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Incontinence and Alternative Medicine Offer Sensible Solutions for Managing Incontinence

Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010

The causes of incontinence are numerous and varied, and so are the treatments. Incontinence can be treated or at least managed by many different methods as well. Sometimes a simple behavioral change is enough to alleviate the symptoms of urinary incontinence, and other times medication or surgery may be indicated. If you are dealing with incontinence, you may want to consider supporting your doctor’s recommendations with a natural or alternative medicine.

It is also a good idea to add regular Kegel exercises to your incontinence and alternative medicine efforts. By combining biofeedback, exercise, acupuncture and traditional medicine, you are setting yourself up for success when it comes to managing your urinary incontinence.

Biofeedback helps you understand what you are feeling when you flex your muscles, and what your body is telling you. It can be used to help you perform effective pelvic floor muscle exercises, and it can also help you control your bladder muscles.

Kegel exercises are the exercises that contract your pelvic floor muscles. By performing Kegel exercises correctly and contracting and releasing your pelvic floor muscles, you can strengthen these muscles to help you regain continence. The pelvic floor muscles are important because they support the bladder, urethra and uterus if you are a woman.

Other exercises like yoga and pilates, when practiced correctly can be very helpful for strengthening the muscles of the pelvic floor, which makes both of these exercise disciplines very valuable when it comes to managing urinary incontinence.

Acupuncture has also proven effective in relieving symptoms of urinary incontinence, because it helps to tone muscles and increases the blood flow to the bladder. Acupuncture can also restore hormone balance, reduce inflammation and give the immune system a boost.

Nutrition also plays an important part in maintaining urinary continence. Aside from maintaining a healthy weight, you will want to eliminate foods that can irritate the bladder like acidic foods, such as tomato and grapefruit, caffeine, alcohol, sweetener substitutes, sugar and spicy foods. If you are not sure which foods have an adverse effect on you, keep a food diary and see if any patterns emerge between what you ingest and your incontinence problems.

Incontinence and alternative medicine are a natural fit, and as you are working through the solution to your problem, absorbant pads can free you from the worry of having accidental leakage in public. They come in many different sizes and absorbencies to deal with any problem from mild to severe. They protect clothing and furniture, and they offer protection from skin irritation. DryForLife supplies incontinence pads, which may be ordered online and delivered discreetly right to your front door.

Further Incontinence Articles

Adult Bedwetting: Causes and Management

Thursday, November 12th, 2009
Nocturnal enuresis or bedwetting is the involuntary voiding of urine during sleep after the age at which bladder control is normally established. Both men and women can suffer from uncontrollable bedwetting. Often, adults who wet their beds refuse to discuss their discomfort even with their own doctors because they feel embarrassed. This is a rather unfortunate mistake because your doctor can give you advice on ways to improve symptoms as well as possible treatments for bedwetting.
Bedwetting is a complex disorder because many factors are thought to play a significant part. Bedwetting that occurs in adulthood may either be persistent primary enuresis or secondary enuresis.

Primary nocturnal enuresis begins during childhood, where nighttime dryness has not been achieved for longer than six months. If this is not resolved during childhood or teenage years, it is quite likely that bedwetting will persist into adulthood.

The causes of primary nocturnal enuresis may be any of the following:

  • Strong genetic predisposition - The exact mechanism for the inheritance of the disorder is still unknown.
  • Insufficient production of anti-diuretic hormone (ADH) at night - Your ADH level normally increases during the night, causing your body to produce a smaller total volume of urine during sleep. If your ADH level is not high enough, urine production is increased.
  • Abnormalities of the urinary bladder - Some nocturnal enuresis sufferers have smaller than normal bladders.
  • Psychological factors - Stress and other psychological issues have long been thought to play a part in bedwetting.
Secondary enuresis occurs when a person has established bladder control for a period of six months, and begins wetting the bed again.

The causes of secondary enuresis may be any of the following:

  • Diabetes
  • Chronic constipation
  • Urinary tract infection
  • Urinary tract stones
  • Prostate enlargement
  • Bladder cancer
  • Neurological disorders
Age or illness can weaken the muscles that control the flow of urine to your urethra. If these muscles weaken, you may leak urine during sleep, or you may be unable to stop the flow of urine when your bladder is full.
Adults who suffered from spinal cord trauma from a fall, auto accident, or other traumatic event may also be at risk for secondary enuresis. Anxiety or other emotional disorders are considered as rare causes of adult bedwetting.

Some medications that can cause a deep sleep can lead to adult bedwetting. Such medicines do not enable a person to wake when the urge to urinate occurs.

Management Options for Adult Bedwetting

Adult bedwetting needs to be evaluated by your doctor. If you have relatives suffering from adult enuresis, you need to encourage them to talk about their problem. Their concerns must be treated sensitively, and they must be gently persuaded to seek medical attention. There are a number of treatment and condition management options for bedwetting. These include medications, programs to change the sleep pattern, and exercises to improve the bladder control.

