Having a baby is one of the most magic moments a woman can experience in her life. After birth women experience a few unpleasant changes to her body like soreness and incontinence. These changes are in most cases reversible.

Recent studies revealed that by combining Perineal Massages and Kegel exercises – pelvic floor exercises – risks of urinary incontinence are reduced considerably.

To perform Kegel or Pelvic floor exercises first locate your urinary sphincter (muscle that controls urine flow). To do that sit on the toilet with knees as far apart as possible.  Start and stop the flow of urine. The muscle you use to stop the flow is the one you will be working on in the exercises. (Note: Stopping urine flow is not part of the exercise routine)

Now that you identified the muscle tighten it and hold it for 4 seconds and then relax it for another 4 seconds, this is one Kegel. Do 10 to 15 Kegels, 2 to 3 times each day. Kegel exercises can be performed during and after pregnancy.

Recently another technique that is proving to be quite effective to prevent incontinence during and after childbirth is Perineal massage, this technique is used to stretch the tissues around the vaginal opening weeks before delivery.

To perform Perineal Massages first wash your hands and apply lubricant to the area (vagina). Then place your thumbs about 1 to 1 1/2 inches inside your vagina. Pressing downward, gently stretch until you feel a slight burning or tingling sensation. Hold the pressure for about two minutes or until the tissue begins to feel numb. Repeat this towards the right side of the vagina for two more minutes and then to the left. Perform this technique daily starting at 34 weeks of pregnancy.

We would love to hear your feedback on these techniques and how effective they are to each one of you. So please share your results via our comments section.

A report studying the effects of obesity in women has recently been published by the New England Journal of Medicine.  One of the key points highlighted in the study demonstrated how weight loss is a decisive factor in reducing the risk of developing many types of urinary incontinence.

338 overweight or obese participants part took in an intensive weight loss programme, between the participants, an average of 8% body weight reduction was achieved which had a medium reduction of 47% in levels of urinary incontinence.

The study also revealed that loss of weight correlates with a reduction in high blood pressure, cholesterol levels, mood and personal satisfaction and chances of developing type 2 diabetes.

In sum, the report concludes that weight loss is one of – if not the – most important treatments for treating urinary incontinence – regardless of the root cause.

When you undertake a new fitness routine, it’s important to not overlook internal exercises, as they can play a part in curbing ones incontinence. The best of which, are what’s known as Kegal exercises, which – in short – is about consciously contracting the muscles you would use to stop the flow of urine: holding the muscles tight for several seconds and releasing. Think of doing these exercises as you would ‘reps’ and ‘sets’ for any other muscles you may work on, such as your biceps.

Repeating these exercises once in the morning and once at night can strengthen perhaps the most significant muscle groups: your pelvic floor muscles – which control the bladder.

One point that’s often overlooked with Kegal routines is that it requires a lot of patience. Because it’s internal and therefore hidden, and because regular exercise may not yield the desired effect for a couple of months, it’s easy to get lulled into a sense of pointlessness. Resist this temptation. Kegal take time to come to fruition, but when they do the improvement is significant and the full benefits with regards to incontinence become apparent.

Although we’re approaching the end of January, it’s not too late to make a resolution to take control of your incontinence if you are one of the many people who deal with it daily. As with any resolution; commitment and consistency will be a deciding factor. Here are 5:

1)    8 pelvic floor lift and holds per day

Like any muscle in the body, your pelvic floor muscles grow stronger with the right type of exercise. To make these key muscles work better for you, it’s important to do at least 8 consecutive pelvic floor contractions a day. To do this, you have to squeeze your sphincter muscle as though you’re trying to block the flow of urine. This will, in a sense, ‘lift’ your internal muscles and will feel rather uncomfortable at first. This is simply because the sensation will be unfamiliar. However with every rep, you have to concentrate on ‘holding’ it for longer and with increased internal strain. Do these lift-and-holds often enough and you will notice your pelvic floor muscles become stronger.

