Other treatments

Bladder distensions (a procedure which stretches the bladder capacity, done under general anaesthetic) have shown some success in reducing urinary frequency and giving pain relief to patients. However, many experts still cannot understand precisely how this can cause pain relief. Unfortunately, the relief achieved by bladder distentions is only temporary (weeks or months) and consequently, it is not really viable as a long-term treatment for Interstitial Cystitis: it is generally only used in extreme cases.

Surgical interventions are rarely used for IC. Neurostimulation techniques are not FDA approved for IC.

Pain control

Pain control is usually necessary in the IC treatment plan. The pain of IC has been rated equivalent to cancer pain and should not be ignored to avoid central sensitization. The use of a variety of traditional pain medications, including opiates, is often necessary to treat the varying degrees of pain. Complementary therapies such as acupuncture, massage, and biofeedback are also beneficial to some patients. Even children with IC should be appropriately addressed regarding pelvic pain, and receive necessary treatment to manage it.

Electronic pain-killing options include TENS (a machine connected to sticky pads which one places on their body at certain pressure points; the TENS machine sends electrical impulses to the skin, using the human body as an 'earth'). PTNS stimulators have also been used, with varying degrees of success. This is similar to a TENS treatment, except a needle is used rather than sticky pads.

Pelvic floor treatments

Pelvic floor dysfunction may also be a contributing factor thus most major IC clinics now evaluate the pelvic floor and/or refer patients directly to a physical therapist for a prompt treatment of pelvic floor muscle tension or weakness. Pain in the bladder and/or pelvis can trigger long term, chronic pelvic floor tension which is often described by women as a burning sensation, particularly in the vagina. Men with pelvic floor tension experience referred pain, particularly at the tip of their penis. In 9 out 10 IC patients struggling with painful sexual relations, muscle tension is the primary cause of that pain and discomfort. Tender trigger points, small tight bundles of muscle, may also be found in the pelvic floor.

Pelvic floor dysfunction is a fairly new area of specialty for physical therapists world wide. The goal of therapy is to relax and lengthen the pelvic floor muscles, rather than to tighten and/or strengthen them as is the goal of therapy for patients with incontinence. Thus, traditional exercises such as Kegels, can be helpful as they strengthen the muscles, however they can provoke pain and additional muscle tension. A specially trained physical therapist can provide direct, hands on, evaluation of the muscles, both externally and internally. While weekly therapy is certainly valuable, most providers also suggest an aggressive self-care regimen at home to help combat muscle tension, such as daily muscle relaxation audiotapes, stress reduction and anxiety management on a daily basis. Anxiety is often found in patients with painful conditions and can subconsciously trigger muscle tension.

Medication

As recently as a decade ago, treatments available were limited to the use of astringent instillations, such as clorpactin or silver nitrate, designed to kill infection and/or strip off the bladder lining. In 2005, our understanding of IC has improved dramatically and these therapies are now no longer done. Rather, IC therapy is typically multi-modal, including the use of a bladder coating, an antihistamine to help control mast cell activity and a low dose antidepressant to fight neuroinflammation.

The two US FDA approved therapies for IC have had recent setbacks in various research studies. Oral Elmiron (aka pentosan polysulfate) is believed to provide a protective coating in the bladder, however data released in late 2005 by Alza Pharmaceuticals suggests that 84% of Elmiron is eliminated, intact, in feces. Another 6% is excreted via urine.In addition, the NIH funded ICCTG study of pentosan revealed results only slightly better than placebo. The latter study was criticized, however, for targeting only the most severe IC patients who were also the least likely to respond (i.e. the NIDDK diagnostic criteria).

DMSO, a wood pulp extract, is the only approved bladder instillation for IC yet it is much less frequently used in urology clinics. Research studies presented at recent conferences of the American Urological Association by C. Subah Packer have demonstrated that the FDA approved dosage of a 50% solution of DMSO had the potential of creating irreversible muscle contraction. However, a lesser solution of 25% was found to be reversible. Long term use is questionable, at best, particularly given the fact that the method of action of DMSO is not fully understood.

