Beyond Kegels: 9 More Ways to Manage Urinary Incontinence

If a little urine leaks out whenever you sneeze or jump, or if you feel like you have to pee every 15 minutes, your bladder needs some help. Stress incontinence or an overactive bladder are no fun. The good news is there are some things that you can do that might help. They include:

1. Get busy with pelvic floor exercises. These exercises are also called Kegels, and if done right and with frequency, they can help reduce leaks and relax the muscles associated with bladder overactivity. Simply sit or lie down and contract the muscles you use to stop yourself peeing or passing gas. Hold each squeeze for 2-3 seconds. Repeat 10 times in a row, and do this set three times a day. You can do them anywhere; nobody will know!
2. Adjust your exercise program to reduce leaks. Avoid running, jumping and other high impact exercise, because these activities put stress on your pelvic floor and can increase bladder leaks. Instead, opt for sports such as swimming, cross country skiing, kayaking or biking—and work on strengthening your core with yoga and Pilates, which can help with stress incontinence.
3. Quit smoking. Wait…what? How can smoking affect my bladder? Pretty directly actually; smoking increases coughing and lung clearing, which strains your pelvic floor muscles.
   
4. Don’t ignore constipation. If you’re straining to empty your bowels, you’re weakening those all-important pelvic floor muscles.
5. Cocktails count. Alcohol acts as a diuretic, which means it makes you pee, which can aggravate an overactive bladder. Cut down on the adult beverages; your bladder will thank you.
6. Ditto for caffeine. In fact, coffee irritates your bladder and makes you pee more than any other caffeinated drink. Switching to decaf can help.
7. Stay well hydrated. I know, drinking plenty of water may sound counterintuitive, but hear me out. Limiting how much you drink also limits your bladder’s holding capacity. In addition, when you’re not drinking enough, your pee becomes more concentrated, which can irritate your bladder.
8. If you’re overweight, losing some weight can actually help your bladder. That’s because the pressure of fatty tissue on your bladder only serves to weaken your pelvic floor muscles.
   
9. Pay attention to what you eat. Avoid very spicy foods and acidic foods, such as tomatoes and citrus fruits, as they can cause bladder irritation, aggravating incontinence and bladder overactivity.
10. Think about getting help at the acupuncture clinic. Acupuncture treatments can help relax pelvic floor muscles involved in bladder overactivity; help reduce bladder inflammation and irritation; increase circulation to your bladder area to decrease inflammation, pain and muscle spasms; and acupuncture may also affect the local nerves to suppress bladder overactivity.

Contact me if you’d like more information about treating bladder incontinence with acupuncture and Chinese medicine.

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