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How Can Alkaline Water Affect Bladder Health?

Alkaline refers to the pH level of the water. The pH level measures how acidic or alkaline a substance is on a scale of 0-14. For example, lemon juice (pH 2) and vinegar (pH 3) are both very acidic, while baking soda (8-9 pH) and milk of magnesia (10-11 pH) are both very alkaline. At pH 8-9, alkaline water has a higher pH than regular drinking water, which is around 7. Alkaline water can have benefits such as:

  • Weight Loss
  • Better Hydration
  • Increased Athletic Performance
  • Increased Energy
  • Improved Clarity
  • Boosted Immune System
  • Promoted Healing and Longevity

There have been many studies that have found that alkaline water can be extremely effective in decreasing acid reflux by inactivating the enzyme pepsin. Alkaline water can also reduce the blood viscosity, allowing the blood to flow through the body with more ease after an intense workout.

Drinking more water, especially alkaline water, can help people who struggle with urinary incontinence. One source states,

“Drinking more water may actually help and does not exasperate the problem. Your body must have water to function properly and drinking less of it can irritate the bladder and increase urination frequency. Water is pure and your body uses it to flush out excess amounts of acid and bacteria. Sipping water all day long is a good habit that you can try to help your incontinence to improve.”

https://freedrinkingwater.com/water_health/incontinence-treatment-drinking-filtered-water.htm

Alkaline water can also accelerate the excretion of melamine, preventing the accumulation in the bladder that can cause stones. Low urine pH can indicate metabolic syndrome, manifesting in symptoms such as kidney stones, high cholesterol, unstable and high blood sugar, unstable and high blood pressure, weight problems, and more. Drinking alkaline water can keep you hydrated, increase the pH of your urine, and keep infection-causing bacteria low.

According to the National Association for Continence:

  • An estimated 12.2 million adults have urge incontinence
  • An estimated 17 million adults in the US have daily Urinary Incontinence, and a further 33 million also have the overlapping condition, Overactive Bladder
  • Approximately 1 out of 3 women over the age of 45, and 1 out of every 2 women over 65, have stress urinary incontinence, affecting 15 million women
  • OAB and UI are about twice as frequently occurring in women as in men.

At His Therapy Wellness Center, we want to help anyone suffering from urinary and bowel urgency and incontinence, and any other pelvic health issues. Please let us know how we can help improve your health concerns by giving us a call at 864-534-1780, emailing us at office@histherapy.net , or visiting resources on our website www.histherapy.net. We hope you have a blessed day!

Sources:

Maintain Good Bladder Health

Take care of your bladder daily. Eat and drink things  that make your bladder happy! if you are not sure of what those things are then it is time you find out! Call 864-534-1780 and let us help you!

A Video on Normal Bladder Function and Pelvic Floor Dysfunction

Two great videos to watch on normal bladder function and why water is good for our bodies!

https://www.facebook.com/TEDEducation/videos/1315135368499666/

https://www.facebook.com/TEDEducation/videos/1299628043383732

For more information call us at His Therapy 864-534-1780.

Bladder Health–What's Normal?

When it comes to our bladder health, most of us don’t know what’s considered normal or not normal. Here are three ways you can know if your bladder is functioning at 100%:

You’re urinating 6 to 8 times during a 24-hour period.  (Now as we get older, our bladder capacity can get smaller and we may need to urinate more frequently, but usually not more than every 2 hours.)
Your urine flows easily without discomfort. No pushing or straining is necessary.
You can jump, sneeze, and laugh confidently without any leakage.

If you have trouble with any of the three points above, you should see a pelvic floor specialist; otherwise, you are setting yourself up for having to wear a pad every day in your old age. Bladder malfunction can affect how active you can be in your work, in your sporting activities, and all the other hobbies you love doing so much!