More recently, the use of a "rescue instillation" composed of elmiron or heparin, Cystistat, lidocaine and sodium bicarbonate, has generated considerable excitement in the IC community because it is the first therapeutic intervention that can be used to reduce a flare of symptoms. Published studies report a 90% effectiveness in reducing symptoms.

Other bladder coating therapies include Cystistat(TM) (sodium hyaluronate) and Uracyst(TM) (chondroitin). They are believed to replace the deficient GAG layer on the bladder wall. Like most other intravesical bladder treatments, this treatment may require the patient to lie for 20 - 40 minutes, turning over every ten minutes, to allow the chemical to 'soak in' and give a good coating, before it is passed out with the urine.

Nomenclature

The term "interstitial cystitis" has been hotly debated in recent years. In 2003/2004, researchers suggested that milder cases of IC should be known as painful bladder syndrome (PBS). Thus, many journal articles referred to the condition as IC/PBS. The term "IC" was to be used solely for patients who met the very strict NIDDK research criteria. In 2006, yet another name change was proposed. The European Society For The Study of IC (ESSIC) (based in the Netherlands) suggested that the IC and IC/PBS be replaced with Bladder Pain Syndrome (BPS). This change in nomenclature (as well as their proposed changes in the diagnostic methodology), was met with great opposition during the 2006 NIDDK Conference from patient groups and clinicians from around the world.

In 2007, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) began using the umbrella term Urologic Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndromes (UCPPS) to refer to pain syndromes associated with the bladder (i.e. interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome, IC/PBS) and the prostate gland (i.e. chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome, CP/CPPS).

In 2008, terms currently in use in addition to interstitial cystitis include painful bladder syndrome, bladder pain syndrome and hypersensitive bladder syndrome, alone and in a variety of combinations. These different terms are being used in different parts of the world.

Sexual Performance - Sexual Performance Basics

Sexual Performance can be defined as: The capability of an individual, be it male or female, to carry out sexual intercourse

A successful marriage and an enriching lifestyle are made better and sustainable by good sexual lives. When the couple have a good and satisfactory sexual life, it augurs well for their long term relations as well as is a sign of strong and long lasting relations.

However, everything is not perfect in this world and so is the case with sexual lives. It has been reported that numerous relations or marriages have turned sour or even reached the breaking point due to unsatisfactory sexual performances. The sexual fulfillment is absent in such relations and it ultimately leads to unfortunate events.

Poor sexual performances are painful for both men and women, particularly for men. The reason is that males are considered to be comparatively more sexually active. Due to this, they consider their sexual performance as a criteria to gauge their virility or manhood. Apprehensions about performing the sexual act can have a detrimental effect on their performance which could aggravate the situation.

Sexual Performance - Causes of Poor Sexual Performance

Sexual performance problems always been the scourge of marriages or intimate relationships. Poor sexual performance goes a long way in creating problems in a blossoming marriage or affair.
The causes of an impaired sexual performance can be physical or psychological or even both.
Let us take up these one by one. (This is not an exhaustive list and reasons may be different in different cases)

Physical causes
Some important physical factors which

* Aging
* Diabetes
* Cardiac disorders
* Neurological problems
* Irregular hormone levels
* Kidney or liver failure
* Excessive alcohol usage and drug abuse.
* Obesity
* Excessive usage of antidepressants

Psychological causes
Apart from the physical causes, psychological factors play an equally big role in causing sexual performance problems. Some of the important ones are as follows:

* Professional stress
* Performance Anxiety
* Troublesome relationship or marriage
* Economic/Financial problems
* Depression and Fatigue
* History of sexual trauma
* Guilty feeling about mistakes in life

Poor performance in a sexual act is not a result of any one factor, but a combination of 2 or more factors in most cases.