Home Remedies For Interstitial Cystitis

Interstitial cystitis is the medical name for an inflammation of the bladder wall. It is sometimes referred to as painful bladder syndrome. "Medical-Surgical Nursing" indicates that interstitial cystitis strikes women 12 times more often than men. Symptoms include pain and a frequent need to urinate small amounts of urine. Ulcers may develop on the wall of the bladder, worsening symptoms. The exact cause is unknown but it is not felt to be related to infection. Several home remedies are helpful to individuals with this condition.

Bladder Training Exercises

Many patients benefit from practicing bladder training exercises. This involves keeping a chart and allowing yourself to urinate dependent on the clock. If you void quite frequently, begin by urinating every thirty minutes during your waking hours whether you have the urge or not. Gradually increase the timing to once every hour. Train yourself to control the urge by practicing deep breathing techniques or by getting your mind and body involved in other activities. You may eventually be able to void every two to three hours, thus improving your ability to participate in activities you may have been missing due to the frequent need to urinate. Reward yourself along the way with a movie, book or other special treat for meeting your goals.

Sitz Bath

A warm sitz bath in a clean tub or basin relieves pain for many patients. This should last 15 to 20 minutes and can be done several times a day. Try this a couple of times to see if it helps the pain; if it doesn't, there is no need to continue doing it. In a similar fashion, some patients place a heating pad on the perineum (the area between the vagina or penis and anus) for 20 minutes or less. Alternatively, others find that the brief application of cold to the perineum brings pain relief. The Interstitial Cystitis Association explains that experimentation of this type will let you find what works best for you.

Dietary Changes

It hasn't been confirmed that food causes any cases of cystitis, but many patients feel that certain foods or beverages aggravate their condition. If you are having significant pain, you may wish to eliminate possible food offenders from your diet and reintroduce them one at a time until you learn which ones worsen your cystitis. Eliminate alcohol, chocolate, caffeine, spices, artificial sweeteners, citrus foods, carbonated beverages, tomatoes and acidic foods from your diet. As you reintroduce those you normally eat one at a time, pay attention to your symptoms. Taking the time to learn what exacerbates your pain and urinary urgency and then avoiding those products can be invaluable to your well-being.

Exercises

Mayo Clinic reports that pelvic floor physiotherapy is beneficial to some patients who experience spasms along with their urinary urgency symptoms. After an explanation by a nurse or physiotherapist, you practice working the muscles of your pelvic floor. This strengthens the muscles as they stretch with the goal of eventually controlling the spasms. Other body-stretching exercises performed while standing, sitting or lying can help with pain reduction.

Other Home Remedies

Relaxation and stress reduction by yoga, exercise or guided imagery is helpful with this and other chronic pain conditions. Smoking is known to irritate the bladder; smoking cessation is therefore advisable.