Top Natural Remedies for Interstitial Cystitis Relief

I starting taking msm supplements for joint pain and noticed my IC has cleared up nicely. I don't know the science behind it but it worked well for both things joint pain and IC. I hope this helps someone else.

I have IC. I found that MSM, a nicer derivative of DMSO works quite well. It reduces inflammation and that is what IC is, chronic bladder inflammation.

I am taking the supplement MSM for IC, asmtha, IBS among other things. The problem is that I cannot take Vitamin C due to my bladder problem...Is there another form of Vitamin C that would not aggravate my IC? I'm asking because I have read that Vitamin C helps the absorption of MSM tremendously.

After two weeks of misery and what I thought was a UTI, I came to the conclusion it's something more serious. After reading up on IC, it seems like this is what I have, and after two rounds of antibiotics plus tylenol, ibuprofen and AZO around the clock I was still in extreme pain. I have cried more in the last week than I have in the last 3 years. I was beside myself. I realize now that long hours of sitting at my desk and working a stressful job where I am overloaded were clearly contributors to my condition. Since the antiobiotics weren't working, I did some research here and found much helpful info from all you folks! Thank God so many people get on here and report what works for them. I went to the health food store and loaded up: uva ursi extract, marshmallow extract, a powdered berry drink called UT Vibrance, colloidal silver, tumeric caps, cinammon caps, parsley caps, quercetin.

The first thing I did though, was ACV and baking soda, and this did seem to help right away. 2 Tbs ACV, 1/4 tsp baking soda (I tried 1/2 Tbs and it was too much, I got diarreah! My bladder did feel better though), and 8 oz of water. I ran out of Stevia so put a little honey in there. It wasn't bad.

Yesterday I stopped all meds, including pain meds, and I did the extracts, the powder and the colloidal silver on an empty stomach, then ate some healthy greens and such a while later and did all the caps. Today I've done a couple rounds of extracts and caps with food, and I am still pretty much pain free! I have hope again! I still feel a little discomfort, but I am not writhing in pain anymore. I do the ACV an hour after I've done the extracts. Don't do this with food as it interferes with digestion.

I am convinced that some of the problem is that my pH was terribly out of balance, and that was a lot of the problem. But stress and sitting for too long were definite contributors. Time to change my life! I truly thought I was a goner, I was in so much pain. I'm going on a trip to Italy with my family in a little over a week and I was afraid I would not be able to go. I have hope today! So don't give up trying, folks. Try these remedies or others on this site to see what works for you, especially if you've tried antiobiotics and have no relief. Also, eat foods that make your body more alkaline, consider juicing (guess I'm going back to this good habit! ). Don't give up. You will find what works. My best to you all!

The MD thought I might have Interstitial cystitis. I had taken over 30 days of antibiotics, still was not well. IC is so painful! Interestingly, the doctor ordered a Glucose tolerance test to rule out blood sugar issue.

I called my naturopathic doctor and he told me chop up parsley and put it in warmer water and sip it all day. I also I took organic coconut oil made from fresh coconuts, three times a day. My ND told me to buy some boric acid capsules ( DO NOT TAKE BY MOUTH) to be used as a suppository, since now I had a yeast infection the antibiotics gave me. I would put the boric acid capsule suppository in at night before bed I did that for 12 days I also took organic powdered sulfur, which I now realize is MSM I took it twice a day in water. I also took two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar with 1/4 tsp baking soda I glass of water daily.

I wanted to cure this thing so I just did all of these things. Anyhow, I'm cured thank you, God!

So this is for Interstitial Cystitis ( IC). I belive this is what helped my. I am way better now. But I also did Dr. Hulda Clarks Parasite Cleanse so it might have also been that or a mix of both. So try them one by one. Oh and I also took probiotics. All separete. First the probitics. Finished my 30 days wort , then I did the tea 30 days, then I did then the Parasite Cleanse like 50 days. I do not know which on helped me. I also did some emotional release I had been keeping feeling and secrets to my self and I told someone and I felt a big weight lift of my very soul. (I really do feel that negative feelings contibute to bad health). The tea is by Lagg's Kidney tea. It has 30 bags and I got it at Superior Grocers Market for like 3 dollars its good because all ingredients needed are there, but I suppose you can make your own. The herbs are: shave grass, corn silk, Uva ursi, Juliana adstringen, boldo, Hibiscus flower, (I have to warn of the hibiscus flower, as some one IC person said it cause flairs, orange blossom, like I said you can make ur own and take out the hibiscus flower. I took the tea, cool in the morning before eating anything. (no sugar). Tea has no caffeine says so on box. As caffeine is acidic. Probiotics took as directed. Parasite cleanse look it up its a bit more complex. Consists mainly of clove, green black walnut, wormwood. (your supposed to poo*p out the parasites, I did not. I was kind of disappointed I did not. But maybe the herbs just helped me another way. I had no negative side effects :). My Cc has gotten a lot better. I would say like I'm like 85% good now and can tolerate a lot more food :). Also I feel that IC has to do with the intestines (imbalance of floras/ balanced) floras also in vagina. I always had constipation problems and now I po*p a lot more. :)Good bc pressure of po*p hurts bladder.

