How Interstitial Cystitis Works

Interstitial cystitis (IC), also known as painful bladder syndrome, is a chronic condition characterized by inflammation and irritation of the bladder wall. While the exact cause of IC is not fully understood, it is believed to involve a combination of factors, including abnormalities in the bladder lining, dysfunction of the bladder wall, and alterations in the immune system.

In individuals with IC, the protective lining of the bladder, called the urothelium, becomes damaged or compromised, allowing irritants in the urine to penetrate the bladder wall. This leads to inflammation, which can trigger symptoms such as pelvic pain, urinary urgency, frequency, and discomfort. 

IC symptoms can range vastly from person to person and even day to day for the same person. Most suffering with IC can attribute certain triggers for their symptoms. Triggers can be certain foods and beverages, stress, and hormonal changes.

While there is no known cure for IC, many of its symptoms can be managed, especially by identifying and avoiding these triggers, relying on natural remedies and optimizing overall health from a functional medicine perspective, but more on that below.

Symptoms and Causes

The symptoms of IC can be numerous and varied. 

IC symptoms

• Bladder pain or pressure
• Frequent or urgent urination
• Pain during sex
• Perineum pain
• Pain in the abdomen when the bladder fills
• Waking up several times in the night to pee
• Small urine volume

Possible causes of IC-While the exact cause of IC is unknown, it is thought that the following factors can influence its development.

• Autoimmune disease
• Allergies
• Bladder lining issues
• Bladder tissue defect
• Vascular disease
• Mast cell abnormalities
• Excessive protein levels
• Unidentified infections

If you think you may have IC or want to learn more, this overview dives deep on symptoms and causes.

Treating Interstitial Cystitis

Using a functional medicine approach, treating IC starts with tackling potential root causes, starting with the most common offenders: poor diet, sleep, exercise, and sleep management. Once these are tackled, complementary therapies like nerve stimulation and bladder retraining may help IC sufferers return even closer to symptom-free living.

When patients ask me what the most effective treatment is for interstitial cystitis, my answer is an otherwise healthy and thriving body and making sure to avoid known triggers, or the inflammatory foods, cycles, and behaviors that tend to make things worse.

Start with these natural remedies for interstitial cystitis

• A guided elimination diet and avoiding certain foods
• A consistent, daily exercise routine
  • Try walking, swimming, biking, dance classes, yoga, pilates, at-home fitness videos or in-person classes -- anything to get moving!
• Managing your stress 
  • Here I outline 28 ways to manage your stress. Meditation, journaling, yoga, breathwork, and making time for good friends are all free ways to destress daily that you can incorporate immediately

Next, look at various physical therapies: (best utilized with expert medical guidance) 

• Bladder training - Some doctors encourage patients to avoid the first urge to urinate to see if it passes without becoming painful, waiting to urinate until really necessary. Sometimes this seems to help the bladder “retrain” to only have urges when the bladder is truly full (2)
• Bowel training  - Some doctors also believe that “training” the bowels to empty once every morning may help alleviate IC symptoms (2)
• Biofeedback - physical therapists can use electrodes placed on your body (on the perineum and/or the area around the anus) to measure how tense or relaxed the surrounding muscles are and help you get a sense of when and how much to relax. (1)
• Electrical Stimulation - this method uses electrodes inserted through your vagina or rectum to help desensitize nerves and/or force muscle contraction/relaxation (1)
• Interferential Therapy - this is a kind of electrical stimulation that also uses electrodes to lessen the sensations of spasm (1)
• Ultrasound Ultrasound therapies can help with overall pain management (1)
• Cold laser This is another technology that has had some success in managing pain in IC sufferers using a low-intensity laser light (1)

Other tips and tricks:

• Create a food log. Use your phone or a physical journal to track daily foods in relation to symptoms. You can look for clues as to what foods trigger the onset of your worst symptoms
• Stay consistent. If something works, don’t stop! I often see patients let their diet or exercise routine slip after they start seeing improvements, only to have their symptoms return. For best results, make any positive changes into daily habits 
• Stay hydrated. I know this is sometimes easier said than done. Keep track of your daily water intake, even invest in a large water bottle to help keep you accountable
• Avoid tight clothing and irritable fabrics. Anything physically irritating is only going to make things worse. While you’re working on relieving symptoms from the inside out, make sure you’re not exacerbating symptoms from the outside either.
• Avoid sex if it is painful. Make sure to be gentle in the area, especially during times of symptom onset.
  

Last resort options: These treatments for interstitial cystitis should be considered only when diet, exercise, stress and other foundational health considerations have been addressed.

• Discuss surgical options with a medical professional
• Consider medication options like NSAIDs, antihistamines, and antidepressants
• Sodium hyaluronate solution installations 

Begin Healing From Interstitial Cystitis

The question of how to treat interstitial cystitis can be a complex one. Tackling treatment of IC can be overwhelming and frustrating, especially when managing such a long list of possible triggers and variables. If you’re interested in an interstitial cystitis natural treatment framework, working with a functional medicine expert can be a great way to fast-track understanding and healing.  

If you are ready to get to the root cause of your symptoms of interstitial cystitis, we are here for you. Schedule your health consultation today.