What is urinary dribbling?
Urinary dribbling is the symptom of small amounts of urine dribbling from the penis immediately after urination (post-micturation dribble, post-void dribbling or dribbling incontinence). These are the few drops that seem to come out after you’ve stopped the flow of urine, and cause the wet spots in your underwear or pants. Doctors say that a few drops of urine are normal, but Chinese medicine says otherwise. It is important to speak to your doctor when you find that your post-void dribbling is turning into urinary incontinence, which is going to be more than just a few drops of urine lost.
What causes urinary dribbling?
- A loss of control of the bladder muscles
- Loss of firmness in the muscles of the pelvic floor
- The normal course of aging
- Some diseases, like diabetes, stroke, Parkinson’s and MS
- Overactive bladder
- Neurological issues
How is acupuncture used to treat urinary dribbling?
Acupuncture treats post-void dribble by astringing the urine, firming the bladder Qi, coursing the Liver and strengthening the Kidneys. It’s not really as simple as that. Acupuncturists use what we call Pattern Diagnosis to guide treatments. That means that we piece together all the elements of your medical interview with lifestyle factors, general health information, diet, and pulse, tongue and abdominal diagnosis to assign a pattern of disharmony. Once the pattern is established – and it can change week to week or month to month – I make a treatment plan. This will tell me what herbs to use and which acupuncture points to select. It’s always important to make sure treatment matches the pattern or symptoms won’t improve.