Today's newsletter came and I was so interested to see it was a new one regarding bladder issues and the possible causes, especially since that is something many people with Lyme, myself included, suffer from. Considering what I went through this past winter, this particular article really hit home.
I will include a short quote from the newsletter regarding the bladder issue below, but I encourage you to sign up for the newsletter yourselves. Again, it's free and is a wealth of information that western medicine is not going to inform you about. Most of it involves supplements that can combat many different diseases such as Parkinsons. It includes in-depth information about medical studies and exactly why and how certain compounds work with the body to help certain ailments.
Dr Shallenberger is endorsing the Advanced Bionutritionals line of supplements and I am sure they are excellent. The newsletter goes into great detail about the source of the compounds, etc, etc. and there is a link to purchase their product should you choose to. Of course you can also try one of the other thousands of other brands out there, although AB are usually specially formulated for one specific ailment, such as healing the bladder in this case.
I won't post the whole article, as it is extremely, long, but here is a link to the website to sign up:
http://www.secondopinionnewsletter.com/Home.htm
Quoting a portion of Dr. Shallenberger's Newsletter: (As written from the point of view of a patient of his)
"The Real Cause of Chronic Bladder Irritation
Once I realized the experts weren’t going to help me, I started doing my own research. I read everything I could get my hands on about bladder problems. And here is what I discovered…
As you may know, your urine is made up of waste, water, and the toxic byproducts of your body’s energy production. And the job of your urinary system is to remove these toxic waste products and any excess water from your body.
The way it works is that your kidneys filter the waste products from your blood and combine them with water and salt to make urine. The urine then collects in your bladder until it’s about half full. At this point, your bladder sends a signal to your spinal cord telling you that you need to pee.
Now here’s the problem: All that time that the urine is sitting in your bladder, the bladder is being exposed to toxins. For this reason, your bladder is protected by a special coating.
This protective coating is made up of something called GAGs, or glycos-amino-glycans. Now I know it’s a mouthful, but you’re probably already familiar with GAGs. Some well-known GAGs include glucosamine, chondroitin, and hyaluronic acid. Yes, the very same compounds that protect your joints from wear and tear also protect your bladder. They do so by forming a thick mucus coating and a chemical shield.
If this protective shield is damaged, toxins in your urine can penetrate your bladder wall. This triggers the release of inflammatory compounds like histamine and cytokines which irritate and inflame your bladder. The result is that your bladder feels like it’s been set on fire.
Not only that, but when your protective GAG lining breaks down, the delicate nerve endings in your bladder wall are exposed and activated. This sends a signal to your brain telling you that you need to find a bathroom NOW. Only half the time when you get there, it’s a false alarm!
The good news is that you can help repair your GAG layer, soothe an irritated bladder, and restore your normal urinary function. All thanks to a unique combination of nutrients that I’m going to share with you today."
I think you can probably find the rest of the article on his website in the archives. If not, I can forward the email to you. Just contact me.