Dr. Sanjiv Bansal

Urinary incontinence is characterized by lack of control over the bladder so that urine involuntarily leaks out. This leakage can happen when pressure is put on the bladder through actions like sneezing, laughing, coughing or lifting a heavy object. Urinary incontinence is common in people who are overweight, in pregnant women or women who have given birth recently, in people with urinary tract infections, cystitis and in older individuals.

Symptoms
Urinary incontinence is most commonly of 4 types and symptoms of each are different:

1. Stress incontinence – Urine leaks out when there is a sudden pressure on the lower abdomen such as in coughing, sneezing, and heavy lifting.
2. Urge incontinence - Urine leaks out as soon as the urge for urinating is felt.
3. Overflow incontinence – Urine continuously leaks out due to the bladder being overfilled. Often people experiencing this type of incontinence may strain to empty their bladder or do not feel the need to urinate.
4. Functional incontinence – Urine leaks out before the person is able to reach the bathroom because of some physical disability such as arthritis.

Causes
The causes of urinary incontinence depend on if incontinence is temporary or persistent.

Temporary incontinence:

• Diuretics like alcohol, carbonated drinks, coffee and tea
• Artificial sweeteners and chocolate
• Carbonated drinks
• Vitamin C in large doses
• Medicines for high blood pressure and sedatives
• Very spicy or acidic foods
• Persistent incontinence

Infections of the urinary or genital tract-

1. In women, pregnancy, childbirth, menopause, and hysterectomy
2. In men, an enlarged prostate
3. Neurological disorders like stroke, Parkinson’s disease
4. Tumors in the urinary tract or bladder that can block urine flow
5. Obesity
6. Age

Role of Homeopathy-
Urinary incontinence can be effectively treated with homeopathy which takes into account not only the physical symptoms of the disease but also the patient’s mental and emotional state, overall health, reactions to environmental conditions like heat and cold and food habits. Medicines like Cantharis and Sulphur 30c can be very effective for straining to urinate and pain during urination, whereas medicines like Causticum and Ipecac are useful for controlling leakage of urine while walking, sneezing or coughing. The medications prescribed are all naturally derived, which guarantees treatment without any side effects. Homeopathy not only treats the external symptoms of incontinence but also helps resolve the underlying problems and hence provide a permanent solution to this disorder.

Homeopathic remedies can thus offer a natural and safe option for treating urinary incontinence that can save people from a potentially embarrassing situation without any side effects.