2)    Find your neutral spine posture and hold it

Take a mirror and stand sideways. You want to find your spine’s natural curves. For most people, their spine sits on a slight concave at the base and leads up to a gentle rounding of their upper back and then a slight concave of the neck leading to the skull. To find your neutral spine position you, stand with soft knees (in other words, don’t lock them so your legs are ridged). Next, adopt a gymnast stretching pose by putting your hands on your hips and rocking your pelvis back and forth. You should feel strained when arching back. After some time, revert back to your soft knees stance. Now draw in your belly button in, tightening the imaginary corset around your spine. You body will naturally find its natural posture from doing this. Finding and holding this posture allows your pelvic floor muscles to react and contract when you cough, lift or laugh.

3)    Exercises per day to work specific muscle groups

Your inner thighs, transverses abdominus and hip rotator muscles work in coordination to stabilise your pelvic floor muscles in between going to the toilet. Working on these muscle groups has a profound effect on the front, back and sides of the abdominal and pelvic muscle which, in turn, exerts more control over the bladder muscles. A local personal trainer or physical therapist will most likely have a host of strengthening exercises that you can do daily.

4)    Drink more water

This is the opposite of what many people with urinary incontinence do, but is exactly what a healthy body needs. Nutrition experts reckon eight 64oz cups of water per day is sufficient. Why? Among other things, water flushes the system as much of the foods we eat are, by themselves, irritants to the bladder. Such irritation leads to increased frequency and intensity of urge. It’s a simple case of: more water, the more diluted potential irritants will be.

5)    Get out and move!

Nothing is better for your neuromuscular, cardiovascular, digestive and respiratory system than simple, straightforward exercise. Whether it’s walking, dancing, swimming or running up and down your stairs. The positive effects on your continence should simply not be underestimated. Our bodies are amazing and as long as you’re committed to doing a combination of pelvic floor lifts, adopting the correct spinal posture and regular cardiovascular exercise, you will see a market improvement in your ability to control continence.

Have you got anything you would like to add to this post? Please do so in our comments section!

If you have questions, doubts and concerns about incontinence, don’t hesitate to contact our specialist nurse Shona about it, all questions are dealt with discretion and privacy.

If you involuntarily leak urine under internal pressures caused by sneezing, laughing or heavy lifting, it’s more than likely you have Stress incontinence. Embarrassing? Yes. Incurable? No. Unfortunately you will have to consult an expert and this will involve being upfront about the situation in order for them to propose the right treatment. A gynaecologist, while an expert, still needs your input to fully judge the situation. For that reason, it benefits both parties for you to have the essential information prepared before an appointment. Here are 7 questions likely to be asked by an incontinence expert when evaluating you.

Do you leak urine when laughing, coughing, lifting, and so on?

This is a certain indicator of whether you have some degree of stress related incontinence. What varies is the treatment, as the root cause can be different things and requires varying treatment.

Does it hurt when you urinate?

This could mean you have a urinary tract infection that requires antibiotics to treat. That is, until further diagnostics are made. In other words, it may only require antibiotics to kill off unwanted germs.

How often do you empty your bladder in the daytime?

This is an instance where keeping a record can give an expert an accurate picture of what’s going on in your bladder. I can also be used to track your own progress, further down the line.

Are you always aware of the leaking occurring?

An upgraded management plan may be necessary to avoid embarrassing incidence if this happens to you.

Do you wear incontinence pads, and how often doo you need to change them?

This sort of question is aimed at gauging the severity of the condition and helps indicate whether exercises are sufficient, or if more advance procedures such as medication or surgery.

Do you leak urine on the way to the bathroom, when you have a strong urge to pee?

A sign that overactive bladder syndrome is present in conjunction with stress incontinence.

Are you woken up by the urge to urinate in the night-time?

An expert will be keen to know whether you’re woken up by the urge to urinate, or woken up by other things and then need to go – another indicator of severity that will decide a course of action for dealing with the problem.

Do you wear incontinence pads, and how often doo you need to change them?

This sort of question is aimed at gauging the severity of the condition and helps indicate whether exercises are sufficient, or if more advance procedures such as medication or surgery.

Do you leak urine on the way to the bathroom, when you have a strong urge to pee?

A sign that overactive bladder syndrome is present in conjunction with stress incontinence.

Are you woken up by the urge to urinate in the night-time?

An expert will be keen to know whether you’re woken up by the urge to urinate, or woken up by other things and then need to go – another indicator of severity that will decide a course of action for dealing with the problem.

Have you got a question you want to ask about incontinence? Please don’t hesitate to use our comments section below or if you prefer a more discreet way to ask for incontinence advice ask our nurse specialist Shona.

