bladder infection Archives

Conditions, Cystitis, Interstitial Cystitis

Embedded Infections – The True Cause of Chronic UTIs?

ByLayla | On April 21,21 | 5 Comments

I’ve been meaning to write this post for a long time because it is sooo important. Hopefully by now, many of you will have heard of ‘embedded’ or ‘intracelullar’ bladder infections but if not, please read on.

Recent research suggests, that many cases of chronic UTIs and in fact ‘interstitial cystitis’ may be down to infections having taken hold in the bladder by entering the bladder wall cells and/or hiding under biofilm structures. This allows the pathogens to evade antibiotics and indeed testing.

The great news is that it is treatable!

Cystitis, Protocols

D-mannose for Urinary Tract Infections

ByLayla | On November 04,18 | 5 Comments

D-mannose is one of those supplements often used for chronic urinary tract infections. While I’ve heard some very positive reviews about it, it never helped me back when I took it myself.

Therefore I wanted to examine the evidence behind D-mannose a bit closer to see how useful it actually is for those struggling with chronic UTIs.

Protocols

Low-Level Laser Therapy For Chronic Pain

ByLayla | On October 28,18 | 8 Comments

Low level laser therapy is also known as light therapy or photobiomodulation. There’s different forms of light therapy, but this form mainly refers to red-light therapy of a specific wavelength.

It sounds pretty esoteric, but actually it has been used by NASA to help plants grow in space and by farmers for breeding chicks and other livestock. But it has also been used therapeutically for humans, especially in the context of recovery from physical exercise.

Cystitis, Interstitial Cystitis

The Importance of Vitamin C for Chronic Bladder Problems (And How To Take It)

ByLayla | On June 03,18 | 8 Comments

Vitamin C is probably the most well-known and studied vitamin. I’ve come to believe that it may also be one of the most important ones for people suffering from chronic bladder problems, which I’d like to explain in today’s post.

If you have interstitial cystitis (IC), you may have been told to stay clear of vitamin C supplements – a.k.a Ascorbic Acid. Why? Because as the name suggests, it is rather acidic and could therefore be rather uncomfortable when getting in contact with inflamed tissue. But fear not, I will explain how you can take it without the burn!

Conditions, Cystitis, Interstitial Cystitis

The Bladder-Gut Connection

ByLayla | On April 29,18 | 15 Comments

Hippocrates already said over 2000 years ago that ‘all disease begins in the gut’. Today, we’re understanding more and more how right he was.

For me personally, gut issues preceded the onset of chronic cystitis and interstitial cystitis. When my gut was at its worst, so was my bladder. I have no doubt that, similarly to many other conditions, the gut is implicated in bladder problems.

Cystitis, Interstitial Cystitis, Overactive Bladder/Incontinence, Protocols

The Best Ways to Exercise for (Bladder) Health

ByLayla | On March 20,18 | 5 Comments

Exercise is generally considered to be health promoting, but not all forms of exercise might be ideal for someone with bladder issues.

Last time, I talked about why jogging may not be so ideal for bladder health. This week I’d like to look at some options that I consider to be safe and beneficial.

Conditions, Cystitis

UTI First Aid: Flushing and Alkalizing, does it make sense?

ByLayla | On September 04,17 | 7 Comments

Pharmacies usually sell ‘cystitis relief’ products designed to serve as a first aid for urinary tract infections. These preparations are designed to alkalize the urine.

Moreover, flushing through increased fluid intake is usually recommended.

I have previously recommended doing this as it is the common advice for cystitis relief before taking antibiotics.

Some people may well have success with this approach but is it scientifically validated?

Conditions, Cystitis, Interstitial Cystitis, Overactive Bladder, Urinary Incontinence

Fungal Infections in the Urinary Tract

ByLayla | On August 21,17 | 12 Comments

When speaking about urinary tract infections, we usually speak about bacterial infections. Fungi (a.k.a yeasts or mold) are different organisms from bacteria and they can cause infections such as thrush in some parts of the body. Fungal infections in the vagina for example are a well-known condition. But can there also be fungal infections in the urinary tract?

Conditions, Cystitis, Interstitial Cystitis, Overactive Bladder, Urinary Incontinence

Contraception and Bladder Health

ByLayla | On July 10,17 | 3 Comments

Last week I had a look at how hormones affect the urinary tract. Changes in the female hormones oestrogen and progesterone and even the ‘male’ hormone testosterone appear to affect urinary tract symptoms.

Oral contraception affects hormone levels in the body and may therefore also affect urinary tract symptoms.

Other contraception may not affect hormones but may have an impact on the urinary tract in other ways.

Today I would like to take a look at what we know about different forms of contraception and bladder health.

Conditions, Cystitis, Interstitial Cystitis, Overactive Bladder, Urinary Incontinence

The Role of Hormones in Bladder Health

ByLayla | On July 03,17 | 14 Comments

Today I’d like to take a closer look at the role of hormones on bladder health. Hormones have been known for a while to play a role in lower urinary tract symptoms such as UTIs, interstitial cystitis and stress incontinence. Hormones may be the reason why women generally seem to be more prone to bladder problems than men and also why some symptoms may get worse at certain times of the month.