Ssssssss..Stick it to Cystitis

Yep.  I want to talk about cystitis.  That stingy, nasty, painful blight that tends to make special (and often frequent) appearances that are seemingly designed to mess with your life.  Triggers can include sex, alcohol, riding a motorbike (u-huh) and certain foods (for me, Red Bull is a guaranteed shortcut to an army of wee nettles) and is a pain in the coochie to shift.   For some unlucky ladies it is almost a contraception in itself, with sex-avoidance a better option than inviting it back for another round.   

Bacterial or non-bacterial, the good news is your body usually has the ability to get over it by itself within a couple of days (unless it travels to the kidneys - if you see red, get to the doctor NOW), but before your body gets itself in gear you can give it a hand with this AMAZING acupuncture point.   The best thing to do is to come and see me and get a needle in there (please don't try this at home) but you can also use acupressure on this point to help give your bladder some relief.   

Over the counter remedies can also be helpful in neutralising the urine so it doesn't sting as much, but a cheaper alternative is to dissolve a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda in half a pint of water (please don't do this if you have high BP) and drink that 2 to 3 times a day.  

Interstitial cystitis is a different condition.   Non-bacterial in nature, it doesn't respond to antibiotics and its causes are unclear, but it can be a really difficult condition to live with and even more difficult to treat.  I have worked with several patients who have suffered with this condition, so if you find you always need to pee, call me. Catchy, eh?