Great Sex, Naturally (17 page)

Supporting Your Sexuality by Treating Interstitial Cystitis

Interstitial cystitis, a chronic inflammation of the bladder wall, is often misdiagnosed as a UTI or bladder infection. The symptoms can be similar: pain or burning sensations in the bladder during or after urination, an urgency to urinate that may be intolerable, frequent urination, or pelvic pain. As with a UTI, the symptoms of interstitial cystitis can be intense, and treatment can radically improve your life—and your sex life. But unlike a UTI, with interstitial cystitis your urine test is normal and doesn’t show any bacteria.

The cause of interstitial cystitis is unknown to Western medicine, but it may be due to disruption of the mucous membranes of the bladder, resulting from recurrent UTIs. Other causes may include environmental toxins, unidentified infections, autoimmune conditions, or (in some people) a defect in the bladder wall.

Like UTIs, interstitial cystitis is a predominantly female condition: nine out of ten people who have it are women. The condition can lead to chronic irritation of the bladder wall, and many women with interstitial cystitis have food sensitivities that provoke their symptoms.

If you have interstitial cystitis, your diagnosis will probably be made by an urologist who does an exam of your bladder wall, called a cystoscopy. Other tests may include a biopsy and a potassium chloride sensitivity test. The conventional treatment typically includes prescription drugs that affect the bladder wall, local medication, and pharmaceutical pain medications.

There are natural alternatives for treating interstitial cystitis and restoring the quality of your sex life without drugs. It’s a complicated health issue that often calls for a multitiered solution, but with patience and perseverance you can reduce or eliminate the symptoms over time. You can begin treating interstitial cystitis by applying the following recommendations.

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Soothe your bladder wall.
Drinking two or three cups of marshmallow root tea each day can mollify the mucous membranes of your bladder and urethra, and support the lining of your urinary tract. To make the tea, use the recipe recommended above for UTIs.

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Remove irritating foods from your diet.
Avoiding foods that aggravate your symptoms, especially those that cause allergies and/or to which you are intolerant, is essential to treating interstitial cystitis. Your naturopathic doctor can order a blood test to determine these foods.

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Support the lining of your bladder.
You can help restore your bladder lining by taking glucosamine sulfate as a dietary supplement. The recommended dose is 500 mg three times daily.

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Maintain an alkaline-forming diet.
An alkaline-forming diet helps reduce the bladder pain of interstitial cystitis by keeping your urine alkaline. (see
Appendix C
for a resource on eating an alkaline-forming diet.) In addition, you can take 500 mg of calcium carbonate three times daily, or a quarter-teaspoon of baking soda twice daily.

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Make sure you get adequate fluids.
By staying hydrated, you keep your urine diluted, which can reduce your symptoms; concentrated urine can irritate your bladder wall.

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Prevent UTIs.
Interstitial cystitis makes you more vulnerable to urinary tract infections, which in turn can exacerbate your condition. Implement the measures recommended above for avoiding UTIs.

If you follow these recommendations consistently but your condition doesn’t improve, see
Appendix B
to find a naturopathic doctor for further guidance. You may benefit from treatment with N-acetylglucosamine (NAG), which helps restore your bladder wall and decrease bladder pain. Homeopathic remedies, including cantharis, apis, and sarsasparilla, can treat painful urination and the urge to urinate. Physical therapy of your pelvic muscles, biofeedback, bladder retraining, diet therapy, stress reduction, and other techniques can reduce bladder pain and increase control over your bladder. If you’re menopausal, your doctor may also recommend estriol cream or black-cohosh vaginal suppositories to support your tissues.

You may additionally benefit from traditional Chinese medicine, which treats interstitial cystitis by working with your chi. (Although Western medicine hasn’t identified the underlying cause of the condition, in Chinese medicine it’s seen as a chi imbalance.) Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicines can decrease the pain associated with interstitial cystitis by stimulating the flow of chi through your pelvis and nourishing your yin and yang.

Enhancing Your Sexual Health by Overcoming Ovarian Disorders

During your menstrual cycles your ovaries normally form small cysts, known as benign cysts because they’re usually harmless and cause no symptoms. They often disappear on their own, but some may grow larger to the point that they compromise your health, as well as your sex life, and you need medical attention. An annual exam is recommended so your doctor can check for unusual cyst development; if any other ovarian mass is detected, a test will be done to rule out cancerous growth.

