For those who find themselves unable to manage their bladder, technology is now being used in the U.S. to help people to help people take control of the problem and thus reduce incidences of incontinence.

One person who has benefited is Yvonne De Los Santos, who had gone about her daily life for years without knowing she had a problem.

“I just thought, oh, I had an accident. I didn’t think to seek help,” Yvonne says.

Yvonne’s gynecologist eventually referred her to physical therapist Marlene Kuntz.

“Some women believe that this is normal. It is not normal to leak at any age,” Marlene says.

Marlene is using a bio-feedback method to help Yvonne strengthen her pelvic floor and to manage her incontinence.

“We have the woman connected via a sensor to a specialized computer and the computer is able to show them what their muscle is doing,” Marlene says.

The computer helps Yvonne know which muscles to contract. Marlene uses a series of computer graphics to help Yvonne visualize and pinpoint the muscles that control urine flow.

While this may not be the answer for everyone, it’s an option to be considered before medication or surgery.

Marlene says, “I think it gives women freedom, you know, to be able to do what they enjoy doing and don’t have to worry about getting to a bathroom.”

The therapy runs about 8 weeks and some patients have seen positive results as early as the 4th week

Kegel exercises or Pelvic Floor Exercises are exercises that increase the strength of the pelvic floor muscles and are named after Dr. Arnold Kegel. They are beneficial to women of all ages especially those preparing for birth although they can also help increase sexual enjoyment. Kegel exercises are straightforward to learn and extremely easy, you can perform them in just a few minutes while laying in bed, in the car or in fact pretty much anywhere.

There are many different causes for a damaged pelvic floor and the most common is the strain brought on from vaginal childbirth therefore, strengthening the pelvic floor muscles can ease delivery and make it safer for both mother and child.

Strong pelvic muscles also help control incontinence, many women suffer from incontinence and urinary incontinence brought on by childbirth as well as conditions known as vaginal prolapse and pelvic organ prolapse. In these conditions the uterus, bladder and guts are not properly supported and this leads on to urinary tract and bladder infections as well as incontinence.

Kegel exercises for women can also help with conditions brought on by obesity, aging and naturally feeble pelvic muscles. Many women that have had problems with sexual stimulation and climax have found a great natural cure in the Kegel exercise.

Performing Kegel exercise is fairly straightforward, the general exercise is performed by simply flexing the same muscles that are used to stop the flow of urine. It is important to note that you never want to do the exercise when urinating, this can end up in incomplete emptying of the bladder. It is generally recommended that you slowly build up the time you hold the muscles and be sure to rest the muscles for a similar amount of time and you do the exercises two or 3 times a day.

Although it might not be a subject you want to think about, if you are dealing with incontinence, the one thing you should not do is ignore it. Many have the incorrect assumption that nothing can be done to improve the condition but that is far from accurate.
Incontinence is the involuntary loss of bladder or bowel control, i.e. the loss of the ability to determine when and where urination and/or bowel movements may occur. Although rarely discussed it is actually a very common disorder experienced by as many as 6 million men and women of all ages.

Many find it difficult to manage, leading to frustration and even isolation and depression in the worse cases. Yet, incontinence is not a disease, but rather a symptom of underlying conditions that affect men and women of all ages and backgrounds.

The many causes of incontinence include pregnancy, surgery, infections or even just being overweight. It also can be triggered by a variety of other diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy and even diabetes.
There are also different types of incontinence:
• Stress incontinence: A small amount of urine is released by such everyday physical activities even ones as basic as, coughing, sneezing or laughing. This is generally due to weakened pelvic floor muscles and in many cases can be easily treated by activities such as pelvic floor exercises.

• Urge incontinence: The urge to urinate comes on so suddenly that it is impossible to reach a toilet in time. This generally results in larger losses than stress incontinence. Bladder re-training may help improve this condition.

• Overflow incontinence: The bladder is constantly filled, causing it to release small amounts of urine frequently.

• Reflex incontinence: The absence of bladder control is due to impaired nerve function. This is often linked to other diseases.

