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    Archive for December, 2013

    Bladder Health and Urinary Incontinence- Part 2

    Posted on: December 19th, 2013 by BrevardBlogger No Comments

    Brevard Medical Equipment is talking about bladder and incontinence this month. Why? Because as we age, our bladders tend to become much more of an issue than they were when we were younger. We would like to offer some more tips and techniques so you can enjoy better bladder health.

    Our bodies age a bit every day. And just like the rest of our muscles and body parts, the bladder is not what it used to be.  Urinary incontinence happens when muscles are too weak like in the case of stress incontinence.  Stress incontinence occurs when the muscles in your bladder are too weak to properly close and stay closed. This type of incontinence happens when we sneeze, have a hardy laugh or lift a heavy object.

    On the other end of the urinary incontinence coin is overactive bladder.  Overactive bladder is when your bladder sends an “I’m really full!” message to your brain even when it’s not. You may experience a strong urge to urinate even when there is little urine in the bladder. There are many reasons for overactive bladder including prostate problems in men and nerve or spinal cord damage in either gender.

    What are some basic bladder rules to remember?

    Don’t smoke and if you do, quit now. Smoking affects more than your lungs. Cigarette smokers have a much higher rate of bladder cancer than non-smokers, up to three times higher!  More than 50,000 people are diagnosed with bladder cancer every year, many of those cases are in smokers.

    Get your eight glasses of water a day. Sixty-four ounces or eight 8ounce glasses a day will help to keep your balder flushed and clean. If you aren’t a water drinker, start slow and work your way up. Warning: you will be making many more trips to the bathroom. That’s the point. If you have limited mobility, won’t be near a bathroom or if it’s close to bed time or a commute, you may want to cut that back, but try to always stay fluid.

    If you have bladder leakage or incontinence issues, see Brevard Medical Equipment for a variety of liners and adult briefs.

    Bladder Health and Urinary Incontinence- Part 1

    Posted on: December 17th, 2013 by BrevardBlogger No Comments

    Brevard Medical Equipment thinks that bladders don’t get the credit they deserve. Bladders may be small, but they work very hard, are often abused and we really don’t think about them until they are full or painful.

    The human bladder is the last stop for urine before it leaves the body. It’s a hollow holding tank for urine that comes from the kidneys. The bladder itself is made up of muscles that both keep urine in and push it out. These muscles are what children learn to control when they are potty trained.

    For many people, the bladder is not much of a concern after we are potty trained until we suffer bladder infections or problems with urination.

    As we age, so do our bladders. Those aging bladders can cause us problems with incontinence.  If you have bladder issues like incontinence, you are certainly not alone.  Studies show that 1 out of every 6 adults have some type of issues with incontinence. About 30 percent of women experience some kind of incontinence, with woman suffering more than men.

    Modern medicine and advertising have brought this problem into the light more than ever before, and that is a good thing. It’s time that we talk about it and seek better treatments and care of bladders. Reports say that around $15 billion is spent on incontinence in the U.S. alone. That’s BILION with a “B”.

    Urinary incontinence is the big term for the loss of bladder control. Urinary incontinence can range from mild leaking to uncontrollable wetting. What causes it? There are many reasons from the basic aging, to damage suffered to the bladder, to injuries to the spinal cord, brain tumors and brain injuries. In the case of spinal or brain injuries, it’s not the bladder that is malfunctioning, it’s the message between the brain and bladder causing the issues, but the results are the same.

    There are many treatments for incontinence, depending on age, gender and the type of bladder issues you experience. If you or a loved one are experiencing urinary incontinence, see Brevard Medical Equipment for a variety of protective overnight underwear and adult briefs.