CAFÉ ICA, VOLUME 7, NUMBER 7, August 2007

This issue of Cafe ICA is sponsored in part by educational grants from
Medtronic Foundation
Alaven Pharmaceutical LLC
Astra Tech, Inc

CAFE ICA, VOLUME 7, NUMBER 7, August 2007
Your monthly electronic source for the latest interstitial cystitis medical highlights, self-help & coping strategies, and ICA news, brought to you by the Interstitial Cystitis Association since August 2001.

1. Hot Off the Press
1.1 ICA Pilot Research Program Deadline Approaching
1.2 Harvard Medical School Adviser Features IC
1.3 Urology Times Features IC on Cover
1.4 Urigen's URG101 Ready for Investigation
1.5 Plan Now for Many Upcoming IC Patient Events!
1.6 Remember: The Combined Federal Campaign Launches Sept. 1st

2. Voices in the IC Community
2.1 New Book Offers Healing and Hope to Those with IC
2.2 Arizona Hispanic Newspaper Features IC Article
2.3 New Jersey Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Conference Planned

3. News YOU Can Use!
3.1 The Female Patient and Ortho-McNeil Partner to Create IC/PBS Patient Supplement
3.2 Ortho-McNeil Produces _Elmiron Medical Education Film
3.3 How to Go About Finding the Right Physician (an excerpt)
3.4 ICA Call to Action: Participate in IBS Study!

4. The Latest IC Research Highlights

5. Upcoming Conferences

6. Products That Can Help YOU Today!

From the ICA Mailroom:

I just wanted to thank you for your information. I have received information many times from you and it is always helpful. Nancy C.

1. Hot Off the Press

1.1 Attention IC Researchers!

ICA PILOT RESEARCH PROGRAM DEADLINE:

September 15, 2007

The ICA's Pilot Research Program funds research in the following areas of inquiry:

• etiology of interstitial cystitis
• epidemiology of the disease
• neurophysiology
• serum or urine markers
• potential IC treatment modalities
• pregnancy and IC
• pain management

Suitable applicants will be specialists with a particular interest in IC in the areas of urology, urogynecology, or pain management. ICA Pilot Research Program research projects are normally funded for one year, up to $10,000, and must be completed in one year.

Please click here to find out more about this funding opportunity, including how to apply.

1.2 Harvard Medical School Adviser Features IC

The August 27 edition of the Post and Courier of Charleston, South Carolina, features interstitial cystitis in a Q & A format provided by the nationally syndicated Harvard Medical School Adviser, a United Feature Syndicate column.

To view the column in the Post and Courier, please click here.

1.3 Urology Times Features IC on Cover

Our thanks to Urology Times (UT) for featuring IC once again on the cover. The August 15th edition of UT ran the article, Significant Comorbidities are Missed in Interstitial Cystitis Workups, by Penny Allen.

To read the article in its entirety, please click here.

1.4 Urigen's URG101 Ready for Further Investigation

Urigen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development of treatments for urological disorders, has initiated a double-blind, placebo controlled, cross-over study to investigate URG101 as a treatment for acute symptoms of interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome.

The Urigen study will compare the efficacy of URG101 (a lidocaine-heparin formulation that is instilled into the bladder) and placebo in reducing acute symptoms of IC/PBS. The study will enroll patients at several US clinical sites.

Click here to read press coverage.

Click here to learn more about URG 101 and Urigen.

1.5 Plan Now for Many Upcoming IC Patient Events!

Two Regional Forums Sponsored by the ICA are taking place very soon!

ICA Regional Forum / Detroit
Saturday, September 8th
The Sheraton Detroit Novi Hotel, Detroit, Michigan
1:00 pm to 5:00 pm, with Registration from 12 noon to 1 pm

Featured Guest Speakers:
David Burks, MD, and Donna Carrico, NP

Click here for more information and to register.

ICA Regional Forum / Arizona (Tempe)
Saturday, October 13th
The Buttes Resort, Tempe, Arizona
1:00 to 5:00 pm, with registration from 12 noon to 1 pm

Featured Guest Speaker: Daniel Brookoff, MD

More information and online registration will be available on the ICA's website (www.ichelp.org) beginning September 1st.

Plan to Attend the Second Annual Central Ohio Regional IC Meeting!

Saturday, September 15
Wexner Hall
College of Veterinary Medicine
The Ohio State University
Columbus, Ohio

Featured Speakers:
Dr. Bruce Woodworth, MD, Urologist
Kevin Hackshaw, MD, Rheumatologist
Tom Chelimsky, MD, Neurologist
Mark Elliott, PhD, Psychologist
Nicolas Verne, MD, Gastroenterologist
Bradford Fenton, MD, PhD OB/GYN
Laura Santurri, MS
Donna Carrico, NP
Cathy Konkler, PT

The ICA will have an informational table at this event. Come and see us!

Please click here for more information including registration instructions.

1.6 Remember: The Combined Federal Campaign Launches September 1st

Workplace Giving Campaigns Really Do Make a Difference!

Did you know that you, family members, loved ones, and/or friends can help the ICA's efforts by making donations to the ICA via various workplace campaigns?

