Along the Healing Path: Recovering from Interstitial Cystitis

By Catherine M. Simone

A completely updated and expanded edition of Along the Healing Path offering a holistic perspective that includes a way to determine your individual IC (PBS/OB) situation and then empowers you to develop a healing plan specific to your needs. Essential oils, cannabis, herbs, natural products, alternative treatments and critical nutrients are all discussed as possible options for your healing.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Mar 3, 2021
• ISBN: 9780966775068

Book preview

Section I

A Healing Path

Understanding Brings Hope

and Options

Do not be afraid that others have told you that you will be sick forever. They believe this because they do not understand the nature of IC. Do not worry if your medical or alternative doctor has been unable to get you better. They have been unable to get you better because they do not understand the nature of IC. It is not because IC is an incurable disease. It is not because you are destined to suffer with IC forever and you therefore must learn to live with it or learn to manage your condition, as they like to say. No. IC is curable. However, in order to heal and stay healed, to not have to spend a fortune and/or get hurt unnecessarily along the way, it is important for you to understand the nature of IC.

Due to its very nature, IC is confusing to most people. It is complex because there are differences among IC patients in terms of symptoms and in terms of causes, which are both obviously huge issues. It is complicated because different treatments help different people so there can be no cookie cutter method of treating it. There is currently no medical explanation for the differences among patients in terms of their symptoms or in terms of their treatment successes or failures. In other words, they have little to no idea why the medical treatments work or don’t work. There is currently no medical explanation for the myriad of other symptoms throughout the body that are so common among IC patients either. A holistic understanding of IC, I believe, explains all of these things. As complicated as IC can seem, it can also be viewed more simply, understood more logically, and treated much more humanely, safely, and effectively.

As with the medical treatments for IC, there is no definitive research one can point to in alternative medicine and say, this is the way to heal from IC. However, looking at IC from a holistic perspective and using alternative treatments offers many more options and a much greater opportunity to take control of our own healing. A holistic perspective of IC offers us a way to understand IC that makes much more logical sense in terms of how we got sick and also how we can get better.

First, just to clarify, holistic simply means looking at illness in terms of the whole body, where taking a natural approach means using natural, non-toxic, non-chemical things to treat the body. Holistic also refers to healing which takes into account the fact that our mind, body, and spirit are connected. You can take a holistic approach toward healing that is not all natural and you can take a natural approach that is not holistic. My approach to healing was both holistic and natural.

Another point of confusion I'd like to clarify is that an alternative treatment by definition is a treatment that mainstream medicine is not using. In other words, if mainstream medicine is using physical therapy to treat IC, then physical therapy is by definition not an alternative treatment. In turn, taking antibiotics, which is usually thought of as a medical treatment, is not really a medical treatment when it comes to IC. Antibiotics are actually an alternative treatment for IC because mainstream medical belief is that IC is not an infection and therefore should not be treated as such. Most everything I did to heal would be considered alternative by definition.

I still believe that the hope for IC patients lies within alternative medicine simply due to the nature of IC. It is not because I didn’t want the answers to come from modern medicine. I was just like everybody else. I wanted the answer (the cure) to come from a medical doctor offering me a prescription for a magic pill. Unfortunately, there has yet to be a magic pill for IC. And in my opinion, due to the nature of IC, a magic pill is unlikely to be developed. The only oral medication approved by the FDA for the treatment of IC in 1998 was proven by the NIH to be completely ineffective for the treatment of IC in 2003. Still they are promoting this drug with reckless abandon prescribing it to nearly every diagnosed IC patient in this country and now worldwide in an international study. As I sit here in 2020 editing this book, I kid you not, there was just a commercial on television for those harmed by this drug to call a law firm to find restitution. This is not the only medical treatment that is still in use after being proven ineffective. Hydrodistentions are still being used therapeutically, as is DMSO and other bladder instillations. There are some IC patients who feel symptom relief following a hydrodistention. The effects, however, are very short lived and according to a study completed well over a decade ago, should not be considered an option for long term therapeutic benefit. I can tell you from personal experience as well as the knowledge of many other IC patients’ experiences, that there is great risk in making someone’s IC worse from a hydrodistention. This has, and does, happen and should not be ignored by urologists. We often forget that just because a treatment is accepted within mainstream medicine, it does not automatically mean that it has been proven to work or even that it has been proven safe to use. In turn just because something is alternative (meaning not accepted or used by mainstream medicine) it does not automatically make it dangerous or bad. Some alternative treatments have been around for centuries, long before modern medicine, and have held on through the years due to their effectiveness. Some are hidden from us simply because it would take money away from a thriving medical and pharmaceutical industry if we were made aware of cheaper and safer options that we could use on our own.