In the meantime, here are three main tips to maintaining a healthy bladder:

Maintain a good fluid intake. Depending on your body size and environment, drink 4-8 cups of fluid per day unless otherwise advised by your doctor. 
Limit your amount of caffeine (coffee, soda, chocolate, or tea) and acidic foods.
Limit the amount of alcohol you drink. Alcohol increases urine production and also makes it difficult for the brain to coordinate bladder control.

How our bladder functions or malfunctions can affect our quality of life more than we realize until it suddenly becomes a chronic issue. Don’t wait for it to come to that point. Take care of yourself and your bladder health by booking an initial pelvic floor therapy session with us today. Call our office to book your first appointment with Sabina Weaver at (864) 534-1780.

May your week be blessed!

Why Your Bladder Needs a Diary

Do you feel confident walking into the New Year in just two months?  What habits are you hoping to change?  What resolutions are you planning to make in regards to eating healthier?  Do you know what your habits are in regards to what you eat and drink?

If you want to be serious about keeping consistent with your health habits, try keeping a bladder and bowel diary.  Why should you keep a bladder and bowel diary?

First of all, I have to be a little honest, I can barely remember what I ate for breakfast this morning, let alone remember all the details of my bathroom habits!  What about you? Due to our busy lives, many of us do not remember these important things. So, can you answer these questions:

How many times did you wake up last night to urinate?
How many times did you urinate during the day?
How much and what did you drink yesterday?
Did you poop yesterday? When is the last time you pooped?
What does your poop look like?

Keeping a detailed diary really does make a difference in most of our patient’s outcomes and progress with therapy.  It shows both the patients and to the clinician what kind of habits and function that is actually occurring on a daily basis.  As a pelvic floor therapist, I find it so important to have all my patients answer these questions. I have parents complete a diary for their children, if they are not able to do it themselves. I’ve attached a sample of a bladder/bowel diary that I have them complete at the bottom of this page.
 
Once my patients complete a diary for one or more days, they bring it back to their next appointment, at which time we spend a lot of time reviewing their habits. I try to teach them what things that may be irritating their bladder or bowels with both what they eat or drink. Then I make suggestions on what they need to change in order to help their diet.  We spend time reviewing other parts of their diaries, like their voiding schedule. We live in a very fast pace where many people are not going to the bathroom enough and are holding it all day. Many professions, such as teachers and health care providers, wait too long to void and then they run into problems.

It can be a real eye opener for many people including parents.  It is pretty amazing to see the look when someone brings in their diary, and they notice certain patterns that they are doing in their daily lives.

It’s important to remember what you drink affects your bladder.  And what you eat affects your bowels.  A crucial part of a healthy bladder and bowel is in our dietary habits.

And at His Therapy, your overall health is important to us, and we value gut health and dietary education to be one of the extremely vital ways for you to overcome urgency, leakage, or constipation.  We would love to be a part of your new year resolution and partner with you in bringing in a new and healthier body for the year 2019!

Sabina K. Weaver, MSPT

How Diet May Affect Your Bladder

Although there is no particular “diet” that can cure bladder control there are certain dietary suggestions you can use to help to control the problem. Many people with bladder control problems decrease their intake of liquids in hope that they will need to urinate less frequently or have less urinary leakage. While a decrease in  liquid intake does result in decrease in the volume of urine, the smaller amount of urine may be more highly concentrated. Highly concentrated , dark yellow urine is irritating to the bladder surface and may actually cause you to go the bathroom more frequently . It also encourages the growth of bacteria , which may lead to infections resulting in incontinence. You should not restrict fluids to control your bladder without the advice of your physician. 

Some food and beverages are thought to contribute to the bladder leakage. Their effect on the bladder is not always understood however, you may want to see if eliminating one or all of these items improves your bladder control. If you are unable to give them up completely, it is recommended that you use the following items in moderation:  alcoholic beverages , highly spiced foods, artificial sweeteners, tomato based products , caffeinated beverages , citrus and fruit juice.
 
