Top Natural Remedies for Interstitial Cystitis Relief

For years I suffered with over-active bladder and later Interstitial Cystitis. Major OUCH! I couldn't eat many foods, such as tomatoes or citrus, without it irritating my bladder. I would be up all night, needing to urinate every half hour. The symptoms were much like a bad UTI, of which I had many.

The doctors were of no help, often prescribing antibiotics, ever though the UTI causing bacteria was no longer found in my urine. The symptoms would come and go. Some weeks I would be fine, then the pain would mysteriously start up again. As the years went on, I soon discovered a pattern. Eating too much sugar, or taking antibiotics would bring on a serious flare. Yeah, I'm a slow learner.

After a UTI and being on antibiotics, I would be fine for about a week, and then the painful IC symptoms would return with a vengeance.

Then, while on this very site, Earth Clinic, I ran across a post describing exactly what was happening to me.

The antibiotics I had been taking had killed off the good bacteria in my bladder and had also given me a horrid sinus problem. I had read somewhere that the two issues usually go hand in hand, but I had never connected the dots.

I discovered I had Candida, an over abundance of bad yeast. The sugar I ate had been feeding the bad bacteria. So, this made sense. The yeast had created little holes in my bladder lining, causing certain foods to irritate it. This also made sense.

The cure, for me, was cutting way back on sugar, staying on a good diet, drinking lots of water and taking GOOD Probiotics. Lots of GOOD Probiotics! That was the real answer, but it wasn't cheap. I didn't care at this point and just bought them.

The good bacteria in the Probiotics soon over took the bad bacteria and healed the little holes in my bladder.

For 2 weeks, I would take one pill with every meal. Soon my sore bladder issues were gone and so far have not come back. It's been two months now. Fingers crossed.
I can now eat anything without a problem. No more getting up all night, going to the bathroom. I still have a slight sinus problem, but it's getting better. I am no longer getting UTI's, so am able to avoid antibiotics. I still take daily maintenance Probiotics and can now tolerate Cranberry pills, which keeps the UTI's away.

Why oh why could any doctor not have told me this years ago? All they would say is "Stay away from the foods that hurt your bladder." They could not direct me to the root of the problem.

I have read that there are thousands of women who have over active bladders and now believe that in many cases Candida is the problem.

I hope me taking the time to write this helps at least one sufferer.

I can now enjoy life again. Hugs to you all.

Having done some reading about IC and noted that it is an inflammatory condition, I drank one glass of about 8oz water with about 1/2 tsp turmeric and a small pinch of black pepper. Then I lay down in the only position that offered a shred of relief, on my back with my knees out. I felt somewhat better within a half hour and was able to fall asleep shortly after. I woke up 2 times to pee, and did again when my alarm went off for work. Each time the burning and urgency were further lessened. The following day I felt almost normal again. I continued to take turmeric and it has not lost its effectiveness for me.

I have tried buying turmeric capsules with black pepper extract since then, and they work pretty well. I have also tried aloe, which seemed to have more effect when it was juice rather than dried in a capsule. These are all helpful, but I am still learning which foods bother me, and when I eat something that triggers an incident, the powdered turmeric spice with a little black pepper stirred into water is what helps me recover the most quickly and fully. Not sure why. I may try making my own capsules because the taste is not delicious. Totally worth it, though.

So, I went on a Candida diet, for 3 weeks and I not only lost weight and started feeling better, but my IC symptoms seemed to let up...but not entirely.

Then, after my latest flare, I did some research and discovered Bone Broth. I mixed a cup, half and half with vegetable broth, heated it, drank it and within 4 hours the pain had let up.

My understanding is that the Candida fungus causes little holes to form in the protective lining of the bladder, causing pain when the wrong food is consumed, and the broth helps heal that lining. Much like it is suppose to help heal leaky gut.

I thought, "It can't be this simple." So, I tested it, ate some citrus (a big no-no for IC suffers), symptoms flared, I drank the broth and the pain let up. I now drink at least one hot cup of broth a day and, knock on wood, I think it's my answer.

I believe that the Candida fungus was the root cause of the IC. Going off bad carbs was really hard at first, but now I seldom feel hungry. I eat very little but what I do eat is very nutritious. I have so much more energy and feel much younger. I told my hubby..."Unless I'm dying, DON'T let me take any more antibiotics! "

Hope my story helps at least one IC sufferer.

Red raspberry leaf tea helps if I drink at least 2 strong cups a day.

Marshmallow Root and Usa Urvi capsules help.

Quercetin and Bromelain help.

I was drinking the juice of a lemon for digestion and realized it was helping my bladder pain. I realized it was probably helping to make me more alkaline and perhaps that was what was helping.

Now I take some baking soda in water (1/4-1/2 teaspoon baking soda in 1/4-1/3 cup water) 2-3 times a day or as needed and rarely have pain.

I am thrilled to say the least. I hope others with this issue will have relief as well!