If you consistently develop benign cysts, they may cause sharp, intense pain during your ovulation. In this scenario, you’ll most likely benefit from a hormone evaluation, which can help you prevent cysts by giving you information you need to balance your hormones. If you have frequent benign cysts, you also need to improve the circulation of blood and lymph in your pelvis. In addition, you can help prevent or treat cysts naturally, and boost the health of your ovaries at the same time, with the following.

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Vitamins and diet.
Taking your daily multivitamin, eating foods containing vitamin A and beta-carotene, and adding flax and fish oils to your diet can all help prevent benign ovarian cysts.

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Turska’s formula
. A traditional Western herbal remedy, Turska’s formula is an effective treatment for ovarian cysts. It isn’t available as an over-the-counter product; you need to get a prescription from your naturopathic physician. (see
Appendix B
.)

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Chinese herbal formulas.
By improving the flow of chi through your pelvis, Chinese herbal remedies can help prevent or treat ovarian cysts. A practitioner of Chinese medicine who specializes in herbal remedies can prepare a specific formula to match your unique symptoms.

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Topical treatments.
Castor oil packs can help treat ovarian cysts by improving circulation of blood and lymph through your pelvis. see
Appendix C
for a resource on making castor oil packs.

Another ovarian challenge you may face is the condition known as polycystic ovarian syndrome, or PCOS. Many women have never heard of PCOS and have no idea what it is, but if you’ve experienced it you probably know its effects all too well. PCOS is linked with abnormal menstrual cycles, female infertility, weight gain, insulin resistance (a prediabetic condition), and other conditions, and may affect as many as 10 percent of women under age 45. Overcoming PCOS, as with frequent benign cysts, can greatly benefit sexuality and overall health.

In most cases, women with PCOS don’t efficiently convert testosterone to estrogen in their bodies, resulting in an excess of testosterone. They often have irregular ovulation (or don’t ovulate at all); an above-average number of ovarian cysts; or symptoms of hyperandrogenism, which may include head-hair loss, acne, or an increase of facial hair.

If you have PCOS, many natural treatments can help. Let’s look at some of the most effective steps you can take to treat the condition.

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Foods and dietary substances.
By including flax seeds, soy, and nettle root tea in your diet, you can increase your SHBG (sex hormone binding globulin), a protein that binds hormones so that you don’t have too many active hormones in circulation. This helps reduce the elevated testosterone associated with PCOS.

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Saw palmetto.
An herb often recommended to prevent male prostate enlargement, saw palmetto can be an effective treatment for women who have PCOS with symptoms of acne and hair loss. The recommended daily dose is 320 mg of a standardized extract of saw palmetto.

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Spearmint tea.
Research shows that women with PCOS who drink a cup of spearmint tea twice daily for five days during the first two weeks of their menstrual cycles have a significant drop in their testosterone levels. They also have an increase in estrogen and other hormones that can help reverse PCOS.

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Dietary and lifestyle changes.
If you have PCOS you can benefit from changes in your diet and lifestyle, especially if you also have insulin resistance. By combining a low-carbohydrate diet with an hour of aerobic exercise each day, you can significantly reduce some long-term effects of PCOS linked with insulin resistance, including diabetes and heart disease.

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Chromium.
Dietary supplementation with this mineral can help decrease insulin resistance in women with PCOS, which in turn will make PCOS more manageable. The recommended daily dose is 500 mcg, but up to 2,000 mcg can be taken daily.

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Acupuncture.
Research shows that acupuncture can benefit women with PCOS and infertility by helping to regulate their menstrual cycles and increasing their rate of pregnancies. If you have PCOS with infertility, see
Appendix B
for information on finding an acupuncturist.

