Tori Hudson, ND
Tori Hudson, ND, program director of the Institute of Women’s Health and Integrative Medicine, and author of the Women’s Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine (McGraw-Hill).
Across America, millions of women have been suffering for years from two common health problems that can be cured or at least dramatically improved.
If you’re a woman with one of these conditions, you may mention it to your gynecologist, but chances are slim that you will get long-lasting relief from medication or other treatments prescribed by most MDs.
What I see in my practice: Every day, I treat women who are suffering unnecessarily from interstitial cystitis (also known as “painful bladder syndrome”) and painful and/or lumpy breasts. Frequently, women actually give up on ever getting relief from these problems.
While anyone who has never endured these conditions may think that they are “not that big a deal,” the truth is, these problems can greatly interfere with a woman’s ability to go about her daily life and may even cause difficulties in her sexual relationship.
A natural approach: As a naturopathic physician, I look for the root cause of these conditions and help women use natural therapies that rely on the body’s inherent ability to restore good health.
Here’s how I treat my patients who have one of these vexing problems…
Researchers are now finding that interstitial cystitis (IC) is much more prevalent than originally thought, affecting as many as eight million women in the US.
What it feels like: IC causes pelvic and/or perineal pain (the area between the anus and vagina). It can range from mild burning or discomfort to severe, debilitating pain that can also affect the bladder, lower abdomen, low back and/or thighs.
Along with the pain there can be urinary problems including a constant urge to urinate…frequent urination (more than eight times a day)…and needing to urinate several times overnight.
What MDs typically prescribe: Drugs, including painkillers, antidepressants and the medication pentosan (Elmiron), which is FDA approved for IC. Pentosan may take up to four months to relieve pain and six months to improve urinary frequency.
Other procedures, such as stretching the bladder and administering medication directly into the bladder, are sometimes also used.
All of these approaches have potential side effects, including gastrointestinal damage and liver problems and, most importantly, work less than 50% of the time.
My natural approach: Using several of the following natural treatments at the same time, my patients find that their symptoms of pain and urinary urgency and/or frequency typically improve within about three months—sometimes even faster.
Here’s what I recommend…
If you need more relief, try adding the following supplements (you may be able to reduce the doses as your symptoms start to improve)…*
Typical dose: N-acetyl glucosamine—500 mg, twice daily…glucosamine sulfate—750 mg, twice daily.
Typical dose: 5,000 international units (IU) daily.
Typical dose: 500 mg, twice daily.
Typical dose: One capsule, three times daily. Don’t exceed 280 mg daily of kavalactones (an active ingredient).
Painful and/or lumpy breasts are one of the most common reasons women see a gynecologist. The good news is that this condition rarely accompanies breast cancer—cancer occurs as a painful, firm lump in only about 5% of cases.
What it feels like: Breasts that are painful and/or have one or more grape-size (or smaller) soft, rubbery lumps that can be moved are often due to hormonal changes during a woman’s menstrual cycle. The breast pain can also be caused by an old injury or an acute infection (mastitis).
What MDs typically prescribe: When breasts are painful and/or lumpy due to hormonal changes, conventional doctors typically refer to it as fibrocystic breast disease.
Drug treatments that are frequently prescribed, such as birth control pills, can cause serious side effects, including headache, nausea and a slightly increased risk for stroke and deep vein thrombosis.
My natural approach: Because most women have some lumps or lumpy areas in their breasts all the time, as well as occasional pain, I don’t consider this a disease.
Here’s what I recommend…
In a one-year study, increasing daily soy intake also reduced breast tenderness and fibrocystic changes. Soy does not increase breast cancer risk, as some researchers had theorized, or pose danger to women who have had or have the disease. Recommendation: One to two servings daily (a serving equals one cup of soy milk, for example, or four ounces of tofu). Also, consider taking the following…
Typical dose: 400 IU to 800 IU daily of the d-alpha tocopherol form of vitamin E.
Typical dose: 1,500 mg, twice daily.
If your condition doesn’t improve in two to three months, consider…
Typical dose: 3 mg to 6 mg daily of aqueous iodine (by prescription).
Also helpful: Consume more iodine-rich foods, such as shellfish, seaweed, Swiss chard and lima beans.
Don’t forget: In addition to undergoing an annual breast exam by a physician and any imaging tests he/she recommends, every woman should conduct a monthly breast self-exam. If any new, unusual changes, thickenings or lumps are detected, they should be promptly evaluated by a physician.
*Check with your doctor before starting a new supplement regimen—especially if you have a chronic medical condition and/or take medication.