General characteristics

Urinary incontinence describes the condition where urine is expelled from the body involuntarily. It has numerous possible causes including a weakness of the pelvic floor and surrounding muscles (after childbirth or operations for example), drinking lots of fluids (particularly diuretics such as alcohol, fizzy drinks and coffee), infections of the bladder or kidneys, mental impairment, waiting too long before going to the toilet, nerve damage, increased age, structural problems (such as double urethra) or physical damage to the area, prostate enlargement, blockages in the urinary tubes and illnesses such as diabetes, MS and Parkinsons.

For treatment to be effective it is important to determine the probable cause of the incontinence.

Diet and lifestyle

Eat plenty of whole, unprocessed foods and avoid refined carbohydrates, hydrogenated fats and general convenience foods.

Drink 6-8 average sized glasses of plain water each day. Too much and too little water intake can exacerbate the problem.

Eat plenty of dark green leafy vegetables each day, both raw as salads and cooked if possible. Include kale, cabbage, lettuce leaves and parsley etc.

If you smoke, stop. Smoking is known to contribute quite dramatically to the onset of incontinence.

Avoid too many diuretic (urine promoting) and stimulating drinks such as coffee, tea, fizzy drinks, alcohol etc.

Useful herbs

The astringent herbs can be used to tighten the tissues and muscles around the bladder and urinary system and give greater tone to the area. Herbs such as raspberry leaf, yarrow, agrimony, cornsilk, uva ursi, lady's mantle, buchu, horsetail can be used in their dried state as a tea to help with urinary incontinence.Choose 3 or 4 of the above herbs and use a teaspoon per cup, 3 cups daily.

A few  juniper berries  can be added to any tea mix to give a disinfectant action to help clear any infection that may be present.

Mullein root (or leaf) strengthens and tones the muscles around the area, it also soothes irritated tissues and is anti-inflammatory. Powerful enough to be used alone as a single remedy as a tea or tincture. 

Teasel root tea is also an age old remedy for urinary incontinence.

Siberain ginseng will help the body to cope with the effects of stress. Take a teaspoon of tincture up to 3 times daily.

Schisandra berries are a good tonic astringent for the kidneys and urinary system that will help regulate fluid production.

Soothe and nourish the nerves to the area with vervain, valerian, black cohosh, passion flower and cramp bark tinctures in equal parts if the bladder is overactive. A teaspoon 3 times daily.

Natural healing

Practise Kegel (pelvic floor) exercises regularly, at least 3-5 times daily. The method varies but this website has plenty of variations and suggestions.

Alternating hot and cold water can help to bring renewed vigour and tone to the whole area. Fill two bowls, one with hot and one with cold water and dip your pelvis area fully into the hot first and stay for half a minute or so. Then dip into the cold and stay for the same time. Alternate between the two for a few minutes. You could also use the shower head to a similar effect by showering the pelvic area thoroughly with alternating hot and cold water.

Regular orgasm is known to help tone the reproductive and urinary organs as well as the pelvic floor muscles.

Get at least 20 minutes a day of sunshine on the skin WITHOUT SUNSCREEN as vitamin D is shown to decrease the incidences of urinary incontinence.