic floor.

The pelvic floor muscles are often referred to as the pelvic diaphragm because they move the same way that the thoracic diaphragm moves in your chest. In other words, when we breathe in, the pelvic floor musculature is supposed to expand and move slightly downward; on the exhale it should recoil and gently contract. Ideally, this process happens naturally within the body.

Because most of us breathe somewhat inefficiently, however, our pelvic diaphragm and chest diaphragm motions can be poorly timed (or non-existent), and the pelvic floor cannot stretch and contract naturally. So, if you are a shallow breather, you may lose the natural rhythm between the two diaphragms and adversely affect the way your pelvic floor functions.

The pelvic floor is part of a deep fascial support sling in the body. Tension and weakness in the wrong areas are more often than not caused by numerous factors: Breathing, how we hold our pelvis, strain due to obesity, improper lifting techniques, pregnancy, inappropriate exercises, and even stress can play a role in creating an imbalance.

Do not self-diagnose

To get the pelvic floor working efficiently, a combination of manual and active therapies is often the best course of action. By reconditioning and re-educating the pelvic floor this way, other postural issues or pain syndromes may start to dissipate.

Our kinesthetic sense (our ability to feel and sense our bodies), will often inaccurately assess what is happening in the pelvic floor. And when we self-diagnose, we may create or exacerbate an existing problem. Therfore, it is essential to have manual testing done to determine the specific pelvic floor issues.

Seek out a pelvic floor physiotherapist, osteopath, or manual therapist trained in internal examinations and manual techniques to release or stimulate the layers of muscle and fascia of the pelvic floor. The key is to get an accurate diagnosis as a baseline. You may need to focus only on manual intervention for a while before integrating active exercises to condition the area. Depending on the issue though, it may be better to do manual and active therapy simultaneously.

Active therapy

When the conditions are right in your pelvic floor, your sitting bones at the base of the pelvis should widen slightly as you squat, and then narrow when you stand up. During the squatting phase, the pelvic floor elongates and widens. As you stand, the muscles shorten and gently contract. This tiny movement of the sitting bones helps make the pelvic floor elastic and strong so that it can fulfill its supportive and reflexive roles. A natural movement like squatting helps improve pelvic floor health.

As North Americans start to understand the importance of the pelvic floor, during and after pregnancy, and for musculoskeletal health for both men and women, we can move towards effective treatment and preventative measures. Below are five simple exercises that would be part of active therapy to keep your pelvic floor healthy.

Original Post: Huffington Post https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/margot-mckinnon/pelvic-floor-healthy-exercises_a_23412746/ 04/30/2018
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10 Facts about Acupuncture

Did you know…

The practice of acupuncture, dating back to approximately 100 B.C., China, is a form of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Part of alternative medicine, acupuncture treatments are commonly known to alleviate and relieve lower back pain, headaches, neck pain, and other muscular/joint pains. Though the practice fell out of favour with the Chinese in the latter part of the 17th c., as a result of the growing popularity of empirical medicine and science-based medical treatments and theories, acupuncture became more widely accepted as an alternative to or in conjunction with science-based treatments, when it was introduced to the western world. Whether you have or have not experienced the healing power of acupuncture, these 10 facts about this ancient treatment might surprise you.

1. The word acupuncture was derived in the 17th c., and means needle (acu) and to prick (punura). 

2. In June 1979, after holding an acupuncture symposium, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) published results surmised that the TCM could potentially treat 43 diseases and/or ailments. However, because results of this symposium were inconclusive, it was suggested that more research be conducted to provide more sufficient findings. evidencebasedacupuncture.org

Qi, the life force or energy, which flows through your body, essential to harmony and balance

3. Essential to the practice of acupuncture is qi, or the vital energy and life force, which flows through the body, creating harmony (tao). Depending on your qi, your body is in a constant state of flux, or balance, and depending upon factors which affect your body, your qi is in a constant state of flux.

