The IC Optimist is the quarterly magazine of the Interstitial Cystitis Network, read by both patients and providers around the world. Read the latest news, promising new research studies, expert interviews, feature articles, self-help tips and diet suggestions!
In this issue:
(1) Editorial: Preventing Restroom Discrimination In School – When a mother discovered that her child was afraid to use the restroom at school out of fear of punishment, she was irate. Imagine her anger when her child had to have emergency surgery for a bowel blockage. She sued. That a school would hold children to a higher standard than adults is utterly ridiculous.
(2) Feature Story: The New Paradigm for Treating IC – Do you know your phenotype? – Drs. Christopher Payne and Jeanette Potts have created a new paradigm for IC and pelvic pain treatment that should change the future of how IC is treated. He suggests that patients fall into five key phenotypes and that patients treatments should be customized for specifically for their case. No wonder so many research studies failed. Would a pelvic floor dysfunction patient respond to a bladder treatment? No! By the end of this article, we hope that you’ll be able to determine yours too.
(3) Meet The IC Expert: An Interview With Dr. Ken Peters – If you live in an area with no IC specialists, you’ll want to take a close look at this interview. Dr. Peters runs one of the best IC clinics in the world and his approach also assesses the whole patient. He’s a master at diagnosis and has an excellent response rate.
(4) Inside AUA 2015: The Latest Research – The American Urological Association meeting presented some very interesting new research on IC as well as a fabulous “second opinion lecture” that presented two excellent case studies of men with chronic prostatitis who had been incorrectly treated with antibiotics for years.
(5) Drugs In The Pipeline: New Treatments Currently In Development – We review five new therapies are currently progressing through clinical trials with solid success at reducing bladder and/or pelvic pain symptoms.
(6) Feature Story: Fibromyalgia – IC writer Stacey Shannon shares several stories of patients struggling with fibromyalgia, a common related condition to IC. If you struggle with unusual pain that seems to move throughout your body, you are not alone!
(7) Bladder Pain Relief Made Easy: Suprapubic Trigger Point Therapy – Isa Herrera PT shares simple steps that you can use to help reduce painful trigger points in the lower abdomen and pubic area. if you find yourself pressing into your lower belly when you’re having an IC flare, this could be a trigger point!
(8) Consumer Alert: Why You Shouldn’t Load up on NSAID’s For IC – It’s so tempting to reach for an OTC pain killer when IC strikes in the middle of the night but they have been associated with some new, serious risks especially for patients with a pre-existing heart problem. They can also cause a serious reaction shortly after taking them.
(9) The IC Diet Project: Zucchini: How Do I Love You – Julie Beyer continues the IC Diet Project blog series with a fabulous article on the oh so friendly veggie, zucchini!! Muffin lovers rejoice! She offers ten ways that you can enjoy zucchini as well as two fabulous recipes!
(10) Patient Story: Atara Schimmel’s Stunning Angel Project – Atara’s story could be heartbreaking but it’s not because she’s finally found doctors who actually believe her and, after years of pain, have helped her unusual case of pelvic and genital pain. She’s using her art to create awareness and just won an fabulous contest for the City of Boston. She’s a true inspiration!
(11) Your IC Awareness Month Kit –
and, yet again, we include a kit for our members to get involved in their community including a press release, fact sheet, contents, proclamation and more! Please help us spread the word. The more voices the better!
Pages: 40
Publisher: Interstitial Cystitis Network
Contributing Writers: Jill Osborne, Julie Beyer RD, Isa Herrera MSPT, Stacey Shannon
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