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Regular
cystitis and interstitial cystitis  Sue:
Women seem to have a little trouble distinguishing between cystitis and
interstitial cystitis. Could you please tell us the definition of each and how they
differ?
 Larrian:
Interstitial cystitis is typified by burning, cramping, pressure BEFORE and AFTER
you urinate, that is RELIEVED by urination, while cystitis is the same thing WHEN you
urinate. The kicker is....interstitial cystitis(IC) is not due to bacteria causing an
infection, unlike cystitis, but is a complex syndrome that boils down to "how many
ways can you deprive the bladder tissue of oxygen by altering blood flow."...and
there are lots of ways. Endometriosis is unsuspected in about 30% of women with this
condition, and lower back problems account for another 15%. Hormone problems, such as
unsuspected early menopause, thyroid problems also enter into this picture. The poor
bladder is merely the messenger for a problem occurring elsewhere in the body.
How to prevent
cystitis
Sue:
In this day and age women are becoming more and more proactive in their health
care. What can the average woman do to prevent urinary infections or cystitis?
Larrian:
When I wrote this book originally in 1985, the diaphragm was the major cause for
bacterial infections, as doctors thought you needed to fit one as large as possible to
prevent sperm from getting to the cervix. In my study, published in the Journal of
Urology, I demonstrated that large diaphragms obstructed the flow of urine, which resulted
in too much urine being left behind as a breeding ground for the bacteria. Merely by
decreasing the size of the diaphragm, one could stop infection. Well, this was NEWS in
those days, as no urologist had looked at such a "gynecologic" device as the
cause. Today, women need to be more aware of the impact birth control pills have on their
body, and whether or not they are experiencing yeast infections due to thyroid/estrogen
imbalances. All women were designed with the perfect urinary system...a sort of microchip
version of the more clunky male anatomy...so there is no such thing as a urethra that is
"too small" or has a stricture etc. These are all male interpretations of female
anatomy, which as all of us know, is fraught with misconceptions about how we women
urinate. If a woman urinates with a full bladder each and every time, she shouldn't get an
infection. That said, lumbar spine problems will cause a woman to retain urine and not
empty completely, causing infection. The most common cause...Stairmaster workouts and
lifting weights improperly.
Douching - Is it
bad?
Sue:
I see so many commercials about douche products. In your book You Don't Have To
Live in Cystitis you are not in favor of women douching. Could you tell us why douching is
not a good practice?
Larrian:
Douching was promoted by the pharmaceutical industry (can we say men?) who felt
the female odor was "offensive". Douching destroys the delicate balance of
organisms in a woman's vagina that keep the good bacteria in place while keeping out the
bad bacteria. When you douche, you alter the vaginal pH, and that allows opportunistic
bacteria to grab hold of the delicate vaginal tissue and hitch a ride into your bladder or
cervix. Simply bathing or showering is enough. When you alter the pH, you allow yeast to
grow...and we all know what kind of problem that creates in life!
Giving Urine: The
RIGHT way
Sue:
Every year women go to their gynecologists and are asked to give a urine sample.
Most women have never been told how to give it "the right way" : ). What is the
best way to collect a urine sample?
Larrian:
The simplest and cleanest way is to put the toilet seat up, turn around and face
the back of the toilet, and sit down. Your urine stream will shoot out right in front of
you and you can catch it in the sterile cup without any contamination. Remember, you don't
need to fill the cup...just an ounce will do!
Urinary
Incontinence
Sue:
Urinary incontinence is embarrassing and many women do not want to talk about it,
yet suffer in silence. What can they do?
see
the answer 
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