Enuresis – Urinary incontinence treatment
One of the most common health problems that spread among people, especially the elderly, is the loss of control over the exit of urine from the urinary bladder, a condition called “incontinence.”
Although it does not fall under the category of complex health problems, we must not take it lightly, as it causes severe embarrassment and confusion for the sufferers and those around them too! Herein lies the importance of treating incontinence.
In this article, we will discuss the causes of urinary incontinence and the methods of its treatment.
What is Enuresis – urinary incontinence?
Enuresis – Urinary incontinence results in a person not controlling the contraction and relaxation of the bladder muscle.
Its severity varies according to the severity of urine leakage from the bladder to the outside of the body.
Symptoms of Enuresis may be the involuntary expulsion of urine from the bladder when sneezing or coughing. In some cases, the patient feels a sudden urgent urge to urinate and may even be unable to hold urine long enough to enter the toilet. It is called urge incontinence.
A painful and unfortunate situation, especially if the patient is an adult or an elderly!
Urinary incontinence causes:
Before we talk about the treatment of Enuresis, we must know its causes, and are there types, or is it only one type? The two kinds of urinary incontinence are temporary enuresis and chronic enuresis.
Causes of temporary enuresis:
It continues for a certain period and then disappears. And it may occur if a person takes certain types of food. As well as some types of pills that affect the bladder and increase the rate of urine production. These foods include:
- Drinks with high alcohol content.
- Coffee contains caffeine, which stimulates the bladder to produce a large amount of urine.
- High-soda drinks.
- To eat a large amount of chocolate in a short period.
- Hot foods and spices.
- Eat more acidic fruits such as peaches, pineapple, and oranges.
- Eat cereals that contain a large proportion of vitamins such as vitamin A, C.
A person also may develop temporary Enuresis if he has some infections in the urinary tract or suffers from constipation. Either causes fatigue in the pelvic muscles in general, causing them to lose control of urine. The treatment of incontinence here, to treat this infection or constipation.
Causes of persistent enuresis:
It continues for a long time and perhaps for life. And as we mentioned earlier, having this disease, even for a short period, is very disturbing to the patient and those around him, so how would it be if the infection was chronic and continuous!?
It will surely be a difficult situation to bear, and the reasons that lead to the chronic disease include:
- An enlarged fetus or hormonal changes during pregnancy can lead to stress incontinence.
- Also, after natural childbirth, the muscles responsible for urine exit from the bladder may lose their ability to contract normally, causing urinary incontinence.
- Aging is one of the most significant reasons that expose a person to Enuresis because with age, the ability to control the various muscles of the body weakens.
- Estrogen deficiency in women during what is mistakenly called menopause. Estrogen-like other female hormones- has a role in the normal functioning of the bladder. And if any change in its level happens, even by increasing or decreasing, it will affect the performance of the urinary tract. And therefore, women at this age often have incontinence of urine.
- An enlarged prostate gland than its natural size. Which causes the bladder control muscles to deteriorate over time.
- Infectious or tumored urinary tract. It causes urinary retention then the urine is suddenly pumped, causing what is called overflow incontinence. If these tumors or infections are untreated, or their treatment takes a long time, this case would be a chronic condition.
After we have found out about the causes and the types of Enuresis, we should expand on the treatment of urinary incontinence.
Incontinence treatment for women:
Some women suffer from urinary incontinence of various kinds. This issue is very embarrassing for women and makes them lack self-confidence. It negatively affects their lives, so that at times some women may refrain from doing an activity that was once one of their daily lives. Women with incontinence often seek treatment for incontinence to restore their ordinary lives.
If the woman has urge incontinence:
This embarrassing symptom prompts her to treat Enuresis using medical compounds and medicines to get rid of it and activate the muscles responsible for opening and closing the bladder. Examples of these medicines that patients should take under the oversight of a specialist:
– alfuzosin.
-doxazosin.
– prazosin.
-silodosin.
-tamsulosin.
-terazosin.
In some cases, physicians may turn to surgery if they are untreatable with medicines and injections.
If the woman has stress incontinence:
The treatment of urinary incontinence, in this case, is in two ways; One of them is surgical through an opening inside the vagina and installing of a plastic tape called a urethral strip that connects to the urethral canal inside the body to support it in controlling the opening and closing of the bladder.
Another non-surgical way is by doing some exercises for the pelvic area that strengthen its muscles and help them perform their functions appropriately and naturally. It is called the Kegel exercises, and women should continue to practice for six months until they reach a satisfactory situation.
Treatment of urinary incontinence in the elderly:
Dealing is more cautious when the patient is elderly out of fear that he is being affected by any side effect his body may not tolerate.
So, in this case, the treatment of urinary incontinence is by performing a surgical operation. Or for the doctor to prescribe some medications that help strengthen the bladder muscles and treat urinary incontinence if there are no side effects that affect the patient according to his health condition.
It is also possible to use some herbs that do not show serious side effects and work to treat Enuresis effectively, including the following:
1- Ganoderma mushrooms:
Called Reishi Mushroom. And it has many health benefits as it increases the flow of oxygen in the blood, which helps stimulate blood circulation in the body.
It also has a role in killing cells that cause some diseases. And it is one of the most useful herbs that help get rid of most infections such as internal infections and works to adjust the blood pressure and support the muscles of the bladder.
2- the corn threads:
The threads that appear in the corn cob after eating it have a significant ability to treat urinary incontinence:
After washing, soaking in boiled water for a while, then filtering the water, the filtered water could be drunk as a treatment for urinary incontinence, especially in the elderly.
3- pumpkin seeds:
Pumpkin seeds can help treat urinary incontinence caused by some infections. They contain a high percentage of natural fibers that work remarkably to supply the body with energy due to containing omega-3, which can reduce the inflammations caused by infections and helps the body to perform its functions ordinarily.
To avoid surgical procedures or using medications that conflict with some of the diseases that the elderly are already suffering from, elderly diapers can be an alternative solution or using diaper pads to protect the upholstery.
To be away from the surgical interference, you can use adult diapers or bed pads as an alternative solution.
