Can You Treat Incontinence Naturally?
Incontinence is complicated. Although a loss of bladder tension may contribute, incontinence is often caused or made worse by weak muscles in the pelvic floor. This may sound like a letdown at first, but it is actually a good thing. It means that incontinence can often be treated naturally by strengthening your pelvic floor and by taking remedies that support that strengthening. Here are some more specific natural remedies that may help with your incontinence.
Kegels
Kegels are pelvic floor exercises that you can do anywhere. Some people do them at work, and others do them when they are watching TV at night. All you do is contract the muscles that you use to cut off your flow of urine. If you're really struggling with incontinence, this might be hard at first. But do the best you can to contract those muscles repeatedly. Start with 10 or so contractions a couple of times per day. You'll soon notice your muscles getting stronger. At that point, you can try holding each contraction to the count of three. Once that becomes easier, start holding them to the count of 5, and then eventually, 10. As you become capable of doing more and more kegels, you should notice that your incontinence becomes less severe. The kegels help give you control over your pelvic floor and bladder.
Capsaicin
Capsaicin is the compound that makes spicy peppers spicy. As it turns out, capsaicin also has several effects on the body, one of which is the reduction of irritation in various sensitive tissues. If you take capsaicin supplements on a regular basis, they can help reduce bladder irritation, which may help dull your need to "go." You can also simply add more hot sauce and cayenne pepper to your diet. For best results, combine this remedy with kegels; it won't do as much on its own.
Gosha-jinki-gan
If you don't love the idea of taking capsaicin, this is another natural remedy to try. Gosha-jinki-gan is an herbal blend from Japan. It is said to help dull the nerve endings in and around the bladder so you don't get such an urgent need to "go." Gosha-jinki-gan is pretty easy to find at most health food stores and comes in capsule form.
If you're struggling with incontinence, you can absolutely try to treat it naturally. Starr doing kegals, and add in either capsaicin or gosha-jinki-gan supplements as needed.
Contact a local doctor to learn more about incontinence treatments.