The harmonious balance between body and forces of yin (material) and yang (immaterial) which affect the body, and therefore, which affect the qi, is essential for the flow of energy (essentially, qi) to establish harmony with each part of the body. Disease is caused when the qi is disrupted. takingcharge.csh.umn.edu

4. Acupuncture’s ‘debut’ exposure to the western world occurred in 1971, when New York Times‘ journalist, James Reston, suffered from appendicitis while accompanying the 37th President of the United States, Richard Nixon, on a trip to China. Upon his return, Reston penned the piece, Now, About My Operation in Peking, stating, that after his operation, he was “in considerable discomfort if not pain during the second night after the operation.”

Needles beneath the knee aid stomach ailments

Following the advice of the hospital’s acupuncturist, “Li Chang yuan, doctor of acupuncture at the hospital, with my approval, inserted three long, thin needles into the outer part of my right elbow and below my knees and manipulated them in order to stimulate the intestine and relieve the pressure and distension of the stomach.” nytimes.com/1971/07/26/archives

5. After the National Institutes of Health published a Consensus Statement in 1997, stating that acupuncture was an effective way to treat certain ailments and symptoms, “based on collected reports of clinical trials,” the WHO published a report in 2003, which listed the ailments which acupuncture was said to be effective in treating. These included: depression,
headache, knee pain, low back pain neck pain, nausea, and vomiting. apps.who.int/bookorders

6. Though the WHO concluded that acupuncture has 361 points on the body, other sources indicate that the TCM has more than 2,000 acupuncture points, which correspond with organs that are associated with the yin and yang, through which the qi flows. These channels are referred to as meridians. verywell.com

Meridians, the connective channels of acupuncture

7. On April 1, 2013, the Ontario government announced that acupuncture practitioners have to register with The College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of Ontario (CTCMPAO), which would “ensure patients receive safe, high-quality health care services.” boardofnaturalmedicine.org

8. The practice of acupuncture is a form of alternative medicine, involving the stimulation of any number of the points in the body, depending on the ailment, through the insertion of small, thin needles in the points associated with causing the pain. nccih.nih.gov

9. Acupuncture needles are so small that, when inserted just beneath the surface of the skin on the meridians which are associated with the locations of pain, they don’t cause bleeding.

10. Although there is no minimum or maximum number of treatments, the quantity of treatments variesaccording to the type of ailment and the length of time experienced. 

Though to the western hemisphere, acupuncture is a relatively new treatment, and newer still is the fact that the practice of acupuncture is regulated, the basis of this TCM is widespread, and has been used by millions of people as an alternative to conventional medicine n the western world. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

9 Ways Posture Affects Your Health That Might Surprise You

When you’re at your desk sending last-minute emails, or deeply focused on editing that board presentation, your posture is probably the last thing on your mind. There are many times I’ve caught myself completely slouched over my computer — but only after my back has started to ache. Though most of us probably don’t actively think about our posture throughout the day, we probably should: Posture can affect your health in some seriously surprising ways.

Natalie Lovitz, PT, DPT, and Clinical Director of Professional Physical Therapy in New York, NY, tells Bustle that good posture can greatly improve your energy level, and says that “by limiting pain, alignment faults, and sequelae of other injuries caused by poor posture, people are more likely to live an active lifestyle and do so for longer.” Moreover, Dr. Kevin Carneiro, Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery and Physical Medicine Rehabilitation, and Medical Director of UNC Hospitals Spine Center, adds that “good posture allows for easier respiration as you are putting your diaphragm in the optimal position for breathing,” which in turn can reduce pain.

While good posture can have major health benefits like better energy and respiratory health, poor posture can actually contribute to some pretty serious health issues — beyond neck or back pain. From fatigue to digestive issues, here are nine ways that experts say your poor posture may be affecting your health — and how to fix it.

1 Pelvic Pain

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“Patients with poor posture in the lumbopelvic area can also deal with pelvic floor dysfunction. This could cause difficulties with urinary retention, pain during intercourse or constipation,” Dr. Carneiro explains. “These are typically best treated with pelvic specialists, who are typically licensed physical therapists.”

Dr. Carneiro says “frequent stretching during the day” is a simple way to improve your posture in the long run. So, next time your lunch break rolls around, try to stand up and move around a bit.

