Asparatus??

[DianaS]

The following article was published in the Houston Chronicle last Sunday. It was written to Focus: Herbal Pharmacy of The People's Pharmacy, written by Joe and Teresa Graedon. It is a question and answer syndicated column.

"Q: I was disgnosed with interstitial cystitis three years ago. Several months ago I noticed that I had no symptoms the afternoon after eating asparagus and none the following day. So I ate asparagus every day for two weeks. My symptoms have disappeared except for ocassional discomfort, which is relieved by eating asparagus. Has anyone else reported such an experience?
A: Asparatus has been used in folk medicine for a variety of purposes. A fair amount is known about its chemistry, but clinical trials are sparse. We have not heard before that eating that vegetable eases the pain of interstitial cystitis, so we don't know if this effect will apply to others."

So, the question is, has anyone on this message board ever heard of or experienced the effects of asparatus before?

I'm going to give it a try and see what happens!

[theclownster]

That sounds interesting. Please let us know how it works for you. It sounds like an interesting alternative to meds.

I hope it helps you -
Jennifer

[liz2]

Asparagus is a natural diuretic, and last January gave my one of the worst flare that I have had in years.

[ICNDonna]

Asparagus doesn't bother me. I alwys look forward to the time of year when it's inexpensive so I can have some. While you are experimenting with various foods, my best suggestion is to keep a detailed food diary so you will know if any food product is either an irritant or is helpful.

Sending an encouraging hug,
Donna

[ICsunshine 4/12]

Love asparagus but it definitely doesn't return the love. Last eaten 18 months ago and I still miss it.

[blue]

I'm very interested in the outcome! I love asparagus!

[KathleenS]

I saw the article and have eaten asparagus 8 out of the last 9 days. No improvement, but I am going to try it for 2 weeks. I'll post if it helps (or if I turn green :D )! Kathleen

[poetgirl]

I wish I could eat asparagus because I love it. But about 8 months ago I had some and was in terrible pain for 3 days. eek I haven't touched it since, nor will I ever again. It's one of the few things that directly and immediately irritate my bladder. Those of you who can tolerate it are very fortunate!

[YankeeCandle224]

Just an odd tidbit on asparagus. If you eat it, many people will have a VERY odd smelling urine, just like cooked asparagus.

I love it, and its not bothered me, but as normal for me, we dont know for sure if I have IC....mmmm, makes me hungry lol.

I'll be watching this, I'm very interested in this, especially since I love it so much.

Thanks! Sandy

[DianaS]

My asparagus experiment turned out to be a disaster!

I've been fairly stable for the last year and a half with diet restrictions, oral medication(Ditropan XL and Elmiron) and DMSO treatments. On day 12 of eating asparagus, I started having pain and this pain has continued for the past 6 days. I immediately stopped eating it then. Yes, my urine did smell a bit strange. I used either steamed or canned asparatus and ate it once at least once a day. The addition of asparagus was the only thing that I did differently.

The bottom line is that it didn't help me at all, but seems to have done some damage. It looks like I may have to go in for an unscheduled DMSO treatment to get rid of the pain. What a bummer!

[liz2]

I hope you feel better soon. grouphug

[porphgoddess]

If I eat asparagus I am one of those people who's urine will stink for DAYS. And yes, it gives me a flare...........to bad, because I love it.