Interstitial Cystitis Advice

Story originally posted on January 17, 2006



In our Interstitial Cystitis news section we often look at studies and articles which have recently been published in the IC world, however this news story is slightly different, if only because the information that we will be looking at was not taken directly from a medical journal.

For numerous years now the IC Network (ICN) has been hosting guest lectures with some of the utmost leading minds in the IC world. These lectures have brought the insight and advancements of many IC specialists to the general public and greatly helped to answer many of our own personal IC questions, or at the very least confirm that we alone have not thought about a certain aspect of IC.

In the ICN's latest guest speech saw the return of one of the top IC researchers and champions in the world, Dr. Theoharis Theoharides, M.D. Ph.D. In what will clearly be remembered as one of the best interviews the ICN has ever seen, Dr. Theoharides spoke at length and with easy to understand detail on numerous points that he (and his team) has been studying recently as to the underlying causes and trigger factors of Interstitial Cystitis.

Dr. Theoharides, whom is well known for his line of oral (alternative) IC treatments, “Algonot”, spoke with ICN founder Jill Osborn about topics such as the function and role of the bladder's GAG (glycosaminoglycans) layer, histamine and mast cells (an area where Dr. Theoharides has devoted a lot of his time and energy, and made some very helpful advancements towards better understand and treating mast cell inflammation in IC patients), using products such quercetin, chondroitin and glucosamine in the treatment of IC, nerves and potential IC trigger factors and even touched on the fact that he feels there clearly needs to be more research (and funding) put towards studying why IC is so prevalent in women.

He also spoke about factors which can cause the bladder to create a “defense mechanism” and set into place a chain of events that could lead to a person developing IC, even if their bladder itself was not initially the cause of something like mast cell inflammation, nerve damage/stimulation or chronic pain. As well as his most recent views on popular IC topics such as Botox, DMSO and other bladder instillations, and touched on the reasons why he created his line of Algonot bladder products.

In an interview which is clearly worthy of a standing ovation Dr. Theoharides once again sets himself apart from so many of his medical peers by showing us that IC research is not completely in the dark, and that slowly advancements are being made. A must read for each and every IC patient, and their doctors.

To read Dr. Theoharides's interview with the ICN please click here to be taken to the ICN page: Reducing inflammation and restoring bladder mucus: The role of Quercetin, Glucosamine and Chondroitin