This Interstitial cystitis case review involves a 37-year-old woman who came to our clinic complaining of painful urination with urgency, frequency, and the inability to empty her bladder fully. Her doctors diagnosed her with interstitial cystitis (IC) two years earlier, and although she had tried various medications and dietary changes, her improvements were limited. A relative had previously been to our clinic and suggested she try acupuncture.
What Is Interstitial Cystitis?
IC is essentially chronic inflammation of the bladder. Western medicine defines the condition as a chronic, nonbacterial (as opposed to urinary tract infections – UTIs), inflammatory, non-life threatening bladder disease. It often looks like a UTI but does not respond to antibiotics. Primary symptoms include pain, urgency, and frequency associated with urination.
IC predominantly occurs in women (90 percent) and is much rarer in men (10 percent). According to Medscape, “Current studies estimate that 2.7% to 6.5% of women in the United States have symptoms consistent with a diagnosis of interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS). The broad range in prevalence depends on whether researchers use a high-sensitivity definition (6.53%) versus a highly specific definition (2.7%).”
Interstitial Cystitis Is Difficult To Diagnose
It can take many years to get a conclusive diagnosis of IC, even though many IC patients score worse on Quality of Life assessments than dialysis patients with end-stage renal disease (US Interstitial Cystitis Association). It is not uncommon for IC patients to experience severe, debilitating pelvic pain with the need to urinate every 10 to 15 minutes day and night. Some cannot even leave their house, and many cannot work or care for their families. The intractable nature of this pain often leads to depression and feelings of hopelessness.
Surgery can trigger the symptoms associated with IC (hysterectomy or other gynecological operations), as well as childbirth or severe bladder bacterial infections. However, in most cases, symptoms begin without a clear trigger and for no apparent reason. Furthermore, IC often has alternating spontaneous flare-ups followed by periods of remission, with worsening symptoms before menstruation, during ovulation, or after starting birth control.
Interstitial Cystitis Common Symptoms
Our patient in this interstitial cystitis case review had many of the typical symptoms of IC, which include:
- Stabbing pain during the acute phase and dull, aching pain when less acute and after treatment for acute symptoms.
- The pain tends to increase as the bladder fills up, with minor relief after urination.
- The pain is worse with pressure or touch.
- IC pain can extend to the lower abdomen below the pubic bone, pelvic floor, low back in the lumbar region, external genitalia, groin, or inner thighs.
- Both men and women may find sexual intercourse painful or even impossible, with women experiencing pain in the vagina, bladder, and urethra and men experiencing pain during ejaculation.
- Urinary urgency, which does not resolve after going to the bathroom.
- Urinary frequency, varying from every three minutes up to half an hour.
- Emotional distress, including depression, anxiety, and irritability.
- A urine analysis may detect traces of blood or pus in the urine.
Interstitial Cystitis Case Review
The 37-year-old patient in this interstitial cystitis case review had been dealing with IC symptoms for two years, and they were driving her to distraction. It was impossible for her to get a good night’s sleep, and made it extremely difficult to work. Luckily since Covid, she worked from home, but the urgency and frequency of her condition still made it hard to conduct work conversations over the phone or in video meetings.
Acupuncture Diagnosis and Treatment Plan
In addition to the symptoms listed above, our patient reported feeling tired all the time, had a difficult time concentrating, and struggled with depression. In addition, she presented with a weak pulse and a pale tongue with scalloped edges. This combination clearly reflected a pattern imbalance of Spleen Qi deficiency with dampness accumulation, which is common for patients diagnosed with IC.
Her treatment plan focused on strengthening her Spleen Qi and transforming dampness. Acupoints included CV3, ST29, CV12, ST21, ST36, SP9, LV3, LI11, GV20, and Yintang. We recommended four initial treatments, spread one week apart, and then evaluating to see if acupuncture was helping. She agreed, and treatments began. The approach we used in this interstitial cystitis case review is typical when treating IC patients.
IC Treatment Results
Our patient began feeling better following her second treatment. After four sessions, she reported a 25 percent improvement, with less pain, frequency, and urgency. Since she was responding to treatment, we agreed that it made sense to continue with weekly sessions another four times and then reevaluate.
With each additional session, she continued to improve. After these subsequent four visits, she reported 60 percent fewer IC symptoms. In addition, her energy and mood were improving. At this point, she dropped to every other week. She received an additional four sessions over the next two months, which resulted in significant improvement.
Long-Term IC Relief
When our patient was 90 percent better, she began monthly maintenance treatments, which enabled her to maintain her progress. Most of our IC patients are either in total remission or have significant improvement in their overall condition. Not everyone wants to continue with monthly maintenance, but our patient in this interstitial cystitis case review loved how she felt with acupuncture and wanted to continue in this way to keep her bladder function optimized.
Next Steps
Try acupuncture if you struggle with bladder issues, interstitial cystitis, frequent UTIs, yeast infections, or other urinary conditions. The results described in this interstitial cystitis case review are typical of what we see in our clinic. Acupuncture is well suited for addressing inflammation anywhere in the body, including the bladder.
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Additional IC Acupuncture Information
First IC Acupuncture Research Study.
Second IC Acupuncture Research Study.
First IC Acupuncture Case Study.
Focus Keyphrase: Interstitial Cystitis Case Review
Photo by Lucas Queiroz: https://www.pexels.com/photo/standing-woman-wearing-orange-button-collared-top-near-red-and-yellow-flowers-1852382/
What our Clients are Saying
I highly recommend Raleigh Acupuncture. I was getting urinary tract infections every three months since my son was born and it was driving me crazy. After six treatments I was cured and no longer got them. I was treated so well and am very happy.
Went to Raleigh Acupuncture for frequent UTIs. They took care of the problem and I don’t get them anymore. Thank you!
I have suffered from IC for over 10 years, with terrible cramping and burning urination, having to go to the bathroom every 5 minutes. I tried acupuncture out of desperation because I wasn’t getting relief anywhere else. It worked incredibly and took away most of my IC symptoms. Why didn’t I know about this sooner. Raleigh Acupuncture is a really good practice. They have kept me healthy for over three years now. I highly recommend them for treating IC.