Top Natural Remedies for Interstitial Cystitis Relief

Years ago I started having symptoms of IC, the same symptoms as a bladder infection, without the infection. (Google it) Symptoms would come and go through out the years. The inflammation would cause me to feel weak and tired. Then I remembered that my bladder problems always seemed to act up after I took antibiotics. So, this got me to thinking...."Candida fungus was probably at the root of my bladder problem."

So, I went on a Candida diet, for 3 weeks and I not only lost weight and started feeling better, but my IC symptoms seemed to let up...but not entirely.

Then, after my latest flare, I did some research and discovered Bone Broth. I mixed a cup, half and half with vegetable broth, heated it, drank it and within 4 hours the pain had let up.

My understanding is that the Candida fungus causes little holes to form in the protective lining of the bladder, causing pain when the wrong food is consumed, and the broth helps heal that lining. Much like it is suppose to help heal leaky gut.

I thought, "It can't be this simple." So, I tested it, ate some citrus (a big no-no for IC suffers), symptoms flared, I drank the broth and the pain let up. I now drink at least one hot cup of broth a day and, knock on wood, I think it's my answer.

I believe that the Candida fungus was the root cause of the IC. Going off bad carbs was really hard at first, but now I seldom feel hungry. I eat very little but what I do eat is very nutritious. I have so much more energy and feel much younger. I told my hubby..."Unless I'm dying, DON'T let me take any more antibiotics! "

Hope my story helps at least one IC sufferer.

Marshmellow root, a true miracle.

I have been so lost, confused, depressed and in a whole lotta pain until I read about this miracle drug and tried it. I am 47 and have been through two operations for endo. I developed severe pain in my lower stomach and pelvis area and went to urinate constantly. Although drs always told me I had ic and endo, I never was told what to take for relief. Couldn't sleep for a complete night without having to pee. Back pain got worse and I ended up going to my obgyn again. He looked at me and said that when I have had enough pain I'll agree to have a hysterectomy that he recommends. Sent me home with birth control pills. Why don't drs tell u about these possible drugs that can actually help? Seems like there just out for themselves. I came home and started searching on the internet for help. And there I saw marshmellow root and the reviews. I decided I was gonna try it and after two days, my pain has drop tremendously and the swelling has went down a lot. I also have ibs and it seems to help with that too. I gave up my diet soda which I'm sure that has a lot to do with the irratation. But I am willing to try just about anything to feel like me again. So far I'm so impressed with the marshmellow root capsule. I hope this gets out there to someone who is at the end of there rope like I was. Give this a try, u have nothing to lose. I only paid ten dollars for 100 capsules and so far, it has been worth every penny. God bless.

Hi Heather,

If you Google LDN for Interstitial Cystitis, you will find a number of people who say low dose Naltrexone has either cured them or has taken the pain level so low that they now don't even notice they have it. There is hope out there! www.ldninfo.org. And join the Yahoo LDN Group mentioned at top of that site. It has over 13,000 members who will give you their experiences and suggestions. Best wishes.

I was diagnosed with Interstitial Cystitis several years ago. I'm on my 3rd prescription bladder medication which I am now immune to. I've also tried OTC AZO Bladder but I couldn't tell any difference. I've done a lot of research on IC and I'll admit that knowing there's no cure causes instant anxiety for me. I don't wish this on anyone. I just finished some Turmeric Tea. I boiled 8 oz water then added 1 teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar, 1/8 teaspoon ground Turmeric, one pinch of ground black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, and 1 tablespoon of raw honey. I leave the spoon in my cup to stir constantly while drinking as the ingredients will settle. Every time I drink Turmeric Tea, I sleep like a baby!!! I encourage everyone to try this as it's not just for IC!!!!

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.

ANNE,,,,,,,,, since I's SJS, I failed to read your last sentence that this procedure can be expensive. No way JOSE, this procedure costs pennies and can be done at home. The problem is the protocol, and I can tell you that is not a deal because it can be done by trial and error. You just error to the safe side.

You have done all a service by telling us about this procedure, but it is not rocket science stuff. The medical folks just want to keep the details a secret so they can milk the patients for all they can. Business as usual. Not fussing at you.

