Chapter 15: Cystitis

What you need to know about your friend, the bladder.

"Cystitis is the inflammation of the urinary bladder and ureters.

What can cause inflammation of the bladder?

Hormone imbalance before, during, and after menopause: When estrogen is not balanced with progesterone, mast cells in bladder tissue are easily activated to release many kinds of chemicals that cause inflammation in those tissues, as discovered by researchers from Tufts Medical School in 1998. This is one of the reasons why women between 35 and 55 tend to develop cystitis if they do not eat a balanced diet.

Imbalanced nervous system: When you get nervous, you tend to use the bathroom more than you should. In addition, the nervous system regulates immune cell activities and the magnitude of the immune response. If immune function is hyperactive from the overstimulation of the sympathetic nervous system, then inflammation in the bladder will become chronic.

Chronic stress: Stress depletes our anti-inflammatory hormones such as cortisol. When I was supervising the Chinese Herbal Clinic at the New England School of Medicine, I met a young lady who developed interstitial cystitis presenting constant lower abdominal pressure, an urgency to urinate, and a burning sensation in the urethra that dramatically interfered with her life. Even though she visited many hospitals and physicians and underwent extensive tests, no one could determine what caused these problems. She tried many kinds of medications, but nothing worked. I discussed with her factors that might trigger this disease under certain conditions. She said that at the time, she had tremendous stress and one day drank 10 cups of coffee to try to work more hours. Shortly afterwards, she developed this disease. In this case, stress initially stimulated her adrenal gland to produce more endogenous cortisol. Then, too much caffeine stimulated her sympathetic nervous system to produce more adrenaline. Finally, the adrenal gland, depleted by the great amount of adrenaline in her body, could no longer protect her from inflammation. Although our bodies have tremendous ability to compensate, if we abuse them too much for too long, they will eventually fail us.

Feminine hygiene sprays and spermicidal jellies: These products can cause inflammation when your immune system is already out of balance, which is why not every woman will develop cystitis from using the same product for the same period of the time. If you currently have bladder inflammation, try to avoid these products until your symptoms are gone.

Carbonated beverages: Carbonated beverages create an acidic environment in the body, which facilitates inflammation. If the inflammation occurs in the bladder, then you may develop cystitis.

Acupuncture Infertility Group