|
|||||||||||
 |
Healthy You Archives Healthy You Archives |
Just for Women
Take Charge of Bladder ControlLifestyle changes can make a big difference with incontinenceIf you drink orange juice and coffee for breakfast, eat pizza for lunch and snack on a candy bar each day, your diet could be causing incontinence or increasing your risk for it, says urogynecologist Valerie Riley, M.D., of Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network. Certain spicy or acidic foods irritate the bladder, causing you to lose urine when you don’t want to.More than 12 million Americans have urinary incontinence. The most common types are: Stress incontinence—Urine leaks when you exercise, cough, sneeze, laugh or do other movements that press on the bladder. Urge incontinence—You feel the urge to urinate even when your bladder isn’t full, and leak urine before you can reach a bathroom. Other symptoms include urinating more than eight times during the day and waking up to go to the bathroom more than once a night. “Fortunately, incontinence can be treated,” Riley says. “While serious cases may require medication or surgery, one in five patients can ease the condition with diet and exercise alone.” Here’s how you can reduce your symptoms and risk for incontinence: First, tell your doctor. Don’t let embarrassment or fear keep you from talking about the problem. Keep a diary of your liquid intake, trips to the toilet, leaking and pad use to share with your doctor. He or she can determine what type of incontinence you have, how serious it is, and what your treatment options are. For urge incontinenceAvoid bladder irritants. Caffeinated, carbonated and alcoholic drinks, chocolate, spicy foods, tomato products, sugar substitutes (Nutrasweet and Equal), onions and citrus fruits can make your bladder overactive and hypersensitive. “These irritants stimulate nerves in the bladder,” Riley says, “causing a strong desire to urinate.” As alternatives, make water your standard beverage, try Splenda as a sugar substitute and enjoy white chocolate instead of dark. Drink enough water. Avoiding fluids can lead to bladder irritation, says physical therapist Jennifer Roeder of Women’s Health Rehabilitation Services at Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network. Your urine should be pale yellow in color. For stress incontinenceLose weight. Extra weight pushing on the lower abdomen aggravates incontinence, says gynecologist Gary Conner, M.D., of Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network. That’s why many pregnant women have bladder control problems. Trimming off the excess pounds could ease your symptoms. For all types of incontinenceQuit smoking. “Smoking can make incontinence worse,” Conner says. “It irritates the bladder, contributing to involuntary loss of urine.” Practice Kegel exercises. These simple muscle-squeezing exercises strengthen the pelvic floor for better bladder control. No one can tell when you’re doing Kegels, so you can practice them anytime.
Want to Know More about incontinence, or about the benefits of Kegel exercises and how to do them? Call 610-402-CARE. This page last updated 2/12/08 04:08 PM
ARTICLE TOOLS:
|
 July August 2005 Eating Healthy
Staying Fit
Caring for Mind and Body
Just for Women
Just for Men
Raising a Family
Heart of Healthy You
Protecting Your Health
Coping with Illness
Aging Well
Keeping Up to Date
Weight Control
|
|
||||
|
|
|
||||||
