The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Carmen (Irvington, NY, U.S.A) on 02/25/2009
★★★★★
My mother, now 81, suffered a number of strokes in 1995. As a result of this she became urine incontinent. She would soak her bed in urine at night. I read the anecdote of the father who gave his daughter ACV for bedwetting and thought it couldn't hurt to have my mom try it. She did, and within a few days she became free of this terrible condition. Almost three weeks later she is still able to get up at night to relieve herself in the toilet. My prayers of so many years have been granted. I thank and praise God for His abundant provision.
Nutmeg
Posted by Sue (Fairfax Va) on 10/13/2017
★★★★★
Nutmeg for bladder control
Hi, 1/8 - 1/4 tsp. of nutmeg is a lifesaver when you have to drink 24 oz. water and hold it for a renal ultrasound!! I was amazed and very happy, as was the ultrasound technician.
Also, a shout-out to Mama to Many for your very thorough, informative posts. You help a lot of readers. Thank you!
Castor Oil
Posted by Cindy (Illinois, USA) on 05/24/2021 523 posts
★★★★★
I am in the middle of theorizing regarding some of the effects of castor oil and one that has just come to mind is the possibility that incontinence may actually be caused by a release of pressure that may be building up behind adhesions somewhere along the urinary tract that, once opened whether by the build up of pressure itself or movement, flood the bladder so that the inability to "hold it" isn't an inability to "hold it" at all, but, rather, a sudden rush of fluid overwhelming the bladder.
Adhesions, being scar tissue, is usually association with trauma, whether due to internal injuries or surgical scarring but there's another cause of adhesion which is dehydration in instances of which organs that are dying of thirst attach themselves to other organs in an effort to get fluid from them. Ordinarily, they'd attach themselves to the bowel but when the bowel is dehydrated, what then, if not the urinary tract?
Anyway, after rubbing castor oil on my belly a couple times per day for a few days, I am experiencing what I recall as "normal" signals of a need to empty the bladder and one of the things that castor oil is VERY good at is breaking up adhesions SOOO...
Rub some castor oil on your belly a couple times per day AND drink at LEAST 8 ounces of water every two hours.
This little idea makes me wonder how many other issues and diseases might be a matter of abdominal, pelvic or other adhesions within the core and if the breaking up of those adhesions might actually be what's behind the "miracle" of castor oil.
That said, it would seem even more important to keep hydrated if using castor oil and, thereby, possibly cutting vital organs off from the the source of moisture they're stealing from other organs. It would make sense if some organs got better - as in those that were being stolen FROM - but, ALSO, if could result in other organs getting WORSE - as in those cut off from whatever moisture they were stealing from them. Oil's great but it's no substitute for water.
Cold Water Therapy
Posted by Om (Hope Bc Canada) on 12/19/2013
★★★★★
Ladies, just want to share with you an important subject of personal experience which has to do with lower pelvic troubles. This will cost absolutely nothing and will make you feel young and care free again. Anyway, that is happening now to me and only after a few days of repetition.
First I have to regress and tell about the back ground of this. Online I found something on hydro therapy which I am familiar with as it is widely practised in Europe for a couple of hundred years or more. People who have health insurance can take advantage of it; the government pays.
Two natural doctors are practicing in North America and unfortunately I cannot give a link. But I remember very well when they say: for all troubles in that area cold water sitz bath is the cure. This also goes for hemorrhoids, fungal infections and vaginal problems you may have.
I had become incontinent. Whenever the bladder was full, the moment I tried to reach the bathroom it was too late resulting in a major clean up and more laundry. Then I developed hemorrhoids even though generally I had not had any problems like that before. The itch was awful and nothing worked as this became wet, it just spread. I felt as if my bladder was trying to slip down with a feeling of energy drain.
That is when I remembered. After each bathroom visit I dunked my private parts only, in a roomy bucket of fresh water, only wetting the private parts, sitting in it for at least two minutes. Immediately I felt new energy and an overall lightness. With each session matters are improving One has to realize that the lowest chakra when not functioning well, affects also the upper ones, resulting in illnesses. After a few days, the flow of urine has direction, improving all the time. Before it was like a water tap without a washer, wetting both cheeks and causing more problems. In between urinating I was fine but the bladder was weak as well as the sphincster. I had tried yogic exercises before with the resulting development of muscles around the bladder but it did not work for this.
