Urinary urgency, frequency and lower abdominal pain not caused by infections or tumors.

The auto-immune dysfunction has been suspected as the main cause of interstitial cystitis. There is no established traditional treatment for interstitial cystitis. Usually supportive treatments are being used.

A drug called  Suplatast Tosilate  (IPD-1151T), a TH2 cytokine inhibitor, made by Taisho Pharmaceutical (大正制药株式会社)﹐the second largest pharmaceutical company in the world, has been tried on interstitial cystitis patients and has produced beneficial result.  This points to the possibility that auto-immune dysfunction can be the main cause of interstitial cystitis.

The author has had good success in correcting the auto-immune dysfunction with certain combinations of qigong training.

Other syndromes caused by auto immune dysfunction include asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, non infection chronic inflammation of prostates,  non infection chronic fatigue, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), scleroderma, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), etc.

Duke psychologist Edward Suarezmen found that under stress men with low serotonin produced higher levels of two cytokines -- interleukin 1 alpha and tumor necrosis factor alpha and these both cytokines are well recognized as contributing to atherosclerosis. But, women with low serotonin showed an increase only in interleukin 1 alpha.

Interleukin 1 alpha is a  type of biological response modifier which stimulates the growth and action of immune system cells that fight disease. 

The editor has observed that many patients with interstitial cystitis also have depression and stressful lives. This may be caused by the higher levels interleukin 1 alpha which causes the auto-immune dysfunction.

when symptoms disappear, use liu wei di huang wan and lu dou tang (mung bean soup) regularly to maintain health of bladder.

Source of formulae: 《人民日报海外版》 (2001年12月03日)

Editor's note: The formula contains 15 grams of xia ku cao, but if the patient is seriously in the condition of shenyangxu, the herb may be too cold for the patient.  Xia ku cao possesses relatively high large quantity of potassium salt  which may not be suitable for IC sufferers who have the condition of shenyangxu. The delimma is that xia ku cao possesses autoimmune suppressing effect which may be suitable for the disease.

Warning: Lu dou tang and liu wei di huang wan are not suitable for shenyangxu IC sufferers.

After syndromes have subsided, shenyangxu (kidney yang deficient) IC sufferers can use jin gui shen qi wan or shi quan da bu tang to improve health.

Most of chronic IC sufferers are of shenyangxu type.

Phaseolus aureus is the botanical name for mung bean or lu dou.

Raise about 30 grams of mung bean and 3 grams of chen pi. Simmer in about 1200 c.c. of water for 1 hour. Use as porridge.  See full description of mung bean.

(Warning: this soup is not suitable for kidney yang deficient patients). It is suspected that most IC sufferers may be kidney yang deficient.

 spicy food, sugar or fruit juices, coffee, chocolate, alcohol,  and avoid products containing ephedra (ma huang), ephedrine

 or pseudoephedrine.  If the body is shenyangxu (kidney yang  deficient) type, avoid food high in potassium, like citrus,

 bananas, mung bean sprouts, grapes, spinach, and mustard  green.

 Important: Click here to see explanation of formulae in  Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) page.

 If auto-immune dysfunction is suspected  qigong therapy can be used as main therapy if other methods fail.

Properties: acrid, cool, bitter and non toxic.

Uses: rid of infection, promote urination, inhibition coughing, for jaundice, for stones in kidneys or bladders, spitting of blood, skin rash.  See full description of jin qian cao.

hu po (fossil of amber) is the rosin fossil of pine trees.

Uses: rid of blood clots, calming, for epilepsy, insomnia, blood in urine, to promote urination.

Chen pi is the dried and semi fermented peel of citrus reticulata Blanco, citrus tangerina Hort. et Tanaka,  or citrus erythrosa Tanaka . See full description of chen pi here.

xia ku cao is the dry flower of Prunella vulgaris Linn. Uses: treating red and painful eye due to infection,  swollen glands, scrofula (TB infection of lymph nodes), goiter, dull headache /dizziness due to hypertension. See full description of xia ku cao here.

間質性膀胱炎

大正製药株式会社(Taisho Pharmaceutical )所製造消炎药甲磺司特(Suplatast Tosilate)　為白细胞介質抑制劑，作為支氣管哮喘、過敏性鼻炎及特應性皮炎治療藥已經上市。

早期的臨床研究结果已經表明，本品對間質性膀胱炎有治療效果。由此臨床研究﹐可推及間質性膀胱炎主要致病原因可能是自體免疫機能過敏。

本文作者曾經以辨証法配合幾種氣功減輕自體免疫機能過敏﹐相當有效。

自體免疫機能過敏可引起各種症狀﹔包括﹕哮喘﹐類風濕關節炎﹐非感染性前列腺炎﹐非感染性長期疲倦﹐紅斑性狼瘡﹐硬皮病﹐自發性血小板減少紫瘢等。

處方﹕

車前草15 克﹐ 金錢草15克﹐紫草15克﹐土茯苓15克﹐白花蛇舌草10克﹐琥珀粉3克(另包)﹐白芍10克﹐赤芍10克﹐甘草10克﹐澤瀉10克﹐丹皮10克﹐茯苓10克﹐夏枯草 15 克﹐桂枝3克。

先將各藥(除琥珀粉)用水洗淨。各藥連同琥珀粉加水六大碗﹐煎成兩碗。每日一劑 分三次溫服。

連用7 至15 劑。痊癒後。腎陰虛者可用六味地黃丸和綠豆湯 調理。

出處﹕《人民日报海外版》 (2001年12月03日)

原方有夏枯草15克。編者認為夏枯草含鉀鹽太高﹐不適 合腎陽虛間質性膀胱炎病人。如腎陽虛情形嚴重﹐夏枯草可能不合用。 但夏枯草有免疫抑制作用也許有用。   敬請中醫前輩不惜指教。

須避免用﹕辣椒﹐香料﹐咖啡﹐酒精﹐巧克力, 可可﹐麻黃﹐含麻黃素之西藥。

體質屬於腎陽虛型者 少吃高鉀食物﹔如柑桔﹐柚﹐西柚﹐香蕉﹐葡萄﹐菠菜﹐芥菜, 等。

如懷疑是自體免疫機能致病﹐可用氣功治療。

金錢草

性味： 味辛苦，性寒，無毒。

功效： 清熱，利尿，鎮咳。治黃疸、結石、

吐血、溼疹。

紫草

屬紫草科多年生草本植物。根入藥，有活血、涼血、清熱解毒、利尿、滑腸等功效

琥珀為古代松科植物的樹脂埋藏地下經久凝結而成。

功用﹕散瘀止血；鎮驚安神，治驚風癲癇，驚悸失眠；利水通淋，治血便血尿。