It works
for me
Biofeedback cured my prostatitis.
One day I developed a dysfunction of my urinary system which gave me a frequent urge to urinate. I would feel a strong urge 10 minutes after urinating. I was a drinker of large volumes of water, and could not sit through a meeting for more that 20 minutes or so. I was afraid that I was not going to be able to hold it.
I went to my family doctor, who prescribed ciproflaxin 10 days. When I showed no sign of improvement after 6 days, I went to a urologist. He extended my prescription to 30 days. When I saw no improvement after 2 weeks, I made an appointment at the Mayo Clinic. He scheduled me for several tests, checked for kidney stones, did blood work, and did a flow test. Everything was normal. Strangely enough, by the time that I went back for my results, all my symptoms had vanished. The doctor there told me to stop taking the cipro. He told me that the antibiotic might have had an anti-inflammatory effect that could have caused my symptoms to go away. In two weeks, my symptoms returned full- force. I called my doctor and he suggested trying ibuprofen at large doses for 72 hours. That did not help. He then prescribed ciproflaxin again. I didn't take it. I wanted to solve this problem, not just mask it.
Here is the thing. I was doing a lot of research into this condition during this whole series of events. Even though I had not suffered long, I was very concerned that it could become a chronic condition. I got the book "Headache in the Pelvis" and that got me to thinking, if this condition could be solved by relaxation and stretching, then this could be very similar to conditions that I had previously had that were caused by stress. You see, when I was in my 20's, I suffered from neck and stomach pain. A very enlightened doctor sent me for biofeedback treatment. After several weeks, all of the problems that I had suffered from for 10 years were gone. So this got me to thinking, if prostatitis is can result from a body dysfunction, and if that dysfunction could be caused by stress, then maybe biofeedback could solve my problem.
I went to see a biofeedback specialist. After three (3) weeks, my problem went away! I have had symptoms for no more than 15 to 30 minutes a day for the past 2weeks.
I will not try to write a treatise on biofeedback here, but here is a layman's explanation of why it works. When I perceive danger, my body reacts by creating some physical changes. Those changes are beneficial when my life is in danger, but when I constantly perceive danger because of my concerns over my job, life, relationship, finances, then it has negative effects on my body. My circulation is reduced, my muscles are tense, adrenalin is coursing through my veins, many things are going on. This is not good. Over time, symptoms can appear: back pain, neck pain, stomach pain, headaches, migraines and diarrhea and prostatitis?
Learning to relax or de-stress is not easy. Of course, if someone could connect you to a machine that measured your level of stress, you might be able to learn to reduce it. That is what biofeedback does.
Keep in mind that sitting too much, acidic urine, uric acid, riding a bike, running too much, allergies, sex, oral sex any number of things may bring on your symptoms. But what makes you susceptible? When my stomach hurt, doctors told me to avoid coffee and spicy foods. That helped. BUT, after I had biofeedback treatment, I was able to drink a gallon of coffee without any pain.
Here are two definitions of biofeedback from the web:
1) Biofeedback utilizes a system of sensitive instruments that relay information about the physical condition of the body. Used as a primary therapy, or in conjunction with other methods, biofeedback provides deep relaxation and stress management skills to prevent stress-related disorders and illness. These skills, including deep breathing and guided imagery, offer self-regulation and control over mental, emotional and physical processes. The principles of biofeedback can be traced back to the 18th century.
2) Is the means by which one can monitor how one functions on a physical and emotional level, by using a simple, non-invasive electronic means of monitoring these functions. This method provides useful information, and signals the change that we initiate with intent, to alter any inappropriate circumstance or condition, like lowering blood pressure. Biofeedback instruments record continuous information about subtle changes in physiological stress responses (such as muscle tension, temperature, respiration, skin resistance or heart rate). Using this information, various guided relaxation techniques are employed to control the appropriate symptoms, which can include anything from anxiety to muscle spasms.
Keep in mind that biofeedback is an accepted and proven technique for teaching relaxation and treating several diseases. I don't know why medical doctors do not appreciate its efficacy for the treatment of stress-related illness.
A point of clarification: You may see discussions of using biofeedback with an anal probe to learn to relax the muscles around the anus and pelvic floor. That is not what I did. I am talking about using biofeedback to learn to relax through (facial) muscle relaxation and raising fingertip temperature. You can find descriptions of this on many websites.
I am no expert at any of this, but I have had the problem, and it is cured.
If any one would like to contact me to learn more about my experience, please feel free to contact me through my email at rsquest@yahoo.com .
Good luck!
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