Here are some substitutions: 
Low acid fruits: pears, apricots, papaya, watermelon
For coffee drinkers: KAVA (low acid instant), Postum, Pero
For Tea Drinkers: Non-citrus herbal , Sun brewed tea
Vitamin C substitute: Calcium carbonate co -buffed with calcium ascorbate

Although water is always the best beverage choice, grape and apple juice are thirst quenchers and are not as irritating o the bladder, Cigarette smoking is also irritating to the bladder surface and is associated with bladder cancer. In addition, the coughing associated with smoking may lead to increase stress incontinence episodes. Obesity can also contribute to incontinence. 

Keeping A Record Of Your Bladder Function

HOW TO KEEP YOUR BLADDER DIARY 
The main purpose of the bladder diary is to document how your bladder functions. A diary can give your health care provider an excellent picture of your bladder functions, habits and patterns. The diary is first used as an evaluation tool. Later, it is used to measure your progress. Please complete a bladder diary every day for 2 day and bring it with you to your appointment. 

In the beginning, continue to go about your diary life as normal.You are making a written record of your normal bladder patterns so please avoid making any changes in your bladder routines. Your diary will be much more accurate if you fill it out as you go through the day. It can be very difficult to remember at the end of the day exactly what happened in the morning. The diary plays an important part in your health care provider’s ability to understand your problem and should not be taken lightly.

Also, if possible , remember to change your pad or clothing whenever you feel yourself leaking or notice that you are damp. A dry pad or pair of underwear will increase your awareness or problems  and improve the accuracy of your record. 

INSTRUCTIONS
Column 1- Type & Amount of Fluid Intake & Food Intake:
Record the type and amount of fluid you drank(in Ounces).
The type and amount of food you ate.
Note the hour you went to sleep and when you woke up for the day. 

Column2- Amount voided(Urinated:
Write the amount of urine voided in ounces in the box at the appropriate time interval for each time you urinate during the day. 

Column 3- Amount of Leakage:
SMALL=drop or two of urine
MEDIUM= Wet underwear
LARGE= wet outerwear or floor

Proper Bladder Habits

Drink 8-10 8 oz. glasses of water daily 
Vaids 6-8 times in 24 hours 
Normal voiding intervals: 2-5 hours apart 
No night time voiding if you’re under the age of 65 
Each urination stream should last 8-10 seconds 
Avoid bladder irritants: 
Caffeine 
Nicotine 
Alcohol 
Certain medications 

Maintaining Your Bladder Control Exercise Program

Once you have gained acceptable control of your bladder problem , you must exercise regularly to maintain your muscle strength and control. This is usually between 30-80 pelvic floor exercises through the day . If you stop exercising you may regress to your prior level of control. Use your pelvic floor muscles subconsciously and habitually throughout the day. Here’s a review of important ways to keep the gains you’ve made.
1. Always remember to tighten your pelvic floor muscles during physical stress, i.e. 
Before lifting or bending
Before going up or down stairs
Before cough or sneeze
Before going from sitting to standing
2. Use the pelvic floor muscles subconsciously and habitually throughout the day. Exercise your pelvic floor muscles during routine daily activities, i.e
Waiting in line
After using the toilet
Stopping at traffic light
While watching television
While taking medication
3. Pelvic Floor Exercise Program Summary
Endurance Contraction- Keeping your holding power
Hold for 10 seconds , relax for 10 seconds. Repeat ___ times per day.
Your goal for repetition is that each one feels like the one before.
Quick Flicks- Quickly contracting and relaxing the muscles
Tighten the pelvic floor with a strong ,rapid contraction then relax for 2 sec.
Repeat ____ times per day
4. Exercise your abdominal muscles to they continue to gain strength  to support your internal organs.
Do your lower abdominal exercise as outline bu your therapist
Do lower abdominal and pelvic floor muscles exercise together (the pelvic brace) as outlined by therapist.