Seek help if you have urine leakage. Acupuncture can help.

-

Urinary incontinence is the involuntary leakage of urine from the bladder. It affects 10% of the population. Women are more commonly affected.

The most common types of leaking urine are stress incontinence and urge incontinence. Stress incontinence is when urine leaks out at times when the bladder is under pressure, such as coughing, sneezing, heavy lifting exercising and laughing. Stress incontinence is usually the result of the weakening of or damage to the muscles used to prevent urination, such as the pelvic floor muscles and the urethral sphincter.

Urge incontinence is when urine leaks as a sudden, intense urge to pass urine is needed. Urge incontinence is usually the result of overactivity of the muscles, which control the bladder. It is also known as overactive bladder. Pelvic floor muscle training is one of the treatments used to treat this condition.

Overflow incontinence. This is caused by the bladder not being emptied completely.

Functional incontinence. A physical or mental impairment keeps you from making it to the toilet in time.

Mixed incontinence. Combination of any types above.

There are many causes for urinary incontinence: Some food and drinks such as alcohol caffeine, chilli peppers and food containing high in spice, sugar, or acid. It can be caused by some medical conditions such as urinary tract infection, constipation enlarged prostate in men, pregnancy and childbirth in women etc. 

Risk factors for urinary incontinence include gender, women are more likely to have leaking urine, age, older people turn to get more. Overweight, smoking, having diabetes, and neurological conditions.

Acupuncture is effective to treat urinary incontinence. This is proved by research papers. For example, recently Xu et al investigated the effectiveness of acupuncture on stress urinary incontinence. Before treatment a 72-hour bladder diary recorded by participants at baseline (week 0) and then acupuncture treatment was applied and the bladder diary was recorded during the treatment period (weeks 2, 4 and 6) and follow-up period (weeks 15–18 and weeks 27–30). In the bladder diary, the participants recorded in detail the time and frequency of UI, activity that occurred at the time of leak, and the type and volume of liquid intake. 80 women participated the study and they reported significant improvement after 6, 18, and 30 weeks acupuncture treatments.

Another new research paper investigated the effect of acupuncture on stress urinary incontinence. The result has shown that after 6 weeks of treatment, the mean 72-h urinary incontinence episode frequency, proportion of participants with at least a 50% decrease in mean 72-h incontinence episode frequency, participant-reported SUI severity, International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form scores, and participants' self-evaluation of therapeutic effects all improved.

A review has reported that acupuncture can reduce the amount of urine leakage, improve incontinence.

References

Xu et al PloS One ( 2016) 11(3):e0150821.

Wang W et al World J Urol 2018 Oct 13. doi: 10.1007/s00345-018-2521-2. [Epub ahead of print]

Zilin Long et al Front Public Health. 2022; 10: 827853.

Location: King's Rd, London SW3 5UZ, UK

Popular posts from this blog

Having foot drop? Tried acupuncture?

-
 Acupuncture helps improving foot drop Foot drop, sometimes called drop foot is a muscular weakness or paralysis that makes it difficult to lift the front part of your foot and toes. This causes the toes to drag along the ground while walking. To avoid dragging the toes, people with foot drop may lift their knee higher than normal. Or they may swing their leg in a wide arc. Foot drop can happen to one foot or both feet at the same time. Foot drop is a symptom rather than a condition. The causes could be muscle disorders, nerve damage in the leg, or brain and/or spinal injury. Muscles disorders including muscular dystrophy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and polio cause the muscles to progressively weaken causing foot drop. Some conditions including sports injuries, diabetes, spending long hours sitting cross-legged or squatting, hip or knee replacement surgery, childbirth etc could cause peroneal nerve damage or compressed causing foot drop. Brain or spinal disorders including strok...
Read more

Why are you retaining water? Acupuncture can help reduce water retention.

-
The body is mostly made up with water. It distributed in the blood, muscles, organs and even bones. Sometimes the body holds on to too much of water at particular places causing water retention which feels puffiness and swelling. The circulatory system including blood circulation and the lymphatic system, the kidneys, hormonal factors, and other bodily systems all help maintain healthy fluid levels. Water retention occurs when there is a problem with one or more of the body’s mechanisms for maintaining fluid levels. The main symptoms are swelling and discomfort. Water retention can be found in the legs, ankles, feet, the abdomen and chest as well as the face and hands. The symptoms of fluid retention will depend on the area it affects. If it is in the limbs, feet, and hands, symptoms can be swelling, changes in skin color, shiny or puffy skin, areas of skin that remain indented when pushed in with a finger, aches and tenderness in the limbs, stiffness in the joints, weight gain. If it ...
Read more

The Connection Between Facial Expression Muscles and Wrinkles: Understanding the Aging Process

-
Introduction: Facial expressions are an integral part of human communication, allowing us to convey a wide range of emotions and connect with others on a deeper level. However, over time, the repeated contraction of facial muscles can contribute to the formation of wrinkles. In this article, we will explore the relationship between facial expression muscles and wrinkles, shedding light on the aging process and providing insights into ways to maintain a youthful appearance. Understanding Facial Expression Muscles: The human face is equipped with a complex network of muscles responsible for producing facial expressions. These muscles are connected to the skin and work in harmony to create various movements, such as smiling, frowning, and raising eyebrows. While these expressions are crucial for non-verbal communication, the repetitive use of facial muscles can lead to the development of wrinkles. The Role of Collagen and Elastin: Collagen and elastin are two essential proteins ...
Read more