Summary
Bladder control normally starts at age 6 - 7 or
before. If a child has problems with urination
during sleep past this age it is usually a developmental
delay. There are a number of muscle and
neurological systems that must develop for full bladder
control. Some factors that come into play include:
•
There can be genetic predisposition for the problem
•
Abnormal development of the ureters or in boys the posterior
urethral valve
• An
undersized bladder
• The
CNS controls the bladder muscles and valves associated with
urination. Development may be slower than typical.
•
There are hormones that slow urine production at night.
They may develop slower in some.
•
Infection or other disease problems in the urinary tract.
Other factors that are noted include:
• Food
allergies
•
Difficulty in waking during sleep
•
Stress
Factors that are typically not the cause are:
•
Emotional or behavioral problems
•
Laziness
• Lack
of concern on the child’s part
Typically developmental delays are the more common cause.
Only 5 - 10% of the problems are because of physical
factors. Girls develop control faster than boys and boys
have a higher incidence of bed-wetting in later years than
girls.
[search helps: nocturnal
enuresis, primary nocturnal enuresis, PNE, secondary
nocturnal enuresis , SNE, bed wetting, bedwetting]
Oils, blends & products
recommended:
Oils & Blends:
Balance, cilantro, cypress
Essential oils based
products: Life Long Vitality supplements,
GX Assist, PB Assist
Also consider:
Suggested protocols:
Since there are a variety of root causes it may take
some experimentation to find the right combinations of
helps to use. Some things work for other some do
not. Read the experiences of others to help get a
full perspective.
Some oils and supplements that have worked for others:
• Life
Long Vitality supplements (if the child is old enough for
capsules), GX Assist and PB Assist
•
Cilantro, 7 drops in a capsule, 1 -2 per day
•
Cypress, rub 2-4 drops on bladder area before sleep
•
Balance, massage 2-4 drops on feet at bedtime. Use as
an opportunity for quality, loving, reinforcing time
Other helpful hints:
• Lots
of hugs and positive reaffirmation during the day
• A
number suggest getting off of dairy products was the key
• Keep
the child warm at night
• Rub
diuretic oils on the feet and ankles 2 -3 hours before
bedtime
Try physical controls by:
•
Limiting liquid intake 2 - 3 hours before sleep
•
Encourage urination just prior to bedtime
• Use
an alarm for urination during the night
Experiences and Testimonials of others
Gretchen - My
12 year old son and I just finished our day 10 of the GX
cleanse and we have started PB Assist+. We have both
been on a lot of antibiotics in our lives. His were
mostly the first 3 years of his life and mine were most
of my childhood.
The reason we are doing this with him is because even at
12 he still wets the bed every night. His wetting at
night got way worse during the cleanse and his seasonal
allergies are awful. The allergy blend (LLP) typically
takes his symptoms away immediately but we are giving it
to him constantly and he is still miserable. Could this
just be because the cleanse "woke" something up?
I have also started to give us both cilantro in capsules
for a heavy metal detoxification. I am doing 7 drops per
day. Any other suggestions or thoughts would be
appreciated.
Curl - Try rubbing cypress on his
belly at night before bedtime. My mother in law has been
using the cypress for incontinence and it's been working
great for her.
Gretchen (10 days later) - An
update. We have tried everything we could to help my son
with his bed-wetting. We have been doing chiropractic
for 9 of his 12 years. We have limited liquids, gone
through food allergy testing and fixed those, alarm,
waking him several times throughout the night. Nothing
worked, nothing even made a slight change. We tried
cypress essential oil, nothing changed. Now let me
explain what I mean by no change. In his 12 years he has
never had more than 1 night in a row of staying dry.
Doesn't matter what he drank or ate all day, healthy,
unhealthy.
About 3 weeks ago I put him on LLV and had him do the
GX Cleanse for 10 days, he took it with each meal. . I
also have him taking 7 drops of cilantro oil in a
capsule every day for heavy metal detoxification. His
seasonal allergies flared up to the point where the
allergy protocol was hardly touching his symptoms and
his bed-wetting actually got a lot worse. He was
miserable!
Then we did the 5 days of PB Assist and it was during
that time that the bed-wetting stopped, completely.
In the last 2 weeks he wet one night and that was more
than a week ago. I can't say this is it forever but I
think we are on to something.
