Posts Tagged ‘Urinary tract’

Incontinence during Pregnancy – causes and treatment

During pregnancy, many women experience at least some degree of urinary incontinence (involuntary loss of urine). Incontinence can be mild and infrequent for pregnant women, but it can be more serious for others. Incontinence can continue after pregnancy and may not be present immediately after birth.

Causes:
Urinary incontinence during pregnancy can also result from an overactive bladder. Women with overactive bladder need to urinate more than usual because your bladder has uncontrollable spasms. Also, the muscles around the urethra – the tube through which urine passes from the bladder – may be affected. These muscles are designed to prevent urine that leaves the body.

The sphincter of the bladder controls the flow of urine and it is a muscular valve that is located at the bottom of the bladder. When a woman is pregnant, the uterus that is expanding puts extra pressure on bladder which can cause the sphincter muscles are overwhelmed by this stress and as a result the urine may leak from the bladder.

After pregnancy, incontinence problems may continue because childbirth weakens pelvic floor muscles, which can cause an overactive bladder. Pregnancy and childbirth can contribute to problems with bladder control due to the following conditions:

- Damage to the nerves that control bladder.
- The fact that the urethra and bladder have moved during pregnancy.
- The episiotomy, a cut in the muscle of the pelvic floor during delivery of a baby to allow the fetus to flow easily.

Treatment:
Most women with urinary incontinence can be effectively managed in general practice with fairly simple treatment.
Surgical treatment
Colposuspension: The support of the bladder muscles can also be improved by Colposuspension, in which the top of the vagina is pulled forward and stitched. This is usually successful and does not causes any problems with sex.
1.Procedure of surgical tape. A result similar to Colposuspension can now be achieved by using surgical tape that is able to support the bladder. This procedure takes 30 minutes to complete and can be performed as a day procedure cases, under a local or general anesthesia. Early results show a success rate that is comparable with Colposuspension.
2.Laparoscopic (minimally invasive) surgery is also showing promise as a new technique in the treatment of incontinence.

Non surgical treatment
- Bladder training aims to teach the bladder does not send signals to the brain prematurely. A training program is designed to gradually increase the length of time a person must wait before emptying the bladder, so the reasonable control of a full bladder can be achieved. This is recommended for a minimum of six weeks.
- Hormone replacement therapy is useful to help urge incontinence in women after menopause. It is particularly effective in stress incontinence.

Kegel exercises
They are another method that can be used to help control urinary incontinence. These exercises help to reinforce and strengthen pelvic floor muscles. Strengthening the pelvic floor muscles can improve the function of the urethra and rectal sphincter. One way to help locate the Kegel muscles is to insert a finger into the vagina and try to make the muscles around your finger tightened.
To perform Kegel exercises, you should:
• Keep your abdomen, hips and buttocks relaxed
• Tighten the pelvic floor muscles, keep your muscles for a count of 10
• relax the pelvic floor muscles for a count of 10

If the problem continues to persist consult your doctor for that.

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What are natural home remedies to cure kidney stones?

Kidney stones are the stones formed from chemicals, minerals or organic substances in kidneys or urinary tract. The size of the kidney stone varies from grit, sand to the size of bird’s egg. Kidney stones cause considerable pain as they tend to pass through the ureter to the bladder. On a general note, urine has a natural substance which dissolves substances like uric acid, calcium, phosphorous and oxalic acid.

CAUSES FOR KIDNEY STONES
- Lack of vitamin A.
- Excessive intake of vitamin D.
- Family history.
- Inadequate water intake.
- Poor diet and lifestyle.
- Excessive perspiration.
- Defects in general metabolism.
- Excessive intake of acid forming foods.

SYMPTOMS OF KIDNEY STONES
- Painful urination.
- Blood in urine.
- Pain in groin area and lower abdominal area.
- Nausea and vomiting.
- Sweating.

NATURAL HOME REMEDIES FOR KIDNEY STONES
- Coconut water helps in passing small stones through urine.
- Pomegranate juice is an effective remedy.
- Tomato juice with a pinch of salt or water is very effective.
- Eat apples and grapes regularly.
- Boil two figs in a cup of water and drink.
- Drink a mixture of 60ml of lemon juice with 60ml of olive oil and then a glass of water.
- Mix one teaspoonful holy basil and honey and take daily for 6 months.
- Cut soaked kidney beans and add them into about four liter of water and keep them for boiling for 6-8 hours. Strain the liquid, cool and again strain and drink one glass.
- Watermelon has rich water content and hence is very effective in diluting the kidney stones.
- No alcohol and smoking.
- Avoid oily and spicy food.
- Avoid eating spinach, cauliflower, carrots, almonds, peas and soyabean.
- A diet low in protein, nitrogen and sodium intake.
- Take radish leaves juice twice a day.
- Avoid taking too much milk.
- Avoid oxalate rich foods.

Kidney Stones – causes, signs and symptoms, diagnosis and treatment

A kidney stone is a hard, crystalline mineral material formed within the kidney or urinary tract. It is one of the most painful problems of urinary tract. A kidney stone is a solid mass made up of tiny crystals. One or more stones can be in the kidney or ureter at the same time. Kidney stones, usually comprised of a compound called calcium oxalate, are the result of a build-up of dissolved minerals on the inner lining of the kidneys. Kidney stones often occur when urine becomes too concentrated.

Kidney stones consist of a center that consists of crystal-like substances and a surrounding region that is composed of layers. Different kinds of kidney stones include calcium stones, uric acid stones, cystine stones and struvite stones. Kidney stones are experienced between the ages of 30 and 50.

Causes of Kidney Stones

- Urine contains certain substances which converts into crystals.
- Lack of water.
- An excessively acidic environment in the kidneys is conducive to the formation of kidney stones.
- Heredity.
- Intake of certain foods results in too much of certain stone-forming components in the urine.
- Bowel disease.
- Chronic urinary tract infections.
- Urinary tract blockage.
- Minimal activity.

Signs and Symptoms of Kidney Stones

- Intense, colicky pain that may fluctuate in intensity over a period of 5 to 15 minutes. The pain usually starts in your back or your side just below the edge of your ribs.
- Severe Pain.
- Nausea and Vomiting.
- Blood in the urine.
- Increase in frequency or urgency of urination, or the inability to urinate.
- Fever, chills and weakness.
- Cloudy or foul-smelling urine.
- Pus in urine.

Diagnosis of Kidney Stones

- Diagnostic tests include a blood test, a urine test and a 24-hour urine collection test.
- Kidney-ureter-bladder (KUB) x-ray, a kidney ultrasound, an intravenous pyelogram (IVP) and if recommended, a CAT (CT) scan.

Treatment of Kidney Stones

- About 90 percent of all kidney stones can pass through the urinary system spontaneously with the help of plenty of water (two to three quarts a day) to help the stone move along.
- Pain medications.
- Extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (ESLW) – Shock waves generated in water (like very tiny tidal waves) can be very precisely directed into the abdomen to break up the stone into smaller particles that can be easily passed in the urine.
- Percutaneous nephrolithotomy – This method makes use of a tunnel-like surgical device that is inserted into a small hole in the patient’s back and positioned on the kidney.
- Ureteroscopy – When the stone is located in the ureter, this device, which looks like a wire, is inserted into the patient’s urethra and threaded through the bladder and up the ureter to where the stone is lodged.