Interstitial Cystitis Advice

Hi Liza,

A warm welcome to ICadvice.com!

As you probably know, the inside of our IC bladders are generally inflamed, hypersensitive and prone to being extremely sensitive to foods that are high in acid. While a small percentage of people with IC who have tried to modify their body diet based on the principles of an acid/akali diet have found that this route has aided their bladders to some extent, a far greater majority of IC patients have much more success with what is called the IC diet. This diet is not based on harmonizing the body's overall (internal) acid/alkali levels, instead is it aimed at reducing (or eliminating) foods from one's diet which are high in acid (based on their respective weights, for example limes have a 7-8% acidity level because 7-8% of their total weight comes from the acid that is present in them) as well as other substances which have recognized within the IC and medical communities as being problematic for our bladders (such substances include - but are not limited to - caffeine, tannins, sulphates, nitrates, MSG, artificial sweeteners, hot spices, potassium, tyrosine, tyramine and histamine).

Each individual with IC experiences their own reaction to foods and beverages in terms of how their bladder is able to handle what they consume, but on the whole most ICers do find that what they eat has a direct affect on their bladder. By eliminating or reducing their intact of certain foods (usually each person who wants to seriously give the IC diet a try needs to do an elimination diet and keep an ongoing food/symptom diary so that they can accurately track the interactions between what they eat and how their bladder responds), many ICers find that they reduce the number of symptom flare-ups that their experience and/or that their IC is less severe on a day-to-day basis.

I've personally had absolutely no luck with the acid/alkali approach (though again, for various reasons, it may help some ICers), but a lot of success with the IC diet, which I follow pretty strictly (aka, there are certain foods that bother my bladder so much that I will not eat or drink even the tiniest portion and others which I eat only in moderation). Because many ICers are so sensitive to acidic foods (such as citrus fruit, tomatoes, cranberries, alcohol, cola, tea, coffee, etc) there are a couple of over the counter ideas that can be helpful in aiding our bladders in coping with acid foods (and trust me, a food doesn't have to have much acid sometimes to kick start a bladder flare). One is a product called Prelief (calcium glycerophosphate) which helps to naturally reduce (neutralize) the acid levels in many common everyday foods (see this article for more information on Prelief and IC: Does Prelief equal relief?). The second is to take a teaspoon of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) in a glass of water before or after eating a potentially harmful food (note, if you are on a low sodium diet talk to your doctor before trying this as baking soda has a fair bit of sodium in it, generally though the average person is fine with a teaspoon at a time), as this too helps to neutralize food acids.

You're certainly right Liza, that websites (and books) about acid/alkali diets usually say that lemons (and oranges) help to create a pH level which is more alkali (or balanced) throughout your whole body, but such diets do not usually take into account the extreme severity to acidic foods which are experienced by people with interstitial cystitis, because the internal surfaces our bladders are so hypersensitive. As such, this may account for why far less people have success with an acid/alkali diet than they do with a low acid one. That said, I totally think that we each need to find what does and doesn't work for our IC, and if you're interested in trying to change the alkalinity of your urine, there is a substance on the market called Polycitra which can help to produce more alkali urine. The major drawback to this product (for ICers) is that it contains several ingredients which are well known "bladder burners" including sodium citrate, citric acid and potassium citrate and thusly it is not something that will be able to help all of us with IC.

If you've not already done so, you wish to try the IC diet, it has helped a lot of us - and though it can take a while to figure out what foods trigger or heighten our own personal symptoms, once you've determined those foods, it's more than possible to eat a wonderful, healthy and varied diet with the foods that are safe for your bladder (we've got oodles of IC friendly recipes here on the site to make cooking for IC easy and enjoyable).

Again welcome to the site, it's wonderful to have you here with us. Please don't hesitate to ask any questions (diet related or otherwise) you may have, we're here for you in your battle with IC, Liza.

Healing wishes,
Jessica

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Jessica Cangiano: ICadvice.com creator and administrator

I have IC, but IC doesn't have me!