2 Headaches

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Many different things can trigger a headache, but did you know your posture can play a role? “There are many kinds of headaches, but cervicogenic headaches originate in the neck, and can be fixed when working on posture. These headaches start in the base of your neck and radiate up,” Lovitz says. ‘They are typically caused by forward head posture (i.e. head in front of your shoulders and trunk), which places increased stress on the joints and muscles in your upper neck.”

If you often work at a computer, one way Lovitz suggests to help fix your posture is by making sure your monitor is set up correctly. “Monitors should be eighteen inches in front of you at eye level. This goes for standing desks as well. Though being poised is a better option, standing desks often leave monitors too low. Use a book or a ream of paper if your monitor stand doesn’t allow for additional height,” she says.

3 Lower Self-Esteem

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Dr. Santhosh Thomas, DO, MBA, who works at the Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Spine Health, says good posture can help with self-confidence, but studies have found that poor posture can negatively influence the way we feel about ourselves. If you want to work on your posture, Dr. Thomas suggests to, “relax your muscles, stand straight, let your arms hang naturally, and work on core strengthening.”

4 Fatigue & Sleep Issues

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According to Christina Ciccione, PT, DPT, and Clinical Director of Professional Physical Therapy in Baldwin, NY, poor posture can make you feel more fatigued than usual. “The body must work harder and expend more energy to keep the body upright in the proper posture position, while fighting poor posture habits. This requires increased energy and leaves one feeling tired,” she explains. Moreover, Lovitz explains that “postural deficits can lead to pain and alignment changes that make it difficult to find a comfortable sleeping position. This kind of pain can often wake people at night.”

Ciccione says one way to combat poor posture (and the fatigue or sleep issues caused by it) is to regularly do scapula retractions (aka, scapula squeezes) if you’re stuck at your desk for long periods at a time. “A scapular retraction is the act of bringing one’s shoulder blades back and together. This motion improves posture by decreasing our tendency to assume a slouched posture,” she says.

5 Hip, Knee, Or Ankle Pain

Jason McCawley/Getty Images Sport/Getty Images

It’s common knowledge that poor posture can contribute to pain in your upper body, like neck or back pain, but it can also cause discomfort in your lower body. “It’s hard to believe you can injure your lower extremities while sitting. However, the joints in your lower extremities are very much connected to your spine and posture — literally and figuratively. Altered posture and muscle imbalances caused by poor posture can place strain on your hips, knees and even feet,” says Lovitz.

One way to adjust your seat to support good posture is to switch out your standard desk chair for a balance ball chair, which makes your core muscles work throughout the day, strengthening your back, and reduce the pressure on your bottom from sitting all day. If you’re not ready to commit to a full balance ball chair, balance cushions or wedges, like these options from Gaiam, can give you the benefits of a full balance ball without having to swap out your seat.

6 Digestive Problems

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Digestive health problems can be caused by a wide range of factors, but poor posture can contribute to stomach issues like acid reflux or heartburn. “Poor posture can hinder digestion,” explains Ciccione. “When one assumes a slouched posture, the organs are compressed in the abdomen, which makes it harder for the body to digest food, and decreases one’s metabolism.”

Lovitz adds that if you are experiencing health problems related to poor posture, one skill you can try is the “20/20/20 rule.” She explains, “Stand every 20 minutes, for 20 seconds, and look 20 feet ahead. When sitting for longer than 20 minutes, research shows that your tissue will actually start to conformand change with your posture. Set an alarm, leave a note, or do whatever works for you.”

7 Thoracic Outlet Syndrome

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So, you may not have heard of this syndrome before, but it’s no less uncomfortable. “Forward head posture and slouched shoulders can restrict nerves and [blood] vessels in the lower neck, and upper chest that supply your arms. Symptoms are often diffuse and mild tingling, and/or numbness. This is known as thoracic outlet syndrome, and is often improved with better posture,” says Lovitz. According to the Cleveland Clinic, thoracic outlet syndrome not only causes numbness and tingling, but can also cause pain and bad circulation. Moreover, if the disorder goes untreated, it can cause more serious problems, including swelling and blood clots.

