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Dietary Products for Bladder Health

November 4, 2009 - 7:29am 217 reads 0 comments

Our environment contains a wide variety of toxic chemicals that we eat, drink, and breathe. Some of these can be metabolized by the liver, but our kidneys and urinary system get the main job of filtering them out and excreting them. The bladder may be exposed to concentrated irritants over periods of years or decades. Interstitial cystitis is an inflammatory condition of unknown etiology which may be the result of long-term environmental irritants. The main symptom is bladder pain. It mimics urinary tract infection, but does not improve with antibiotics.

A 1999 medical article proposed glycosaminoglycan deficiency as a primary cause of interstitial cystitis, as well as other inflammatory conditions including ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, and Reiter's syndrome. Glycosaminoglycans include chondroitin and hyaluronate. Glucosamine is one of the building blocks. These biomolecules are abumdant in both cartilage and protective layers lining the bladder and intestines. When toxic chemicals penetrate the glucosaminoglycan defensive barrier, they can cause an inflammatory response in the underlying tissue.

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