~Mama to Many~

After taking it for about two months, I no longer had any burning whatsoever! It was great! Life was great! I thought it was because I was being really restrictive on my diet and thought that the marshmallow root wasn't doing anything -- so I stopped taking it. About two days after my last marshmallow root capsule my bladder started burning again, even though I was still being restrictive with my diet. I eat really bland foods; rice, mashed potatoes, yams, vegies, eggs, etc. and still my bladder was burning? The marshmallow root WAS doing good for my bladder and I, like an idiot, stopped taking it. I have immediately reordered my marshmallow root. I was taking a brand that had 960mg in each capsule and I was taking two a day and my bladder felt NORMAL.

I will never again be without my marshmallow root.

To do DMSO in the doctors office with major medical only insurance would have cost me $4,500.00. I didn't have that kind of money. I tried EVERYTHING on this site and the diet, also no gluten, sugar, alcohol, baking soda, and tired many drugs. Doing the Physical Therapy, Heprin/Bicarb, Ladicane, many other drugs also for IC, but in the WORST flair for last 12 months was going to give up, and remove my bladder when I realized I have Amazon's DMSO 99.99% Pharma Grade 99.99% on my medicine shelf. I use it for bruises, back aches, etc.

So hey, I researched for 2 months, and then with my Dr's (barely) approval, I put some in my catheter w/my meds. (5 drops (diluted to 50% w/Reverse Osmosis water from Target) No pain, so I held it for 1.5 hrs. The flair stayed the same. But the next week I did it again. WOW. Instead of waking every hr to pee all night, I only got up 2x. Was more comfortable all day! I need to do 6 total. (one per wk).

You should also put 50% DMSO on belly and back (7 drops or so per day) as DMSO is also absorbed in the skin. (See Dr Jacob's site on DMSO. He says MSM is even better for this.) I will continue with the 6 weeks. God knows, this is a miracle drug! My Dr (an ANGEL) wants me to report to her my results. I will update to you all as I go.

RESEARCH THIS before doing or you can have HORRIFIC results, with permanent damage.

*** Never use it straight, nor with only a tiny amount of liquid, nor too often. ***

DMSO per 6.5 drops diluted w/6.5 drops of water would have cost me $592.00 at the pharmacy per week w/out the dr's appointment. It cost me about 4 cents. What a money grab!

God Bless. If?s, (Please respond here. )

I have been so lost, confused, depressed and in a whole lotta pain until I read about this miracle drug and tried it. I am 47 and have been through two operations for endo. I developed severe pain in my lower stomach and pelvis area and went to urinate constantly. Although drs always told me I had ic and endo, I never was told what to take for relief. Couldn't sleep for a complete night without having to pee. Back pain got worse and I ended up going to my obgyn again. He looked at me and said that when I have had enough pain I'll agree to have a hysterectomy that he recommends. Sent me home with birth control pills. Why don't drs tell u about these possible drugs that can actually help? Seems like there just out for themselves. I came home and started searching on the internet for help. And there I saw marshmellow root and the reviews. I decided I was gonna try it and after two days, my pain has drop tremendously and the swelling has went down a lot. I also have ibs and it seems to help with that too. I gave up my diet soda which I'm sure that has a lot to do with the irratation. But I am willing to try just about anything to feel like me again. So far I'm so impressed with the marshmellow root capsule. I hope this gets out there to someone who is at the end of there rope like I was. Give this a try, u have nothing to lose. I only paid ten dollars for 100 capsules and so far, it has been worth every penny. God bless.

The first thing I did though, was ACV and baking soda, and this did seem to help right away. 2 Tbs ACV, 1/4 tsp baking soda (I tried 1/2 Tbs and it was too much, I got diarreah! My bladder did feel better though), and 8 oz of water. I ran out of Stevia so put a little honey in there. It wasn't bad.

Yesterday I stopped all meds, including pain meds, and I did the extracts, the powder and the colloidal silver on an empty stomach, then ate some healthy greens and such a while later and did all the caps. Today I've done a couple rounds of extracts and caps with food, and I am still pretty much pain free! I have hope again! I still feel a little discomfort, but I am not writhing in pain anymore. I do the ACV an hour after I've done the extracts. Don't do this with food as it interferes with digestion.

I am convinced that some of the problem is that my pH was terribly out of balance, and that was a lot of the problem. But stress and sitting for too long were definite contributors. Time to change my life! I truly thought I was a goner, I was in so much pain. I'm going on a trip to Italy with my family in a little over a week and I was afraid I would not be able to go. I have hope today! So don't give up trying, folks. Try these remedies or others on this site to see what works for you, especially if you've tried antiobiotics and have no relief. Also, eat foods that make your body more alkaline, consider juicing (guess I'm going back to this good habit! ). Don't give up. You will find what works. My best to you all!

Change your diet and you may watch symptoms get better. Trigger points in the pelvic floor, vagina, pubic bone, anus, or psoas muscle can also cause urgency, pain, frequency. I'd recommend seeing a pelvic floor therapist to rule out tight muscles and pudendal nerve entrapment. Pudendal nerve directly linked to bladder and pudendal neuralgia can be inflamed nerves caused by Epstein Barr.

