Browse Tag by chronic cystitis
Conditions, Cystitis, Interstitial Cystitis

Embedded Infections – The True Cause of Chronic UTIs?

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!

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IC Stories

How I kept Free of Chronic Cystitis for 6 Years

After recovering from chronic bladder pain and chronic UTIs around 6 years ago my bladder health has continuously improved and is now the best it has ever been.

Today I wanted to share a bit about my ongoing health journey and what I’ve been doing to keep my bladder healthy.

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Cystitis, Protocols

D-mannose for Urinary Tract Infections

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.

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Cystitis, Interstitial Cystitis, Overactive Bladder, Urinary Incontinence

Why Calcium and Magnesium Balance Is Important For Bladder Health

I often use a hair tissue mineral analysis (HTMA) test as a cheap way of getting an idea of my client’s main mineral levels in the body.

One pattern that I often see is a high calcium level, along with lowered magnesium (as well as potassium and boron). I personally also had this pattern.

Not everyone with this pattern has bladder issues, but I do believe that high calcium levels together with lowered magnesium might contribute to them.

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Health Articles

Have You Been Tested For STDs?

Unrecognized sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) such as Chlamydia or Trichomonas Vaginalis may share similar symptoms to cystitis and could also be a co-factor in bladder problems.

Kimberly’s story is one example where a chlamydia infection played a role in worsening her bladder symptoms.

If you haven’t been tested for STDs but are suffering from bladder issues, it may be a good idea to get this checked out.

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Cystitis, Interstitial Cystitis

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

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!

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IC Stories

Kimberly’s Story: DNA Testing Changed My Life

Today I’d like to share another success story in the form of an interview with Kimberly.

Kimberly’s IC in fact turned out to be a chronic infection, which was diagnosed with new DNA testing methods and at long last she was able to receive the treatment she needed to get well.

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Conditions, Cystitis, Interstitial Cystitis

Better Testing For Chronic Urinary Tract Symptoms

Many chronic lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) may actually be associated with undetected chronic infections [1]. Testing is still based on the assumption that the bladder is sterile (and it’s not!) – I have written about the problems with gold standard urine testing in the past.

Today I would like to give you a list of some alternatives to standard urine testing.

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Conditions, Cystitis, Interstitial Cystitis

The Bladder-Gut Connection

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.

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