Although I still believe that the hope for IC lies in alternative medicine, it is not about any one specific alternative that I am referring to. It is about the fact that most alternative treatments generally treat the whole body and most are all natural, non-toxic, and non-chemical in nature. These two points alone make alternatives a much safer choice for IC. At the same time, there are definitely alternative treatments that are either too strong or simply inappropriate for IC and obviously I believe these should be avoided. So what is the nature of IC? What is most important for you to understand so that you don’t get hurt? What is most important for you to understand so that you can heal and stay healed?

When I wrote in 1997 that a major problem with much of the IC research, and therefore treatment, was that IC is not just a bladder disease, it truly was an alternative view of IC. It was considered, at the time, to be somewhat of a bold and controversial statement. This is because IC has always been, and still is, defined and treated as a bladder disease. However, much of the current research now shows that the symptoms and associated illnesses that I listed as common among IC patients over two decades ago, to actually be, well, common among IC patients.

For years IC patients have been told that the other symptoms throughout their body were not related to their IC. In fact, this still happens regularly at the time of this writing. I was happy to see that the holistic NIDDK MAPP project urged health professionals to be on the lookout for other symptoms in IC patients and warned patients to watch for other symptoms as well. Their list included many, but not all, of the symptoms/illnesses that I listed as common among IC patients in To Wake In Tears. I include an updated version of this list again here to make sure that you know you are not alone, or in any way unusual, if you have any, or even many, of these symptoms.

Bladder - Pain in the bladder that intensifies as the bladder fills and sometimes lessens upon voiding, bladder pain immediately following urination, mild to extreme urgency, mild to extreme frequency (up to 85 to 100 times a day in severe cases), inability to start the urine stream, burning pain in the bladder, burning during urination, cramping with sharp or shooting pains, urethra pain, blood in urine, mucous in urine, dark and/or cloudy urine, small pieces of tissue with blood attached visible in urine, bubbles in the urine, strong odor to the urine, recurrent standard bladder infections or urinary tract infections, incontinence, reduced bladder capacity

Kidneys - recurring kidney infections, inflammation and flank pain, burning pain and soreness in the kidneys, recurring kidney stones Allergies - food allergies, environmental, sensitivity to pharmaceutical medications, extreme chemical sensitivities

Digestive problems - acid stomach, sometimes ulcers and/or reflux, diarrhea and/or constipation, digestive issues, pain during bowel movements (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)

Nausea (increased when urine is held too long)

Pain, redness, swelling, itching, and severe irritation of the tissues covering the vaginal or vulva area (Vulvodynia)

Recurrent vaginal yeast infections and/or thrush (Candida) Pain in muscles and joints (Fibromyalgia)

Low-grade fevers every day

Low blood pressure (though some have high blood pressure)

Swollen glands all over the body (especially top of legs in groin area, throughout the neck and chest, and under arms)

Inflamed spleen and liver

Pain at the base of the neck

Itching with no rash present and/or with mysterious rashes

PMS with extreme bloating, painful cramps, heavy bleeding, irregular cycle (All symptoms increase around menstrual cycle.)

Teeth - infections of the teeth and gums, mouth sores, canker sores,

TMJ and/or jaw pain, sore tongue, burning tongue

Migraines and/or severe headaches

Anemia

Dry skin, dry hair, dry mouth, and/or dry eyes (Sjogren’s Syndrome)

Nerve pain down back of legs and/or arms

Bloating in the pelvic area (e.g., looking three months pregnant) and/or edema (swelling all over the body)

Inability to lie on left side (or right side) hip and leg

Night sweats and/or lack of perspiration

Unable to have anything touching pelvic area (clothes) due to pain

Sensitivity to bright light (painful to eyes)

Cold hands and feet (nose and ears) (Raynaud’s Phenomenon)

Inability to tolerate extreme temperature changes

Catching everything that’s going around (lowered immune system)

Lower back pain (can shoot into kidneys or down into the thighs)

Associated Illnesses (Many IC patients are also diagnosed with one or more of the following, the first five being extremely common.)