So I think if there are recurrent problems, try the healing power of pure cold water. One condition is that you must feel warm to begin with, dry or dab yourself well afterward and keep the pelvic area warm. That is all. I feel wonderful and hope it will help others. This is for any disease of the pelvic area, not only incontinence. It is also good for men, of course , and people with bowel problems. Hemorrhoids shrink and stop itching and the lower story feels clean and toned. I expect to have to keep this up but more spaced apart. It is such a good feeling anyway. Like a private spa. Wish you all the best, Om
Nutmeg
Posted by Olivia (Nc, US) on 03/07/2015
★★★★★
I read about nutmeg for weak bladder about 5 years ago. My doc had me on a prescription for my incontinence which I took only as needed (when I am going out somewhere, although the direction said take one pill daily. After trying the nutmeg remedy and finding that it worked just as good as the prescription, I told my doc that I no longer wanted the prescription annual refills. She was very surprised and asked why. I told her that I discovered an old home remedy that works. To my surprise she didn't ask me what it was and I didn't volunteer to tell. I take 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg with water. The only side effect so far is good smelling breath!!!
MSM
Posted by Catherine (Wellington, New Zealand) on 05/04/2010
★★★★★
To Ted: Early this year I had a very bad UTI and ended up in hospital. Afterwards I had trouble with extreme urgency and thought that I would now have to rely on pads for the rest of my life. I had already been taking ACV regularly, so no obvious help there...However, a couple of weeks ago I started regularly taking MSM (500mg x 2 times daily).I was suprised on the second day after starting that I no longer had the "before and after" dripping problem. On the third day I was amazed at being able to hold on for 10 minutes instead of the usual 10 seconds. Since then I have had no real problems and no longer need to wear pads. I have an idea about why this worked for me but of course I have no proof, but perhaps the infection weakened my bladder (or kidneys) sufficiently to allow some opportunistic parasites to invade and the MSM killed them off. I would be interested in your thoughts on this. As ever Earth Clinic is a wonderful source of information and support.
Vitamin C
Posted by Mama To Many (Tn) on 01/03/2018
★★★★★
My 6 year old has been slow to completely gain bladder control. Even after potty training at 3 and a half he still had frequent night time accidents (which is quite normal and I am grateful for pull ups and the like.) I was not really concerned about that. The nighttime accidents were more likely if he had dairy in the evening. I could predict an accident if he had ice cream, which wasn't very often. It was not uncommon for him to wake up crying at midnight with a bad dream. We learned that a full bladder seemed to cause the waking up/bad dream. If he came to my room crying at midnight I just ushered him to the bathroom and he always emptied a full bladder, even though I was very careful to make sure he went to the bathroom right before bed. It was actually good that he was waking up when he had a full bladder, even if he wasn't sure what to do.
What I had not previously experienced was a potty trained child that continue to have daytime accidents for years. But not full blown accidents, more like leaking. I tried several different things, including Dr. Christopher's kidney and bladder formula but nothing seemed to help. I didn't pursue medical care as it appeared from research that this was not uncommon and children outgrow it. I also didn't want to have him end up on round after round of antibiotics. It didn't seem serious enough an issue to pursue testing and stressful procedures so we just decided to wait.
This child has been on 3 grams of liposomal vitamin C for about 6 weeks for whooping cough. And his daytime leaking has completely stopped. I suspect the leaking was caused by a low grade infection that had no other symptoms and that it was resolved with high dose vitamin C.
I had noticed previously that the issue was less when he was sick. I wasn't sure if it was because he was taking in less fluids when sick or if it was because the situation improved because I was giving him natural stuff to treat infection. So, it appears that it was likely the latter.
Whatever the case, vitamin C is an easy thing to try for children who "leak."
~Mama to Many~
Nutmeg
Posted by Nad (Cambridge, UK) on 07/06/2013
★★★★★
For urinary incontinence, try nutmeg. I saw it mentioned in an online discussion were someone said their granny used to clean posh houses and took a pinch of nutmeg so that she didn't need to use the loo while there. After I saw that I tried it myself, and I have to say it works brilliantly. I've not seen any mention of it anywhere else in this context, but it's been a bit of a miracle cure for me. Just grate a little over your food. Don't take too much though, people use it to get high too!
Kegel Exercises
Posted by Aimee (New Brunswick, NJ, USA) on 01/05/2009
★★★★★
I started having problems with urgency and incontinence when I was about 23 years old. I couldn't believe it-- but it was very real and very hard to work around it. (when you gotta go- you gotta go-- then again, with incontinence- sometimes you just go!)
I went to a physical therapist and she taught me that there were certain triggers usually that led to these special moments. For example, when I put my keys in the door, I would immediately have to go, be jumping all around and it was a miracle if I made it to the bathroom in time. There were other triggers too.
She said I should try to start recognizing those triggers and use the kegel exercises in combination. So, approaching the door, I would start the exercises. (If you don't know how to do it, you just contract your muscles like as if you are trying to stop peeing.) I would hold the contraction for about 6 seconds then release and do it again, five more times. So, 6 seconds, 6 times. If I still had the urge to pee (which I did), I had to do the exercises again. Once I got into the bathroom (another trigger), I did it again. Sitting on the toilet, I did it again.
