subject: Dietary Effects On Healthy Bladder Weakness [print this page] Dietary Effects On Healthy Bladder Weakness
Confronting the issue of incontinence is not easy. Anyone can develop this problem, irrespective of how old they are. Contrary to popular belief, incontinence is not necessarily caused by aging. Rather, it is a symptom of some other underlying problem, such as damaged or weak muscles, an infection, a genetic problem, or simply an illness. Thus it is important to seek professional medical attention to diagnose, evaluate, and assess your condition.
Regardless of what is causing your bladder weakness, you need to learn how to manage it, if you want to be able to lead an active and fulfilling lifestyle. And even if you do enlist the services of a doctor to treat any underlying medical issues that could be causing your bout with incontinence, it is entirely within your control to improve your own health by keeping tabs on your diet and by avoiding specific food and beverage items that are known to cause bladder irritation. In many cases, a change in diet is all you may need to cure incontinence.
Listed below are some of the most common foods known to cause incontinence:
Alcohol
Alcohol is a diuretic. It dulls the senses, so it is possible that it may even dull the sensation of bladder fullness, resulting in incontinence.
Artificial Sweeteners
Artificial sweeteners, such as aspartame, has been known to cause bladder irritation in some people, resulting in incontinence.
Caffeine
Caffeine is a diuretic, like alcohol. Therefore, beverages like coffee and tea could actually contribute to incontinence. Even if you do not suffer from incontinence, you might have noticed at one time or another that caffeinated beverages can increase the frequency of your need to urinate.Caffeine also irritates the bladder, resulting in that sense of urgency that a person experiences when they need to urinate. Perhaps by simply switching to decaffeinated coffee, you can subdue your bladder weakness issues.
Citrus Fruits
Despite the health benefits of citrus fruits, such as oranges and tomatoes, they contain high levels of acid, which can irritate the bladder, thus contributing to bouts of incontinence.
Spicy Foods
Spicy foods are also another type of bladder irritant. Reducing your intake of spicy foods can alleviate the symptoms of bladder control problems that lead to bladder weakness.
What is irritating to one person's bladder may not be to someone else's. Tracking your diet in a bladder diary is an excellent way to diagnose what may be causing your incontinence.
