So, how do you know if your incontinence is caused by a weakened pelvic floor? The first step is to create a bladder diary. This consists of recording your food and liquid intake and monitoring the number of times you need to urinate, actually leak urine or the amount of urine passed at each void. When examining the bladder diary, a doctor can see any patterns that might suggest a cause of your incontinence. The cure can be as simple as timing when you use the bathroom to train your bladder. Additional behavioral measures include monitoring your fluid intake, learning not to strain when voiding and using Kegel exercises to increase the strength of your pelvic floor muscles.

Ironically, most women have been told at some point that Kegel exercises help maintain muscle strength and increase sexual pleasure, yet many cannot isolate the proper muscles or perform the contraction correctly. As a result, the contractions don’t really do anything to improve muscle strength.
The first step is isolating the proper muscles. Try imagining that you are sitting on top of a marble. If you wanted to pick up the marble with your vagina what would you do? Visualize sucking the marble up into your vaginal canal. Do not squeeze your buttocks, stomach or thigh muscles. If the wrong muscles are used, it can actually put more pressure on the pelvic floor muscles. Simply tighten the pelvic muscles. Breathe slowly and deeply.

Repeat several times, but be careful you don’t overdo it as this can lead to muscle fatigue.  In the beginning, pick a quiet place to practice where you can lie down. This is helpful in the beginning so you don’t have to fight gravity. Contract your pelvic muscles and hold for a count of three. Release the contraction and rest for another count of three. Do as many as you can and try to increase your Kegels to three sets of 10 repeats. As your strength increases, begin exercising while sitting or standing. In these positions gravity will add resistance which helps you increase your strength.

And remember, you must be patient. You don’t lose 30 pounds in a day. You can’t give up. In only 3-6 weeks you will see results. And you only need to spend 5 minutes a day. For some, the addition of Vaginal Weights or Cones will help to keep your motivation. Whatever you do, just keep at it. Isn’t 6 weeks of patience better than a major abdominal surgery or drugs for the rest of your life?

It is obvious that a strong muscle will contract more strongly than a flabby muscle.  But new studies have shown that Kegel contractions also increase the blood flow to the pelvic region. Women report an increase in arousal after performing these contractions.  Sometimes when the muscles are very strong, it is possible to masturbate to orgasm without using your hands! It has also been shown that many women who perform these exercises regularly can experience vaginal orgasm for the first time. Women report more frequent, stronger and even multiple orgasms when repeatedly performing Kegel exercises.

Now let’s not rain on the sexual party, but Kegels do have important long term benefits. Stronger pelvic floor muscles will certainly be a great investment in your urinary control. The older you get, the more your muscles will begin to weaken. Beginning Kegels at a younger age strengthen the muscles and help maintain muscle tone over time.  It’s better to be proactive in the development of urinary incontinence that to have to work harder to stop it.

So, let’s make sure that we know how to properly perform a Kegel exercise.  First, you need to recognize the sensation of a Kegel contraction.  The pelvic floor muscles are most commonly used to stop the flow of urine when you are going to the bathroom.  Squeeze as though you are stopping the flow of urine and you have now isolated the correct muscles.  Now, contracting and releasing are not enough to build strength.  You need to contract and hold that contraction for a count of 10.  Then relax and rest for a count of 10. You need to repeat these in sets of 10 at least twice a day.  The great thing is that you can do them anytime.  While you are driving, or in the shower.  Anytime can be a convenient discrete time to start building those muscles.  And ladies for quicker results, add some Vaginal Weights to your exercise plan.  You will feel great and your partner just might thank you.

The emWave 2, like previous Heartmath products, teaches you to control your body with breathing and focus on positive emotions.  The great thing about this new product is the combination of portability and connectivity. This new machine will work on the go with a finger or ear sensor.  Both sensors quickly read your heart rhythms and translate the information into LED displays on the machine.  A breathing pattern is generated that will help you to bring your measured heart rhythms into coherence.  The great thing is the new machine then stores the data for future analysis.

And it gets even better.  The emWave 2 will connect to your computer and allow you to download your sessions into a desktop application included with the machine.  The easy to use display will allow you to see details about previous sessions.  You will be able to see your session history and chart your progress. You can also use the emWave 2 in real time and see your coherence levels displayed on the computer screen as you use the machine.  There are even different challenge levels ranging from beginner to advanced. You will be entertained and challenged while keeping your body and mind in harmony.  The emWave 2 is much simpler and easier than other desktop products with the added ability to be fully portable while saving your data.

