The simple joy of kicking around the soccer ball with her son has been quite a challenge for Ann Marie Lane. Ann Marie’s active lifestyle sort of came to a halt five years ago when she was diagnosed with a painful bladder condition.
Ann Marie describes the symptoms of her disease “it is very much like an UTI but I go through these symptoms on a daily basis. There is very little relief if any for this disease.”
The disease Ann Marie is talking about is called interstitial cystitis-a condition that challenges more than 4 million Americans. Women being ten times more likely to have it then men. This condition that has no known cause nor cure causes pelvic and bladder pain-it also takes a toll on a person’s life by causing that feeling of “urgency” -a feeling that has left Ann Marie with many restless nights.
“I’d take naps during day…missing activities with the kids-my daughter was cheerleading competitions-I felt like I couldn’t go because I wasn’t sure if there was going to be a bathroom there or not.”
From medications to dietary changes to even nerve stimulation-there’s no simple approach when it comes to treating this painful bladder syndrome. In Anne Marie’s case-she decided to explore a natural approach when it came to improving her urinary tract health. “Well I’ve heard the old wives tales about cranberries. I’ve tried it and it helped but the problem is you need to drink alot of cranberry juice to actually help it.”
Dr. Amy Howell led the latest research on the health benefits of cranberries-she actually helped develop an over the counter cranberry extract product.?Research on this product so far has proven to be far from a simple wives tale.
Impressed with how this latest research has lead to a scientifically driven over the country cranberry supplement- I thought I’d have my sister Sandy give it a try. She says ” there was no taste—I just took pill with glass of water and it was fine.”My sister Sandy is one of the 11 million women in our country who suffers from urinary tract infections-11 million women-that’s a serious problem-especially for women who are dealing with energetic kids or in Sandy’s case grand children
“I like being active. I want to enjoy my grandsons and when you don’t feel well you can’t do the fun things that they want to do. So I made it my goal to stay as healthy as I am as for as long as I can be. I truly believe prevention is the best medicine”
As for Ann Marie-she’s doing all she can to take control of her health. But she admits a cranberry extract a day has been keeping her urinary tract issues at bay!
“It has helped me tremendously keep down the amount of UTI’s get per year—it has almost cut it down to half.”
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Upcoming Episodes
June 19 - 5:30 PM
Indoor Air Quality / Menopause / Scallops
We take an average of 20,000 breaths a day-Dr. Anna Marie has advice on how to redefine the air in your home; Our YOUR LIFE story outsmarts menopause; Chef Ulrich whips up scallops and spinach, and Dr. Anna Marie's dog Bucca starts physical therapy.
June 20 - 5:00 PM
Humidity Hassles / Barrel Racer / Blind Sommelier
Humidity Hassles wreak havoc on your health & the health of your home-Dr. Anna Marie has tips to redefine the air in your home; Barrel Racer Kaila Foss shares her YOUR LIFE story, and Blind Sommelier Amy Dixon and her amazing guide dog Elvis.