Instant Relief: Urinary Tea

[Alternagirl]

The only thing that has ever given me INSTANT relief during flare-ups has been this urinary tea my naturopathic doctor gave me. It was very gentle and very soothing. I would not give out the formula because like most herbal formulas they are custom fit to the person, but I would definitely recommend seeing a Naturopathic doctor and getting set up on one. (I was living in Portland OR and after the initial prescription I could refill the tea myself at the natural medicinary for very cheap).

One ingredient in it that works alone, that would be available widely, is Corn Silk. If you live in a town where herbs are available you can get it in dried form (I think it can also be ordered), but you can also just take 1 ear of fresh corn, take out the corn silk, cut off any dead or brown parts, and steep the silk in a mug of hot water for 10 minutes or so. It's very mild and doesn't taste too narly.

If you are sketched out about this talk to a naturopath! They are so helpful with herbs!

happy drinking!

[kadi]

Be careful with the corn silk - it is a diuretic & can increase frequency... Also if you buy corn silk at the health food store, be sure to check ingredients - the one I saw included cayenne pepper - yikes!

As with anything, try a small amount to make sure it agrees with your system:)

[Alternagirl]

kadi, thanks for the heads up about corn silk! it is always good to hear new things.

Do you practice any alternative medicine?

[kadi]

Right now, no, but I'm always interested in what other people are trying, in case I want a new option for later:)

I've thought I might try the Desert Harvest Aloe Vera, but I'm super medication sensitive (LOTS of allergies & weird side effects to things that don't bother most people) and therefore a big chicken, so I might try it during summer vacation (teacher).

I am a fanatic about the IC diet, though, it's helped me a lot! I'm glad you found something in the tea that's helped you...

[Alternagirl]

After several years of mis-diagnosis and painful and invasive treatments I found a lot of relief in alternative medicine. I entered it through diet and seeing a physical therapist to help with my abdominal spasms. I then was recommended to try acupuncture. I did some research and found this doctor who was an M.D., N.D. (naturopath), licensed acupuncturist, and master of chinese herbs. All in one! He's somewhat of an anomaly in the medical world but he taught me a lot about lifestyle changes that put the control back into my hands! I strongly recommend alternative medicine as a way of feeling more in control of IC and staying positive!

Also, have you ever done an in-depth test for allergies? Most doctors will only test for the major ones but there are many simple and harmless tests you can do to see what foods are hard for your body to digest or cause allergic reactions...a naturopath will do this kind of test if you're interested...