I think it's obvious on the things that u have to change forever more for this condition and overall health. I drink mostly water and natural coconut juice. Sometimes! 100% juice. Nothing else. Too many fake stuff and bad toxins. I try to eat very well not so easy but at least try to make the best choices! I do not really eat red meat. And fast food. I try nt to get stressed (killer/ acid forming). Exercise (walk, stretch, yoga) (I know for some of u u have to wait to get better to work out)

Why I am writing this. Well IC is horrible to the point were I felt subhuman and did not want to live anymore. I hope this helps another person. If it does help you I want you to pass this forward. Also, to promise to be a better /more compassinate person. Having been thru ic if you are not a better person you have learned nothing!!! Western Medicine gave me no hope and just told me to live with it. I decided to start by trying the cheapest, safest, most natural means one by one. I have tried other things and they did not help( marshmallow root pills, alovera pills, activated charcoal, etc. But I could not give up, I research and researched , and research, and research and reseached! And try! Try! Try! Tyr!!!!! I only cared about finding something!! I also want you to not give up what works for one might not work for another, but do not give up and share you findings. Love to you AND LET'S START THIS FOOD REVOLUTION, !!! Email you companies and tell them hey do not add fake color , artificial ingridients, persevatives, perservative, corn suryp. you have ic , other people have other illnesses that are horrible too! ( cron's disease, cancer, asma, )and guess what they all stem from the stuff they put in our food we have common ground here ppl! we need to join and say hey enough is enough! stop posoning our food/things!!!!!!!!! . and if you do not change we will not buy your things!!!!!!! ( purchasing power) support those that do!! health food stores etc. let's change our world by changing with in our choices ( ex. food we serve at a party). nature! nature! nature our only and true source.

thank you you ec for this site that i always utilice and try to contribute too.

ted you are inspirational and one day i would love to meet you, (i kind of want to be like you) help you. keep up your beautiful purpose <3

We'll if it exists I will try it! So far all special teas and probiotics and herbs and wonder drugs do nothing.

FRESH pressed lemon in water helps! Distilled water helps but is not good for you long term. Try to drink a gallon of non florinated water a day, it works but not instantly.

No alcohol or coffee :(.

Sweating out toxins in a sauna helps! As long as you drink a Lot of water and replenish with fresh pressed vegetable juice.

Everyone should have a VEGETABLE JUICER. Juice fast for a week for dramatic healing, but NO FRUIT in the juicer, spiking insulin will negate healing.

Get VITAMIN D LEVELS OVER 50, tan or take 10,000 iu of d3 a day, but get tested, and don't accept 30 as normal, it's not! Read about it w the vitamin D council.

For relief get a vaginal suppository with BORIC ACID. Its cheap, look online and read about it. Stay away from chemicals down there, boric is natural.

Stretching, either Pilates or something thorough really helps reduce the inflammation and allow the fluids kin your body release.

I just came across a FREE Ebook about treating IC naturally. It's a book by Diana Brady. It talked about the combination of Bromelain and Quercetin to treat IC. New to me, will keep you posted if anyone wants to know. Just curious. Would like to get coffee back someday!