The addition of storage and real time data visibility really enhances this wonderful product.  You can use your session history to track your progress and even print out the data to share with your health professional.  The ability to take your machine on the road and review the data later will help you stay motivated and allow you to take control of your stress and emotional well being no matter where you are.

If you choose to visit your doctor, the first step will be to determine the type of incontinence you are suffering from.  The most common diagnosis is stress incontinence. When pressure is exerted on the bladder when you cough, laugh or sneeze, urine can leak out.  It can also occur when lifting or exercising.  This is a symptom of the weakening of the pelvic floor muscles.  This can be an effect of aging but can also result from child birth in women and prostate surgery in men.  Strengthening these muscles will usually reduce or eliminate this problem.  There are many incontinence products available to assist in building up the muscles of the pelvic floor.

Another common form of incontinence is Urge Incontinence.  This is an intense demanding need to urinate that occurs so suddenly that you cannot make it to the bathroom.  These sudden urges can be a symptom of other diseases, including bladder infections, Parkinson’s, or injury to the nervous system.  Treating the underlying problem will usually eliminate this type of incontinence.  If, however, the cause is unknown, there may be pharmaceutical remedies to help.

Overflow incontinence occurs when you continually leak a small amount of urine.  This can be caused by an inability to fully empty your bladder.  This is most often the result of damage to the bladder, a blockage in the urethra or nerve damage.  EMG biofeedback and surgeries are the most common treatments for this type of incontinence.

The last form is functional incontinence.  Often this is the result of a mental or physical impairment that prohibits you from getting to the bathroom or recognizing the need to go. This is most common in the elderly or infirm.  Treatments for this type of incontinence are poor due to the fact that the issue is caused by problems that don’t actually have to do with the urinary system.

Whatever the type of incontinence you are troubled by, there are many treatments available.  It is a good idea to discuss the issue with your doctor so a treatment plan can be developed for your particular form on incontinence.

The emWave PSR was developed by Heartmath using the science of HRV (heart rate variability). Analysis of heart rate variability has been recognized as a
powerful measure that reflects the brain-heart interactions in the autonomic nervous system.  These interactions are extremely sensitive to changes in emotional state.   As a result they are a good reflection of the stress levels one is subjected to at any given time. The emWave PSR can measure the changes and give the user an indication of their level of stress.

But the emWave PSR does not stop there.  In addition to giving you a picture of your stress level, the device can also train you to relax.  How can a hand held device teach relaxation?  Well, this machine teaches you how to create “coherence”.  Biological coherence is the scientific term for having a highly
efficient and harmonious physiological state.  This means that your body, including the nervous, cardiovascular, hormonal and immune systems are in sync. In layman’s terms, you are in “the zone”.  People experiencing a high level of coherence report having a more positive attitude, more energy and generally feel better.  This signals the brain to relax and let go of pent up stress and anxiety.

And it couldn’t be easier to use. The emWave PSR reads your body’s coherence using a finger clip.  Place your thumb on the sensor and you are ready to begin.  The machine will detect your pulse and begin to help you pace your breathing.  Changes in coherence are displayed on the LED screen in real time. The color changes (red-stressed, blue-improving, green-coherence) will indicate progress.  Practicing with the emWave PSR will help you achieve the goal of keeping your body in a high coherence state for longer periods of time.  And it can be used anywhere.  Take it to that meeting or presentation and relax before you speak. Use it after a difficult client or co-worker interaction.  You will never have to be a victim of incoherence again. Feeling great is just a fingertip away.

What can be done for these women?  The cure is quite simple.  Strengthen the muscles of the pelvic floor.  The best way to do this is to institute a daily regime of Kegel exercises.  The problem with this is the results of your work take weeks to become apparent.  Many women get discouraged by the seeming lack of progress over time.  They stop doing the exercises and their muscles never really get stronger. The trick is to keep motivated.  When you go to the gym, you don’t expect to lose weight or define your abs in just a week or two.  The pelvic floor muscles are the same.  The strength must be built gradually over time.