Here are a few methods that are either advocated practicing incontinence nurses that you can get going with immediately if you suspect that you have either Stress or Urge incontinence.

Unfortunately there is no quick-fix solution with either condition – the exception being certain surgical procedures – however with some focus and effort there are proved ways to curb male and female incontinence.

The first and perhaps most demanding way of numbering the number of incident of incontinence, is to lose weight.

Regularly emptying your bladder is a very important thing to do. It does not necessarily reduce or cure incontinence; it has preventative benefits that are necessary to stop the condition worsening. Not going regularly when you have incontinence can lead to problems such as an overstretched bladder or a bladder infection. The most important time to make sure you always go – even if you don’t feel little to no urge – is before and after means and before going to bed.

And even simpler method for dealing with incontinence is to breathe deeply, especially in instance of sudden urges, in which case try your best not to panic with calm inhalations. It helps to think confident thoughts that encourage you to feel in control; telling yourself you are not going to have an accident while you breathe.

By the same token, reducing stress and tension in your life is going to help this process of psychologically managing incontinence, the reason being that emotions and your body’s central nervous system are inextricably linked. Being depressed, anxious or angry all the while can negatively affect you bodily sensations. At the very least, it’s worth taking at least an hour out of every day to walk in the park, have a bath, watch a movie you know you like etc. Any activity that helps you to unwind – which, actually, is good to do regardless.

This is the third and final part of our series about Alternative Treatments for Incontinence. As mentioned on Part 2, today we’ll cover some commonly used homeopathic remedies that can be use as incontinence treatments.

Before we list these homeopathic remedies, here is a light insight about them. Homoeopathic medicines are drug components made by homoeopathic pharmacies consisting of plants, minerals and animal extracts. Remedies (usually in liquid, tablet or powder form) are prescribed in accordance with a patient’s symptoms and health conditions while individual characteristics such as emotions and physical condition are also taken into account. Based on that, here are some homeopathic remedies commonly used in the treatment of urinary incontinence:

Arnica is great for involuntary urination that occurs after surgery.
Belladonna is helpful for people who tend to leak urine when they are cold.
Causticum is helpful when involuntary urination is worse in winter and better in summer. It is also useful for stress incontinence.
Equisetum is useful for those people that wet their pants or their bed for no known reason, other than out of habit.
Ferrum phos is helpful for daytime involuntary urination, especially when the urge is strongest while standing.
Kreosotum is useful when the person has a sudden urge to urinate but do not have enough time to get to the bathroom.
Lycopodium is useful for those that are so anxious that they always worry about what others think of them.
Zincum is useful for stress incontinence, urinary retention caused by prostate problems, and the inability to urinate while standing.
Pareira is good for the retention of urine from an enlarged prostate.
Sepia is good for stress incontinence with the sudden urge to urinate, especially with a prolapsed uterus and vaginitis.

Once again, it is important to highlight that the content of this article is aimed for informational purposes only and it is not intended to replace by any means your doctors recommendations.

This is it for our series of articles on Alternative Treatments for Incontinence, hope you enjoyed it and feel free to share your thoughts in our comments section.

Incontinence and other bladder problems don’t necessarily have to be treated with medications and there is no unique treatment strategy for incontinence. Leakages can be prevented temporarily with incontinence pads and bladder / pelvic muscles can be toned and strengthened by herbal remedies and simple exercises.

Combining natural medicine with Kegel exercise, biofeedback, acupuncture and so forth makes for a much more effective therapeutic strategy:

Biofeedback helps you become more aware of signals from your body. This may help you regain control over the muscles in your bladder and urethra. Biofeedback can be used to help teach pelvic muscle exercises.

Kegel exercises also known as pelvic floor exercises, involve the voluntary contraction and relaxation of the pelvic floor muscles. Kegel exercises strengthen the muscles that support the urethra, bladder, and uterus.

Acupuncture provides symptom relief for incontinence. It helps tone muscle and increase blood flow to the bladder. It can boost the immune system, soothe inflammation and restore balance to the hormones.

Yoga, more precisely the Aswini mudra exercise, is very similar the Kegel exercises.