Tausha - We started my son on
cilantro capsules right away after reading this email
and he has not had an accident since. I am still not
sure if it just coincidence, but it seems to be working.
I haven't started him on the PB Assist yet, but so far
we gave seen success. It must have something to do with
how deeply they sleep and also some heredity, because
bed wetting does run in my husbands family.
Gretchen - I have read several
things regarding heavy metal toxins and bedwetting and
cilantro is supposed to cleanse the heavy metals out.
For him I know it was more than the cilantro though
because I have not been consistent with the cilantro
capsules but I have been with LLV. The GX Assist and the
PB Assist seemed to do a lot for him as well.
Gretchen (another update) - He had
one night that he wet since I posted last. It was after
3 days of not having the cilantro. He was still taking
his LLV but not the cilantro.
Mom - I have a
five year old son who is struggling with
bedwetting...anyone have any suggestions? I have tried
cypress and Aroma Touch over the bladder area at night,
no noticeable success.
Cassie - I had a friend who, when
she was using a different oil company's oils, used their
version of Balance on her boys every night and they
stopped wetting the bed. So I would try Balance. Also my
sister-in-law doesn't give them any liquids with sugar
in them (including juices and milk) after 6:00pm. Only
water. They also don't wet the bed now.
Mindy - Hi, Has
anyone successfully used oils to help ease or stop bed
wetting? I have 4 friends asking that question.
One has tried cypress without any success. Thank you for
your ideas.
Rosemary - My friend's daughter had
this problem years ago, before I believed in Essential
Oils. She had a mineral deficiency but don't remember
which one. It helped within a few days.
Shannon - We have tried the cypress
oils, but I must say that we haven't been religious
about it. I have heard that it works, but really it is
all about making sure they go to bed without a full
bladder. Stopping liquids after 6 pm is very hard to do
for the child that I am dealing with (14) so we are
trying everything else. Please keep the suggestions
coming they are all worth a try!
Stephanie - We had success when we
cut out dairy products.
Koleke - my sister in nursing
school, told me she learned in one of her classes, there
has been success for bedwetting by giving the child four
more hugs daily. I am just starting this, and have no
results to report as of yet.
Paula - I had a horrible bed-wetting
problem while growing up. Until I was around 10. My
parents were able to get control of it by cutting off
any liquids after 6 pm. That included watermelon and
other foods with high water content. Also they would
tuck my blankets under the mattress. There was no way
that my blankets would come off me. As long as I stayed
warm it seemed I didn't have a problem. My
heart goes out to all the parents and children suffering
with this. I know how humiliating it is. And I try to
understand how hard it is to deal with it from a parents
point of view. I think the hugs are a great idea too!
Jessica - My son also had
bed-wetting until age 12 or 13 - it even happened at a
boy scout camping trip (embarrassing!) He had to switch
to the smallest depends for size requirements. I think
we traced his to emotional issues - when he would get
stressed, that's when it would happen. I'm wondering if
this also applies in your case. Maybe a treatment with
Balance on the feet before bed would help him as well?
Ashlee - Does
anyone have any tips on bedwetting and using cypress?
I have a friend that has tried this and still has not
seen results. Any other ideas?
Tausha – I would also like to know
this. We have been using cypress for bed-wetting on my
son for about a month now and have seen no results. I
have learned from experience that a little tweaking with
application or dosage does go a long way, so I am open
to ideas!
Tamalu - Any
personal experiences with doTERRA oils and bedwetting?
Kathy - I have heard that sometimes
dairy allergies can contribute to bedwetting. Try
getting the child (I assume) off dairy for at least 10
days.
Also make sure the child is not cold at night. Have
a heated blanket or something so his body temperature
stays up.
Limit how much he/she drinks at dinner and before
bedtime.
Use diuretic oils on his feet and ankles 2-3 hours
before bed time. (citrus oils) Encourage him/her to go
to the bathroom before getting in bed.
Bed-wetting is physiological and is never the child's
fault.
I would be sure and spend quality time with the child
prior to going to sleep. Rub his back with calming,
peaceful, spiritual oils. ie. Balance, Serenity, Ylang
Ylang, Lavender. Spend the time praying with him or
expressing qualities and affirmations.
If he is over 100 lbs and can handle pills, consider
getting him on the supplements. The EOmega pills might
be the trick!