Folks get your vitamin D tested. The vitamin D council spells it out online why its so IMPORTANT and how it correlates to health problems like this. Theres no instant cure, but get that D up and do the other things. Stay off sugars! For good and it will heal! :)

I have had IC for 3 years now - it started with a UTI and an acute onset of endometriosis and pelvic floor dysfunction. At first, I had a small amount of pain when I ate sugar and fruit - not huge, just a little. I went on antibiotics for 9 months and I was better while on them (I no longer had to get up during the night at all to use the restroom), but I think I further aggrevated my candida problem, which I think is at the root of all of this. I now have no more endometriosis and my PFD has also resolved (anticandida diet and active release technique helped that). I believe I have had candida for a very long time, possibly since I was a young child, and that set me up for a series of 4 or 5 UTIs which brought all of this on. I have been detoxing for a year and a half and have tried numerous herbs, diets (Macrobiotic for 6 months) and I am now trying bladder insulflations of Ozone, which have shown some promise. I was also trying oral Hydrogen Peroxide therapy, but that caused me a huge flare - and I don't really get big flares, just minor irritation. I am thinking of quieting my bladder lining a bit and then doing IV Hyrdrogen Peroxide along with the Ozone to chase out these bad bugs. I am on a strict anticandida diet and I eat lots of good fat (as called for in Bee's healing diet). I am hopeful that I will finally find the holy grail and get rid of this stuff for good. I have had candida in my stomach (gastritis), intestines (IBS), sinuses, on my face and on my scalp and getting rid of it in the bladder has been the hardest. Good luck to everyone with this horrific illness.

If you have IC, you do not have an active infection that causes it. I was diagnosed 23 years ago. All of the so called intrusive torture will not make it go away. An infection could occur because of the open damage in the bladder wall, but it is not an infection. I had every thing done to me, from the acid burnout, stretching, tens, lasers, & DMSO. I lived in horrible pain for three years to over come all of the damage caused by doctors. No doctor will ever touch my bladder again. The mild no acid diet, tums, baking soda all help the symptoms, but will not make it go away. Stop lower body weight work or bike riding or any movements that compromise the bladder until it can heal a bit. It is very slow to heal the wounds. Amitriptyline or elival is an older anti depressant that has a pain relief element. It is safe to take and especially at night. I have been taking it for 23 year. The best thing I found that gave me back my life is an OXYTROL patch. It is a smooth muscle relaxant and it stops the bladder from going into spasm. It is very important to learn relaxation techniques. You may need to destress your life as well.

I have had it under control for many years without any huge flareups. I just returned from a clinic that is for chronic pelvic pain. IC falls under that. I went for a problem with my pelvic floor muscles. You can find the info under The Wise-Anderson Protocal. The program came out of Stanford. The Urological Association has just come out will info on IC that suggests it is a muscle pain problem. The clinic teaches you how to do the work of healing your self. It is a long road, but pain is a great motovator. The books Dr. Wise has written are helpful, but the Trigger Point Release Therapy is amazing. Tim Sawyer is a fantastic Physical Therapist. He was taught by the original founder of Trigger Point release. Read all the info and listen to their videos. They may be very helpful. By the way there were 4 men and only two women at the clinic. I never realized that men suffered so badly from their version of IC. Good luck to all. You are not alone. There is hope.

Interstitial Cystitis: I was just diagnosed with this awful condition yesterday. I had noticed for the past couple of years that about half of the urine tests the doctors performed for supposed UTI came up negative for bacteria..and I was in pain!!! I had researched IC online and basically self diagnosed myself but I wanted to go to a urologist to be for sure. I do have a couple suggestions for managing the flare ups associated with IC...

1) alkalize your body...I drink 1/4 tspn of baking soda in 4oz of water daily...sometimes 2x daily if I have more pain. I've noticed this keeps the awful urethra burning at bay most of the time. I tried the ACV w/BS and it HURT. This made me sad because alot of people report great results with ACV but my body does not like it.

2) Marshmellow Root in the liquid form (non-alchohol)...I had a flare up about a week ago and took a dropper full in 4 oz of water 4-5 times a day. The pain subsided drastically within 24 hrs. I take a maintenance dose (1-2 droppers full) a day.

3) D-mannose...I use 1/2 tspn daily in 4 oz water..just for overall urinary tract health. It's also good to take it before and after sex to keep from getting UTI's.

4) I know that we IC sufferers are supposed to stay away from alot of spicy and acidic foods (hence I cannot take Vitamin C to save my life...talk about pain!)....BUT I do enjoy my one cup of coffee every morning..the rest of the day I drink bottled water. Also, when I have acidic foods like pasta with tomato sauce or mexican I take an extra dose of BS just as a safe guard and I have to say it usually does the trick.

