Irritated bladder & food

Hi Kiki,

what a fantastic discovery. I too have had doctors say "it could not be the cause of ..." or "it is just a coincidence that ... cured it". Research is funny stuff. If a discovery that an individual makes is not replicated in the medical literature, they often don't think it is valid. Likewise, what works for one person may not be repeatable by medical science. And even if the medical research says that "the differences between treatments were not statistically valid to prove the theory", it does not mean that if it works for an individual it is purely coincidence. I figure that if works for one person it works. It can also work for another, but it might not work either. Good on you. This could change lives.

Cheers

Louise

Have to third what Kiki said regarding IC and diet. I suffered irritable bladder problems for 12 years and finally I managed to clear it by looking at diet - allergens and eliminating acid food triggers, balanced hormones by ensuring that my liver was detoxed and taking a few carefully chosen supplements to help the bladder lining to heal. Also involved treating systemic candida. For me it took time and perserverence and at first a whole lot of faith that it would work! I had had it a long time and they say it takes a month for every year at least and in my case that was true.

Edited to add, in my case allergy trigger foods were wheat (but not necessarily gluten), dairy and oranges and sugar (had to even introduce fruit back into my diet very slowly and carefully).

There is a yahoo group called ICPuzzle where the members are successfully treating IC or IC like symptoms in this way. It was invaluable to me.

I will say be careful with cranberry - it only works if you have an E-coli bug causing the problems, if its any other bug - or anything else like existing bladder irritation it won't help. Don't drink cranberry juice as its too acidic and too high in sugar - it will make things worse and a lot of people blame it for damaging their bladder lining and causing IC in the first place. If you do take cranberry find it in capsule form in a good string dose, this does seem to help clear and ward off e-coli infection quite safely.

Along with the prolapse that I've just noticed following the birth of my little boy 7 weeks ago, I have had IC symptoms back after being clear for 4 years so am again back to looking at diet.

Wondering if there is a link between IC type symptoms and prolapse though...

amazing isn't it, how foods can affect our bodies. I don't have IC, but other health issues that are affected by my diet (dairy makes my fibro flare).

soupy - congratulations on your baby boy! there may be a link between the bladder symptoms you are having and your prolapse. If the bladder has dropped beneath the urethra, its possible that you aren't completely voiding. be vigilant to empty as well as you can, for many getting into a 'hands and knees' position either over a bucket or in the shower helps reposition the bladder for efficient emptying. we all know that urine left in the bladder means trouble.

Hi,

Just thought I'd put in my two cents worth here. Recently, I got a new bread recipe that asked for 1/4 cup of gluten. I'm thinking - huh? Doesn't kneading bread make it's own gluten? Of course it does. Researching gluten, I found it is used as an additive in many other foods!!!!! Both as a thickener in a product or to make something have more fiber!!! So, my thought here, is labels must continually be read in order to avoid those things we either do not want to consume or to which we are intolerant. I had no idea gluten was now being used as a filler. Hope this gives all a heads up to stay aware.

Grandma Joy

ok, I'm confused now.
I thought gluten was found in the wheat itself, and that high-gluten flour or bread flour had added gluten to help the dough rise?
I've added gluten to whole wheat flour when making bread because it (the W.W. flour) has less of it compared to white flour. you know, the bran being stripped off raises the proportion of gluten. or so I thought.
didn't know that kneading the dough created the gluten, thought it helped develop the existing gluten.
also didn't know that gluten had any fiber. thought it was just the protein part of the wheat.

but I *did* know it was used as a filler, so I'm not completely ignorant!

Hi Gmom,

I understand your confusion because I was, too. Maybe still am. When I looked at the recipe that called for gluten, I called the people where I bought my organic whole wheat flour who also gave me the recipe. They told me it wasn't necessary to add it - but if you did, it would give it better "structure". My cookbook says "kneading causes gluten to develop in yeast dough, and it is gluten that gives dough it's structure. Gluten is necessary for bread to bake properly". So you are right, it does help develop the existing gluten. This recipe asking for gluten was a first for me, but I didn't want to add it.

In researching, I saw where they use corn gluten as well as wheat gluten as fillers. I guess it just pays to keep paying attention, huh?

Later,
Grandma Joy

Hi Grandma Joy

I'll bet the bread recipe had a high content of wholemeal in it. It is easy to develop elasticity in the dough when the flour used is mainly white. However, for some reason it is not so easy with wholemeal. The result is that the dough remains sticky and breaks up easily and the loaf crumbles easily. Gluten also has something to do with protein, and has some other functions in the structure of the loaf. You can also put too much in. Not sure what happens then, but the loaf won't win any Show prizes.

