Yes, there are many ways to prevent, manage, and treat urinary incontinence (i.e., the involuntary loss of urine). For information on the types and causes of urinary incontinence, see our Q&A called Urinary Incontinence.
Many types of approaches to prevent, manage, and treat stress incontinence and persistent incontinence are available to help you lead a full and active life. Among the approaches available are the following naturopathic recommendations (such as nutritional modifications, behavior changes, exercise and muscular training, and personal hygiene aids) and homeopathic remedies:
• Achieve and maintain a healthy body mass index (BMI; the ratio of weight to height)
• Reduce your consumption of coffee, decaffeinated coffee, black tea, and decaffeinated black tea
• Go to a bathroom and urinate when you feel you need to do so, instead of waiting until a more convenient time
• Perform Pilates, a type of exercise
• Strengthen the muscles of the pelvic floor (including the muscles of the vagina, urethra, and anus) by doing Kegel exercises daily. Devices that are inserted into the vagina during Kegel exercises are available.
• Wearing panti-liners or urinary control pads
• Wearing a pessary, which is a diaphragm device that is inserted into the upper part of the vagina
• Take a homeopathic remedy (such as Causticum, Natrum Muriaticum, Pulsatilla, or Sepia).[1, 2] Consult a homeopath, a healthcare professional experienced in homeopathy, for guidance on selection of the remedy and dose that is appropriate for you.
If the naturopathic and homeopathic approaches discussed above do not resolve the symptoms of either stress incontinence or persistent incontinence adequately, you can consider:
• Taking prescription bioidentical hormone therapy, such as applying estrogen cream
• Taking prescription alpha-adrenergic medications
• Having interventional procedures if naturopathic, homeopathic, hormonal, and pharmaceutical approaches do not resolve symptoms sufficiently
• Having surgery if naturopathic, homeopathic, hormonal, pharmaceutical, and interventional procedures do not resolve symptoms sufficiently
Consult with your integrative medicine physician, your gynecologist, and your other healthcare professionals for guidance on management and treatment of urinary incontinence.
REFERENCES
1. I. Ikenze. Menopause & Homeopathy: A Guide for Women in Midlife. 1998. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books.
2. J. Reichenberg-Ullman. Whole Woman Homeopathy. 2004. Edmonds, WA: Picnic Point Press.
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