The point is to continue doing it until you have control over the moment. Once I felt like I could control when I actually went to the bathroom, I was allowed to go.
This worked so well for me. I was shocked at how quickly it worked as well. Within days I was noticing a major improvement and within weeks, it was hardly an issue. You have to be diligent though- if you still feel the urgency, do another round of exercises.
Every once in a while, I'll start to get that feeling again. I do the exercises and within a few days I am totally back in control.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Dreamerbob (San Diego) on 05/01/2015
Shannon, Please reread what Blu wrote. She wrote it correctly.
MSM
Posted by Jemima Puddleduck (Halifax, Nova Scotia) on 01/26/2013
★★★★★
After suffering terrible urinary incontinence for the past two years (I'm 51 years old and figured it was part of menopause since it started around the same time as hot flashes) a few weeks ago it suddenly stopped. I had been going through 3 or 4 of the most absorbent pads every day, leaking steadily while walking and sometimes while just standing. I was thrilled and puzzled when one day the leaking just stopped. It seemed to correlate with starting to take MSM for my chronic allergic rhinitis after reading an article about MSM and allergies (sneezing constantly when you have urinary incontinence is no fun! ). That is the only thing I am doing differently (my allergies are a lot better too). I have been doing kegels for years with little success and was about to look into surgery.
After wondering whether MSM was responsible for this wonderful effect, I thought I would do a search to see if there was any info on the web about MSM and incontinence and ended up at this wonderful site. Thought I would add my experience. I take 1000 mg two or three times per day (I try for 3 times but the bottle says not to take them at bedtime and I often forget that third dose). Also, I'm not sure if its related, but I've lost 5 pounds as well when, if anything, I should have gained weight based on the amount of "fattening" foods I've been eating!
Magnesium
Posted by Karen (Alpharetta, Georgia) on 01/17/2010
★★★★★
I noticed when I took a magnesium tablet that the next day I didn't have a problem with incontinence. Then I did some research on the web and found that researchers accidently found out magnesium supplements will sometimes stop incontinence in people over 50. I take a 400 mg tablet daily. It works! Nice!
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Gord235 (Vancouver, B.c., Canada) on 08/22/2018
★★★★☆
I suddenly started wetting the bed at night and decided to try the ACV treatment twice a day. I mixed 2 tablespoons ACV with 1 tablespoon of honey and added hot water and took it twice a day, morning and night.
On the first night, the amount of urine discharged was reduced by 50% and reduced again on the second night. The next day I noticed an absence of that achy urgency feeling in my bladder. I suspect that I had a UTI (urinary tract infection). I am now on the third day and looking forward to a further reduction of the problem and eventual elimination altogether. This may take up to three weeks according to what I have read on other sites. I will post an update in the near future.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Blu (Nashville, Tennessee) on 12/11/2013
★★★★★
I started drinking ACV with honey in a few ounces of water twice a day to help with hot flashes as suggested here. I believe it's been very helpful with that, but a great side effect is that the urinary urgency and occasional incontinence I've been dealing with for a couple of years now has not flared since the DAY I started on ACV! It took me a few days to notice since I was focusing on the hot flashes, but lately, instead of getting up multiple times in the night to go to the bathroom or having difficulty making it to the ladies room during the day at work - I've had NO PROBLEM AT ALL! It's pretty amazing and I haven't changed anything else about my lifestyle or diet, so it's got to be the ACV.
Also, since I started ACV only a week after having the first hot flashes, I don't feel comfortable swearing that it helped with that, they could have dissipated on their own, but limited anecdotal evidence certainly points to it being the reason I'm not having them much at all now. Fantastic stuff!
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Phyllis (Weldon, Calif. USA) on 12/04/2008
★★★★★
I have had urinary problems(incontenance) for about 6 months and tried several different herbs and also went to a naturopatic. The things they gave me didnt work. Then I found earthclinic and the apple cider vinigar columns. I started taking 2 tbsp. in the morning and 2 tbsp. at night. and what do you know, it cleared the problem up in 10 to 14 days. I used about 8 oz. of water and sweetned the vinigar solution with stevia powder. I have become addicted to it. I love the taste. Shortly after taking I do get a slight headache but it leaves in a very short time. Must be from a rush of nutrients .Thank you so much for your website and acv. Phyllis
Magnesium
Posted by Ravi C (Alpharetta, Ga, Usa) on 01/10/2012
★★★★★
I had mild incontinence and taking magnesium (400 mg) twice a day really helped.
Magnesium
Posted by Viola (Hampton Bays, New York, Usa) on 04/25/2012
To Ravi from Alpharetta, Ga. -- what type of Magnesium do you use?