Fibromyalgia

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Vulvodynia

Endometriosis/cysts/fibroids

Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS)

Systemic candida infection

Hypothyroidism (though some have hyperthyroidism)

Lyme disease

Silicone Implant Disease

Sjogren’s Syndrome

Raynauds Phenomenon

Restless Leg Syndrome

Mitral Valve Prolapse (MVP)

Chronic Fatigue (and Immune Deficiency) Syndrome

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

I still believe that understanding IC is about first understanding that IC is not just a bladder disease. The entire body must be looked at, understood, and treated with special regard to the bladder. If instead one focuses on the bladder (as the medical approach does) and ignores the rest of the body, the bladder cannot heal. It can be band-aided possibly, but not healed. This is because the root causes are still present. If they are not removed, it is going to be very difficult, if not impossible, for the body to heal the bladder. As I’ve said many times, mainstream medicine is treating IC as if the bladder were not attached to the rest of the body. It is for this reason that they are having little success in actually healing the IC bladder. It is for this reason, that to them, IC is incurable.

Twenty years after writing about IC and the toxic body, it is now much more commonly understood that a toxic environment within the body leads to inflammation and all types of illness. And yes, I still believe that IC is most often a result of a combination of factors that arise from a toxic, acidic, out of balance body. Obviously we are all toxic and out of balance for different reasons and to different degrees, but for the most part I still find this to be one of the main underlying causes that most all of us have in common. With IC, every single part of the body that processes and eliminates toxins is, or can be, affected. The bladder (of course), the intestines (especially), and for those with more severe cases, the kidneys, the liver, the spleen and lymph glands can all be inflamed, irritated, and overworked. Many common symptoms among IC patients are classic signs of a toxic body. Chemical sensitivities and allergies, problems with the intestines (e.g., constipation, diarrhea, irritable bowel), mysterious muscle and joint pain, skin breakouts, rashes, and itching, dry eyes and mouth, dry skin and hair, unexplained bloating and swelling, inflammation of the mucous membranes in the bladder and elsewhere in the body, these are all classic signs of a toxic body.

The more severe the IC, the more likely the person’s body is very toxic and out of balance in many ways. The more severe the IC, the more likely they will have all kinds of other symptoms throughout their body and the more likely the person will be chemically sensitive and/or allergic to many different things. The more severe the IC, the more likely the person will not respond well to the medical treatments. There is a reason for this. You cannot heal a toxic body with a chemical. By its very nature, a pharmaceutical medication is unlikely to heal anyone from IC. Unfortunately, the tools that modern medicine has at its disposal are either invasive or chemical in nature and therefore do not fit logically with the nature of IC. This is one of the reasons why modern medicine struggles so much with this disease.

IC is a multiple cause illness. Like most all illness, at least from the perspective of alternative medicine, IC can be understood most effectively by understanding that many factors and body systems can be involved. Not only are there different initial causes among different IC patients, there can also be different causes and current factors, for each individual IC patient. In fact, what I have found is that more often than not, there are multiple causes and factors for each individual. The more severe the IC, the more causes (and the more factors) will most likely be involved. Even those with moderate or mild IC can have multiple initial causes and multiple factors involved in their current symptoms. This is one reason mainstream medicine has been unable to find the cause of IC. There is not one cause to find, there are many.

The fact that IC is a multiple cause illness is another reason why mainstream doctors can’t figure out why certain treatments help some IC patients and not others. It is also why those treating IC patients with alternative medicine are running into the same problem. Understanding IC is about understanding that we don’t all have the same initial cause(s) or current factors involved in our symptoms. Therefore the answers for one patient are not going to be the answers for another. There is no such thing as a protocol that will work for everyone simply because we don't all have the same reasons for being sick.

This is also why there is no such thing as IC safe. There is no such thing as an IC safe food or an IC safe recipe. There is no such thing as an IC safe natural supplement or an IC safe medication. Anyone who tells you that it is okay to eat something or take something because it is IC safe does not understand the nature of IC.

The concept that we all respond to things differently is not unique to IC. Many in alternative medicine now refer to this as biochemical individuality, which means that something can be intrinsically good for a certain symptom or illness, but not necessarily good for everyone. This is especially true for IC. Anyone telling you that you must follow a restricted diet list, telling you specifically what you can or cannot eat, whether they are a nutritionist, urologist, or a naturopath, what they are also telling you is that they do not understand the nature of IC.

