Urine Trouble – Eliminating the Cause of Prostate Enlargement, Kidney Stones and Bladder Infections
Have you ever felt a burning need to urinate, but had to hold it in? Perhaps you were driving along the highway, and the next rest area was still 50 miles ahead. Or maybe you were attending a seminar or class, or were at the theater or a concert, and you just didn’t want to leave for the restroom simply because your bladder was full.
Our culture gives us millions of reasons for holding in urine. In fact, to be successful in society, we sometimes need to defer this personal biological need. Our training as waste retainers starts with diapers. While other creatures have the freedom to eliminate waste when the need arises, we humans living in modern, Western civilization need to carefully plan our excretions to make them convenient to our busy schedules, and appropriately performed and flushed away. In fact, we secretly pride ourselves on our ability to hold in urine. It reflects our high degree of training and civility. Being civilized means we no longer assert our animalistic need to pee without proper decorum and timing. However, there is a price to this civility!
Medicine says nothing about the common practice of holding in urine. In fact, the entire issue is ignored, as is unfortunately the case with most cultural practices that affect our health. Most doctors hold in their own urine, as well, especially surgeons during surgery. Doctors and medical researchers are trained, like the rest of society, to conform to our culture’s idiosyncratic ways. This makes medicine and doctors oblivious to the obvious, since we all tend to overlook our own personal foibles. Obviously, holding in waste cannot be good for you. Once you reflect on what is in the waste, where it is stored, and what happens when the pressure of holding it in builds to unnaturally high levels, the serious cost of urine retention becomes clear.
Urine is a filtrate from the blood. The kidneys require blood pressure to force this filtration of the blood. Once the kidneys process the filtrate, it becomes urine. This then passively flows down to thin tubes, called the ureters, one ureter for each kidney. The ureters empty into the bladder, which expands to accommodate the fluid. Once the bladder expands to a certain limit, a reflex is started that causes urination. That is, if we allow the reflex to operate naturally.
Urine is predominately a salt solution, along with other waste products. When you hold it in, the pressure in the bladder builds, causing the urine to concentrate. The longer you hold in urine, the more concentrated it will become. What can happen to a salt solution when it becomes concentrated? It can precipitate, forming crystals. It’s simple chemistry. These crystals are called stones.
In addition to concentrating the urine, bladder pressure will resist the flow from the ureters of new urine from the kidneys. This will lead to a back-up of all the plumbing, so to speak, as the kidneys themselves ultimately get hampered in their ability to filter the blood. This increases the toxin load of the bloodstream and can cause metabolic problems. It also inhibits water and salt elimination, and can contribute to high blood pressure and heart disease.
And there’s more! When you look at the male anatomy of the pelvic region, you will see that the bladder is directly above the prostate gland. Underneath the prostate is the pelvic floor. The pelvic floor and bladder essentially make a prostate sandwich. An over-filled bladder will press on the prostate. No gland likes pressure, since pressure reduces its blood flow and general operation. If severe and frequent enough, the bladder pressure may cause the prostate to enlarge to better cushion itself form the bladder burden. It is medically known that prolonged horseback riding or bicycle riding can lead to prostate enlargement due to pressure from the bottom up. A full bladder causes pressure from the top down. A cause of prostate enlargement, which is very common in Western cultures, may thus be this cultural penchant for urine retention.
Another problem that may result from an over-stretched bladder and its storage of concentrated waste is the bladder wall and ureters may become irritated and damaged. This may increase the likelihood of succumbing to bacterial invasion. Bladder and urinary tract infections may, therefore, be another product of urine retention.
We would like to suggest the following self study for those interested in improving their urinary tract, prostate, and kidney health. Here is what you do. Whenever you feel the urge to urinate, do so. Don’t wait or delay. Keep note of times you do delay. If you have a history of kidney stones, bladder infections, or prostate enlargement, reflect honestly on your tendency to hold it in. It may be an occupational problem, such as bus and truck drivers, pilots, doctors, lawyers, and others unable to stop what they are doing simply to pee. It may be a discomfort with using public restrooms. No matter what the reason, there’s no excuse for storing refuse.
One further note. For fear of having to urinate at an inappropriate time, some people may avoid drinking water. This will lead to dehydration and even more concentrated urine. Interestingly, doctors tell patients with a history of kidney stones to drink more. Of course, it’s hard to take it in if you are not letting it out.
According to modern medicine, the cause of most kidney stones is unknown. More than 50% of Americans will experience at least one kidney stone in his or her lifetime. Passing these stones can be one of the most painful experiences of a lifetime. Doctors recommend drugs, sonic beams, or surgery to deal with the problem.
It is never mentioned that we live in a culture that makes urination a pain, literally.
About the Author
Sydney Ross Singer is a medical anthropologist and director of the Institute for the Study of Culturogenic Disease, located in Hawaii. Sydney Ross Singer is a medical anthropologist and director of the Institute for the Study of Culturogenic Disease, located in Hawaii. His unique form of applied medical anthropology searches for the cultural/lifestyle causes of disease. His working assumption is that our bodies were made to be healthy, but our culture and the attitudes and behaviors it instills in us can get in the way of health. By eliminating these causes, the body is allowed to heal. Since most diseases of our time are caused by our culture/lifestyle, this approach has resulted in many original discoveries into the cause, and cure, of many common diseases. It also makes prevention possible by eliminating adverse lifestyle practices. Sydney works with his co-researcher and wife, Soma Grismaijer, and is the author of several groundbreaking health books.
