The Response of Modern Medicine
Since the cause of interstitial cystitis (IC) appears to be unknown, the modern medical community concedes that there is no standard or consistently effective treatment, and that results vary from individual to individual with those treatments that are tried. In addition to lifestyle modifications such as stress reduction, visualization, biofeedback, bladder retraining and exercise, medications are usually prescribed, including analgesics, antidepressants, antihistamines, anticholinergics (to slow the bladder spasms) and pain pills. But the success rate at curing IC with modern pharmaceuticals is modest at best. In addition, the following treatments may also be tried:
- dilation of the bladder with fluid
- intravesical therapy, which involves instilling medications such as heparin and lidocaine into the bladder
- surgery, which could range from cystoscopic manipulation to a cystectomy, which involves removing the bladder
The problem with all of these approaches is not only that they do nothing to get at the root cause of interstitial cystitis, and thus ultimately do not alleviate the pain, discomfort and frustration that individuals with this condition experience, but long-term use of certain drugs can lead to additional problems, including addiction. And surgery can often make a problem worse rather than better.
The Natural Medicine Approach to Interstitial Cystitis
For a person suffering from a chronic condition like interstitial cystitis, only natural medicine offers hope for a cure. A natural medicine practitioner will look for the underlying cause of the condition and use a variety of appropriate natural medicine treatments, including natural supplements.
The symptoms of interstitial cystitis are very similar to irritable bowel syndrome. Both conditions involve significant amounts of chronic abdominal pain and can mimic each other with menstral irregularities, painful menstruation, pain on urination, pain with bowel movements, diarrhea, and/or constipation. In the case of IC substances that normally pass through the urine get “soaked up” into the wall of the bladder, leading to irritation and inflammation.
Like all conditions treated by natural medicine, it is important to determine when the condition started. If the IC began to be symptomatic after a surgical procedure, such as a laparoscopy for endometriosis, then neural therapy, a gentle healing technique developed in Germany that involves injecting local anesthetics into autonomic ganglia, peripheral nerves, scars, glands, acupuncture points, trigger points, skin and other tissues, should be considered. Neural therapy would be used to treat the scars from the surgery as well as the pelvic sypathetic ganglion.
If the condition started after a yeast infection, the possiblity of Candida lingering in the intestines must be considered and treated if found. Gastrointestinal infections, such as Candida, have the potential to damage the lining of the intestines and the bladder. This sets up a condition in which the bladder walls become leaky and irritable, which characterizes interstitial cystitis.
This concept is important to understand because both the bowel and the bladder are lined with prostaglandins and glycosaminoglycans to protect them from injury. Once these layers are destroyed via infection, medication, or chemicals, there is a greater likelihood that toxic substances will be absorbed into the system. The significant incidence of fibromyalgia in women often results from these “leaky gut” and “leaky bladder” syndromes. 
Also, because the most common substance in the digestive tract is food, nonabsorbable food substrates now become “absorbable” due to the increase in the intestinal permeability. This causes an immune reaction in the gut-associated lymphatic tissue (GALT) and the development of food allergies. As a result, natural medicine physicians commonly check for food allergies in women suffering from IC and IBS. Staying away from the reactive foods gives the bowel and bladder a chance to heal.
Thus, to cure IC, treatment of candidiasis and other microorganisms may need to be started. Various medications including Diflucan, Nystatin, Lamasil, and Nizoral can be prescribed, or aggressive natural nutriceuticals can be given to fight the fungal infection. Generally, acidophilus and bifidobacteria are also used along with substances that help heal the leaky bladder, including glutamine, biotin, gamma oryzanol, tumeric, horsetail, and bladderwack.
In addition, almost all individuals with interstitial cystitis, irritable bowel syndrome, bladder pain or urinary tract pain have urine that is too acidic. Acidic urine can be the result of eating too many carbohydrates, drinking too much coffee or alcohol, or even taking too many rounds of antibiotics.As a result of these observations, natural medicine doctors check the urine pH of patients, and if it is too acidic, will alkalize it by recommending the patient drink lime water and start on natural supplements like potassium citrate and deeper greens. In addition, patients are encouraged to eat fewer simple carbohydrates and replace them with more complex ones such as vegetables. The combination of all these treatments as needed is very effective at helping to cure IC.
If you are interested in more information about our natural medicine program, or to schedule an appointment with Dr. Hauser, please contact Caring Medical at 708-848-7789 or online using our contact form.
