The bladder is a triangular-shaped organ in the lower abdomen that is attached to other organs and the pelvic bones. Its job is to store urine and empty that urine through the urethra, but a few things can go wrong during this process.
This article covers the most common bladder issues that people experience and how to take a more natural approach to keep your bladder healthy.
Overactive Bladder
Having to go to the bathroom too often isn’t just annoying – it can also be a sign of a more serious medical condition. Most people urinate between six and eight times per day, but if you need to go more than 10 times per day, you might have an overactive bladder. Drinking lots of fluids, taking certain medications, urinary tract infections, and prostate issues can cause adults to have overactive bladders. To address this issue naturally, consider eating more foods with omega-3 fatty acids, drinking kohki tea, and trying herbal treatments like a Gosha-jinki-gan blend.
Read more: Frequent Urination in Adults: What It Could Mean and Natural Solutions
Bladder Pain
Pain in the bladder may be due to interstitial cystitis, which is a chronic problem that causes pain and urgent urges to urinate. This condition is more common in women and is difficult to diagnose and determine the cause. It may feel more painful when a woman is menstruating or having sexual intercourse. Physical therapy, electrical nerve stimulation, and lifestyle changes may help relieve the symptoms of interstitial cystitis for some people.
Urinary Incontinence
Incontinence of the bladder differs from an overactive bladder because it involves not being able to control the bladder even if there’s not much urine contained inside it. Women often experience urinary incontinence after giving birth and later in life with increased age. Stress incontinence occurs when a person sneezes, laughs, or otherwise exerts pressure in the body that causes urine to leak out. Meanwhile, overflow incontinence occurs when you aren’t able to fully empty your bladder, causing the bladder to get too full and leak.
Bladder Infections
Bladder infections form when bacteria enter the bladder, often during sexual intercourse or during pregnancy due to hormone fluctuations. These infections can be very painful and cause urine to appear cloudy or bloody. Drinking lots of water can help ease bladder infection symptoms, as well as consuming more vitamin C, cranberry juice, garlic, and antioxidant-rich blueberries.
Read more: Natural Ways to Prevent and Ease Bladder infections
Bladder Cancer
One of the most severe bladder issues that exists is bladder cancer, which occurs in the lining of the bladder and causes blood in urine and low back pain. Other bladder cancer symptoms are frequent urges to urinate and pain during urination. People who have a family history of bladder cancer are more susceptible to this disease, as well as people who have been exposed to certain chemicals or are smokers. To treat bladder cancer, chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery may be necessary.