Natural Healing for Interstitial Cystitis & Chronic UTI: How I went from Peeing 25 times to 9 times a day
I went from peeing 25 times/day of razor blade painful drips in March to 9 times/day on soothing long pee in July via natural methods for my Chronic UTI and IC symptoms. This is a 64% improvement in 4 months time. I have listed the natural methods below that have worked for me. There are some IC patients who blog that they have healed in 3 - 6 months. I wish I could have healed that fast... maybe they were more pro-active than me in finding healing ways, took more supplements, or maybe their IC/UTI wasn't as bad? I was hoping to be cured 100% by now, boo.
Baking Soda
Amount: 1/4 teaspoon at 1 or 2 times a day
Financing: $1 for a whole box (which lasts literally forever)
Right in the morning on an empty stomach, I mix the baking soda into half a cup of water and drink. Then I drink another cup of water right after to wash out the taste. I wait 1.5 - 2 hours before I eat a meal to avoid potential digestion problems since my stomach acid may be much lowered due to the high alkalinity of baking soda. My Traditional Chinese doctor told me that our bodies at night are 'worse', so that's why your urine may start to hurt or burn closer to the evening. When I feel that, I quickly do the baking soda thing at night. I take it every morning, but only sometimes at nights when I feel any slight twinge of burning.
Food
Amount: 50% raw alkaline vegetables, 25% organic grass-fed steamed meats, 5% organic fruit (only blueberries), 20% organic steamed rice or baked potatoes.
Financing: variable
D-Mannose Powder
Amount: 1 - 3 teaspoons a day (2000mg is 1 teaspoon)
Water
Amount: 1.7 - 2 liters minimum a day
Financing: $3.50 per day for 2 litres
I've been only drinking natural spring bottled water since April. Fiji is a good one. I tested it with a PH strip to make sure it was neutral (7) or alkaline (over 7). My tap water was acidic at a PH level of 5.5 which hurts my bladder. I make sure to drink the amount specified to keep the bladder clean and wash out any potential pathogens. This amount is included with the D-Mannose and Baking Soda methods.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
Amount: 2 bowls everyday - 1 in morning, 1 at night
Financing: $600 - $700/month
Been doing this since June for my severe bladder pain that came out of nowhere in June, it has helped a lot to knock it down. When I don't take the TCM (I tested not taking it for 1 week), my bladder pain rose significantly again to the point of me not being able to move. I was writhing in pain on the floor. I had to do this torture test to make sure that it was working. You must take this 2 - 3 hours before/after your antibiotics and probiotics. You must space this 1 hour before/after meals. This probably is common sense, but make sure you go with a Chinese doctor for your TCM. I find that a lot of Western practitioners trying to practice TCM is kind of flaky and new-age. Some of the stuff I hear from them makes me roll my eyes because I know a bit about this stuff, my grandparents used to run a TCM shop in Hong Kong. Westerners don't have the deep knowledge of the ancient Chinese roots and herbs like the Chinese TCM doctors do, who are schooled excessively on it from Asia. So yeah, bring a translator app or a Chinese speaking friend with you to the TCM doctor.
Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy
Amount: once a week, sometimes twice a week if I'm really in pain
Financing: $110 per session
Been doing this since May for once a week. It has improved my urine stream flow a lot, I could feel the extreme pain points from her internal massages (yes, up into your vagina) and external massage therapies and the considerable difference in my pelvic muscles from May until now. Now it barely hurts compared to when I was yelling in May. My sessions are about $100 each time, covered by extended benefits partially but I'm paying out of pocket most of the time.
Vitamin D and Desert Harvest Aloe Vera to come....
Amount: no clue yet, but will do everyday
Financing: $11 for Vit D bottle (1 - 3 months worth), $68 for Desert Harvest bottle (lasts 1 month)
Soon, I will be adding Vitamin D to my regime because I did a Vitamin D test and found that I'm low on it. Ruth Kriz says that she noticed in all her UTI and IC patients that they are low in vitamin D so there is a connection! My naturopath, Dr. Akehurst recommended the Thorne Vitamin D brand. I bought one at 1000 IU but I can decide to take more than that if I want, and then slow it down to 1000 per day when my Vit D levels are good. I will also be getting Desert Harvest Aloe Vera in 2 weeks' time to try it out and see if it helps. I see a lot of IC patients raving about how great it is. I was contacted by Desert Harvest Aloe Vera to hold off on trying Elmiron and to try this first. I'd much rather heal through natural methods than go on Elmiron for my bladder pain, so I'll give this a whirl for a few months before resorting to Elmiron.
Baking Soda
Amount: 1/4 teaspoon at 1 or 2 times a day
Financing: $1 for a whole box (which lasts literally forever)
Right in the morning on an empty stomach, I mix the baking soda into half a cup of water and drink. Then I drink another cup of water right after to wash out the taste. I wait 1.5 - 2 hours before I eat a meal to avoid potential digestion problems since my stomach acid may be much lowered due to the high alkalinity of baking soda. My Traditional Chinese doctor told me that our bodies at night are 'worse', so that's why your urine may start to hurt or burn closer to the evening. When I feel that, I quickly do the baking soda thing at night. I take it every morning, but only sometimes at nights when I feel any slight twinge of burning.
Food
Amount: 50% raw alkaline vegetables, 25% organic grass-fed steamed meats, 5% organic fruit (only blueberries), 20% organic steamed rice or baked potatoes.
