Urinary stress incontinence (USI), which is the most common type of bladder control problem in both men and women, occurs when urine leaks during exercise, coughing, sneezing, lifting heavy objects, sexual activity or any other body movement that puts pressure on the lower abdominal muscles and bladder. A damaged urinary sphincter can cause USI; it may also be related to childbirth, and it may manifest around menopause from oestrogen deficiency. In men, the condition may develop as a result of an enlarged prostate. Clinically, USI can also occur in prostatitis, urinary tract infection, neurological disorders such as multiple sclerosis, diabetes mellitus and insipidness, pyelonephritis, essential enuresis, hypothyroidism and emotional trauma. However, by far the most common cause is weakened pelvic floor muscles, which allow the bladder to push against the urethra.
Affecting up to 60 per cent of middle-aged to elderly women, USI is actually quite easy to prevent and manage. However, many people are embarrassed to seek medical treatment so endure it in silence for years.

Pelvic muscle exercise and acupuncture can quickly cure USI in younger women. These exercises may not be as effective in women over age 60, but traditional herbal medicine, acupuncture and nutritional supplementation will help immensely. I have treated patients aged 70 to 80 using acupuncture and herbs with tremendous success: this combination can strengthen their bladder muscles, repair weakened nerves and restore the bladder function. Many of these patients have used tampons like a urethral plug, and absorbent underclothing, for years; some have undergone bladder surgery without much success.

Similar treatments have a very high success rate with patients whose USI arises from childbirth. For middle-aged men with USI caused by enlarged prostate, I use herbs and nutrition to treat the prostate as well.

In traditional Chinese medical terms, USI can arise from the irritating effects of damp heat in the lower organs; of liver qi stagnation on the bladder; or from deficiency of kidney and spleen yang, which fails to fully process and metabolise fluids. Kidney and spleen deficiency both contribute to the development of USI, because the kidney controls the lower yin orifices, and the spleen controls the muscle tone and lifts the lower organs against gravity.
Treatment for USI depends on differential diagnosis of each individual case. Acupuncture points and herbal compounds vary between patterns. We use a herbal compound called Ba Zheng San as a core formula for damp heat USI, modifying it according to the aetiology of the condition, but mainly focus on draining damp heat out of the liver and bladder channel. We use Xiao Yao San for the case of liver qi stagnation to move qi and ensure its free flow. The herbal formula You Gui Wan is used for kidney yang deficiency to tonify kidney yang, Zhi Bo Ba Wei Wan is used to treat kidney yin deficiency. Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang is then used to support the spleen’s function of toning the bladder muscle and working again gravity. Patients often demonstrate a mixture of symptoms, so we need to modify all these formulas to suit their needs.

Herbal medicine is effective enough alone in treating USI, but when combined with acupuncture, patients can achieve ideal results much more rapidly.

USI is not a difficult condition to heal, but it is better to be treated sooner than later. Acute cases are much easier to treat than chronic cases, so if you have symptoms, seek help immediately.

SIDEBAR:

BioLogic Health Solutions, an Australian company established by Brisbane naturopath Tracey Seipel B.Sc., B.Nt., Dip Herb., MANPA, has developed the first readily available non-drug treatments for urinary incontinence: BioLogic Incontinence Relief tablets and Bladder Control cream. These products have been available in Australia for approximately two years.
To date, more than 250 participants have been involved in clinical trials and surveys of these treatments. More than 80 per cent report significant improvement in incontinence after two to three months of using the products, and in some instances, there is complete recovery.

The products work by improving the tone of the bladder wall, thereby helping the bladder to completely fill, and to empty more efficiently. This makes the treatments effective for incontinence that develops from a range of causes, including post-childbirth, age-related weakened bladder tone, benign prostate enlargement, and history of urinary tract infections.

BioLogic Incontinence Relief tablets contain an Ayurvedic herb, Crateva; horsetail; and minerals such as calcium, magnesium and phosphorous. The Bladder Control cream, which is based upon aromatherapy principles, combines the essential oils of cedarwood, myrrh, cypress and orange.

Pharmacies, health food stores and mail-order companies such as Hilton Healthstream stock both the cream and the tablets.
This article was first public in the magazine “Nature and Health”

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