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Natural remedies sensitive bladder

Over the years I’ve worked with many clients to successfully reduce bladder sensitivity. The fixation on finding the next toilet or the fear of having an accident can be all consuming.

I’ve had clients who missed out on holidays, career development and even relationships as a result of anxiety over bladder urgency & frequency. The good news is that Hypnotherapy, EFT and a little coaching can help minimise the impact.

The first question that I would ask clients with bladder sensitivity issues would be whether they have had a full medical check up to ensure there are no underlying medical issues affecting their bladder control eg urinary tract infections.

Assuming there are no obvious medical reasons affecting the urge to urinate there are generally several elements that affect bladder sensitivity & urgency:

1) anxiety as a result of past accidents or fear of accidents leading to oversensitivity

2) over compensating ie urinating too frequently, perhaps many, many times a day, so that the bladder becomes unable to manage larger volumes comfortably

3) muscle tone – addressed by Kegel exercises as homework

4) diet – simple changes to minimise the irritation to the bladder

The fear of an accident creates anxiety and causes us to focus on the bladder – by bringing our attention to the bladder and asking ourselves if we need “to go” we sensitise that alarm system. Had we not thought about it we might naturally have gone for a significant time without feeling the urge. Secondly when we are anxious we trigger our sympathetic nervous system – our “Fight or Flight” mode which automatically increases the urge to urinate. In addition when we are in fight or flight we feel greater tension in the muscles around our bladder which can also trigger an urge to urinate.

Using Emotional Freedom Techniques and cognitive behavioural therapy we can reduce the anxiety created by past negative experiences and fear of losing control. By calming the mind and avoiding the fight or flight mode we avoid those triggers which have nothing to do with the fullness of our bladder and become better able to recalibrate our internal alarm system to its healthy levels.

Using Hypnotherapy we can work with the unconscious mind to recalibrate the signals from the bladder to the brain telling us when we need to urinate. The unconscious mind can’t tell the difference between imagining doing something and actually doing something therefore by practising calmly and confidently waiting longer and longer between trips to the loo the unconscious mind becomes more confident that it is achievable in real life. Hypnotherapy session are recording as an MP3 to enable changes to be reinforced between sessions at home.

This motivating image of the future builds confidence AND supports the essential requirement to stretch our comfort zone and venture a little further afield. It’s important to keep gently pushing our limits in a safe manageable way eg waiting 30 minutes between trips to the toilet or venturing further from home

In addition there are several things we can do to help ourselves physically with bladder control.

Kegels are simple exercises that strengthen the pelvic floor using focussed muscle contractions. When the pelvic floor is stronger we can confidently hold our bladder fuller for longer with the urge to urinate.

In addition there is a technique called double voiding where we finish urinating, wait 10 seconds and then give another little push to ensure we have emptied the bladder as much as possible.

There are several things that we can do at a dietary level to improve bladder urgency and frequency eg avoiding caffeine, alcohol, coffee and other diuretics, ensuring we stay hydrated and avoiding precessed food and artificial flavourings and colourings.

Natural remedies sensitive bladder

I would recommend a course of 3 sessions a week apart during which we combine Hypnotherapy, EFT & coaching to address each element to enable you to reduce the frequency or toilet visits, to feel more confident to venture further afield & to feel better able to stopping focussing on your bladder & get back to enjoying your life.

If you would like to discuss your needs further or make an appointment please call me on 07946 526 838 or email on nichola@londonlifesolutions.com