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HI U ANNE,,,,,,,,, spent lots of time in Houston in the '70s on engineering projects. Being a hick, the interstate loop put me in the top of a tall pine tree. The women would pass me doing 90 mph and looking into the rear view mirror putting on their lipstick. I was white knuckled holding on to the steering wheel.

My dad had bladder cancer and I'm sure he would have been cured with the protocol you describe. I just got an e mail from Dr Shellenberger asking for spider vein volunteers to undergo an ozone treatment to address that problem. He has successfully cured 4 of his patients. Ozone is wonderful, but only about 16 states allow it's use. I just did an ozone ear insulflation this morning after my IFR sauna. Years ago we bought a medical Ozone generator from Longevity. It cost about $3,400 but keeps us perking. We have the equipment to do anal and vagina insulflation and suspect that you could do the protocol you did at home. You would just have to have the smarts.

Folks may think they cannot afford an Ozone Generator but my truck is 17 years old and instead of driving a new truck every 3 years I spend that money on health toys. All should too.

Thank you for your enlightening post.

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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!

I went to Stanford in 2001 and received pelvic floor therapy for my IC. It seemed crazy at the time, but it literally saved my life. I still do the exercises when I have flare ups.

For a recent painful IC bout that I feel was brought on by stress, a naturopath recommended Flax oil capsules. Flax is an anti-inflammatory and capsules are the strongest, 1000mg, look for organic. The suggestion was for 5 per day ( taken all at once ) for 5 days and then 2 per day for a month after.

I also add energy medicine support with meridian tapping ( EFT ) for the pain, as well as acupressure bladder points. You can search on-line for these. Hope this might help!

Hello my friend,

You have Vulvodynia, a chronic pain syndrome that affects the vulvar tissue. I suffered with this for 3 yrs in the late 1990s. It is oxalate crystals in your urine that cause the stabbing pain to the vulva tissue. You must eat a low oxalate diet eliminating all foods high in oxalate. You must drink lots of liquids like cherry juice or water or apple cider. There are others look to the low oxalate diet alternatives. Buy Calcium Citrate with no additives. Figure out the times of the day when your pain is highest and take 500 or 750 mg of calcium citrate on an empty stomach with 8 or 10 oz of water. The calcium citrate will return the urine to a normal ph over time. Get a vegetable laxative you will get severe constipation from the calcium citrate so you must take laxatives. You can take a warm bath with some apple cider vinegar to relieve the pain. No soaps or harsh chemicals to the area. Get on an anti depressant now to be able to better manage or cope with this horrible pain. I have Vulvadynia again probably it came back as I had a first time ever yeast infection or it's heredity and stress plays a role in chronic pain conditions. You will get better. Look to the Vulvar pain foundation for support. There are about 2 million women who suffer from Vulvadynia you are not alone. You can also try biofeedback to the pelvic muscle. Stay away from too many Doctors as they don't know what's wrong and may give you topical treatments to the vagina which will make it worse and or antibiotics which will not help. They'll think because of a white odor colorless discharge that doesn't test positive for yeast it's still a yeast infection and treat as such. This will set back your recovery and you don't need that stress. Let me know how you're feeling, I pray you get well soon and you will but you must follow the regimen I have explained it's the only cure.

Donna, if the bacteria was found embedded in lining, what did dr do to treat it?

I've been dealing with health issues for a long time. I have struggled with chronic Lyme and ulcerative Colitis. I've just gotten to a very good place with the Lyme and the ulcerative Colitis is very quiet. Back in September of last year I had a UTI infection that did resolve with antibiotics. Eight months later it returned and felt better after a few days of antibiotics except for an allergic reaction to the antibiotic- it was switched and then I felt better. Just to mention that I haven't taken antibiotics in many many years and just felt so desperate with the bladder infection that I felt I wanted it to be resolved quickly. But a month later, the symptoms returned, constantly feeling like I needed to urinate and my bladder feeling like it was so swollen. Doctor appointments led me to possible early signs of interstitial cystitis which I'd heard of because a relative suffers from this.