8 Stress

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Yes, poor posture can cause both physical and mental stress. Ciccione explains that, “Poor posture affects your body’s natural alignment, which puts physical stress on the body and causes soreness and pain. This can also translate into mental stress, decreasing one’s motivation, and overall mood.” Moreover, TIME reported that a 2014 study found bad posture negatively impacts your mood, and can contribute to depression and fear.

So, for the sake of your overall wellness, Dr. Carneiro says, “Don’t stay in a static position for more than 20 minutes at a time — we know that movement is beneficial in improving posture.”

9 Arthritis

Ian Gavan/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

The organization Arthritis Research U.K. explains that, in the long run, poor posture can be extremely detrimental to your joint health, and can be a contributing factor in developing arthritis. Furthermore, Lovitz explains, “Posture is often modifiable, i.e. we can change it. However as we age, poor posture can lead to joint degeneration, arthritis and limited mobility, which turns into ‘fixed’ poor posture. Making small changes now can prevent long term posture changes in the future.”

Being aware of your posture, and trying to correct your posture if it’s poor, is super important — especially if you seem to be experiencing any of these health issues on the regular. By doing simple stretches and exercises, and making a few modifications to your office space, you could greatly improve your posture, and in turn, your health.

(original Article: https://www.bustle.com/p/9-ways-posture-affects-your-health-that-might-surprise-you-8793625 April 18th 2018)

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Tips for treating urinary incontinence

(Original Article http://www.capitalgazette.com/lifestyle/health/ac-cm-aamc-20180422-story.html 22nd April 2018)

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Dr. Kay Hoskey is a board certified urogynecologist at the Women’s Center for Pelvic Health at Anne Arundel Medical Center. (Courtesy photo / Marcus Chacona)

Whether it’s a “small tinkle” with a sneeze or a “potty dance” while headed toward the bathroom, the uncontrolled leakage of urine is called urinary incontinence. This condition can be a real bother for many women.

Do you skip gym class for fear of leaking urine? Are your daily trips planned around restroom breaks? Have you ever heard yourself say, “Stop, don’t make me laugh”? When the bladder is functioning normally, you should be able to delay a bathroom break until a socially acceptable time and not worry about leaking during activity.

You do not need to have pelvic organ prolapse (or a collapsed bladder) for urine to leak. You may look and feel the same, however, the dampness signals a problem. Sometimes this condition can be temporary, such as with a urinary tract infection or during pregnancy. If so, urinary incontinence will quickly resolve after the temporary condition has passed. At other times, leakage may start slowly and worsen over time.

Many women wear panty-liners or change their underwear frequently because of urinary incontinence, a condition that according to the National Association for Continence affects close to 18 million women.

Urinary incontinence may be common but it’s not normal and, thankfully, there is often a cure. Here are some things you can do to help:

  • Do Kegel exercises. These exercises help muscle strength and endurance training for the pelvic floor.
  • Try core muscle strengthening exercises, like pilates and yoga. The core muscle and pelvic floor muscles work closely together. Getting one region stronger can help the other.
  • Wear a tampon during exercise, or a pessary vaginal insert made to help with stress leakage.
  • Achieve normal body weight through nutrition or lower impact exercise.
  • Consider a surgical procedure to support the urethra (the tube that empties urine from the body).

There are other cases when medical conditions or prior surgeries are causing the leakage. Even issues that limit the speed and ease of walking can contribute to leakage. Urinary incontinence and constant dampness can cause skin irritation in the regions of dampness.

I have seen firsthand how urinary incontinence can affect day-to-day activities, plans for the future and even self-esteem. If this problem continues, talk to your health care team. Details about treatment can be discussed with your provider or a pelvic floor physical therapist.

Leakage can control your life. Even though you can live with these problems, ask yourself, “Why should I?” Would you give your daughter or girlfriend the same advice? Let’s do better for ourselves.

For more information on urinary incontinence, visit www.askaamc.org/pelvichealth.