Dispelling the Displeasure of Cervical Dysplasia

If you have cervical dysplasia, or abnormal changes in your cervical cells, it can be distressing, because cervical dysplasia is a potential precursor to cervical cancer. Some women with the condition undergo a surgical procedure known as
cervical conization
, which removes external tissue from the cervix. Despite this, the condition may return, and the procedure may be repeated multiple times to no avail. Cervical dysplasia can mean frequent visits to the doctor, many uncomfortable medical procedures, and lots of concern about spreading the virus that can cause the condition to your partner (he can become a carrier of the virus, which is contagious through sexual contact, and with some strains of it, he can get genital warts)—all of which can disrupt the quality of your sex life and compromise your experience of pleasure. For some women, cervical dysplasia might well be renamed
cervical displeasure
.

Cervical dysplasia is frequently caused by human papillomavirus, which is sexually transmitted. In addition to practicing safe sex (see
Appendix G
), you may be able to prevent cervical dysplasia, or heal your cervix if you have the condition, by keeping your immune system in top form. Preventing or treating cervical dysplasia can make a big difference in your sexual health, and one of the best ways to do so is by following the lifestyle, diet, and supplement recommendations in
Chapter 2
. You can also prevent or treat cervical dysplasia with the following:

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Indole-3-carbinol.
Eat lots of cruciferous vegetables, which are high in indole-3-carbinol, or take 300 mg of indole-3-carbinol as a supplement daily. This helps lower your body’s production of “unfriendly” estrogens, which in excess can stimulate estrogen receptors in your cervix and increase abnormal cell growth. Indole-3-carbinol also promotes “friendly” estrogens that don’t increase the growth of abnormal cervical cells.

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Folic acid.
An important B vitamin for cell reproduction, folic acid is helpful in preventing and treating abnormal growth of cervical cells. It can prevent abnormal cervical-cell changes from progressing, particularly in women who have been on birth-control pills. Most daily multivitamins contain 800 mcg of folic acid; for long-term prevention of abnormal cervical cells, take between 800 and 2,400 mcg daily.

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Vitamin C.
To prevent abnormal cervical cell changes, take 2,000 mg daily; for treating the condition, take up to 6,000 mg daily for three months or more. (Note: Excessive vitamin C can cause diarrhea.)

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Alpha lipoic acid.
To prevent abnormal cervical-cell changes, take 100 mg daily; for treatment, take up to 200 mg daily for three months or more.

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Mixed carotenoids.
Mixed carotenoids combine alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, lutein, and other carotenoids. To prevent abnormal cervical-cell changes, take 50,000 IU daily; for treatment, take 150,000 IU daily for three months or more.

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Chinese herbal formulas.
Supporting your immune system with Chinese herbs can balance your chi and help prevent or treat abnormal cervical-cell changes. A number of Chinese herbal formulas can also help restore cervical tissue that contains abnormal cells. A qualified practitioner of Chinese herbal medicine (see
Appendix B
) can prepare a formula suited to your personal needs.

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Escharotic treatment.
Escharotic treatment is an herbal and nutritional therapy that has been used by naturopathic doctors for many years to treat women with abnormal cervical cells, as well as to prevent recurrences of the condition. Therapy typically consists of weekly treatments for three to five weeks, depending on the degree of abnormal cell growth and other factors. To determine if escharotic treatment is appropriate for you, consult a licensed naturopathic physician. (see
Appendix B
.)

Beyond Pelvic Pain—and into Pelvic Pleasure

A number of conditions categorized under the general term
pelvic pain
can interfere with your ability to enjoy sex. Pelvic pain can be experienced in your vulva, your vagina, or elsewhere in your pelvis. It can be caused by many factors, and some types of pelvic pain can be a challenge to diagnose and treat. If you suffer from the condition, solving it can transform your sex life; getting past pelvic pain unburdens your libido, freeing it up to replace the pangs of pain with welcome waves of well-being.

You may have experienced acute pelvic pain—for example, if your partner’s penis makes sudden contact with your cervix during sex. But pelvic pain can also be chronic; if you have a history of pelvic surgery, or if you’ve had a difficult labor, you may be prone to a chronically tight, shortened PC muscle, resulting in pain with intercourse. Other conditions associated with pelvic pain include
vulvodynia
(chronic pain at the vulva),
vulvovestibulitis
(chronic inflammation of the vulva and vaginal opening), and
vaginismus
(painful spasms and contractions in the vagina).