Leaky Bladder & Its Role in Pain

A leaky bladder is not what you think it is.

While incontinence can mean you leak urine, in this blog post we are talking about the leakiness of the bladder lining, not urine leakage.

Have you heard of leaky gut? Just like the gut can be leaky, other barrier tissue in the body can be leaky too.

We have already discussed permeability (leakiness) in relation to asthma and eczema, so it might not come as a surprise that this phenomenon can happen in the bladder too.

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In previous posts, we've talked about interstitial cystitis (IC) and how histamine and mast cells can be involved in this condition. Increased permeability in the bladder is also found in IC. (1)

One recent study looking at the relationship between bladder permeability and IC, found that bladder permeability can lead to hyper-sensitization of bladder nerves (2).

What do hypersensitive nerves in your bladder mean?

It means that you will feel the need to pee more urgently, more frequently and that you will have more pain.

Sensitization of a nerves is a topic we discussed in May, when we focused in on the role histamine and mast cell involvement can play in the nervous system. Mast cells and neurons cross talk and make one another more sensitive. Once they are sensitized, they keep “talking” to one another, creating a cycle of sensitization. Mast cells tell neurons to be sensitive, and then sensitized neurons tell mast cells to be sensitive. It becomes a vicious cycle.

It doesn’t matter where it started. Once it has begun, now the cycle keeps perpetuating itself.

How do you break the cycle?

The best way to is to break it in as many places as you can. Did you know that quercetin helps repair barrier tissue (3) and stabilize mast cells (4)?

Are you struggling with bladder pain? Add quercetin rich (+ low histamine!) foods such as apples, onions and cabbage to your diet to help break the cycle of bladder pain.

We have a full article on where to find quercetin, and who may benefit from supplementation (and who may not)! Read more here.

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Are you struggling with bladder or urinary troubles? Would it surprise you to know that histamine and/or mast cells may potentially be involved in these symptoms: pain with urination, interstitial cystitis, urinary frequency, recurrent UTIs, vulvar pain and chronic pelvic pain syndrome?

Let's get you started on making sense of things. Every month, we host a free master class we call The Histamine Connection. It's the perfect place to start understanding what is going on in the body, and help you put together some solutions.

We run this class live, and encourage you to join us while it's happening. That way, you can stick around for the Q&A that follows. If you can't join, no worries; we send a replay link to all who register.

>>> Register for the next Histamine Connection webinar here.