Kitchen remedies
Regular pelvic-floor (Kegel) exercises are the mainstay; keeping to a healthy weight; limiting caffeine, fizzy drinks and alcohol which irritate the bladder; timed toilet visits; enough but not excessive water; and easing constipation, which strains the pelvic floor
Featured herbs
Sesame seeds (Sesamum indicum) [traditional bladder-tonic food], Gokshura (Tribulus terrestris) [uncommon-revival, traditional urinary tonic], Horse gram / Kulthi (Macrotyloma uniflorum) [traditional], Nutmeg (Myristica fragrans) [a pinch, traditional], Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) [tone support]
How to prepare
Do pelvic-floor squeezes daily: tighten the muscles you would use to stop the flow of urine, hold for 5 seconds, release, and repeat 10 times, three times a day. Cut back on caffeine and fizzy drinks, keep the bowels regular, and keep to a healthy weight to lower pressure on the bladder.
Cautions
Leakage has several causes (a weak pelvic floor, the prostate in men, infection, or neurological ones). Supportive lifestyle steps help mild stress-type leaks; they are not a substitute for assessment of new or bothersome symptoms.