It takes courage not to hand over our power to an alternative or medical doctor and say: Okay you make all the decisions for me. Just tell me what to do and I’ll follow your protocol and trust you to get me better. Unfortunately, it rarely works that way with IC. I’ve heard from so many of you who are left feeling like it must be your fault that you aren’t getting better since it appears like the particular IC expert you’re seeing is helping others. But I promise you this, it is not your fault. It is likely that what they are doing to treat your IC is not appropriate for your particular situation. They might not be aware that the cause they are treating might not be the cause for you. This is why, if we want to heal from IC, we really need to take responsibility for figuring out what is best for our own individual case because it is unlikely that someone else is going to do it for you.

One IC patient said to me recently, I know that this doctor doesn’t know what she’s talking about, but I’m so scared to decide these things on my own that I end up listening to her anyway and then getting hurt. Part of healing is about trusting ourselves. I’m not talking about trusting ourselves to be doctors. I’m talking about trusting our physical feelings and our emotional feelings. I’m talking about listening to what our gut instincts are telling us about a certain doctor/healer or about a specific treatment. When someone tells us to take something and we take it and it doesn’t make us feel better, why do we continue to take it? When someone tells us to have something done to our bladder and it makes us feel worse, why do we go back for more? This happens to so many of us with medical and alternative doctors alike. We don’t always listen to the signals our bodies are giving us and we don’t always listen to our gut instincts. What I've learned is that it’s important to have the courage to do both of those things when healing from IC.

Once diagnosed, it becomes necessary for us to decide what we think IC is all about. There are all kinds of theories out there but none have been proven. We have to decide whether we believe IC is a bladder disease or whether we feel ours is systemic. We have to decide if we think it's an autoimmune disease or the result of a dysfunctional bladder. We have to be the ones to determine whether we have a hidden infection or even an allergy affecting our symptoms. We have to decide who we believe has the answers for us. Who will we trust with our health? These are big decisions. Once we decide what we think IC is for us personally, we then have to decide what the heck we are going to do about it. All of these choices have consequences on pain and symptom levels, and quite literally, impacts our entire life. No pressure. Right?

It takes courage to take responsibility for your own healing. However I encourage you to do so if you haven’t already because due to the nature of IC, you will nearly always be in the best position to make the wisest treatment choices for yourself. You won’t be perfect in your choices, that's true. Yet it will likely be better than rolling the dice on some treatment protocol that may or may not be right for your individual case. Since nothing is proven when it comes to IC, all of the treatments remain experimental. Whether medical or alternative, all treatment choices are at your own risk. This is a natural side effect of a disease that is as misunderstood as IC. Many patients are understandably desperate for help because physically IC is so miserable. It’s only natural to want them to have answers for us, it’s only natural to consider them the experts and take their advice. So it's only natural that many IC patients hand over their power and hope for the best.

Handing over our power out of fear, pain, and physical misery, is completely and totally understandable. Handing it over because we have no idea how to find relief and get better, also, completely and totally understandable. We all do it. Especially at first, we all do it. But it is one thing for us to hand over our power and quite another to have it taken from us. We need to be careful of both. Many of us find ourselves in vulnerable positions (quite literally) where our power is taken from us and we end up getting hurt.

It was incredibly unsettling to experience my power being taken from me as I went through the diagnosis process and attempt at medical treatment. My life up to that point was one of privilege by most people's standards. My experiences with doctors consisted of things like a friend of my parents, the Head of Neurology, ushering me in as his niece when I flipped over my handlebars on my bike as a kid. I was treated with VIP status and received top notch care. I was in no way expecting the abuse I experienced with IC, so please keep that in mind as you read on.

I hope my honesty does not offend, but I believe I would want someone to share in their book what they would tell me if I were talking to them in person. So that is what I'm doing here. To those who have been disempowered and, quite frankly, traumatized like myself, I share the following brief truths. I’ve spoken to many many scared IC patients who have had these experiences or I would not include them. If you don’t want to be made aware of other people’s lousy experiences with the medical community, please skip ahead a couple paragraphs. Thank you!

When I say my power was taken from me, what I mean is, that while in the vulnerable state of pain, fear, and exhaustion, not only were the doctors not helping me, they were instead making things worse. They were not hearing me at all and they would not stop hurting me. They refused to remove the catheter after my cysto/hydro when I begged, cried, and screamed out in agony. It took three IV bags of demerol, my relentless screaming out in pain, and ultimately my removal from the recovery room (apparently I was making a scene) before they would take it out. (I do understand that the urologist thought it would help and that he was in another surgery so they couldn’t remove it without his permission. But, total insanity. Right? The patient screaming out in pain was not a good enough reason to remove it?) One urologist would not stop the in-office cystoscopy no matter that the nurse was screaming, She’s turning white doctor, STOP! He did not stop. He waited till I nearly passed out from the pain and vomited all over his stupid office. THEN he removed the catheter and proceeded to tell me that I was fine. (This was within a few weeks of being diagnosed with severe IC.) Both of these experiences are very similar by definition to being raped. That's what it reminds me of. Having someone stick something into you when you don't want it, it's painful, and they won't stop. I'm sorry, that's rape. Plain and simple.