There are all sorts of wheats, the highest in gluten and protein being the noodle wheats, through bread wheats which are still high in gluten and protein, to biscuit wheats which have low gluten levels that make them better for cakes, biscuits and pastries where you don't want an elastic dough to prevent rising.

So the end of the story is that gluten is not a filler at all. It is a fundamental part of bread. Without gluten it is called cake. I really don't know how they make commercial gluten free bread though, have never eaten it. No doubt there are lots of websites where you can learn about the qualities of wheats and the chemistry of breadmaking.

Cheers

Louise

Thanks for the information. I very rarely eat bread but had a hankering for some "real" bread like my mama used to make so bought the organic whole wheat to try. It did turn out ok but didn't have the flavor of the bread we used to make. I only posted about the gluten thing for those who are gluten intolerant. I recently learned of two relatives who are gluten intolerant who are having to really watch what they eat because of the gluten added as a filler to other products. There is also a book out on what gluten does to the body but I haven't read it and don't remember the name of it right now.

I did have to change the brand of dog food we used because it had a corn gluten in it that was affecting our dog and he is much healthier now.

Thanks again,
Grandma Joy

Hi All

Well you've all proved my to be a smartarse.

"You were right,
I was wrong,
I have to sing the You Were Right Song!"

Thanks for all the info on gluten.

Cheers

Louise

Hello. I am not sure that I have interstitial cystitis but I'm trying to proceed as if I do. My urethra becomes very irritated eveytime I pee. So as the day goes on it's more and more irritated. It feels raw an kind of stings. I think I may have damaged the lining back in may when the prolapse happened and I thought I was getting a uti so I was drinking straight cranberry juice. Too much. I had the night from hell after that peeing every 5-10 minutes the entire night. Anyway. Things haven't been same since. AnywAy. I got the irritation to calm down by eliminating a lot of foods but then I reintroduced a few things I shouldn't have and I can't seem to get it to stop burning. What supplements did you use To heal your bladder lining? And any other things you did?

IC is an autoimmune condition, and if you are treating autoimmunity you will find lots of information out there which falls under the blanket description of autoimmune protocol. It's a bit beyond the scope of this forum, but you can do some research on your own. You really want to slash the sugar from your diet to the lowest possible amount -- all sugar, not just the stuff that gets added to foods. Eat as much of an anti-inflammatory diet as you can. For many of us, that excludes gluten/grains/dairy (at least commercial dairy), but this is a personal matter and many on this forum will disagree with me. But we deal with autoimmunity in my household, and after a couple years of immersion in the recent science, I feel qualified to speak. Lots of healthy fats, lots of dark leafy greens, lots of vitamin D, and magnesium, minimal to no processed foods. Real fermented foods, every day if possible. Gut health is everything.....the majority of your immune system resides there, and the integrity of the gut lining is crucial. - Surviving

Hi I’ve just found this site as I’ve had a pretty bad week and would like some help please! I’ve had what I thought was repeat uti’s but tested negative. Sex exacerbates it and this week I’ve been so uncomfortable. Constant need to pee and what I now believe is my bladder bulging into my vagina. Dr has referred me to urology but confirmed that I hve a prolapse. Im just about to go on holiday and feel utterly desperate to know what to do to help myself for the next week to stop it getting any worse and to try and enjoy my hol without constantly feeling lousy. My stomach is really distended too - is that part of it? Where do I start? Reading here about IC I’m wondering if I have that too or if it’s all caused by a cystocele as I’ve always had needed to go to the loo a lot, especially since childbirth. I started on the oestrogen pessaries a week ago and feel no better yet. I’m 48 and haven’t had a period for well over a year. Hope someone can help. Thanks

Thank you surviving60

I don't know if estrogen pessaries will help in the short run (which is your immediate concern) but they certainly aren't a good solution for the long run, for all kinds of reasons. So for now, try getting down on hands and knees and let your pelvic organs rest in the belly; rock back and forth and massage them a little and feel the relief of getting your bladder out of the vaginal space. This is the dynamic of Whole Woman posture, which aims to pin the organs over the pubic bones and hold them there by force of gravity and correct breathing. When you have the opportunity you can go to the home page of this site and watch the little video that explains the principles Christine teaches. Stay out of the operating room, please! Enjoy your holiday knowing that this is a manageable situation.....nothing awful is going to happen, but the fix isn't overnight. We are here if you have questions. - Surviving