|
by Dr. Susan E. Brown, Ph.D, CCN
| A Case Study—A Novel Therapy For Interstitial Cystitis |
Sixty-eight million Americans suffer
from various urinary conditions
involving overactive bladder,
urgency, frequency and pelvic pain.
Unfortunately, there is a lack of
effective treatments for these debilitating
chronic problems but with a new therapy pioneered
by a company called pH Sciences, there
may be hope for people like Mary Smith.
 |
. . . drinking acidic beverages like coffee can
throw symptoms into overdrive . . . |
Mary suffers from interstitial cystitis. She
plans her entire day around how close she’ll
be to a bathroom. She often has to urinate
over 40 times a day. She endures frequent
pain and near-constant urgency. Her dream
is to spend a whole day at the beach with her
grandchildren. She takes a variety of medications
and watches her diet very closely. The
medications don’t work very well and have
some unpleasant side effects. Eating acidic
foods like tomato sauce or drinking acidic
beverages like coffee throw her symptoms
into overdrive. She, as with so many others
like her, feels trapped.
Mary’s experience with acidic foods is consistent with recent research suggesting
that a condition known as chronic, lowgrade
metabolic acidosis may play a significant role in the severity of the symptoms
associated with these urinary conditions.
Metabolic acidosis occurs when the level of
acidity in the body is destructively high.
Actively managing the acid-alkaline balance
in the body may help urinary condition sufferers
reduce the severity and frequency of
their symptoms.
An innovative natural, alkalizing compound,
Alka-Plex™, was tested by a group of
people diagnosed with interstitial cystitis (IC)
and shows extremely positive results in
reducing pain, urgency and frequency.
Interstitial cystitis is among the most difficult
of all chronic urinary conditions. This
study’s results form the basis of a new
research agenda into the ill effects of chronic,
low-grade metabolic acidosis, and the launch
of a line of natural, science-based products to
counteract the effects of destructive levels of
acidity in the body.
Interstitial Cystitis
One of the most debilitating diseases related
to excess acidity is interstitial cystitis.
Interstitial cystitis is a painful disorder that
affects well over a million people in the U.S.
Interstitial cystitis is an inflammatory
chronic pain pelvic disorder that results in
recurring discomfort or pain in the bladder
and pelvic region. More than 90 percent of
those affected are women.
There are two commonly recognized
types of interstitial cystitis. The most
common type is known as “non-ulcerative
IC.” The second and less common type of IC
is known as “ulcerative IC.”
Symptoms include urinary urgency, frequency
and pain. Pain may vary in intensity
as the bladder fills or empties with urine. For
some the pain of IC is excruciating.
Frequency is not always related to bladder
size and many people with IC have normal
bladder capacity. Those with severe IC may
urinate as many as 60 times a day and more
than a dozen times a night. In women, symptoms
are often reported to be worse during
menstruation.¹ The causes of interstitial cystitis
are not fully recognized. One theory
considers IC to be an autoimmune disease,
while other theories include the suggestion
that its origin might lie in bladder scarring
stemming from recurrent antibiotic use. In
all cases it can be said that IC always involves
inadequate bladder tissue repair, resulting in
chronic inflammation of the bladder lining.
Interstitial Cystitis and Urine pH
In interstitial cystitis patients the bladder
wall becomes hypersensitive and extremely
vulnerable to the corrosive effect of highly
acidic urine. Myself and other researchers
and clinicians have long noted that moving
towards a more alkaline pH of the urine provides
considerable symptom relief for interstitial
cystitis sufferers.²
Interstitial Cystitis and Chronic,
Low-Grade Metabolic Acidosis
Unwittingly the vast majority of those consuming
the modern Western diet labor under
chronic, low-grade metabolic acidosis. This
metabolic acidosis stems from our dietary
patterns (diets which are high in protein and
refined foods which create metabolic acids
and are low in vegetables, fruits, nuts and
seeds which contain compounds capable of
neutralizing metabolic acids).
Chronic low-grade metabolic acidosis
hampers the body’s function in many ways.
In particular, metabolic acidosis limits the
body’s self-repair mechanisms and in this
way contributes to the development of
“repair deficit” disorders such as autoimmune
disease and interstitial cystitis.
Available Treatments
for Interstitial Cystitis
In addition to mechanical stretching of the
bladder, instillation of the bladder with
DMSO, use of oral drugs such as Elmiron,
antidepressants, antihistamines and surgery,
interstitial cystitis patients report that diet is
important. No scientific studies have assessed
the relationship between diet and interstitial cystitis or the severity of its symptoms.
Nonetheless, IC sufferers have long noted that
certain foods can greatly aggravate their condition.
Thus an “Interstitial Cystitis Diet” has
evolved which suggests that elimination of spicy
foods, caffeinated and citrus beverages, highly
acidic foods and other items that are often
reported to increase inflammation and pain.
A Novel Approach to Interstitial
Cystitis Symptom Reduction
Given the severity of the symptoms experienced
by those with interstitial cystitis and the
limited value of conventional therapies, there
is a need for new symptom reduction and
healing therapies. In the remainder of this
article I discuss a pilot research project looking
at one such new and promising alkalizing
product developed by pH Sciences, Inc.