As doctors pressed on my bladder, kidneys, and lower pelvic area during examinations, they would get angry if, without thought, the severe pain caused me to push their hand away as a reflex. They actually got angry! It felt crazy to me. It felt like more abuse. They were hurting me and then not allowing me pain medication. They all said no if I even dared ask. They were hurting me and then sending me home to suffer. I could not sue them. I could not stop them from hurting me. I was just a young naive sick person who needed help. So they got away with all of it. They got away with treating me like I was crazy, like it was all in my head, as if I didn’t know the difference between my bladder bleeding and my menstrual cycle at the age of 30. They got away with torturing me when I was in severe pain with a bleeding internal organ. They treated me in a way that terrified me and quite frankly, still does to this day. I am still very afraid of doctors and hospitals. And the embarrassing truth is that I postponed necessary biopsies due to the fear created directly from my IC experience. I don’t care if some people don’t like that I’m sharing this. This is the truth. This is how it feels to be young, sick, and scared and be at the mercy of medical people who don’t understand what’s wrong with you so they treat you horribly. It was not my fault, nor is it yours, that most doctors don't understand IC or the level of pain it can cause. It was not my fault, nor is it yours, that they don’t know what to do after they finally see what they first claimed was non-existent. I felt powerless and couldn't prevent them from hurting me. This is why it matters so much to me for you to know that you aren't alone if you've gone through something similar. I also want you to realize that you are the one, the only one, who can heal yourself from IC. It is just the truth that they don’t get it yet and I don’t know how many years it will take them to figure it out. I can tell you this though. It wasn’t fast enough for me. I can still remember sitting in my bathroom in total agony thinking that yeah research is great and all, but it isn’t fast enough to provide me relief right now. Research takes time. Again, this is just the truth. Back then, and unfortunately still today, the tools in the urologists’ toolbox are simply not good enough when it comes to IC. It may not be their fault, but the truth is, they are still unable to help the majority of IC patients.

It seems many doctors believe that when someone doesn’t come back to them for more treatment it means that they are doing better. However, in the case of IC, it is much more likely that the person got hurt by them, or at the least, was not being helped. That is the truth I’ve heard from countless people who stopped going to their urologist to instead pursue an alternative path toward healing. As I mentioned in the prologue, that same decision was truly what saved me and set me on my path toward healing.

The decision to go alternative can be difficult. Most of us, including our families and friends, have been socialized to believe that the medical doctors have the answers. Even when doctors tell us they have no cure, many people are still inhibited by the judgements of others in terms of their choice of treatment. I can’t tell you how many people I’ve heard from that were told something like well if you’re in that much pain (or if you were that sick) you’d be going to the doctor for treatments. So they go for treatments that are often painful and invasive, not only because they were socialized to do so, but because of what it looks like to the people in their lives. It’s hard enough to get family and friends to understand that IC is real, without adding to it that you’re not going to a medical doctor for treatment. (Trust me. I did it.) Another reason going alternative is a difficult decision is because (shockingly enough) most of us were not studying alternative medicine before IC showed up in our lives. There is so much to learn! It’s difficult to do all that research when you’re exhausted from pain and a zillion trips to the loo. And lastly, it can be scary to make all these decisions on your own as you’re feeling like you don’t really know enough about what you’re doing. (Again, been there, done that.) We are usually taught not to trust ourselves over our doctor, so to take over your own treatment feels incredibly risky. I’m not sure that those who are affiliated with the medical side of IC treatment yet realize that, for many of us, there is no choice but to go alternative.

Just because so many of us had no choice doesn’t mean it doesn’t take courage to take an alternative path. As in life, taking the road less traveled is not easy. We might get judged for our choices, be misunderstood, or deemed a little out there. But you know what? Who cares? Getting better is the priority. Having a life is the priority. Everyone else (including other IC patients) and their opinions and judgements of how you are going about treating your IC, be damned. It’s your body. It’s your life. It’s you who is suffering. My view was and still remains, that they can all just kiss off into the air. Of course that’s easy for me and the Violent Femmes to say, but it’s not always so easy to do.