If you are tired of feeling wasted, read their book, Get It Out! Eliminating the Cause of Diverticulitis, Kidney Stones, Bladder Infections, Cervical Dysplasia, PMS, Menopausal Discomfort, Prostate Enlargement, and More! It’s available online at their website, http://www.SelfStudyCenter.org
Sydney Ross Singer and Soma Grismaijer can be reached at the Institute for the Study of Culturogenic Disease, P.O. Box 1880, Pahoa, Hawaii 96778 (808) 935-5563. sydsinger@gmail.com
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Bladder infection Photo Mugs Bacterial infection of bladder (cystitis). Colour Scanning Electron Micrograph (SEM) of the human bladder showing bacterial infection. Rod-shaped Escherichia coli bacteria (yellow) are seen on swollen epithelial cells (blue) of the bladder. The infection has progressed to a haemorrhagic state causing bleeding, with red blood cells seen at left. The epithelial surface has secreted thick mucus filam… |
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Illustration of a female bladder with cystitis Photo Mugs Cystitis. Illustration of a female urinary bladder, dissected to show inflammation that occurs in cystitis. At centre is the bladder which stores urine. At top are two ureter tubes which lead from the kidneys and pass urine to the bladder. The urethra (at lower centre) is the channel which expels urine to the exterior. In cystitis the inner lining of the bladder becomes inflamed, as seen here, cau… |
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Illustration showing inflamed prostate gland Photo Mugs Illustration showing an inflamed prostate gland, acondition known as prostatitis. Here, the maleurogenital tract is seen, with bladder at centre.Ureters (white, at top) transport urine from kid-neys to the bladder. The inflamed prostate glandbeneath the bladder exudes a yellow discharge intothe urethra (the canal transporting urine to theexterior). Prostatitis is a bacterialinfection that may affe… |
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AZO Urinary Tract Infection Test Strips, 3-Count Boxes (Pack of 2) $15.94 AZO Test Strips home UTI test can detect if you have a urinary tract infection. This information will allow you to take an active role with your physician in the management of your health. Use AZO at the first sign of a UTI, such as urinary pain, burning, urgency or frequency…. |
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Cystex Antibacterial & Analgesic Urinary Pain Relief Tablets, 100-pack $9.70 Cystex Urinary Pain Relief Tablets — 100 ct.Physician- and pharmacist-recommended Cystex Urinary Pain Relief Tablets is an over-the-counter formula to help manage urinary tract infections while waiting to see a doctor. Cystex helps to relieve the pain and burning associated with a urinary tract infection while also inhibiting the progression of the infection with an antibacterial. It combines a p… |
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Rowatinex Capsules 100 capsules by Rowa $29.00 A natural formula that has been used for years to help dissolve and prevent the reformation of kidney stones.For prophylaxis and treatment of Urolithiasis, Nephrolithiasis, Renal Colic, Dysuria, Oliguria, Urinary Tract Infections, Pre and Postoperative Treatment of Urological Disorders…. |
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Get It Out! Eliminating the Cause of Diverticulitis, Kidney Stones, Bladder Infections, Prostate Enlargement, Menopausal Discomfort, Cervical Dysplasia, PMS, and More $9.95 Do you feel wasted? — Get It Out! Passing a kidney stone is considered one of the most painful experiences the human body can endure. Diverticulitis causes a stabbing pain in the belly, and can lead to internal bleeding, infection and death. Prostate enlargement can torment a man day and night, just as menopausal hot flashes, sweats and imbalances can destroy a woman’s quality of life. Cervical d… |
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Patients Encyclopedia of Urinary Tract Infection, Sexual Cystitis and Interstitial Cystitis: The international bible on self-help $15.96 Classic urinary tract infection and inflammation has pain, frequency, bleeding, backache and /or fever in any order or combination. It is also known as cystitis. No figures are kept because it is so very common, but in the 25 years since Angela introduced self-help and prevention, attacks in the UK have dropped by 50% from their high in 1971 when they were over 25 million a year. The medical profe… |
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Genitourinary Imaging Cases $31.38 295 cases and more than 1700 illustrations teach you how to accurately interpret genitourinary tract images 4 STAR DOODY’S REVIEW! “The high-quality images and pithy discussions make this book very useful to radiologists, both in training and in practice….The book’s best features are the excellent image quality, the inclusion of images of differential diagnostic considerations, and concise discu… |
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Photo Jigsaw Puzzle of Bladder infection from Science Photo Library Photo Puzzle, Bladder infection. Bacterial infection of bladder (cystitis). Colour Scanning Electron Micrograph (SEM) of the human bladder showing bacterial infection. Rod-shaped Escherichia coli bacteria (yellow) are seen on swollen epithelial cells (blue) of the bladder. The infection has progressed to a haemorrhagic state causing bleeding, with red blood cells seen at left. The epithelial surfa… |