Researchers at the Emory Eye Center (Atlanta, GA) studying retinal eye disease have made another remarkable finding, that some IC/BPS patients using pentosan polysulfate (PPS, Elmiron®) are struggling with inflammatory bowel disease, some so severe that colectomy (removal of a section of the colon) was required.(1) Elmiron® is the only FDA approved medication for [...]
New Transcranial Stimulation Study in Southern California Seeks IC/BPS Patients With the now universal acceptance that many IC/BPS patients struggle with widespread pain (myself included), the central nervous system has become a new therapeutic target. Understanding how the brain and nerves influence pelvic pain and muscle health is the focus of Dr. Jason Kutch's [...]
For more than 30 years, newly diagnosed patients with IC/BPS were given bladder medications with little, if any, success. Why? Researchers and clinicians believed, at that time, that IC was an incurable bladder disease. Today, that perception has changed dramatically. Our updated 2022 AUA Guidelines for IC/BPS very clearly state that no active "disease" [...]
This Shouldn't Be Happening! Despite millions of dollars invested in research that has proven that IC/BPS is a legitimate pelvic pain condition, women continue to feel disregarded and ignored by their physicians. In fact, a new study from Vanderbilt University and the NIH found that while men with IC/BPS often felt supported by their [...]
For a few years, the urologic community has been abuzz with news of a preventative UTI vaccine called Uromune (MV140). The vaccine, which has been utilized in 26 countries, is growing in use throughout North America. It was recently approved in Mexico and has been studied closely in Canada as well.(1, 2) The North [...]
Researchers in San Diego are conducting the second formal study in the United States to determine if hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HOT) is helpful in the treatment of interstitial cystitis. Several studies completed in Europe have shown promise in this new and unusual treatment approach. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (aka decompression therapy) is most well known [...]
For nearly a decade, Dr. Sonia Bahlani has been treating pelvic pain patients. During her ob/gyn residency, she noticed how many women were suffering with pelvic pain -- many of whom had been suffering in silence for years. Her passion ignited, Bahlani decided to specialize in treating people with pelvic pain. After her residency, [...]
In May 2022, the American Urological Association released the long awaited update of their guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of IC/BPS. The guidelines provide an evidence based “best practice” approach for urologists and patients as they seek to treat IC/BPS symptoms. Developed originally in 2011 and revised in 2014, the 2022 guidelines provide new, [...]
(From The Editor: A case study is not a double blind placebo controlled study that establishes that a therapy is beneficial and safe. It is a report from a medical team that describes a unique patient case. Case studies help to build data for new treatments or to share new concerns. A few years ago, [...]
