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The Bladder - Urinary Retention
Difficulty Voiding - Paruresis

an article by Susun S. Weed

Step 0 . Do Nothing
Oops, that’s the problem. Seriously, though, relaxing deeply can open the valves. If it doesn’t, there may be an obstruction.

Step 1. Collect Information
Because the prostate gland encircles the urethra (the tube that allows the bladder to empty), when the prostate is swollen, it becomes difficult to empty the bladder. The urinary stream may start and stop, be scanty, or feel urgent without much result. As much as a cup of urine may be retained even after “emptying”.

Trauma during, or from, childbirth, and after prostate or pelvic surgery, can also interfere with the ability to urinate.

If urination stops completely for several hours, treat as an emergency situation. Catheterization in sterile circumstances is life- (and bladder-) saving.

Step 2. Engage the Energy

Homeopathic Zea mays is specific for retention or suppression of urine, and it is suitable for young, old, and in-between.

Step 3. Nourish and Tonify

Dandelion, chickweed, and nettle are three good friends whose leaves and roots work together or alone to increase voiding ease and relieve retention. Go slowly, as they can increase urinary output. A drop or two of each tincture may be enough.

Step 4. Stimulate/Sedate

Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners view urinary retention/difficulty voiding as kidney yang deficiency and dysfunction of the Triple Burner. The modified TCM formula uses cinnamon bark to promote fluid flow, turkey tail mushrooms and dandelion as diuretics, astragalus to increase overall chi, peony root to replenish kidney yin and strengthen the bladder, licorice and dandelion roots to clear bladder heat, fennel seed to bring chi to the Lower Burner, and plantain seeds to clear heat from the Lower Burner and remove Triple Burner dampness.
Herbs traditionally used in tinctures to relieve urinary blockages of all kinds include parsley root, buchu leaves, juniper berries, and uva ursi leaves. Saw palmetto berries and pygeum are favorites for men with voiding difficulties, but all offer benefits to everyone. Depending on the severity of the problem, dropperful doses may be used 1-8 hours apart. (Do avoid capsules.)

Step 6. Break and Enter

If you have prostate cancer and urinary problems - such as a weak stream or difficulty voiding, then radioactive seed therapy (brachytherapy) “may not be ideal” as it often fails to relieve urinary problems and occasionally worsens them.1

Bladder Star - Comfrey
An herb that can improve muscle tone in the bladder, ease irritation in the bladder lining and ureters, heal all surfaces, counter inflammation, and create resilient health throughout the urinary system is a true bladder star. That’s comfrey - Symphytum.

I don’t use Symphytum officinale, which is often cited, and is associated with alkaloid-overdose of the liver. Instead, I use the comfrey from my garden, Symphytum uplandica x, also called “Russian” or “blue” comfrey. In fact, I’ve never seen anyone growing officinale, which is a small plant with yellow flowers. I strongly suspect that all the comfrey for sale in the United States in uplandica.

The allantoin in comfrey is a superb healer of mucus surfaces, such as those lining the bladder and ureters. It gives almost immediate relief to those with interstitial cystitis and works to counter urge incontinence and overactive bladders. Comfrey’s anti-inflammatory action relieves urethritis and prostate swelling, too.

The astringent tannins in comfrey help tone and tighten the bladder and pelvic floor muscles, countering stress incontinence. Comfrey also relaxes the detrusor muscle.

The lavish amounts of minerals, vitamins, and protein found in comfrey allow the body to engage in any repairs that are needed and may counter bladder cancer.

A sitz bath of the leaves or roots works well for those reluctant to consume comfrey. But, for best results, comfrey leaf infusion, a cup or two a day, gets my vote.

1. “Urinary Symptoms and Prostate Cancer Treatment,” HealthNews, June 2004.

Legal Disclaimer: This content is not intended to replace conventional medical treatment. Any suggestions made and all herbs listed are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, condition or symptom. Personal directions and use should be provided by a clinical herbalist or other qualified healthcare practitioner with a specific formula for you. All material in this article is provided for general information purposes only and should not be considered medical advice or consultation. Contact a reputable healthcare practitioner if you are in need of medical care. Exercise self-empowerment by seeking a second opinion.

Susun Weed
PO Box 64
Woodstock, NY 12498
Fax: 1-845-246-8081Visit Susun Weed at: www.susunweed.com and www.ashtreepublishing.com
For permission to reprint this article, contact us at: susunweed@herbshealing.com
Vibrant, passionate, and involved, Susun Weed has garnered an international reputation for her groundbreaking lectures, teachings, and writings on health and nutrition. She challenges conventional medical approaches with humor, insight, and her vast encyclopedic knowledge of herbal medicine. Unabashedly pro-woman, her animated and enthusiastic lectures are engaging and often profoundly provocative.

Susun is one of America's best-known authorities on herbal medicine and natural approaches to women's health. Her four best-selling books are recommended by expert herbalists and well-known physicians and are used and cherished by millions of women around the world. Learn more at www.susunweed.comSusun Weed’s books include:

Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year
Author: Susun S. Weed. Simple, safe remedies for pregnancy, childbirth, lactation, and newborns. Includes herbs for fertility and birth control. Foreword by Jeannine Parvati Baker. 196 pages, index, illustrations.
Retails for $11.95 Order at: www.ashtreepublishing.com

Healing Wise
Author: Susun S. Weed. Superb herbal in the feminine-intuitive mode. Complete instructions for using common plants for food, beauty, medicine, and longevity. Introduction by Jean Houston. 312 pages, index, illustrations.
Retails for $15.95 Order at: www.ashtreepublishing.com

NEW Menopausal Years the Wise Woman Way
Author: Susun S. Weed. The best book on menopause is now better. Completely revised with 100 new pages. All the remedies women know and trust plus hundreds of new ones. New sections on thyroid health, fibromyalgia, hairy problems, male menopause, and herbs for women taking hormones. Recommended by Susan Love MD and Christiane Northrup MD. Foreword by Juliette de Bairacli Levy. 304 pages, index, illustrations.
Retails for $16.95. Order at: www.ashtreepublishing.com
For more info on menopause, visit: www.menopause-metamorphosis.com

Breast Cancer? Breast Health!
Author: Susun S. Weed. Foods, exercises, and attitudes to keep your breasts healthy. Supportive complimentary medicines to ease side-effects of surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, or tamoxifen. Foreword by Christiane Northrup, M.D. 380 pages, index, illustrations.
Retails for $14.95 Order at: www.ashtreepublishing.com

This article is © copyright Susun S. Weed Republished here with kind permission.

 

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