Many adults suffering from bedwetting find absorbent pads, protective underwear and waterproof mattress pads to be extremely helpful. These products promote comfort and at the same time ease clean up of bedwetting incidents. DryForLife supplies incontinence pads, which may be ordered online and delivered discreetly right to your front door.

 Additional Bedwetting Articles

Choosing an Incontinence Pad

Saturday, September 26th, 2009

If you suffer from incontinence, even if it is mild and infrequent, chances are you will want to choose an incontinence pad for times when you want to feel secure and confident. Choosing the right incontinence pad to suit your needs is simple, once you know what qualities you are looking for. These qualities might include comfort, absorbency, leakage protection, and affordability.

DryForLife manufactures incontinence products, including incontinence pads, made from the highest quality materials designed to provide comfort and security, two qualities that will no doubt be important to you if you suffer from incontinence. Not only are these products comfortable to wear, but they are also affordable. DryForLife understands that incontinence is a highly personal issue, and that’s why we deliver your products right to your door in discreet packaging, so that you are the only one who is aware of the contents.

DryForLife is committed to serving your needs with compassion and empathy, providing you with quality products at a price that will make you smile. For more information visit our Types of Incontinence Pads page.

Choosing Incontinence Products

Saturday, August 1st, 2009

Not all incontinence products are created equal. There are several attributes you should look for when choosing incontinence products. The amount and variety of incontinence products can be confusing, so we have compiled a list of some of the qualities to look for when purchasing incontinence products.

Durability- Quality incontinence products should perform as advertised, absorbing leakage in light, moderate and heavy amounts. They should never fall apart when wet and should be composed of several layers of dry weave.

Absorbency- A quality pad should be able to absorb many times its weight in urine without causing embarrassing leakage.

Backing- Many incontinence pads have a plastic backing to prevent urine from leaking through and staining your clothing. They may also have an adhesive strip that helps to hold the pad securely to your underwear.

Dry Weave- The pad or pants should be made of quality materials that wick moisture away from your skin, keeping you dry and your skin free of moisture. Constant moisture against your skin can cause skin irritation.

Comfort- Quality pads should be contoured to fit your body comfortably without being too bulky. They should be comfortable enough that you can forget you are wearing one at all!

Keeping these criteria in mind should enable you to find just the right type of product to suit you and your lifestyle. DryForLife strives to include all of these qualities in their incontinence products, using only the best materials and quality workmanship.

Contributing Factors to Overflow Incontinence

Wednesday, July 29th, 2009

Overflow incontinence occurs as the result the bladder being stretched beyond its normal holding capacity, resulting in the leakage of urine that can be almost continuous. There are two main causes of this type of incontinence. It sometimes occurs as the result of some type of blockage in the urinary tract, or may be caused by weak contraction of the bladder. In either case, the result is urine that dribbles out due to the pressure of an overly full bladder.

In men, an enlarged prostate may partially occlude the bladder neck, causing the bladder to become overly distended. Stricture (narrowing) of the bladder neck following prostate surgery can also cause overflow incontinence. Stones of the urinary tract in both men and women can also contribute to overflow incontinence. In addition, any health condition that affects the nerves supplying the bladder, such as Multiple Sclerosis or diabetes, can cause this problem.

Constipation can also cause overflow incontinence when an overly full rectum applies pressure to the urethra or bladder neck. Increasing water intake and modifying your diet to avoid constipation can help prevent overflow incontinence. Medications which cause incontinence are sometimes at the root of the problem, leading to a “paralysis” of the bladder.

If you suffer from overflow incontinence, it is important to seek the guidance of your physician, as some of the causes of this condition may be reversible. In the meantime, choosing absorbent incontinence pads or pants will help you to feel comfortable and secure.

Why Not Use Sanitary Towels for Bladder Weakness?

Thursday, July 9th, 2009

Many people, both men and women, try to use sanitary towels and pads in the initial management of bladder weakness. Although this may seem like a perfectly reasonable solution to the problem of bladder weakness, it seldom has a happy ending.

Why? The simple answer is that these products are not designed to handle urine- they were designed to handle a different consistency of fluid. For this reason, those who attemp to use menstrual period products to manage bladder weakness often experience embarrassing leakage.

There are many products available to manage bladder weakness, ranging from absorbent pads that can be inserted into undergarments, to disposable undergarments, to reusable undergarments that can be washed many times over. Products should be chosen with your lifestyle, and wardrobe,  in mind. You may find it convenient to have more than one type of product available, such as pads and undergarments, to suit your changing needs.

Bladder incontinence need not mean the end of your life as you know it. With the proper products, you can continue to live your life, secure in the knowledge that your bladder weakness products will protect you wherever you go, and whatever you choose to do.

Disclaimer - The research, clinical material and advice provided on this website is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for medical treatment, nor an alternative to medical advice. Any action taken in response to the information given on this website is at the reader's own discretion. Readers should always consult their own Doctor in all health matters. Please read our Terms and conditions. Copyright ©2003-2009 DryForLife®