The approach to interstitial cystitis symptom
relief discussed here concerns a natural, nutritional
therapy aimed at:
- Reducing the acid content of aggravating foods and beverages
- Reducing the acidity of the urine, and
- Lowering the systemic burden of chronic, low-grade metabolic acidosis
Two Year Follow-Up Report
on The Use of the Alka-Plex Formula
for Interstitial Cystitis
Between November 2000 and April 2001
Tamer® Laboratories, the parent company to
pH Sciences, conducted an informal study of
18 interstitial cystitis patients using the
patented Alka-Plex compound.
After three months’ use of Alka-Plex, the
interstitial cystitis patients reported that there
was a 50 percent decrease in bladder and
abdomen pain, a 31 percent reduction in
urgency and 37 percent reduction of frequency.
These results were impressive, particularly
given the difficult nature of IC.
In February 2003, a two-year follow-up
assessment was conducted on the long-term
benefits of Alka-Plex used among the original
Interstitial Cystitis Study participants. This
assessment was designed and implemented by
the Nutrition Education and Consulting
Service in East Syracuse, New York.
Fifteen of the original 18 participants were
located and interviewed. Thirteen were female
and two were male. Five of these no longer
continued to use Alka-Plex. While one might
expect that the “dropouts” did not benefit
from product use, this was not the case. Four
of the five subjects who discontinued use
reported significant symptom relief with Alka-
Plex. Due to various circumstances they did
not continue use of Alka-Plex.
The 10 that were still using the formula had
developed their own use pattern which met
their needs.
Long-Term Sustained Benefits
of Alka-Plex Use Among
Interstitial Cystitis Patients
Over two years use the symptom relief benefits
are not only sustained but substantial. Bladder
pain was reduced by 43 percent, urgency of
urination reduced by 35 percent, frequency of
daytime urination reduced by 38 percent and
frequency of night-time urination reduced by
37 percent.
After comparing product use for the short
term and then the long term, it is evident that
symptoms improved over time. In fact the
reduction of frequency of day and night urination
was greater over the two-year period.
Symptom Relief
Given the level of pain experienced by interstitial
cystitis sufferers, all participants considered
a 34 percent to 43 percent reduction in
pain to be very significant. One participant
detailed that she was so desperate she considered
bladder removal. She couldn’t standup or
eat without pain, nor could she sleep as she
was “up all night” urinating. Her case was the
most striking of all, as she reported 100 percent
recovery of bladder health and full symptom
relief with the use of Alka-Plex.
Another remarkable case of pain reduction
involved a male subject with radiation cystitis.
He had undergone radioactive “seed treatment”
for prostate cancer. Treatment resulted
in burning with urination. The pain continued
to worsen until he found he would
burn up to six hours after urination. Within
one week of taking Alka-Plex, and the IC medication
Elmiron, he experienced complete
relief. He stopped taking Elmiron after a
month and used only Alka-Plex with continued
complete relief. This man attributes his
recovery to the use of the Alka-Plex formula.
Urinary urgency and frequency are devastating
symptoms that are also alleviated by
Alka-Plex use. One woman reported that
before starting Alka-Plex she had to urinate 40
times a day. With the products this was
reduced to 25 times a day. In another case one
male participant reported urinating 30 to 40
times a day even while using the conventional
interstitial cystitis medications (Elmiron and
Atarax). When he added Alka-Plex, his daytime
urination was reduced by 30 percent and night
time by 40 to 50 percent.
Additional Benefits
All users reported important collateral benefits
from Alka-Plex use. The most mentioned was
improvement of digestion with a correction of
acid reflux and less bloating. For many participants,
reduced nocturnal urination meant
much better sleep. The benefits of more restful
sleep appeared to have far reaching healing
effects both physically and emotionally.
Finally, it is worth remembering that not just
IC, but all types of cystitis would likely benefit
from Alka-Plex. The dramatic recovery of the
man suffering from radiation cystitis illustrates
this point.
Conclusion
This investigation concludes that the Alka-Plex
formula provides immediate, significant and
enduring benefits for those suffering from the
symptoms associated with interstitial cystitis.
pH Sciences, under an exclusive license
from Tamer Laboratories, is developing a line
of Alka-Plex products to counter the effects of
destructive acidity in body. Their first product,
pH Control, helps reduce levels of urinary
acid. By reducing the level of acidity in urine
and promoting a healthier environment for
the bladder, this enhances the bladder’s overall
repair/healing capacity and in this way plays
an important role in tissue healing for those
suffering from interstitial cystitis.
For more information on pH Sciences and the
Alka-Plex formula call toll free 877-363-2243
or visit www.phsciences.com
References:
1. National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse, NIH Publication No. 02-3220, March 2002.
2. Brown, Susan. “Immunology and Nutrition: Casting A Broader Net.” Paper presented at the National Interstitial Cystitis Meetings, Washington D.C., 1997.
Susan E. Brown, Ph.D., CCN, is a medical
anthropologist and certified clinical nutritionist.
She directs the Nutrition Education
and Consulting Service and the Osteoporosis
Education Project (OEP), both located in
East Syracuse, New York. Dr. Brown conducts
primary research and lectures widely on
health regeneration and osteoporosis. Dr.
Brown’s publications include Better Bones,
Better Body: Beyond Estrogen and Calcium: A
Comprehensive Self-Help Program for
Preventing, Halting & Overcoming Osteoporosis
(New Canaan: Keats, 2000) and The Mend
Clinic Book of Natural Remedies for Menopause
and Beyond (Dell, 1997), coauthored with Dr.
Paula Maas. Information on Dr. Brown’s work
can be found at betterbones.com or susanbrownphd.
com or by calling 315-432-1676.
|
