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Healthy Solutions

A natural way to control incontinence and discreetly do pelvic floor exercises

.Incostress has already proved to  improve the quality of life for thousands of women around the world since it was first launched in 2007. It as claimed international awards for best medical device, best design, innovator of the year (twice) and best product for science and technology in 2008. Could 2012 be another award-winning year for this amazing little medical device?

We would love to hear from you regarding your personal or if you know someone who is having to deal with incontinence. Incostress not only immediately controls incontinence it has also been found to help women who have a pelvic organ prolapse called a rectocele. A rectocele is where the bowel collapses into the vaginal wall. Incostress supports the bowel wall.

Incostress is distributed by many independent pharmacies and also by the largest pharmacy in the United…

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TRY SOMETHING NEW THIS MONTH – MENSTRUAL CUPS

PICK UP YOUR FEMMECUP AT STAND H31.

TRY SOMETHING NEW THIS MONTH – MENSTRUAL CUPS

For the majority of women the ‘time of the month’ does not rank highly on the list of why we enjoy being the fairer sex.

However, our period is unavoidable and we like to endure it with as little thought and fuss as possible. For this reason, the majority of women make an unquestioned choice to use either disposable tampons or sanitary towels.

In fact, we buy more than 3 billion disposable sanitary protection items each year. Tampons account for approximately 37% of the sanitary market, whilst towels and panty liners account for around 46% and around 17% respectively with reusable sanitary products currently accounting for around 1%*.

However, if this choice were questioned, it would become apparent that tampons and sanitary towels are not the perfect solution.
There are healthier, reusable alternatives; natural sponge, cloth pads and the most widely used are menstrual cups.  Menstrual cups have been around since the 1930’s and are therefore a tried and tested alternative to tampons.

A leading brand is Femmecup menstrual cup; soft, reusable and worn internally just like a tampon, except it collects menstrual flow instead of absorbing it. It forms a gentle seal with the vaginal walls and any flow is contained in the cup.

The benefits are plentiful and around 1% of women in the UK now own one.
There are many significant advantages of using Femmecup; unlike a tampon, a cup collects rather than absorbs the menstrual flow, meaning they have never been linked to Toxic Shock Syndrome.  They contain no harmful chemicals, absorbency gels, bleaches or toxins like some disposable products do.

The environmental benefits of reusable products are also huge.  Saving the planet is everyone’s responsibility and shocking statistics have been released concerning the amount of waste disposable sanitary items cause, further highlighting the need for the female population to use eco-friendly alternatives. Each woman in the UK uses an estimated 11,000 tampons in their lifetime and approximately 8 million tampons end up in the UK sewage system each year.

In contrast; Femmecup lasts for at least five years and is made from medical grade silicone, derived from silica; one of the most abundant materials on Earth.
Femmecup is also very convenient and ultra discreet; anyone that has experienced the cliché of a tampon falling to the floor as you try to juggle your purse, handbag and mobile phone, will be pleased to know the situation can be avoided by using Femmecup instead.

It can be worn for up to 12 hours, day or night, so it requires far less attention than disposable products.  Menstrual cups can also be worn for all types of exercise and whilst swimming with no embarrassing strings or wings to worry about and no dryness or irritation either.

Many users also claim that their cup has eased their menstrual cramps.
Femmecup menstrual cup is available from our website click here. and is now available in pharmacies throughout Belgim. We are proud to announce Femmecup is available at the elite part of Brussels – Avenue Louise. Contact pharmacy Rousseau -1060 Saint-Gilles -Belgium Tel: 02 537 08 90

Reduce your sanitary protection bills by 97%.  It just keeps getting better!
Change is scary, but this small one could make a huge difference to your life.
Visit www.incoshop.co.uk  for more information and collect your FREE IncoClean intimate product clean and protect with every purchase. Now you can clean our Femmecup whilst in a public toilet without having to worry.

*Source: Mintel Feminine Hygiene & Sanitary Protection Products Market Intelligence, July 2009

We are giving away IncoClean with every purchase of femmecup when you visit us at Naidex South London 17/18 October stand H31

All about the pelvic floor

Sherrie Palm author of Pelvic Organ Prolapse the silent epidemic is a women’s advocate for the safe treatment of pelvic organ prolapse. She founded a non profit organisation called APOPS – Association of Pelvic Organ Prolapse Support, which has grown from the USA and is now in Europe, being supported by C&G Medicare Ltd.

Millions of women suffer in silence and without knowing what and why they have prolapsed  very few seek help until its too late. Pelvic Organ Prolapse is a frightening condition which even when you are aware of it, actually experiencing it can be devastating.

There are solutions out there, but please go see your doctor before thinking about trying to self medicate.  Take a look at the various pessaries on www.incoshop.co.uk

Here is Sherrie giving a factual account of how pelvic organ prolapse affects women.

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Over Active bladder (OAB) Urge incontinence in men

Over Active Bladder (OAB) Urge Incontinence in men

In a day and age where sex drugs and rock and roll are spoken openly about, the incontinence issues is still very much and embarrassment to many and kept a secret from partners, family and their doctor.

It is acceptable in society that for one reason or another that women are prone to  incontinence. But what about men? Very little is spoken about what men go through and how they feel. In all cases the quality of life (QOL) is affected.

