Jan 6, 2017 Posted by Dawn Scott

Interstitial Cystitis Treatment Options for Women Who’ve Tried It All

I’m a healthy person overall. But I’ve had my fair share of health issues. Most of the people who know me probably don’t know that. When problems arise, I tend to be downright secretive about whatever ails me. This blog is my outlet though. I don’t tend to discuss my health problems when they’re afflicting me but I do like to share my experiences with treatments that work so that other people can perhaps find relief for similar problems too.   I’ve written about interstitial cystitis in a previous article that was composed about 2 years ago. It has some of the same information here combined with my experiences with intestinal parasites. Even if you don’t believe you have intestinal parasites, if you have chronic cystitis, you might benefit from reading the article. Two years ago, I didn’t want to believe that I had parasites either, but apparently, most people do have parasites. Treating parasites is relatively painless, affordable, and it can make a huge difference in terms of your overall health. I always recommend a parasite detox using ONE of the following as the first step toward treating chronic interstitial cystitis: 1) Albendazole (I used Valbazen, purchased online at Amazon.com) 2) Pyrantel Pamoate  (Also purchased on Amazon.com) OR 3) A combination treatment using Wormwood, Black Walnut, and Cloves   That being said, this article, however, addresses interstitial cystitis treatments for bladder irritation that isn’t caused by parasites and that doesn’t respond to a parasite detox protocol…   When I was 4 years old, I tried lifting my dad’s weights. I’d seen him do it and it looked pretty easy. And I loved my dad. I wanted to be like him. As soon as I did it though, I knew it was a mistake. The weights were way too heavy for me and one end of them crashed through the wall. And, I got a hernia.   Of course, my parents didn’t know at first that I’d gotten a hernia. And I didn’t know. I successfully hid the hole in the wall too. For a year, I was plagued with chronic urinary tract infections. My parents took me to a rural doctor who refused to diagnose me with an inguinal hernia even though my mom insisted that this was what was wrong with me. My mom would stand me up on the table and point at the bulge. But the doctor just prescribed more antibiotics and sent me back home—for a year.   Finally, around... read more

May 14, 2014 Posted by Dawn Scott

What is cystitis?

Cystitis is a swelling or inflammation of the bladder wall. According to popular medical web sites, the bladder can become inflamed for a variety of reasons: -infection -irritation -general inflammatory response in the body -stress -hormonal changes -other reasons that have not been acknowledge by modern medicine yet (like intestinal parasites–see my article Can Interstitial Cystitis be cured? for more information.) When cystitis is the result of a bacterial infection, it is referred to as a Urinary Tract Infection or UTI and it can be treated with antibiotics, D-Mannose powder, or herbs like Uva Ursi. Basically, the difference between cystitis and Urinary Tract Infection has to do with evidence of infection in the urine. If you don’t have an infection (a UTI), then you just have discomfort or pain (interstitial cystitis) and as far as your doctor is concerned, there is no cause and no cure. If you ask your doctor about the possibility of a parasitic infection, he (or she) will probably scoff at you. There are few diagnostic tests on the market to test for parasites of any kind and the ones that do exist are unreliable. Luckily, you can treat yourself for parasites even if you just suspect that you have them by taking herbs like wormwood, black walnut, and cloves. These herbs are available online at Amazon or at your local Whole Foods of Vitamin Cottage. You can buy AZO test strips to test yourself at home for a UTI caused by a bacterial infection. An antibiotic like Macrobid (also known as Nitrofurantoin) is a good choice because it won’t destroy your intestinal flora, but if you have a more serious UTI infection, Bactrim may be a better choice even though it’s a broad spectrum antibiotic. D-Mannose powder can also cure UTI’s as well as the herb Uva Ursi. You can take D-Mannose powder daily to prevent bacterial bladder infections. It works really well, costs very little, and it doesn’t cause toxic side effects like antibiotics. When cystitis has no known cause, doctors call it “interstitial cystitis” or “painful bladder syndrome”. Western medical doctors in the United States may prescribe phenazopyridine for the pain and irritation of interstitial cystitis, but our medical system offers no cure for the problem. Phenazopyridine just covers up the symptoms temporarily and it can have a negative impact on the kidneys. A lower dose of the same stuff, known as AZO is available over-the-counter. These drugs are really helpful if you can’t figure... read more

May 14, 2014 Posted by Dawn Scott

Alternative Treatments, Lifestyle Changes, and Home Remedies for Cystitis

Cystitis is one of those diagnoses that people don’t like to talk about. Unfortunately, this works to our disadvantage if we’ve received a taboo diagnosis (like Irritable Bowel Syndrome, as another example) with no known cause and no known cure because it’s through word-of-mouth (not your doctor) that you’re most likely to hit upon a combination of treatments that will work for you. It’s taken me many years to discover the root of my cystitis problems. Below are a list of lifestyle changes I made over about a decade’s time to help relieve my cystitis. The one’s listed below made the biggest difference in my symptoms: -Eliminating caffeine -Taking D-Mannose powder every day -Drinking plenty of water -Doing yoga every day (for 5 to 60 minutes, depending on my schedule) -Eliminating dairy (gluten caused swelling in my intestines which put pressure on my bladder) -Eliminating gluten (gluten caused swelling in my intestines which put pressure on my bladder) -Eliminating trans fats (also known as trans fatty acids, they cause increase the acidity of urine) -Taking Vitex Berry (also known as chaste berry. Vitex Berry helps regulate female hormones which seems to help)   Below are alternative medical treatments that I’ve used to help relieve cystitis. All were effective though they didn’t cure the problem: -Acupunture My acupuncturists was a magazine editor who suffered from cystitis. Her doctor couldn’t find a cure, but she went to an acupuncturist and finally found relief. It made such a huge difference in her life that she decided to quit her job and study acupuncture. Her name is Robin and she works at Acupuncture Boulder in Boulder, CO. -Steam Room or Temazcal If you drink plenty of water, the steam room (known as a temazcal in Mexico) can help your body eliminate toxins. This treatment is also worth considering if you suffer from other inflammatory problems like fibromyalgia or Irritable Bowel Syndrome. My favorite temazcal is in Guanajuato Mexico.   The most profound changes for me occurred after I did a parasite cleanse. Apparently, my husband, daughter, and I had been host to hookworms and pinworms, probably for many years. These worms primarily live in the intestines, but they crawl out of your anus at night and, in women especially, sometimes crawl back up inside the wrong hole. Women may suffer from cystitis, menstrual irregularities, or both as a result of parasites. Doctors in the United States aren’t educated about intestinal parasites and prescription medications for worms are especially toxic and... read more