5) There is a product you can buy at drugstores...I haven't tried it yet but I plan on it. Basically, you take it before you eat anything acidic and it's supposed to neutralize the acids...I know we are not supposed to mention product names but if anybody wants to know you can email me.

Sorry to be long winded but I noticed there is not alot of feedback on IC....I will let everyone know if I come across any more remedies.

Take care!

I was diagnosed with Interstitial Cystitis 10 years ago after many unsuccessful rounds of antibiotics for a UTI. At my worst, I was house bound and could not leave the house. I was searching for another remedy and realised that I had never written down what helped me recover and so thought I would pass this along to anyone else who needs help. Supplements I used: Marshmallow Leaf Tea Cornsilk Tea Iron (I was anaemic) Probiotics D-Mannose I went on to an acid free diet and ate lots of lettuce and cucumber, which helped. I also used exercises from Amy Steins - Heal Pelvic Pain. It was slow at first, but I gradually began to improve. I went back to my normal life and diet eventually, although would limit foods like oranges and coffee. If I get ill or run down it flares slightly, but I can quickly get it back on track. I live normally and for the most part do not give it a second thought, so if you are struggling- remember it is not forever. I would also have bad days in the beginning by trying to do too much, but when I rested I would feel better than before. Good luck!

After much trial and error here is what tamps down a flare up of IC for me every time. Hope it works for others as well. Here is what I take: Grapefruit seed extract: 2caps. ( I think this works as an antibiotic.) UVA Ursi: 2 caps Prelief: 2 caps (I order from amazon but hear Walgreens carries it). D-Mannose: 2 caps ( I now buy this in bulk from bulk supplements on amazon. Way cheaper. Take a Tlb.) AZO 2 tablets. ( for the pain and urinary urgency) Aspirin, ibuprophen or Tylenol ( for the pain). I either lie down with a heating pad or I buy from dollar store a stick on heating pad.

One that heats up when air touches it. Has round disks embedded in fabric that heat up. There is no medication in it. Just warmth which lasts for hours. I usually can only find the kind that goes on shoulders but I put it on my lower stomach and it's held in place with the two self stick ends and my own pants. Feels very comforting. Usually I just have to do one round of this but occasionally I've had to do two rounds in a day. This works every time and stays away until something triggers it again. Sometimes I use it right away before symptoms flare up if I know I'm going to be triggered such as after intimate relations. This works as a preventative in that situation.

The only problem that the FDA has approved Ozone for is Interstitial Cystitis. I am presently reading Dr Shallengeberger's latest book, The Ozone Miracle, and he describes where folks that require self bladder catheterization can easily treat this problem with ozone.

I have just redone all my ozone tubing after 5 years of deterioration and now back in business. Today, I drank a large glass of ozonated water and did my ozone ear insufflation. Later, I will breath it for 10 minutes while bubbling ozone through olive oil.

Finally back into my ozone. ==ORH===

I have intersticial cystitis and was cured in just a few weeks with a very new treatment called ozone installations. Most traditional doctors know nothing about this. I had it done by my integrative medicine doctor and she's only been using ozone to treat this for about a year. It's very new. Anyway, it involves being catheterized and having ozone (a gas) put into the bladder for 20 min. That's it. No pain at all, other than a little discomfort when the catheter is put in place, but that is only for a few seconds. To get full relief, a number of installations will need to be done, depending on how bad it is. Initially, I went about 4 times a week. Then 3, then 2. You taper off. While having these done, I also followed a careful diet given to me by my doctor and drank water with baking soda in it to keep my urine alkaline (1/2 teaspoon 5-6 times a day). Decrease as you begin to feel better. Use Ph strips that you can buy at the drug store to test your urine and try to keep it 7.0-7.5 for best results. Not many doctors do this treatment yet since it's so new. You can read about it on the web and hopefully find an alternative medicine doctor (or integrative medicine) that does it, or knows someone who does. It can be expensiveBest wishes!

Yes I would second pelvic floor therapy for Interstitial Cystitis. My physio who I saw said that I had muscles firing when they shouldn't be (overactive) and no muscles firing when they should (underactive). My muscles were all confused and stressed out from the chronic inflammation and pain. Intercourse was an absolute NO for a solid year because my muscles were just in a spasm knot. IC free for several years now. I do still need to be careful with intercourse to relax and not tense. I feel like pelvic floor therapy helped though once I was over the worst part of IC and was working on long term healing and future prevention. It did not really help with any of the acute immediate pain.