According to a radio commercial, it supposedly happens to all men, at some time or another – Urinary Incontinence (aka dribbling). The announcer suggested that one out of every two men will begin to experience urinary problems after they’re 40 years old. Although that number seems wrong, it’s not worth quibbling over.
The radio advertising continued to hammer the point by arguing that the symptoms just don’t go away by themselves, they will probably worsen, and they might even lead to prescription drugs or surgery.
That’s bunk. Scare tactics are childish and harmful, especially when they are bordering on a lie. Except in extremely rare situations, anyone, man or woman, can do a few simple things to keep the “dribbles” problem under control, which is superior to allowing the symptoms to be in control. Here are three useful suggestions.
Stay well hydrated by drinking plenty of water. Clearly, it seems counterproductive to drink more water when water seems to be part of the reason you’re making so many visits to the bathroom. But, you need to know that one mechanism the body uses to initiate the urge to urinate is the concentration of dissolved materials in the urine. Nerves in the bladder and sphincter initiate the urge when the bladder is filled and when the urine is too concentrated.
A person increases the concentration of urine when failing to drink enough water.
Read that again.
A person increases the concentration of urine when failing to drink enough water.
How much is enough? Shoot for one ounce of liquid for every two pounds of body weight (a 200-pound man would try to consume about 100 ounces of fluid each day – a little over 3 quarts). Although that may seem like a lot of water, it works out to be less than 10 ounces per hour while awake. Don’t fret over the exact numbers but understand that whatever you are drinking now probably isn’t enough.
Avoid diuretics. Caffeine is a common drug that can stimulate the need to urinate. Multiple cups of coffee – or any beverage with caffeine, can make life uncomfortable. There is caffeine in chocolate, tea, and energy drinks. Alcohol, in all of its forms, is a diuretic. Decaf coffee doesn’t necessarily mean no-caf.
Perform KEGEL exercises often to strengthen the PC muscles (pubococcygeus – a hammock-like muscle, found in both genes, that stretches from the pubic bone to the tail bone forming the floor of the pelvic cavity and supporting the pelvic organs). The PC muscles are like every other muscle. They can lose tone and get flabby from lack of use. A flabby PC muscle is not a terminal situation. As long as a person is still breathing, and peeing, the muscles can be strengthened with exercise. Stronger PCs mean better control of the urinary flow. The sooner a person begins to exercise1 the PC muscles the quicker the improvements begin to appear. Of course, the results are not instantaneous. Regardless of how long it takes, the benefits are worth it, especially considering the alternatives. It doesn’t take a gym membership or special equipment to do the exercises. No equipment is needed at all.
Just because the radio advertising mentioned above focused on men, doesn’t mean these difficulties don’t happen to women. Anyone who finds controlling their urge to go a challenge can benefit from: Drinking more water, avoiding diuretics, and doing the KEGEL exercises.
There is a complete explanation of the exercises on our website, thecompounder.com/kegel-exercises.
Larry Frieders is a pharmacist in Aurora who had a book published, The Undruggist: Book One, A Tale of Modern Apothecary and Wellness. He can be reached at thecompounder.com/ask-larry or www.facebook.com/thecompounder.