Urinary
Complaints

Urinary disorders vary in severity from a mild annoyance to sometimes life-threatening conditions. Some common urinary conditions include incontinence, urinary tract infections, and kidney stones. Symptoms of urinary problems vary per condition, however, some indications of a urinary condition may be: abdominal pain, lower back pain, discolored urine, painful urination, frequent urination, painful urination, and urgent urination.

Urinary Tract Infections

Urinary tract infections are quite common. A urinary tract infection is an infection of any part of the urinary tract: the kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra. Women are more likely to get urinary tract infections than men, however, both men and women can be affected. Women have a shorter urethra than men and therefore has as a shorter distance for bacteria to reach the bladder. Sexual activity can also increase the risk of contracting a urinary tract infection. Urinary tract infections are most commonly seen in the lower part of the urinary tract, the urethra, and the bladder. These infections occur when bacteria enter the urinary tract and proliferate. Symptoms of urinary tract infections include strong urgency to urinate, frequent urination, passing small amounts of urine, discolored urine, strong-smelling urine, and pelvic pain. Urinary tract infections may have more specific signs and symptoms depending on the area of the urinary tract that is affected. Typical biomedical treatment of urinary tract infections includes a course of antibiotics.

Sexual Dysfunction

Sexual dysfunction in women includes several subcategories, which include sexual interest/arousal disorder, female orgasmic disorder, and genito-pelvic pain/penetration disorder. Importantly, despite being classified as disorders, they are considered to be sexual concerns unless they cause distress; and if they do, only then they are seen as dysfunctions. About 12% of women in the United States report that these concerns are distressing, but as many as 40% of women report having these concerns. In men, the numbers fluctuate greatly, between about 9% and 68%, depending on the type of dysfunction. In both, men and women, causes of sexual dysfunction can be biological, psychological, sociocultural, or relational, and conventional treatments vary a lot, ranging from hormonal treatment to psychotherapy. At the Advanced Holistic Center, we combine western treatment options with traditional Chinese methods. Variations in concrete treatment scenarios are great, and we select best-suited approach individually to each patient. Research in acupuncture for sexual dysfunction has shown high success rates in men and women, and combining acupuncture along with other modalities of traditional Chinese medicine with conventional therapies can increase success rates even more.

Overactive Bladder

According to the International Continence Society, overactive bladder is a “symptom syndrome suggestive of lower urinary tract dysfunction,” and more specifically, urgency, with or without urge incontinence, usually with frequency and at nighttime. Experts point out that many different factors can cause this syndrome, such as lower urinary tract disorders, behavioral factors, neurological conditions, or as a side effect of many commonly prescribed medications. Treatments range from behavioral and pharmacological methods to more invasive procedures, such as botulinum toxin injections, neuromodulation, and surgical interventions. At the Advanced Holistic Center, we combine conventional treatments with traditional Chinese medicine’s methods. While we address overactive bladder, the traditional approach to acupuncture and other methods of traditional Chinese medicine is to treat the entire organism, and we rely on this approach for better treatment outcomes.

Incontinence Management

Urinary incontinence is much more common among women than men under age 80, but after 80 it is almost equal between the two genders. Urinary incontinence is defined as “any involuntary or abnormal urine loss” and includes problems with storage and/or voiding, but the exact issues can vary greatly from person to person. While someone may experience urine leakage due to urgency, somebody else may experience urine continence issues during specific activities, or sneezing or coughing. Usually, in men, urine incontinence issues are caused by prostatic hyperplasia and in women by hypotonic bladder. In reality, however, researchers recommend that physicians do a complete medical evaluation in order to identify the cause of urine incontinence in each patient, and this is what the experts at the Advanced Holistic Center do. We carefully examine each patient, and select best treatment for him or her, combining conventional western medicine with the methods of traditional Chinese medicine, thus increasing the therapeutic options and success rates among our patients.