Bedwetting

July 29, 2010

When a child wets the bed during sleep, it’s very often due to the same reason some adults wake up two or three times a night having to go to the bathroom … adrenal fatigue. The adrenals help to regulate the body’s balance of fluids. But bedwetting can also be due to fear, hypoglycemia, mineral imbalances, or kidney and/or bladder weakness.

To build the adrenals and regulate blood sugar, Licorice Root or HY-A are very helpful. Also, a protein bedtime snack of cottage cheese, a couple of ounces of peanut butter, or beef jerky may help. Collatrim taken at bedtime will have the same effect.

If mineral imbalances are contributing to the problem, Magnesium deficiency in particular could be the root cause.

Herbs such as JP-X, Juniper Berries, Kidney Activator, Marshmallow, Parsley, and Uva Ursi are used often to encourage urination during the day.

Another cause can be a lack of tone in the sphincter of the bladder. If this is the case, Uva Ursi taken as a tea can be helpful.

For adults, see Incontenance

Other supplements that are helpful in eliminating bedwetting are: Adrenal Support, Black Cohosh, Chromium GTF, Cornsilk, Cranberry & Buchu, Eleuthero, Free Amino Acids, Green Tea Extract, Herbal CA, Kava Kava, Kidney Drainage, Master Gland, Pro-Pancreas, Red Raspberry, St. John’s Wort, Super Algae, Urinary Maintenance, White Oak Bark

Reference:

Steven Horne, R. (. (2003). The Comprehensive Guide to Nature’s Sunshine Products. St. George, UT: Tree of Light Publishing

Posted by Terry | Filed Under Ailments Reference, Herbal Products | Leave a Comment

Bladder Problems (see also Cancer: Bladder, Cystitis)

July 29, 2010

Bladder Infections

Your bladder can become infected easily (especially if you’re a woman), from bacteria in the feces. It’s even easier if the microflora of your intestinal tract has been compromised from using antibiotics, birth control pills and other medications. See Fungal Infections for more information. Bacteria invading the bladder can result in pain, itching, burning urination, and a frequent feeling of urgency to void.

Bladder infections can be prevented with unsweetened cranberry juice, or Cranberry/Buchu Concentrate. If there is an active infection, the cranberry is less effective, but there are other herbs that are great for treating acute bladder infections. These include Goldenseal, JP-X (do not use if kidney inflammation is present), Uva Ursi (taken as a tea), and Ultimate Echinacea.

A pH imbalance in the body will also make a person more likely to get a bladder infection.

In addition to the supplements mentioned above, here are some others that can help to eliminate a bladder infection:

Silver Shield, Golden Seal, Golden Seal/Parthenium, KB-C, Olive Leaf, Parthenium, Urinary Maintenance, Vitamin C, White Oak Bark

Bladder (Irritable)

When your bladder is “irritable’ there is a constant urge to urinate, even though the bladder is practically empty. Dehydradration and/or inflammation can cause this. Some supplements that help with this issue are:

Cornsilk, False Unicorn, Kidney Drainage, Lymphatic Drainage, Marshmallow

Bladder Problems (general)

For general bladder problems such as inflammation and irritation, dribbling (incontinence), bladder stones, and others, the following supplements are very helpful:

Bayberry, Collatrim, Cornsilk, Green Tea, Hydrangea -stones, IGF-1, Kidney Drainage, Olive Leaf Extract - infection, Parsley -stones, mucus, Pro-Pancreas, Red Raspberry

Bladder (ulcerated)

Uva Ursi, White Oak Bark -weakness

References:

Steven Horne, R. (. (2003). The Comprehensive Guide to Nature’s Sunshine Products. St. George, UT: Tree of Light Publishing

Posted by Terry | Filed Under Ailments Reference, Herbal Products | Leave a Comment

Urinary System

July 27, 2010

The urinary system consists of two kidneys, each having a ureter connecting it to the bladder. The bladder is then connected to the urethra, which ultimately leads to an opening out of the body. The function of the urinary system is to produce and remove a waste product called urine, and to regulate the amount, alkalinity or acidity, and consistency of body fluids.

Kidneys filter blood. Every minute, one-fourth of the blood in the body enters the kidneys, which are composed of about 2 million microscopic filters called nephrons. Nephrons are responsible for absorbing nutrients and eliminating toxins and other waste materials from the blood. In addition, the kidneys help regulate other bodily functions by secreting the hormones renin, erythropoietin and prostaglandin. Renin helps control blood pressure, while erythropoietin help stimulate the body to produce more red blood cells.

Prostaglandin is not limited to the kidneys. In other tissues, and situations, it causes smooth muscles to contract or relax, is involved in abnormal fluid collection in the body, is responsible for some types of fevers and pain, and is heavily involved in the process of inflammation. But in the kidneys, prostaglandin causes dilation of the veins and helps with the urine-making process.

The bladder is a sac-like organ located in the pelvis. Its function is to store urine until it is excreted. It is made up of three layers of involuntary muscles that provide it with the ability to expand and contract. When empty, the bladder shrivels up to the shape of a small prune, but it swells and stretches as needed to hold urine. Most people’s bladders can hold about a pint of urine. Then, when the bladder is full, the walls expand and send impulses to the brain telling it to urinate.

Urine is 96 percent water. The other 4 percent includes a mix or urea, salt, sugar, proteins, fat, vitamins and coloring from bile pigments. Its color is usually clear or yellow, though this depends upon the diet and health of the individual. Urine has a distinct, ammonia-like smell that is primarily due to the nitrogenous wastes it contains.

Factors in Urinary Health

Kidneys are designed to keep the blood clean. They spend every minute of the day filtering out impurities. However, like any intricate structure, they have limitations. Even so, modern society seems to dictate that they must deal with more and more abuse. Drinking water frequently during the day can alleviate some potential problems by helping the kidneys flush toxins from the body.

Healthy cells need the proper concentration of salts. That’s why potassium and sodium are crucial to the body’s fluid balance. More than half of the water in the body is located inside the cells. The rest is mixed with salt – rather like diluted sea water – that bathes the cells.

The kidneys are the major regulating mechanism for maintaining proper sodium and potassium balance. They are designed to excrete extra potassium and save sodium. In times past, there was plenty of potassium in foods, but not as much sodium. Today, people eat more foods that contain sodium (mainly processed foods with added sodium) and not as many fresh foods with natural potassium.

Unfortunately, even with a high-sodiium diet, the kidneys still save sodium and excrete potassium..Obviously, we can’t change the way our kidneys function, but we can change our diet. Since food processing lowers the potassium content of foods, we should eat plenty of fresh foods.

Herbal supplements, vitamins and minerals can also help provide the urinary system with the nutrients it needs to effectively perform its delicate chemical balancing act.

Reference:

NSP from A to Z, Plus Body Systems & Sales Aids

Posted by Terry | Filed Under Body Systems | Leave a Comment