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Gord235 (Vancouver, British Columbia) on 08/27/2018
Update: The ACV & honey worked for a few days and then it stopped being effective but I discovered that just taking the honey without the ACV stopped the bedtime leakage. I stumbled on to this by accident when for a couple of nights I treated myself to toast and honey before going to bed and woke up dry. Searching on the internet turned up several articles mentioning honey as a cure for bed wetting. Could it be this simple? I now plan to take one teaspoon of honey every night and will post an update soon.
Nutmeg
Posted by KS (IL) on 06/29/2021
★★★★★
Nutmeg is a diuretic, improves kidney function, helps with kidney stones, and helps to detoxify.
Magnesium
Posted by Noris (San Antonio, TX) on 04/26/2009
I had this problem until I read about magnesium helping. I take any of the Magnesium and in no time (days) there is no more leakage.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Candycane (Grants Pass, Or) on 12/26/2013
Hi Phyllis...I read that some people can't tolerate the stevia sweetner. Maybe the reason for the headaches? Also, I've read that the ACV can make your teeth hurt, so I take mine through a straw. I'm glad you like the taste. I tried to take it a lot of different ways, but I still had trouble downing it. Someone posted here to use salt to taste, and it not only made it good to take, but it also stopped from my stomach being upset when taking it too far from a meal. I just shake a little salt in the water, stir it, then add the ACV. My 2 cents!
Vitamin B12
Posted by Lynn (California ) on 01/13/2022
★★★★★
I started taking vitamin B12 liquid spray sublingual recently and my incontinence issue was not a problem today. It has been a daily struggle recently. I have a very limited diet due to rheumatoid arthritis and was eating salmon just a couple of days a week, as well as nutritional yeast, so I might have been lacking due to a mostly vegan diet.
Today I read all the symptoms of b 12 deficiency and bladder control, as well as bowel control, was listed.I remember reading a post and vitamin b12 was listed as a remedy.
I have to add that I have been drinking green smoothies, kale and papaya plus some water in a vitamix and it absorbs better than chewing a huge salad....think baby food easy for digestion.
Magnesium
Posted by Smithsurfermom (Huntington Beach, Ca) on 07/15/2012
I was having trouble with incontinence a few years ago and just chocked it up to getting older. I was even checking out Drs. who specialized in treating it when my friend said her Dr. told her taking too many vitamins can cause it. I immediately stopped taking most of my vitmains except magnesium & vitamin D which I was low in and I stopped having the problem. Recently I switched to a magnesium containing zinc and calcium, thinking I should start taking calcium again, and now I am having the same sudden urges and incontinence again! I'm tossing those pills out and going back to straight magnesium again! I'm thinking it is the calcium as I never took zinc before but I'm just going back to straight magnesium. I take 500 mg. 2x per day. I tried researching it but couldn't find anything that said this but it is sure true for me. I'm so glad my firend mentioned it to me when she did or I may have gone through some kind of extreme treatment to fix something that just adjusting my vitamin intake fixed. Go figure!
Magnesium
Posted by Stlou (St. Louis) on 11/23/2013
I've had the same trouble with brands of calcium and MSM. I had been finally diagnosed with mercury poisoning and was finally 90% better, but changing supplements gave me incontinence again as well as insomnia, some migraines, fogginess and more. Realized that in each instance, I had switched from a shellfish-free or fish oil free source to one that did not make such claims. Any of these items can be contaminated with heavy metals and may be causing the issues. I had to learn to stick to my brands, specific items and check label carefully every time. I do take a refrigerated fish oil capsule, but it is third party mercury/dioxin-free certified and I've no issue with it. You may need calcium or the MSM, just not the source that particular product has.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Leslie (Los Angeles, Calif. USA) on 05/02/2009
★★★★★
Yea! I had begun using about 1 tsp organic, raw, apple cider vinegar 3x a day with a glass of water (about 12 oz) with a spoonful of raw honey and my energy and stamina have improved greatly. That's why I was using it and to see if it would help with weight control, and it seems to... then I read that it helped rid incontinence and I thought, huh, maybe it'll help me, but I didn't really believe it.
My boyfriend and I walk our dogs every afternoon in the park and until 3 days ago I had to stop once without fail to relieve myself. I am so excited and know that the vinegar treatment really works for me. My problem has plaiged me for about 5 years now and continued until just 3 days ago!
I also do home visits and I can't wait till I don't have to ask to use the bathroom on each visit!
Thanks for this website indeed!!!
Nutmeg
Posted by Azuka (Eaton Rapids, MI) on 07/16/2021
Just a comment about getting high on nutmeg. Nutmeg is indeed recognized as a hallucinogen. But, you need quite a bit to achieve this effect. Also, if you consume a really large amount of nutmeg the result CAN result in permanent brain damage. Just read up on youtube to see some horrifying accounts.