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Your core impacts everything you do; make sure it’s strong

(Original article 22nd April 2018: http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2018/apr/22/your-core-impacts-everything-you-do-make-sure-its-/)

Physical therapists can determine what is contributing to a patient’s pain by evaluating core strength and posture, locating muscle imbalances and assessing harmful movement patterns. A therapist focuses exercises to get the most benefit for an individual’s needs.

Friends and family are concerned and urge her to “get into shape.” A quick search on the internet indicates that “core weakness” may be contributing to her problem.

“Core” is a common word to anyone who has had treatment for back pain, exercises regularly or participates in any sport activities. But this word can be confusing: What exactly is my core? Should I be doing more sit-ups? How can I get help with strengthening?

The core has many interpretations. Some people describe the core as a “corset” of muscles that provide stability for movement and protection of the spine.

“The core has everything to do with everything we do,” said Gary Gray, a physical therapist at the Gary Gray Institute in Adrian, Michigan.

Others from his institute describe it as “everything from your nose down to your toes.” Other sources define the core as the torso, which is a long list of muscles that make up the areas of the belly, mid and lower back, shoulders, hips and neck. It also includes the pelvic floor and diaphragm.

The core has more than a few roles in our body. It provides stability to our body so we effectively can move our arms and legs. It allows us to sit up straight and efficiently align our skeleton to transfer forces.

You may have heard the phrase “neutral spine,” which refers to the position of your spine when all three curves are in proper alignment and there is the least amount of stress placed on the spine joints. Your core allows you to find and maintain that position. Weakness or inefficiency in core muscles can lead to inefficient movement patterns, injury and pain — which is the case for Jill.

Listening to the advice of others, Jill decided to hire a personal trainer. But she made some common mistakes during her exercises: she stood with a slumped posture, held her breath during exercises, held her stomach muscles tight during exercise and performed high-intensity exercises before understanding how to correctly activate the muscles of her core.

Although the exercises with her trainer made Jill feel more in shape, her back pain persisted — especially while sitting at work. Jill decided to visit her doctor, who told her to see a physical therapist for evaluation and treatment.

Physical therapists can determine what is contributing to a patient’s pain by evaluating core strength and posture, locating muscle imbalances and assessing harmful movement patterns. They work with patients to make goals and a specific plan to reach those goals. A therapist focuses exercises to get the most benefit for an individual’s needs. For example, active tennis players should focus on exercises that strengthen their cores and give them power when serving the ball.

It’s common for physical therapists to find that a person has a strong core but is unable to activate the muscles effectively. For instance, Jill may have strong muscles as a result of her exercise, but she struggles to find and maintain her spine in a good posture.

Knowing how to correct your posture and “turn on” the core muscles can make a huge difference with back pain. It takes training and awareness to correct your own posture and real core conditioning to hold your good posture throughout the day.

Jill’s physical therapist taught her how to find her core muscles and how to activate them. Once she was able to locate them and hold a contraction, the therapist had her work on using her core muscles while sitting, standing, reaching and lifting.

She also made some changes at work. Initially, Jill started with a lumbar support in her chair to help her sitting posture. She then progressed to sitting on a ball at her desk. She also made sure to get up and stand or walk around the office every 30 minutes.

Within two weeks, Jill was able to use her core muscles without thinking about it or reminding herself. Her back pain improved and she felt less tired at the end of the day. Jill had consciously found her core muscles and engaged them throughout her day, and her back pain no longer stopped her from being active. She was able to be more energetic afterward and rejoined her Zumba class.

How to activate your core muscles

Activation of your core muscles can be done multiple ways. One method is to gently draw your lower abdominals toward your spine in a slow controlled manner.

Another way:

• Lie on your back and relax with your legs bent, breathing in and out.

• Place your fingers on each side of your belly button to find your core abdominal muscles.

• Practice tightening and relaxing the muscles without movement.

• As soon as you feel your muscles without movement, try to hold the contractions for 10 seconds. Remember to keep breathing.

• One you can hold the contractions for 10 seconds, start mixing it up by doing this exercise sitting and then standing.

• Remember to keep your spine in a good position with your chest up, ears in line with the tips of your shoulders and lower back.

— Kim Squire is a physical therapist at LMH Therapy Services. She can be reached at Kim.Squire@lmh.org.

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