• Faecal Incontinence: Impaired rectal sensation or muscle control results in the loss of faeces (stools) or the staining of underclothes.

We always advocate discussing the symptoms with your own health professional as they are best placed to diagnose your own symptoms and condition and recommend appropriate treatments.

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.

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.

In a revealing article written for the Daily Mail, TV star Ulrika Jonsson reveals a very intimate health secret that embarrassed her for many years, LAI or light adult incontinence.

Mother of four Ulrika admits it that had never heard of such condition until recently, let alone talk about it; she always thought it was something you had to put up with after childbirth.

Ulrika reveals that she suffered light adult incontinence after three of four of her pregnancies and how she overcame the problem after talking to her GP and husband about it.

In Ulrika’s case simple pelvic floor exercises were enough to improve her condition, but each case is different, so she incites women to talk to their GP about LAI or light adult incontinence in order to get the appropriate treatment.

She also takes the opportunity to talk about the Always Envive Sense and Sensitivity Campaign, a campaign aimed to break the taboo around light adult incontinence and to get women talking.

For more info on this campaign visit www.alwaysenvive.co.uk.

Bladder control problems affect both men and women, but the causes usually differ. In most cases women develop incontinence when pelvic floor muscles, muscles that support the bladder, weaken. Sometimes after giving birth women can experience this problem, pelvic muscle exercises can help improve the situations, in some cases medication or surgery is needed.

For men, the problem is slightly different, the prostate gland enlarges as men age and presses on the bladder, squeezing the urethra and inhibiting urine to pass, in these individuals it is common to retain urine in the bladder even after urination. The retained urine can increase and stretch the bladder causing damage to muscles that control the bladder as well as the kidneys.

Men and women have similar incontinence symptoms but different treatments. In some cases urinary incontinence signals a larger health problem, so don’t be ashamed to talk to your doctor, only he or she can help you regain control of your bladder and diagnose any other health issue you might have.

One of the most effective ways of helping incontinence is doing pelvic floor exercises.

This will help toward strengthening the pelvic floor muscles and therefore the bladder.

The first step in making your pelvic floor stronger, is recognising where the muscles are. To locate them, contract your muscles as though you are trying to stop yourself from going to the toilet, this is your pelvic floor.

Make sure you contract the muscles correctly, the movement should be an upward and inward contraction, and not bearing down.

For the exercises to be effective you should do one set of slow exercises and one set of fast contractions six times a day.

When experiencing incontinence your pelvic muscles become weaker, but as with all muscles they can be strengthened again. Pelvic floor exercises are a great way of achieving this.

Here are some tips to help you get started:

- Carry out pelvic floor exercises for 5 minutes 3 times a day. This will help to strengthen your bladder, therefore giving you more control.

- Be careful not to exercise other muscles at the same time, as this can put more pressure on the bladder.

- The exercises: Lie on the floor, pull in the pelvic floor muscles and hold for a count of three, repeat this 10-15 times.

- Do you pelvic floor exercises three times a day.

- Most people begin to notice a difference after 3-6 weeks, so be patient, the results will be worth it.

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According to an Italian study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, incontinence keeps many women from taking part in sports.

In a survey of 679 Italian young and middle-aged women, researchers found that 1 in 7 were bothered by urinary stress incontinence.

Dr. Stefano Salvatore from the University of Insubria found that being overweight or having children boosted the likelihood of having urinary stress incontinence.

One in 10 women said the problem led them to give up their favorite sport, while one in 5 women said they limited the way they engaged in the sport in a bid to reduce leaking.

Sports with repetitive bouncing, such as tennis and squash, were associated with the highest incidence of incontinence episodes.

Researchers of this study say it shows that urinary incontinence, even when mild, can have a harmful impact on the quality of women’s lives by limiting their participation in sporting activities. Despite this, few women seek help.

Salvatore adds: Women ‘should be given information and offered diagnostic and conservative therapeutic options,’ including pelvic floor exercises, which have proven to be very effective in alleviating urinary incontinence.

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