SUI, or Stress Urinary Incontinence is more prevalent in women than men due to their short urethra. (the tube which allows urine to flow from the bladder out of the body.

Over Active Bladder, is common in men, women and children. One of the worst things a parent can do is to force the child to go to the toilet when they really don’t need to.  How many of you are guilty of saying to your child. ‘go now just in case,  honey’?

This force and destabilization of  the bladder eventually may affect the whole natural process and contraction of the detrusor muscle which lines the inside of the bladder. This precontraction then builds up and before you know it, you or your child has OAB. (That’s not to say this is the cause in every case. OAB can occur under other medical conditions and for other reasons).

But if we go back to focusing on the male incontinence issues:

It is common in some men who have a prostate enlargement or BPH. Men who are recovering from prostate surgery or if they have had a laser prostate ablation are prone to OAB.

Other conditions which may trigger OAB are previous bladder or prostate complications, being exposed to radiation, brain or spinal injury, strokes  etc. Parkinson’s is extremely common. Many diabetics present with OAB and SUI.

Before you seek professional advice, download the OAB questionnaire from www.incostress.com No personal information is asked, this is so you can fill the questionnaire in, print and show your doctor. It’s an excellent way for you to explain your symptoms and for your doctor to determine the best course of treatment for you. Incostress.com is all about eduction and helping the public find solutions.

The good news is, incontinence is reversible. There are several methods of treatment and finding the right one for you will be determined by your doctor.

If your doctor choses the most common solution drugs, don’t be afraid to ask him:

• What are the side effects?
• Will this drug interfere and cause other problems with medication I am currently taking?
• How long will I be on this medication for?
• What happens if I forget to take it?
• Are there any natural remedies available?
• If I have a side affect such as dry mouth, dry eyes (a very common one with anticholinergic medication ) I would naturally drink more, so would this have an effect on me?

What are anticholinergics ?

Anticholinergics are a group of drugs which are aimed at combating OAB by blocking the nerve signals related to bladder muscle contractions. They are meant to help increase bladder capacity and decrease the ‘urge’ to go due to the effect they have on the detrusor muscle.

What are the natural solutions for male OAB?

Bladder training without medication is one solution for  the treatment of OAB.  The treatment involves scheduled voiding (scheduled training bladder sheets can be downloaded free of charge here. Bladder training helps change the way routinely head for the toilet. Bladder training will put you into a pattern of holding back from accessing the toilet at set times of the day. It will teach you to have  control over the urge to go by waiting. This buildup is a slow process from waiting for a few minutes to gradually increasing to an hour or more between toilet visits.

Pelvic Floor or kegel exercises
Pelvic floor control is and excellent method to strengthen the muscles that control urination. Part of this exercise will teach you to tighten, hold, and then relax the muscles that you use to start and stop the flow of urination. This form of  training control is called biofeedback, which allows you to identify and move by squeezing the right muscles. Free download for kegel exercises here

Its important not to over work the muscles and if possible I would suggest you work with a physiotherapist or pelvic floor expert.

Electrical stimulation have also been proven to work, but it is strongly recommended you seek professional advice first.

One excellent program I have personally found helps is the Pfilates program developed by Dr Bruce Crawford. More information here.

Many men are subjected to wearing diapers or male incontinence nappies/incontinence pads. These can be undignified, uncomfortable and can cause skin irritation. Nobody wants to sit in urine do they?

An alternative to adult diapers is the Urox System.Hygienic, washable long-lasting and no more sitting in your own urine.

If you have found the information on this site helpful, let me know. It’s always good to get feedback.

Related articles

• Male Overactive Bladder – OAB (incostress1.wordpress.com)
• Male Overactive Bladder – OAB (wales4u.wordpress.com)

Healthy and comfortable pregnacy-just with you in mind

Excellent massage therapy for pre/post natal

Healthy Solutions

Especially for mothers –
Healthy and comfortable pregnancy

The antenatal weeks are probably one of the most exciting periods in any woman’s life. The mother to be will experience great happiness and possibly even a little anticipation. It is a time of varying emotions and physical changes too, when the mother experiences a whole new awareness of her body as it prepares itself for the birth of her baby.

During the next 40 weeks or so she will experience weight gain around the abdomen which will put a strain on her back, hips, knees and even her balance as her centre of gravity changes. Massage can help to alleviate some of these associated problems but when combined with a particular focus on her posture and a simple exercise programme the effects become much more holistic and the results are marked.

Lower back, upper back, shoulders, hips, groin, knees and ankles…

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Healthy Solutions

This is the link to our ‘tell us your story’ page:CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE WELLBEINGOFWOMEN PAGE 

How You Can Help – Just by telling us your story

If you have suffered from any kind of gynaecoglogical problem, either in the past, or currently then we would be interested in hearing your story.

  ‘WE ALL HAD WOW BABIES’

Why are your stories so helpful?
In order to reach as many women as possible we rely on the media to give us coverage for our campaigns and they often like to feature stories from ‘real women’.  These stories also reassure other women that they are not alone, if they are fellow sufferers, and provide a platform for our experts to give informed advice about the condition to those who might be worried or concerned for their health.

What does it involve?
We always make sure that anyone coming forward to tell…

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