An inflamed bladder is caused by something..it isn't a mystery and it's not incurable. Maybe to doctors it is, but to informed patients it's curable. Eggs feed viruses, as does dairy, corn and wheat. Viruses feed off of eggs and corn in laboratories. Dairy is just mucous causing food from cows fed antibiotics and hormones.

Wheat destroys the villi in intestines and nutrition cannot be absorbed. IC patients are told to avoid certain fruits and urged to eat eggs, milk and wheat. Ridiculous! When I changed my diet to exclude wheat, eggs, corn and dairy and started juicing green vegetables and many fruits my symptoms improved. It takes a while, maybe months, but you can get much better.

Juicing celery can really start to rid yourself of IC symptoms. Cucumbers, apples, asparagus, leafy greens, wild blueberries, other berries, bananas, melons, kale, coconut water, garlic, and anything grown in nature in whole forms are healing. Dairy, wheat and eggs are inflammatory foods. Even if they dont feel inflammatory.

Supplements like cats claw, L Lysine, Vitamn C, Zinc, colloidal silver, spirulina, and other anti viral, anti bacterials can lighten the viral load and strep in bladder starts to go away. If symptoms are coming from a tight pelvic floor then internal massage may help. The IC support groups refuse to accept that IC can and has been cured by diet, pelvic floor therapy, and/or supplements. They're stuck in the mindset that they need toxic drugs and told to eat a toxic diet. Rounds and rounds of antibiotics wreck havoc on the immune system and can actually cause IC. Benzodiazepines can cause IC to erupt. It's tragic that women and men are told there is no cure.

Many people have been cured by a high raw fruit and veggie diet and pelvic floor trigger point release. And antimicrobial supplements. There is hope but you won't find it with conventional doctors. They thrive on the chronically ill. God put Adam and Eve in a garden for a reason. Not a wheat field or dairy farm.

I was just diagnosed with IC a couple days before my 30th birthday. I grew up with Bladder infections/UTI's, and was very upset to find out I had this chronic condition.

My pain was at a 10 all week long. I couldn't get out of bed, but to urinate. When I would urinate I would have to bite on a towel, the pain was so horrendous. I've been on a strong Opiate pain killer for the past two days, just so I can take a break from the agony.

I've been researching natural cures and started taking: Prelief (8 a day) and a Wild Pollen Suppliment that is suppose to help build up the bladder walls.

My friend is Indian, and I remember her telling me that her husband disolves Turmeric root into hot milk and drinks it every night.

So, last night I decided to not take my pain medication (took my last pill at 5pm and they last about 6 hours, max) and give the Tumeric an honest try.

I took one large root, and grinded it down to a powder in my coffee grinder. Warmed organic 2% milk just to the point of a boil, then mixed in the Turmeric powder, and drank it over 20 minutes.

I did not wake up once to urinate during the night (even on the pain meds I would get up every 3 hours). I woke up naturally at 6am, and I had no physical pain. I could get out of bed and stand up straight. When I went to urinate, I had a small amount of discomfort at the very end. NOTHING compared to what I've been going through.

Just the day before, when my pain meds would be wearing off, and I would urinate, the pain was worse than this morning, after the Turmeric, with no medication.

I hope and pray this continues to give me relief, and I hope it gives others relief. This has been the most miserable 2 weeks of my life.

I had what I thought was constant UTI's or feeling like I was getting one for about a year. I did get many uti's but even when i didn't 'officially' have one it felt one was coming on. I was finally diagnosed with Interstitial Cystitis. This is when part of the lining in your bladder is thinned or damaged- causing tissue, muscle, and nerves to be exposed to your urine causing debilitating pain. If you get an infection on top of this it is excruciating. I thought I was dying one time. After being diagnosed and not ok with "experimental drugs" I looked into natural options and prayed a good deal. I asked God for wisdom as no one here seems to know what to do to end the pain.

I started taking cayenne pepper. Believe it or not it actually works! I was scared to death to try it but the incredible pain i already had made me feel "it can't get any worse". I found capsules that also had ginger root in them to help the pepper not burn your tummy. Cayenne is an amazing healer of Interstitial tissue (bladder lining included). Start slow.. maybe two pills a day at 40,000 hu. It does burn some but that means it is working. After a couple of days add more pills to your intake until you can take 3 in the morning and 3 at night. Always take with food. Hang in there through the initial tough parts... you will get some diarreah and it can be painful. Also, cut out coffee, fruits and berries for awhile. After a couple of weeks try a half cup of coffee with an antacid and see if you can tolerate. Add lots of greens to your diet.

I have been doing this for over two months now. I can drink small amounts of coffee and little bits of fruit. I went from a 10 in pain to a 0... no pain at all. At times a little discomfort but I can tell my bladder is healing. The heat of the pepper is supposed to help fight infection too.