Nutrition, eliminate foods and drinks that can irritate your bladder, including alcohol, caffeine, foods high in acid (such as tomato or grapefruit), spicy foods, sweetener substitutes and sugars. Keep a food diary to see if any correlation exists between what you consume and your incontinence.

It is important to highlight that the content of this article is aimed for informational purposes only and it is not intended to replace by any means your doctor’s recommendations.

Taking care of loved ones is a rewarding job. However, it might not be highly profitable and at times can have its ups and downs – one of the biggest obstacles of caring is when the person you care for becomes incontinent.

To help carers across the country overcome this obstacle, we have created this list of incontinence advice and tips with tricks – most have incontinence products to make your life easier.

Incontinence Products

Disposable Gloves – Always have a box of disposable latex gloves around the house.

Adult Wipes – Adult wet wipes are ideal for the less mobile patients.

Odour Neutralizing Sprays – These sprays will remove room odours instantly.

Incontinence Pads – with a wide range available, disposable or washable pads, there is one suitable for each type of patient.

Bed Protection – These pads are designed to protect bedding, mattresses and chairs. Again you have a choice of washable and disposable pads.

Wash Creams and Mousses – Cleanses, restores and protects even the most delicate skin. Replaces soap and water and other conventional skin conditioning products.

Tip: Keep all these incontinence products in one place, so you don’t have to run around the house looking for them when you need it.

Keep the morale up!

It is extremely important that you, as a carer, don’t make the incontinent person feel bad about their condition. Try talking to them and explaining that Incontinence is a common condition and there is nothing to be ashamed off.

When referring to the “diapers” try not to use that word, use words like incontinence pad or padded underwear instead.

Remember helping people with incontinence can be a strenuous and frustrating task, so every now and then try to put yourself in their situation, that will help you regain your calm and the will help them.

Incontinence is more common in women than in men, but there is a type of incontinence that is prevalent in older men and very rare in women. With this condition patients never feel the urge to urinate, the bladder never empties and small amounts of urine leak continuously, this condition is called Overflow incontinence.

The reason it is more common is men as it is often related to enlarged prostate, which is situated just underneath the bladder. The urine outflow tube passes through the middle of the prostate, and any enlargement of this gland presses on the urethra (urine tube). This makes it difficult for the bladder to empty and fill up completely, and a pool of urine constantly remains in the bladder.

In this article we look into symptoms, causes and diagnosis of overflow incontinence in a simple and easy way to give you a better understanding of this type incontinence.

Symptoms or Signs:

Bladder never feels empty
Frequent night time urinate
Inability to void, even when the urge is felt
Urine dribbles, even after voiding

Causes:

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH; enlarged prostate)
Neurogenic bladder (underactive)
Tumours
Urinary stones

Diagnosis

Diagnosis involves identifying the type and severity of the disorder. Based on the information obtained, doctors may prescribe one or more diagnostic procedures.

For more information and advice on overflow incontinence contact Allanda or if you wish to ask a personal question in private then ask our Nurse Shona, who specialises in incontinence care.

The most common cancer in men, other than skin cancers, is Prostate cancer; about one in six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime. The good news is, men who are affected by the disease have a wider selection of effective treatment and very high survival rates if detected early.

However, after men finish their treatment they are often faced with an additional treatment side effects, such as urinary incontinence.

Scott Williams, vice president of the Men’s Health Network, says…

“Dealing with the post-treatment side effects of prostate cancer is tough, men can regain a sense of control during their recovery period by learning more about conditions like urinary incontinence — one of the most common treatment side effects — so they know what to expect and how they can manage it.”

There are a number of helpful online resources available for men, such as Allanda; we provide men, including those suffering or recovering from prostate cancer, with straight-talking educational information on urinary incontinence as well as offering advice on incontinence products, should you wish to ask a personal question in private then ask our Nurse Shona, who specialises in incontinence care.

For men who are recovering from Prostate Cancer and urinary incontinence, Shona recommends the following:

* Talk to your doctor, as understanding the side effects of Prostate cancer treatment will help you come to terms with the condition and manage incontinence more effectively.

* Join a local prostate cancer support group to exchange valuable tips, advice and experience on dealing with the side effects of prostate cancer treatment.

* Be patient and give yourself time, some side effects of prostate cancer treatment like urinary incontinence are often temporary.

For more information and advice on male urinary incontinence contact Allanda.