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Interstitial Cystitis

I ran into a patient on Wednesday who had suffered from interstitial cystitis.  When I last saw her she had been up several times per night to the bathroom, losing sleep, exhausted, and suffering with frequent painful urination during the day.  We worked on reducing inflammation, helping her body with stress and removing food sensitivities from her diet.  She saw some improvement and at the time I also referred her to a pelvic physiotherapist to physically help with the pain.  There was some improvement from this as well and she also saw a chiropractor.  The chiropractor was the one who nailed it as far as fully resolving her problem.  He determined that the pain was the result of scar tissue and adhesions from her caesarean section 4 years ago and after working on that, her issues are gone, she looks healthy and energetic again.  While I didn’t fully fix her, she was appreciative of the improvement she made under my care and that I made the referral in the right direction.

Lessons learned:

  1. Never underestimate the trauma caused by caesarean section, or any other major surgery for that matter.
  2. Interstitial cystitis isn’t necessarily a problem with the bladder itself, it can be a problem with the surrounding tissue.  I’ve even seen endometriosis cause what was diagnosed as interstitial cystitis.
  3. Cystitis or inflammation of the bladder can be caused by many things: bacterial infection, food sensitivities, endometriosis, scar tissue, adhesions etc.  Sourcing out the root of the inflammation is the only way to effectively deal with and remove the problem.
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Estrogen Metabolism or Clearing Excess Estrogen

Sex hormones are produced in the body via the following assembly line:
Cholesterol —-> Pregnenolone —-> Progesterone —–> Androstenedione —-> Testosterone —-> Estradiol (one form of estrogen).  Estradiol is our end product and when there is the right amount of our end product, it’s the liver’s job to take any extra and break it down through a series of steps known as Phase I and Phase II liver detoxification. There are several ingredients required for successful breakdown and clearance of estrogen, as well as chemicals, pollution, pesticides etc. that can act like estrogen. We want to remove any excess estrogen and these waste products so that they don’t accumulate and do harm such as promoting reproductive cancers.

The first step in estrogen breakdown is conversion of estradiol to estrone. Estrone is then metabolised through Phase I liver detoxification (hydroxylation) into 2-hydroxyestrone. Cruciferous vegetables, flaxseeds, soy and rosemary supply substances like indole-3-carbinol that are necessary for this step to occur. The next step in estrogen breakdown is Phase II detoxification (methylation) which converts 2-hydroxyestrone to 2-methoxyestrone. This step requires vitamin B6, B12 and ACTIVE folic acid (5MTHF) to proceed. The active folic acid part is important as most folic acid from supplements is inactive. Some people have a defective gene that doesn’t allow them to process folic acid properly, so that they cannot make 5MTHF. This causes sluggish liver detoxification. There are 3 final procedures the liver can do to our 2-methoxyestrone to package it up for elimination. Glucuronidation requires glucaric acid, methlyation requires active folic acid again (5MTHF) and sulfation requires sulfur.

If any of these ingredients is missing, estrogen breakdown will be incomplete and estrogen, estrogen breakdown products and other waste like it, can build up in your system creating health problems like endometriosis, acne, fibroids, painful periods, hormone related cancers, heavy periods, infertility and other hormone imbalance conditions. In treating these conditions, I find it successful to provide (in the form of supplements) each component necessary for successful completion of phase I, phase II and the final packaging steps.

The typical benefits of enhancing estrogen metabolism this way include reduced risk of hormone related cancers, lighter periods, less cramping, less breast tenderness, reductions in fibroids, improved fertility, and clearer skin.

How Often Should I Do an Estrogen Detox?

That depends on the person and their particular symptoms, but for the average person, once per year.

Should Men do Estrogen Detoxification?

Yes!  Men produce estrogen as well and  excess estrogen and accumulation of estrogen like chemicals like bisphenol a, can bind to estrogen receptors in men and promote cancer such as prostate cancer.

Source: Medicine (Baltimore). 2015 Jan;94(1):e211 . Bisphenol a and hormone-associated cancers: current progress and perspectives.  Gao H1, Yang BJ, Li N, Feng LM, Shi XY, Zhao WH, Liu SJ.

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The Benefits of a Detox for Women

Firstly, what exactly do I mean by a detox?  Detoxification is the process whereby the liver breaks down toxins, chemicals, pollution, your own body waste and excess hormones.  This process has to occur in order to make these garbage compounds into something the body recognizes as garbage so that they can be eliminated.  If waste is not fully broken down, or detoxified, it can linger in your system and accumulate.  The liver has two processes where it breaks these down called phase I and phase II liver detoxification.  Certain vitamins, minerals and other substances from plants help ensure that this process runs smoothly, such as vitamin B6, vitamin B12, active folic acid (5 methyltetrahydrofolate or 5MTHF), indole-3-carbinol, glucarate, sulfur, N acetylcysteine and so on.  If your body doesn’t have enough of these, toxins will get stuck in your system.

Because detoxification is part of the process to break down and excrete excess hormones, doing a detox can help:

  1. Acne
  2. Heavy periods
  3. Painful periods
  4. Infertility
  5. PMS symptoms
  6. Endometriosis
  7. Uterine polyps
  8. Fibroids
  9. Many other hormone related conditions.

Clearing toxins from your system can also reduce risk for hormone sensitive and other cancers.

 

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Endometriosis and IBS

These two often seem to go hand in hand and it’s difficult to differentiate whether the gut issue is part of the endometriosis or a separate entity. In one study, 29% of endometriosis patients had either IBS or constipation.

Here are potential links between endometriosis and the gut:

1. Adhesions – abdominal tissue stuck together and not functioning normally due to endometriosis
2. Gluten sensitivity has been linked to both IBS and endometriosis
3. Endometriosis tissue adhering to the gut and causing gut irritation or inflammation
4. Ovarian hormones affect sensorimotor gastrointestinal function, modulate pain, and modulate susceptibility to stress. So the same imbalances that are causing or contributing to endometriosis can also be causing IBS symptoms.
5. Gut dysbiosis – overgrowth of unhealthy microorganisms in the gut can disrupt the ability to excrete excess estrogen and create more inflammation in the gut. An inflamed gut will increase endometriosis related abdominal pain.

Naturopathically we can address all of these issues, improving gut health, hormone balance and endometriosis.

Sources:
1. World J Gastroenterol. 2014 Jun 14;20(22):6725-43. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i22.6725.
Gender-related differences in irritable bowel syndrome: potential mechanisms of sex hormones.
Meleine M, Matricon J.
2. Colorectal Dis. 2011 Jan;13(1):67-71. doi: 10.1111/j.1463-1318.2009.02055.x.
Irritable bowel syndrome and chronic constipation in patients with endometriosis.
Meurs-Szojda MM1, Mijatovic V, Felt-Bersma RJ, Hompes PG.