What is incontinence?
Incontinence is the loss of bladder and bowel control. Simply put, it is the inability to control the flow of urine from the bladder and the transit of excreta through the anal outlet. It also includes occasional leaks and a complete loss of control of bladder and bowel activities.
What is the TCM’s take on incontinence?
According to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), incontinence is primarily the result of kidney Qi deficiency. Often associated with aging, chronic sickness, and exertion, which weakens the Yang energy and thereby causes failure to secure and control the bowel and bladder, resulting in a loss of containment power. In modern society, the long time sitting can weaken the muscles controlling the bowl bowel movement.
What are the types of incontinence?
1) Stress incontinence—meaning leakage of urine or excreta or both while coughing, sneezing, laughing, or exercising.
2) Urge incontinence: a sudden intense need to urinate or frequent urination, which may be followed by involuntary loss of urine.
3) Overflow Incontinence: constant and frequent dribbling of urine due to an incompletely empty bladder.
4) Functional incontinence: physical or mental impairments that prevent reaching the toilet in time.
5) Mixed incontinence: A situation that is a combination of severe stress and intense urge to urinate or pass stool.
Other symptoms include incomplete bladder emptying, a constant urge to be near the restroom, and waking up several times in the night to urinate, also called “nocturia.”
How does TCM treat incontinence?
There are two types of incontinence, viz., urinary and fecal.
TCM treats both these types of incontinence by correcting energy Qi imbalances and organ deficiencies. TCM focuses on strengthening and enhancing proper kidney and spleen function.
The main treatment procedure includes the insertion of thin, sterile needles into specific acupoints on the body and or electro-acupuncture acupoints in the lower back and sacrum to stimulate nerves that control the bladder, thus strengthening the pelvic muscles, which stops the involuntary urine leakage issue. This protocol is also concurrently supported by moxibustion therapy and herbal tonics to enhance bladder control.
Each such procedure lasts for 20 to 60 minutes. Multiple sessions spread over several weeks improve bladder and bowel movement and control activities. Twice or three times a week acupuncture treatment for the first 12 visits will give sufficient dosage to stop the incontinence as soon as possible.
Furthermore, acupuncture therapy helps to enhance the pudendal nerve functions, which induce a rhythmic contraction of pelvic muscles, which also helps to repair the controlling abilities.
Why do patients in the West prefer acupuncture therapy over allopathic treatment for incontinence?
Acupuncture for incontinence is preferred over Western medical protocol, primarily, due to its non-invasive, low-risk nature as compared to allopathic pharmaceutical reaction-prone prescription drugs.,
Secondly, it can be undergone as a complementary treatment alongside allopathic treatment. Furthermore, it offers a lower risk of adverse side effects. Acupuncture therapy addresses the root cause(s) of incontinence : dysfunction of muscles and nerves.
Furthermore, patients prefer acupuncture treatment for incontinence over the “quick-result” allopathic medicines like anticholinergics, as pharmaceutical drug-based treatment often leads to constipation, headache, and dry mouth conditions.
Acupuncture for incontinence is recommended by Western medicine doctors as a complementary treatment based on its efficacy to attenuate the symptomatic severity and reboot Qi channels for long-term relief from this debilitating affliction.
Moreover, acupuncture treatment, when supported by lifestyle changes, provides better and long-lasting relief by strengthening the bladder muscles and reducing the inflammation of bladder lining and prostate.
More research and studies are needed to substantiate various aspects of safety and efficaciousness to acupuncture to be regarded as a stand-alone treatment. Research done in this domain has shown a positive trend for this holistic approach.
Acupuncture treatments not only heals the medical conditions but also restores the joy of wellness in life.
Reference Sites:
1)Acupuncture for the treatment of urinary incontinence: A review of randomized controlled trials
Sun-Ho Paik , Su-Ryun Han, Oh-Jun Kwon, Young-Min Ahn, Byung-Cheol Lee, Se-Young Ahn
PMID: 24137264PMCID: PMC3786848DOI: 10.3892/etm.2013.1210
2)Acupuncture and related therapies for stress urinary incontinence: A protocol for systematic review and network meta-analysis
Jiao Yang, Ying Cheng , Ling Zhao, Jiao Chen , Qianhua Zheng , Yaoguang Guo , Fanrong Liang
PMID: 32664109PMCID: PMC7360201DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000021033