What Science & Research are saying
Australian Continence Journal, May 2001
HERBAL ESSENTIAL OILS FOR URINARY
INCONTINENCE
DR ELIZABETH STEELS BSc(Hon)
PhD Applied Science and Nutrition Pty. Ltd., TRACEY SEIPEL
BSc BNt Dip Herb.M MsT, MANPA, AMANDA RAO BAppSc PGDip AppSc
Excerpts taken from this study
follow (the full PDF may be found online).
INTRODUCTION
This study investigates the effectiveness of a natural
therapeutic preparation, BioLogic® bladder control cream, in
relieving symptoms of urinary incontinence. The preparation,
containing primarily essential oil herbal actives, was
developed based on a review of the traditional literature
and on consultation with natural therapy practitioners of
treatments commonly used to relieve symptoms of urinary
incontinence. The product was then formulated in accordance
with the principles of essential oil administration.
The active ingredients are essential oils of Citrus
sinensis (orange) oil, Juniperus virginiana (Virginia
cedarwood) stem oil, Commiphora myrrha (myrrh) oil, Citrus
aurantium (neroli or orange flower) oil, and Cupressus
sempervirens (cypress) leaf. …
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Thirteen women experiencing symptoms of urge incontinence
and/or stress incontinence were recruited through newspaper
advertisements. Three women withdrew from the study for
personal reasons within the first few weeks. The remaining
10 women completed the 3 months of the study.
Women experiencing urinary incontinence on a regular
basis were considered eligible for inclusion in the study if
they met the following criteria:
• They had not undergone recent surgery, particularly
hysterectomy or prolapse repair, within the last 12 months.
• They had not recently undergone childbirth (within the
last 12 months).
• They were not using any medicine for incontinence
symptoms in the last month.
• They did not have any serious health conditions such as
diabetes mellitus, heart disease, pancreatic disease,
hepatic disease or chronic inflammatory conditions.
• They were not currently being treated for psychotic
disturbances.
• They did not suffer from skin disorders that are
affected by transdermal applications.
Women were asked to maintain current dietary patterns but
were not given any advice regarding diet during the study.
The exercise patterns of the participants were also noted,
with women engaged in some form of exercise at least three
times a week regarded as being active.
Participants were asked to apply 5gm of the cream to the
body twice daily for a period of 3 months. …
RESULTS
… Prior to commencement of the treatment, all women
reported that they were extremely bothered by leakage. The
cause of the leakage was often a combination of the feeling
of urgency, the result of physical activity or just
continuous leakage. …
The study results indicate a significant positive change
in the responses concerning leakage relating to urgency and
activity. These effects were observed after the initial
month on the treatment and continued to improve over the 3
months. There were also improvements in the area of
continual leakage and difficulty emptying bladder, although
these only became significant after the full 3 months of the
treatment. It is noteworthy, however, that there were no
significant changes in the response to frequency of
urination over the 3 months. …
DISCUSSION
… The mechanism whereby this treatment may reduce
incontinence symptoms is not clear. There is evidence for
the use of Virginia cedarwood in treating incontinence,
enuresis and assisting bladder tone as well as bladder
infections, difficult urination and cystitis. The documented
properties likely to produce this effect are the
antispasmodic, diuretic, antiseptic and astringent.
Cypress is documented as an antispasmodic, astringent,
antiseptic, deodourant, diuretic and tonic that may promote
venous circulation to the kidneys and bladder area, improve
bladder tone and assist with urinary incontinence and
enuresis.
Recent literature describes myrrh as an astringent and
antiseptic that produces a soothing effect on mucous
membranes of the urinary system and promotes healing of
tissues. Orange and neroli are documented as having
anti-spasmodic, antiseptic and deodourant effects.
These essential oils appear to target the urinary system
and promote better control over urination. But it is
not clear whether this is a result of an action on the
muscles of the pelvic floor, sphincter or bladder wall
itself. Some of these essential oils are also recommended
for male reproductive health, indicating a possible effect
on the prostate in men.
The common properties of each of these essential oils may
provide some insight into their mechanism of action for
incontinence symptoms. In decreasing order of commonality,
the key actions that may relate to incontinence relief are
antispasmodic, astringent, antiseptic, diuretic, deodourant
and tonic.
Ready, Set, Grow