I quickly began reading about remedies here and around the Internet. It's been three months and the only thing that has helped is a douche with apple cider vinegar, curcumin capsule opened, aloe juice and distilled water. If I do this three times a day the pain stops completely. The issue I am having now is that I'm nervous that I'm putting things constantly in my vaginal area and changing the natural state of things, which I guess was obviously not very good anyway considering my bladder is having all these issues, but my vagina seems to be OK and now I'm concerned that I may be harming things further. I did a little bit of a internal exam and the skin inside my vagina seems very different raw - and I'm concerned as to whether the Apple cider vinegar maybe too acidic. I was fIlling half of a summers eve disposable douche bottle with apple cider vinegar which is obviously way way way too much so now I reduced it but I don't want to stop doing what I'm doing which will cause the pain to return full fledged and I also want the skin to heal - so this is half of a suggestion for a temporary relief but I also wanted to know if anyone has had any similar experiences or recommendations.

I am finishing my lYmir treatment and didn't want to do anything to interact with that so I plan to do prolozone Therapy at the end of the month when I complete my Lyme treatment. Also I'm taking aloe capsules and nutritional bladder support, a probiotic, colloidal silver and a few other things.

I started taking turmeric the day I first suspected interstitial cystitis. I had been struggling with what I thought was an extremely stubborn UTI for about 2 weeks, off and on. Every night my sleep was interrupted about 7 to 8 times with the desperate urge to pee. On this particular afternoon the pain and urgency became so beyond ridiculous that I couldn't function. I was exhausted, peeing every 5 minutes, hurting every second of the day, so much that I could not focus on anything. None of the usual treatments had worked (D-Mannose, baking soda, cranberry, cherry). I had recently been to the doctor for another UTI but the bacterial culture came back negative.

Having done some reading about IC and noted that it is an inflammatory condition, I drank one glass of about 8oz water with about 1/2 tsp turmeric and a small pinch of black pepper. Then I lay down in the only position that offered a shred of relief, on my back with my knees out. I felt somewhat better within a half hour and was able to fall asleep shortly after. I woke up 2 times to pee, and did again when my alarm went off for work. Each time the burning and urgency were further lessened. The following day I felt almost normal again. I continued to take turmeric and it has not lost its effectiveness for me.

I have tried buying turmeric capsules with black pepper extract since then, and they work pretty well. I have also tried aloe, which seemed to have more effect when it was juice rather than dried in a capsule. These are all helpful, but I am still learning which foods bother me, and when I eat something that triggers an incident, the powdered turmeric spice with a little black pepper stirred into water is what helps me recover the most quickly and fully. Not sure why. I may try making my own capsules because the taste is not delicious. Totally worth it, though.

I wanted to share that Puritan's pride is an excellent brand at an affordable price. Disregard that it's directed toward men, it's for women too. But you can buy any brand as long as it is cold pressed. Try it!!

IC for 10 years!

To do DMSO in the doctors office with major medical only insurance would have cost me $4,500.00. I didn't have that kind of money. I tried EVERYTHING on this site and the diet, also no gluten, sugar, alcohol, baking soda, and tired many drugs. Doing the Physical Therapy, Heprin/Bicarb, Ladicane, many other drugs also for IC, but in the WORST flair for last 12 months was going to give up, and remove my bladder when I realized I have Amazon's DMSO 99.99% Pharma Grade 99.99% on my medicine shelf. I use it for bruises, back aches, etc.

So hey, I researched for 2 months, and then with my Dr's (barely) approval, I put some in my catheter w/my meds. (5 drops (diluted to 50% w/Reverse Osmosis water from Target) No pain, so I held it for 1.5 hrs. The flair stayed the same. But the next week I did it again. WOW. Instead of waking every hr to pee all night, I only got up 2x. Was more comfortable all day! I need to do 6 total. (one per wk).

You should also put 50% DMSO on belly and back (7 drops or so per day) as DMSO is also absorbed in the skin. (See Dr Jacob's site on DMSO. He says MSM is even better for this.) I will continue with the 6 weeks. God knows, this is a miracle drug! My Dr (an ANGEL) wants me to report to her my results. I will update to you all as I go.