To combat the loss of motivation, doctors sometimes recommend pelvic floor exercisers like the PFX2. The PFX2 is an exercise based-biofeedback device. This means the unit does not need batteries or any other electricity in order to work. The PFX allows the user to target and the pelvic floor muscles and strengthen them using the resistance of an internal probe.  The probe is made of a medical grade silicone and is very durable if cared for properly.  The probe and its tubing can also be replaced so the gauge can be shared in a clinical setting.

How do you use the PFX2?  It is as simple as performing Kegel exercises, but you will need a little more privacy.  The sensor is inserted into the vagina as you would insert a tampon.  When a Kegel contraction is performed, the strength is measured by the change in pressure against the vaginal sensor.  The user can observe a reference gauge that measures the muscle contraction strength.  With this information the user can chart their progress over time.  It can be helpful to track the readings in a notebook as well so that you have a written record of your progress.  This is an inexpensive way to keep motivated and cure stress incontinence.

Stress incontinence is unintended urine leakage that most often occurs when sneezing, coughing or laughing.   Risk factors include being female, childbirth and age. Many women experience stress incontinence to some degree.  The good news is that this issue is easily treated with Kegel exercised or the use of vaginal weights.  While Kegels are easy to do and require no additional tools, it is possible to do them incorrectly.  A Kegel done using muscles other than the pelvic floor will not be truly effective.  Lady Care weights have been recommended for over 20 years and they have been proven to provide relief from urine leakage.  In 2001 the Cochrane Database System Review found that using vaginal weights was more always effective than no treatment at all.   However, it was also stressed that the ability of the user to follow a program and graduate to a higher weight was a significant factor in the success rates reported.

How to they work?  The Lady Care weights are ceramic and have a nylon string for easy removal. The weights range from 20 grams to 60 grams. A woman inserts a weight into her vagina and using a Kegel contraction, holds the weight in.  Effective treatment regimes require this to be done at least once a day for 15 minutes.  While holding the weight in, normal activities can be done.  When a given weight can be held in for a full 15 minutes, then the next heavier weight should be used.  When moving up in weight, a woman may no longer be able to hold the heavier weight in for 15 minutes.  She should use the weight for as long as she can and over time continue to increase the duration of her use.  When 15 minutes is reached with the second weight, the process continues.  It can take anywhere from 4-8 weeks to begin to see and feel improvement.

And following up on the temperature theme, migraine sufferers have also been known to learn how to easily abort migraines by warming their hands with hand warming biofeedback. Using a temperature sensor on the pad of your index finger and imagining that you are warming your hands in front of a fire will get the process started. It normally takes just a few sessions to learn how to warm your hands but continual practice for a while will definetly help. We sell temperature sensors suitable for hand warming training at GSR2/Temp at LifeMatters.com as part of the Deluxe GSR2/Temp. This nifty device also teaches a systemic generalized relaxation using the GSR.

While learning how to warm the hands from from the inside with training is the best way but putting your hands in warm water when feeling threatened by a migraine is also helpful and learning how to relax well helps as well. Some will find the Chillow combined with hand warming a powerful combination in their tool chest of natural remedies for migraine.

Considering that medication is not terribly effective for treating or improving stress related problems, the fact that biofeedback is so effective while being an alternative to medication makes this natural solution even more attractive to anyone wanting to recover from stress related problems.

She thought that perhaps this technique would work with her injured child, so she purchased a MyoTrac Home EMG unit and tried it out. What she saw was very exciting, her child was able to make a connection between injured nerves and muscles for the first time and within a few minutes Kate was seeing her child’s injured muscles move for the first time.

Kate just happens to belong to a national self-help group for those with Brachial Plexus injuries and when they had a meeting she was able to try her Myotrac EMG on about 30 people, one of whom has lived with this injuries for decades. And, everyone she tried it on was able to show improved nerve/muscle connections. Needless to say, everyone was very excited.

Even though surface emg has been used in muscle rehab for decades, the application of surface emg to this patient population seems to be new and it shows great promise.

If you or anyone you know is interested in getting more information, the group has set up a message board for sharing. Click on this link and you can read more by the group members themselves: sEMG biofeedback for use in treating Brachial Plexus Injuries. Some areas are public and some are private but there is lots of great information.