Overactive bladder syndrome can turn into a chronic and annoying disorder. The problem could come from a medical condition, a urinary tract infection, or be the side effect of a drug. If your bladder is overly busy, you may feel embarrassed or uncomfortable around others, especially when circumstances require you to drink with friends. You can try to heal yourself naturally by varying some daily habits, regularly performing targeted exercises and relying on some alternative medicine techniques. You can also use the properties of some herbal remedies, but not before checking with your doctor to make sure it is a suitable solution for your health condition.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Change Your Daily Habits
Step 1. Monitor the amount of fluids you consume throughout the day
To avoid overloading your bladder, you should try to monitor how often you drink during the day. The goal is to try to reduce the amount of fluid by about 25% to avoid filling the bladder. Note that your doctor may suggest a different percentage based on your specific health condition.
- For example, you might try to drink a certain amount of water every hour or two to distribute the amount of fluids evenly, rather than drinking a lot in one go. Your doctor may recommend that you create a schedule for controlling your fluid intake over a routine day.
- Keep track of how much you drink throughout the day by recording your fluid intake in a journal. You can also make a note of how often you drink on your phone to make sure you don't overdo it.
Step 2. Avoid alcohol and coffee
Beverages that contain caffeine, such as tea and coffee, can put additional stress on the bladder, thereby aggravating the symptoms of the syndrome. Alcohol also forces you to go to the bathroom more often.
- Replace alcohol and coffee with plain water or herbal teas. Put a bottle of water in the bag to always have it at hand; in addition, in the morning, prepare a large dose of herbal tea and pour it into a thermos to be able to sip it during the day in order to keep the body hydrated without affecting the bladder.
- You should also avoid tobacco products and artificial sweeteners as they can aggravate the syndrome.
Step 3. Maintain a healthy body weight
The extra pounds can induce hyperactivity of the bladder or aggravate the disorder. You should maintain a healthy body weight based on your height and age, also taking into account your medical history. If you are overweight, talk to your doctor about how many pounds you should lose to improve bladder and overall body health.
You can try to modify your diet to make it healthier and more balanced to be able to lose weight in a healthy way. Try to adopt other good habits as well, such as exercising, to shed excess pounds
Step 4. Train your bladder
You can try to solve the problem by gradually increasing the amount of time between visits to the bathroom or by planning in advance the times when you can empty your bladder to get it used to following certain patterns. For example, you might decide to urinate every two hours or to let an hour pass between them throughout the day.
Method 2 of 3: Healing with Alternative Medicine and Exercise
Step 1. Try acupuncture
It is an alternative treatment which involves the use of special very fine needles that are used to stimulate certain points on the body, to induce it to release the stress and tension accumulated in that area. The results of the studies carried out show that acupuncture can serve to improve bladder control, thus reducing urinary frequency. Rely on a competent and certified acupuncturist to be sure that the treatment is safe and effective.
You can consult your doctor to assess whether acupuncture might be a viable solution in your specific case. Most likely he will be able to point you to an experienced and prepared operator
Step 2. Try biofeedback (or biological feedback)
This is a therapeutic technique that generally requires the supervision of a physiotherapist. During treatment, you will be fitted with electrical sensors that monitor your pelvic muscles and help you understand what causes your bladder disorder. Thanks to the results of the biofeedback, you will know which habits you should change.
- You can ask your doctor to refer you to a physiotherapist who can apply the biofeedback technique.
- Inform yourself in time about the costs of the treatment.
Step 3. Do the Kegel exercises
They are simple voluntary contractions of the pelvic floor muscles aimed at strengthening them. Basically you have to contract the same muscles you use to stop urinating. Performing Kegel exercises can help you strengthen your pelvic floor for greater bladder control. You can practice them comfortably at home once a day to try to cure your ailment.
You can ask your doctor or physical therapist to show you how Kegel exercises are done. Contracting and relaxing your pelvic floor muscles once a day for 6-12 weeks should allow you to gain more control over your bladder
Step 4. Strengthen your pelvic floor with yoga
There are several positions that allow you to train and strengthen the pelvic floor muscles. You can try to do them regularly to fix the bladder problem naturally. Find a teacher in your city or take an online course.
- Try doing the Mula Bandha exercise, which is to contract the muscles that act as the sphincter of the urethra at the same pace as breathing.
- You can also strengthen your pelvic floor muscles by doing the fish (matsyasana), headstand (sirsasana), or crow (bakasana) pose.
Method 3 of 3: Heal yourself with herbs
Step 1. Consult your health care practitioner before using any herbal remedies
Before trying any treatment, even based on natural ingredients, you should talk to your doctor to make sure it is suitable for your specific health condition. Remember that only very few scientific studies have been carried out in this area, so there are no guarantees regarding the safety of many of the products easily available to consumers. Nonetheless, it appears that many herbal treatments can be effective in solving the overactive bladder problem.
- Ask your doctor to give you an opinion on the products you have identified before you start using them. They may recommend specific herbs based on the characteristics of your ailment.
- Tell him if you have any other health problems that he is not yet aware of, as the herbs in question may cause side effects or interact negatively with other treatments.
Step 2. Try different herbs
There are generally three main natural remedies that are used to treat overactive bladder syndrome. There are three herbal remedies known as: gosha-jinki-gan, hachi-mi-jio-gan and Buchu. You can buy them online, in health food stores, or health food stores.
- Gosha-jinki-gan is a blend of ten herbs that can be used to treat bladder disorders. Studies have shown that this herbal remedy can help reduce urge to urinate and increase bladder control.
- Hachi-mi-jio-gan is a blend of eight herbs that are believed to be able to relieve bladder contractions, thereby reducing the body's urge to urinate.
- Buchu is a very popular herbal remedy in South Africa and is used to treat a wide variety of ailments, including overactive bladder syndrome.
Step 3. Check the trustworthiness of the source you intend to purchase the herbs from before using them
If you choose to buy them online, first make sure the seller is trustworthy. Check that there is a phone number or a site through which you can contact him in case you have any questions or concerns about the product. Read any reviews from other buyers about the seller and the product, and check the ingredients list to make sure there are no additives, preservatives or artificial flavors in the herbal blend.