RESEARCH THIS before doing or you can have HORRIFIC results, with permanent damage.

*** Never use it straight, nor with only a tiny amount of liquid, nor too often. ***

DMSO per 6.5 drops diluted w/6.5 drops of water would have cost me $592.00 at the pharmacy per week w/out the dr's appointment. It cost me about 4 cents. What a money grab!

God Bless. If?s, (Please respond here. )

Best way to take dmso for IC is drink it in a large glass of water. However, you can apply dmso anywhere to your body and it would go to where its needed. Now remember to take lots of vitamin c and goldenseal herb won't hurt you either. It has a powerful antibacterial / antiviral / antifungal effect good for urinary tract infections.

One thing that absolutely helps with the ic pressure/pain/ urgency is... Pumpkin seed oil. The best is cold pressed! I get it in softgels. I take like 4 or more softgels, depending how I feel, I can think of the mfs now. But just get as high mgs as you can find. I believe it works because pumpkin seeds are super high in magnesium. One of the highest foods with it, (another is spinach). And as you know, magnesium is a muscle relaxer. And so it helps your bladder to relax. However, the oil has many other properties like it being antimicrobial. You have to try it, its a life saver!!! Sunny <8

I used Diatomaceous Earth for 3 months. I just started off with 2 tablespoons. It did kill parasites. After a week, I followed with Senna tea to flush out my intestines.

I thought the same as you. The Earth is wet so it can't be effective, but it is!!!! It even removed swelling from around my knees, which I didn't even know existed.

Her name is Ruth Kriz, and she is the nurse practitioner in Virginia that treats IC patients and is curing them. Here is her website. She treats patients from all over the world vie skype of telephone if you're not local. http://ruthkriz.com/

You need to do a broth culture, but not any. The one that "brews" for 10 days. There are only a couple of labs in the country that do that. I always used United Medical Laboratories in West Virginia (I believe). Be careful with Macrobid. You likely have one of the bigger guns infections (enterecoccus), and macrobid only makes them stronger.

Look up Dr Paul Fugazzoto, but with interstitial cystitis in the search or you will get some dentist. He died a few years ago, but before that had a chance to help many-many women figure out they had a bacterial infection that simply didn't show up on a regular urine test. He passed on the culture method he used to the lab, but I believe it was actually used at the very beginning of urinanalysis, and then we switched to the simple test that showed no bacteria in your urine.

Regarding Diatomaceous Earth and Interstitial Cystitis - I have IC something awful. Bed ridden and house bound but I am concerned the little jagged edges will hurt my bladder even more. I am in constant flare.

Hello to all,

My girlfriend has been suffering from IC for over 15 years now. Had gotten to the point where she was in the hospital every 4 weeks getting a cystoscopy with hydrodistention. I did a TON of research and found some treatments (NOT A CURE but helped)

The simplest way we found and best tasting way to do alkaline water is pour 8 cups of water into a jug, cut up a lemon into 8 pieces and let sit at room temperature for 12 hours (do NOT squeeze the lemons). Drink it throughout the day. It helps ALOT to get your alkalinity UP

The second one has had the best results with her and her friend that has had IC for 20 years, is a mix of two herbal remedies: A marshmallow root tea (as many as you want during the day. I get her the already bagged version that also contains the marshmallow leaves. Tastes actually pretty good. and I even take 2 cups of water, pour in 3 tea bags cut open and a half a peppermint tea bag and let sit in the fridge for 12 hours, take it out and strain it and serve cold. She says its delicious.). Then we add CANTHARIS. (please read up on these before you use them) She finally emptied her bladder, first pee in the morning, first time going to the bathroom that day.

This has not happened in 15 years for her. This is just food for thought, I am not a doctor I just want her to lead as close to a normal life as possible and keep her out of the hospital. And help anyone out that I can that feels there is no answers for you pain.

Fyi I am now researching MONURIL (made of FOSFOMYCIN) so if any improvements come of that I will let you know. If you use any of this and it works keep going, if it doesn't try mixing some stuff up but please remember to always consult a doctor when introducing anything as it could counter react your meds.

