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Interstitial Cystitis?

bladder inflammation Feb 11, 2015

If you have ever felt urgency, frequency and pain during urination along with pain above the pubic bone, it is quite possible that you were experience a urinary tract infection. Diagnosis of a urinary tract infection ( or a UTI) is normally done by performing a test on your urine to see if it contains white blood cells, blood or nitrites.   Depending upon what sort of practitioner you are seeing, upon a positive diagnosis you may be prescribed an antibiotic or given some herbs targeted to the urinary system.

But what happens if after repeated infections, you continue to experience the symptoms of a UTI, but your urine test comes back clear and negative? It may be that you now have Interstitial Cystitis.   This is a very painful and annoying chronic condition.

Traditional western medicine offers very few safe and effective treatments for this condition. This is a time when an IC sufferer may want to explore naturopathic medicine with a licensed naturopathic doctor.

IC is caused by inflammation and irritation of the lining of the bladder. There are many safe botanicals which can protect and help to heal the lining of the bladder as well as botanicals that reduce inflammation without damaging the liver or kidneys as chronic use of NSAIDS can.   Also diet and nutrition can play a large roll in increasing or reducing inflammation, so identifying and eliminating those dietary allergens and triggers is also a part of the therapeutic process.

Utilizing a tandem approach to reducing inflammation along with protecting and healing the lining of the bladder has been the most successful treatment when dealing with a painful condition such as Interstitial Cystitis.