Tips for what baby boomers can do about urinary incontinence

Just because you’re a baby boomer and you’re getting older doesn’t mean you have to accept loss of bladder control.

There's a number of things you can do to lessen the likelihood of being affected, or at least to decrease the condition's impact on your quality of life, according to the article “Urinary Incontinence Is Common but Not Inevitable” on U.S. News and World Report.

Urinary incontinence occurs in about half of adults during their lives due to medications, urinary tract infections, or weak pelvic floor muscles.

To stop or reduce bladder leakage the article suggests:

• Doing regular pelvic floor exercises.

• Exercising.

• Losing weight.

• Scheduling regular bathroom breaks if you have diabetes.

• Avoiding caffeine, alcohol, or spicy or acidic foods if they seem to irritate the bladder’s lining and cause you to feel like that you need to rush to the bathroom.

For more information on incontinence, see these articles:

“Muscle and Bladder Training Ameliorate Urinary Incontinence; Other Remedies Don’t Do As Well” – Medical News Today

“Behavioral vs. Drug Treatment for Urge Urinary Incontinence in Older Women” – Journal of the American Medical Association

“Controlling Urinary Incontinence" – FDA Consumer

“Urinary Incontinence” – MedlinePlus

“Urinary Incontinence” – Mayo Clinic

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Comments

[bladder control]

When you exercise, drink a lot of water. Water is the best among the soda out there or any acidic juices.

-sj