In my new book, Healing The Prostate, I give male readers the inside scoop on how to dramatically reduce their urinary symptoms due to an enlarged prostate. You can read about this in my previous articles, Part 1 and Part 2, at www.americasnaturaldoctor.com. In addition to the best nutritional, most scientifically valid supplements, and other natural approaches to prostate enlargement, I have unique content that goes beyond the prostate and deals with the bladder.
As men age, their bladder function often declines in function as well. As a result, many men have what is known as overactive bladder (OAB). This condition affects up to 30 percent of men in the United States. The most common symptom is a sudden, uncontrolled need or urge to urinate. For some men, OAB causes leakage of urine. An additional symptom is the need to urinate many times during the day or night. OAB is different from incontinence, where there is a leakage of urine.
The muscle that surrounds the bladder is known as the detrusor. When the bladder is full of urine, stretch receptors in the bladder wall trigger a nervous system reflex that causes the detrusor muscle to contract. This forces the urine toward the urethra to be expelled. Your bladder has an internal urethral sphincter that relaxes for urine to pass out. This internal sphincter is under the involuntary control of your nervous system. There is also an external urethral sphincter that you have mostly voluntary control over. The external urethral sphincter must relax for urine to pass into the urethra to flow outside the body. Approximately 69 percent of men with OAB have an overactive detrusor muscle.
Many men also have urinary incontinence, which refers to the accidental leakage of urine. Up to one-third of men suffer from urinary incontinence.
In the book, I discuss the powerful research on combining three herbal extracts to effectively treat overactive bladder and urinary incontinence in men (they also work for women!). These concentrated extracts come from Crataeva nurvala stem bark, Equisetum arvense stem, and Lindera aggregata root. How effective are they? A 2018 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involved 150 men and women with OAB and urinary incontinence who were given the three herb combination or placebo. After 8 weeks, those taking the herbal combination had significantly fewer episodes of nocturia (nighttime urination) and lower symptoms of urgency and total incontinence as compared to placebo. The following are some key outcomes of those taking the herbal combination in this remarkable study:
It is also important to note that no significant side effects were observed in those taking the herbal combination.
As you can see, the key then is to address the bladder in addition to the prostate for the best results in reducing urinary problems in men! This tremendous trio of bladder tonifying herbs is so effective I incorporate the exact same dosages in my new formula, Bladder Wellness, that I use with both men and women.
Selected ReferenceHealing The Prostate (Hay House)
Dr. Mark Stengler NMD, MS, is a bestselling author in private practice in Encinitas, California, at the Stengler Center for Integrative Medicine. His newsletter, Dr. Stengler’s Health Breakthroughs, is available at www.markstengler.com and his product line at www.drstengler.com