We especially need courage in order not to make treatment decisions during times of crisis, flares, or when we’re in pain. Those are the times we are most vulnerable to making a mistake in our choices. In life, when we are tired or depressed, and most especially when we’re sick, in pain, and desperate to feel better, it is only natural that we would turn to the easiest solution. The problem is that the quickest, easiest option is not necessarily the wise one when healing from IC. I’ve had IC friends who have had their bladders removed out of desperation, devices implanted into their backs, the botulism virus, often called BCG, injected into their bladders, had total hysterectomies, stretched their bladders to full capacity under anesthesia, all under the impression from their doctors that this might stop their pain and suffering. Rarely was that the case. In fact, for many, these approaches have made them

Reviews for Along the Healing Path

[ionas_7 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This second of the three books penned by Catherine Simone is another essential addition to the library of I.C. sufferers.Catherine informs us that I.C. is not just a bladder disease but affects the whole body. I.C. patients have a toxic body. We have to learn how to get rid of the toxins gently and slowly in order not to add to our discomfort.One of our problems is that very few doctors, if any, understand what I.C. is, and how painful it is. This results in we ourselves having to take complete responsibility for our getting healed from the disease. (Of course, this is really always the case, whatever the nature of our health problems.)The author points out that a toxic body and colon do not absorb nutrition , presenting further problems, and that a toxic body also promotes allergies and sensitivities. We I.C. patients are extremely sensitive. (I can attest to that.)We need to 1) get out of pain 2) soothe our insides 3) feel our way through our healing 4) identify our allergies and sensitivities 5) identify our sources of toxins and eliminate them as much as possible 6) cleanse gently and slowly and 7) rebuild.Re 4) she informs us about NAET (Nambudripad Allergy Elimination Technique). This technique uses acupuncture and/or acupressure together with kinesiology to identify and eliminate allergies. NAET practitioners are found in the US and several European countries (and perhaps elsewhere in the world, I don’t know). Check on the net to find a practitioner in your area. Unfortunately, there appear to be none as yet in Denmark, where I live.Common sources of toxins are mercury amalgam fillings, pharmaceutical medications, cigarette smoke and chemicals, metals and synthetic materials. Not only do your mercury fillings have to be removed in as safe a way as possible, the mercury remaining in your body will subsequently have to be cleansed out too.Catherine stresses that we all have differing symptoms, being “polluted” in different ways, and therefore need to find our own individual healing path.Not only doctors but also many alternative practitioners fail to understand I.C. and try to dictate to us what we should do, since they don’t comprehend our extreme sensitivity, both to homeopathic remedies and herbs. I can attest to this also – absolutely. So these practitioners can hurt us too. We need always to trust ourselves first and foremost and be extremely cautious when trying new remedies and following the admonitions of practitioners who think they always know what’s best for us. Just because something is natural doesn’t mean it is safe for us.This said, the book contains a very useful chapter on herbs. As in Catherine’s other books, the No. 1 recommendation is marshmallow root tea, which soothes and heals all mucous membranes and thus the bladder. There was new information in this book, so now I understand that more is not necessarily better - half a teaspoon is adequate for one cup and you just need to dunk the tea ball containing this amount into the cup of hot water a few times and don’t need to steep it for ten minutes.Comfrey leaf tea also soothes and heals, and comfrey absorbs toxins from the intestines. Comfrey leaves are anti-inflammatory. Use it a few times a week, The benefits and drawbacks of many other herbs are also described, including raspberry leaf, cat’s claw, catnip, mullein, etc, etc.There is also an important chapter about other natural products, including vitamins and minerals, lavender, tea tree oil, rose oil, baking soda, MSM, etc. etc.Catherine talks to us from personal experience of these herbs and natural products and how they affected/alleviated her I.C.In the final chapter we are given instructions and advice about healing baths. Use a baking soda base of app. ½ to one cup. Add a few drops of tea tree oil and a couple of drops of lavender or rose essential oil, for instance. Put a few pinches of comfrey leaf, sage and perhaps parsley in a tea ball and put it into the water. Parsley helps with bloating and edema.Catherine provides us with advice on healing baths, skin brushing, rebounding, NAET, etc, etc.This is a great, invaluable book for I.C. sufferers. The only negative factor for me about the book was the author’s use/non-use of apostrophes, poor spelling and the like, and this of course is of no importance in contrast to the invaluable help given about how to soothe our pain and effect our healing from I.C.I would strongly advise you to buy this book, too (in addition to her two others), if you are afflicted with the disease.