And for IC suffers please always remember "To the world you may be just one person, but to one person you may be the world."

NEVER GIVE UP!!!!!!!

Pain Erasers for IC:

I have had interstitial cystitis for 35 years, what a blessing....not! I read an article that they think it is caused when you have sex cause you are not born with it so it is a bug. They said there are 3 medicines that help it, not cure it but calm it down is doxycycline 100 mg 2 tablets a day, one in am, one in pm (which is the best of the 3, the other two are augmentin, ) so I use it and it will make you feel so good at first then it levels out and at least gets rid of the pelvic pain.

I found that yeast cream the cheapy stuff works when I have a flare/infection on top of an infection. I have tried the apple cider deal and I thought I was going to die with pain.

Everyone is right, quit the sugar (do honey if you must), no flour of any kind, no sodas of any kind, no preservatives, and the acidic fruit. I also read it gets WORSE as you age and I can attest to that! Watch what kind of soap you use as well. It is a prison sentence but some things definitely help. I am trying the cabbage and colloidal silver next!

Good luck to all of you, if men got it in greater numbers, there would be a cure by now!! It's like ulcers were years ago, they blamed it on stress and it took them 50 years to figure out it was a bug! Sure hope we do not have to suffer another 50 years!

It's interesting to read about The IUD then the bacterial infection followed by numerous yeast infections. Same thing happened for me in that order. I wonder if the IUD is the cause? Bummer cause I was probably the healthiest person in the world prior to developing IC.

Some information tho or hope for others going through this. I went to a Naturopath 2 months ago who found I had massive amounts of solvents (I work in automotive) in my body along with too much yeast. I started taking solvent removers and Unda 38/8 and after 1 week I quit having the symptoms of IC and have not had any in 2 months. I sleep through the night without having to go to the washroom and don't have the sudden OMG urges I used to.

IC is caused by something and once that "something" is removed, the bladder starts to heal. It's worth a shot!

I am so glad someone mentioned stress as a huge underlying reason for IC. I have been dealing with IC for about 2 years. Oddly enough it began with a horrible episode of kidney stones and 1 Lithotripsy treatment. (not sure if that started my IC??) However, my flare ups definitely come when I am super stressed. Usually work related. I have read all of the websites I could about treatments for IC....but I don't believe one remedy will work for all....because IC can be caused by a variety of things. Including infections, stress, high acidity. The problem is finding the right fix can take lots of money and bathroom visits. Also, I also noticed that drinking water (tap from a well) can be very high in acidity....so stay with the better brands of bottled water. I believe managing my stress a bit better and watching what I eat and drink; although may not be a cure...but will definitely help in dealing with flare ups.

Ally--have you looked into Pelvic Floor Disorder (PFD)? Having to push out your urine and having urine retention are symptoms of PFD as well as pelvic tightness and back pain. Also, when nervous or anxious, symptoms get worse because you subconsciously tighten the pelvic floor.

**Relief from Macrobid yet tests show no infection.

28 years old, diagnosed with Interstitial Cystitis in March 2015. Had horrible pain, frequency, etc. Tried bladder instillations that gave little to no relief, tried a very restrictive IC diet, went to 4 different Urologists, and tested negative for Ureaplasm and for any bacteria. Finally mid-April I couldn't handle the unrelenting pain and frequency (every 15 minutes). I tested positive on two home UTI tests and went to the Minute Clinic. Nurse prescribed Macrobid for 7 days - even though the tests showed no infection. Within 24 hours - I was basically cured - mild pain - ran 12 miles, felt 95% normal - no frequency. Then within 3 days of finishing the Macrobid the pain and symptoms came back. In May called my Urologist begging for more Macrobid. Within 3 days of starting the Macrobid - 100% relief. Then I had a cystoscopy that confirmed IC diagnosis. After taking Macrobid for 10 days, I feel normal - except of the soreness from the cystoscopy/slight hydrodistension.

Macrobid cured me and the hydro helped with my bladder capacity but none of my doctors will listen to me! It has been 3 weeks so far. I have gotten away with eating cheesecake, dried cherries, bananas, etc.