Financing: variable
This was such a game changer. I was urinating burning razor-blade knife drips, then literally the next day when I completely changed my diet to RAW VEGETABLES ONLY ALL DAY, the burn and sting decreased by 60% almost immediately. For some IC patients, it took a few days. I was shocked at the difference because I thought raw vegan was one of those new-age hoaxes. I did this for 2 months and the stinging/burning urine went down to 0%. However, I lost too much weight doing a raw vegan diet, so I started to incorporate grass-fed organic meats and cooked meals back into my diet after the raw vegan diet for 2 months. An IC patient told me that Ruth Kriz says we need protein to help heal the bladder lining. I avoided all red meats (most acidic), and do only poultry and trout. Fresh water fish is more alkaline than sea fish, so try to aim for fresh water fish. If you can't get organic, at least try to make sure the meats are from reputable sources. I never stir-fry or fry, because I was told that increases the acidity more. I make sure all my food is steamed, so invest in a steamer! It's very bland, but it keeps my urine from being razor blade dripping hot. My urine at the time of this writing is at 0% pain. (It's my bladder that severely hurts). My current diet is: 50% raw alkaline vegetables, 25% organic grass-fed steamed meats, 5% organic fruit (only blueberries), 20% organic steamed rice or baked potatoes. But if you are having raging stinging burning urine as you are reading this, go the full raw vegan asap until your urine is not hurting anymore. Then incorporate more foods back in. If you want to see my meals, follow my Instagram at @ichungry.
Probiotics
Amount: variable
Financing: $20 - $40 per bottle depending where you get it
I take Florastor probiotics for the gut, and Jarrow's Fem Dophilus for the lady parts. I take the Fem Dophilus once a day, and the Florastor - it depends. Once every other day, sometimes once everyday, and when I was on antibiotics, I was taking 4 a day.
Probiotics
Amount: variable
Financing: $20 - $40 per bottle depending where you get it
I take Florastor probiotics for the gut, and Jarrow's Fem Dophilus for the lady parts. I take the Fem Dophilus once a day, and the Florastor - it depends. Once every other day, sometimes once everyday, and when I was on antibiotics, I was taking 4 a day.
D-Mannose Powder
Amount: 1 - 3 teaspoons a day (2000mg is 1 teaspoon)
Financing: $30 - $50 per bottle depending where you get it
I used to take 3 teaspoons a day spaced out apart at morning, afternoon and night. Then I stopped taking it and then my MicroGenDX test showed I had e-coli. D-Mannose grabs e-coli and you pee it and the e-coli out. So I'm back on D-Mannose now and will experiment with 1 - 3 teaspoons a day. Make sure you take the powder form. That's the stuff that will work best. There are brands like NOW (Canadian) and Waterfall(UK) that I trust.Water
Amount: 1.7 - 2 liters minimum a day
Financing: $3.50 per day for 2 litres
I've been only drinking natural spring bottled water since April. Fiji is a good one. I tested it with a PH strip to make sure it was neutral (7) or alkaline (over 7). My tap water was acidic at a PH level of 5.5 which hurts my bladder. I make sure to drink the amount specified to keep the bladder clean and wash out any potential pathogens. This amount is included with the D-Mannose and Baking Soda methods.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
Amount: 2 bowls everyday - 1 in morning, 1 at night
Financing: $600 - $700/month
Been doing this since June for my severe bladder pain that came out of nowhere in June, it has helped a lot to knock it down. When I don't take the TCM (I tested not taking it for 1 week), my bladder pain rose significantly again to the point of me not being able to move. I was writhing in pain on the floor. I had to do this torture test to make sure that it was working. You must take this 2 - 3 hours before/after your antibiotics and probiotics. You must space this 1 hour before/after meals. This probably is common sense, but make sure you go with a Chinese doctor for your TCM. I find that a lot of Western practitioners trying to practice TCM is kind of flaky and new-age. Some of the stuff I hear from them makes me roll my eyes because I know a bit about this stuff, my grandparents used to run a TCM shop in Hong Kong. Westerners don't have the deep knowledge of the ancient Chinese roots and herbs like the Chinese TCM doctors do, who are schooled excessively on it from Asia. So yeah, bring a translator app or a Chinese speaking friend with you to the TCM doctor.
Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy
Amount: once a week, sometimes twice a week if I'm really in pain
Financing: $110 per session
Been doing this since May for once a week. It has improved my urine stream flow a lot, I could feel the extreme pain points from her internal massages (yes, up into your vagina) and external massage therapies and the considerable difference in my pelvic muscles from May until now. Now it barely hurts compared to when I was yelling in May. My sessions are about $100 each time, covered by extended benefits partially but I'm paying out of pocket most of the time.
Vitamin D and Desert Harvest Aloe Vera to come....
Amount: no clue yet, but will do everyday
Financing: $11 for Vit D bottle (1 - 3 months worth), $68 for Desert Harvest bottle (lasts 1 month)
Soon, I will be adding Vitamin D to my regime because I did a Vitamin D test and found that I'm low on it. Ruth Kriz says that she noticed in all her UTI and IC patients that they are low in vitamin D so there is a connection! My naturopath, Dr. Akehurst recommended the Thorne Vitamin D brand. I bought one at 1000 IU but I can decide to take more than that if I want, and then slow it down to 1000 per day when my Vit D levels are good. I will also be getting Desert Harvest Aloe Vera in 2 weeks' time to try it out and see if it helps. I see a lot of IC patients raving about how great it is. I was contacted by Desert Harvest Aloe Vera to hold off on trying Elmiron and to try this first. I'd much rather heal through natural methods than go on Elmiron for my bladder pain, so I'll give this a whirl for a few months before resorting to Elmiron.