For example, each fall, Federal government employees are encouraged to make charitable donations through the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) to the participating nonprofit organization of their choice. This year, we encourage you to make your donation to the Interstitial Cystitis Association (ICA) by entering the ICA's CFC Code Number 10578 on your CFC Pledge Card. Why The ICA? Because the ICA is a vital and dynamic national association offering information, support, education, and research funding to find effective treatments and, ultimately, a CURE FOR IC! We are the ONLY national nonprofit organization representing this illness. Your CFC contribution CAN make a difference for IC sufferers everywhere. So . . . please keep the ICA in mind when making your workplace contribution. And spread the word by telling your coworkers about the ICA.

This year the ICA has a new CFC number: 10578

Remember: CFC / ICA / # 10578

Other Ways to Contribute Through the Workplace
The United Way. The ICA has federal 501(c)(3) nonprofit status and can therefore be contributed to under the "donor option" line of the United Way pledge card.

Matching Gift Programs. Many large and small employers (AT&T, American Express, Citibank, IBM, Mobil, Pfizer, Reader's Digest, and TRW, for example) have their own donor programs that will match your contribution to the ICA. To find out if your company offers such a program, check with the personnel or human resources department at your workplace. They will provide you with the necessary forms to make your ICA donation worth twice as much.

Employer Workplace Campaigns. Your company may have its own charitable campaign program. Usually, your contribution can be deducted directly from your paycheck.

It is definitely worthwhile to check into giving opportunities offered through workplace contributions.

With your help, we can continue to increase IC research funding, educate the medical community, promote public awareness of IC, provide patient support, and continue our quest for our ultimate goal: A CURE FOR IC!

IMPORTANT: Please notify us directly if you are giving through the CFC or United Way because we want to thank you personally and ensure recognition for your total giving. We also suggest that you ask your company representative to release your name to the ICA. As always, thank you for your generous gifts and for supporting the ICA's efforts!

2. Voices in the IC Community

2.1 New Book Offers Healing and Hope to Those with IC

Marguerite Guzmán Bouvard's new book, HEALING: A Life with Chronic Illness, is a practical and spiritual guide to living well with chronic illness.

University Press of New England, which published the book, comments:

In the late 1980s Marguerite Guzmán Bouvard began experiencing the puzzling symptoms of an illness that affects millions of women yet often takes years to diagnose, interstitial cystitis: an inflammation and deterioration of the bladder lining. It is often accompanied by related immune disorders such as fibromyalgia and vulvodynia that cause crushing fatigue and a host of allergies, conditions Bouvard developed. As her illnesses progressed, Bouvard, an active globe trotting scholar and writer, was forced to slow down and to reassess her priorities. This memoir tells the story of how she came to create a life that was rich and full despite debilitating physical conditions.

Bouvard addresses key issues such as the importance of speaking clearly to the broader society about illness, learning to deal with pain, and how to manage relations with physicians. She reveals how she learned to continue to be of use to the world by opening up a new area of working toward human rights and reorienting her life as a writer. The book has a strong spiritual dimension in revealing how the meditation and reflection she turned to because of her curtailed activities actually opened her up to a wider life. From these practices she learned to cultivate inner strength, flexibility, and adaptability. Thankful for small pleasures and grateful for what she has, Bouvard shows how true healing means not waiting for a cure, but maintaining a sense of possibility.

"While doctors search for ways to treat interstitial cystitis, patients are often at sea when it comes to living with this illness. With this memoir, Marguerite Bouvard has charted a route through those rough waters for us."-Vicki Ratner, MD, Founder and President, Interstitial Cystitis Association

"In a society so uncomfortable with physical vulnerability that it seeks to make the ill invisible, this book reveals the many dimensions of suffering. It creates a social discourse for the dignity, hard work, grief and illumination of illness. It is done with exquisite sensitivity, rich prose and riveting thoughts. Extremely informative for the reader who suffers from chronic illness; but must reading for the friends and relatives of the sufferer; and truly compulsory reading for the healthcare provider."-Dr. Isaac Schiff, Head of Vincent Memorial Obstetrics and Gynecology Service, Massachusetts General Hospital

MARGUERITE GUZMAN BOUVARD received her PhD from Harvard and was for many years a professor of political science and creative writing at Regis College. She has authored books in the fields of politics, psychology, women's studies and poetry, among them the important The Path Through Grief: A Compassionate Guide and Revolutionizing Motherhood: The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo (1998).

University Press of New England has made a special offer to YOU through the ICA. All you have to do is use the code below when ordering to receive the ICA's discount. Copies of HEALING: A Life with Chronic Illness are available at a special discount of 40% off the retail price, or $11.97 (plus shipping charges of $5.00 for the first copy and $1.25 for each additional copy).

Please use code: SSICA for these orders.

You can order by phone: (800) 421-1561, FAX: (603)448-9429, or on the web at: www.upne.com/1-58465-623-9.html

This offer is available until December 31, 2008.

2.2 Arizona Hispanic Newspaper Features IC Article

California IC patient and longtime ICA volunteer, Norma Kellam has done it again! Norma has been working diligently with the Spanish language news community to get the word out about IC. This August she achieved another success by facilitating the publication of an informative IC article in Monitor Hispano, a weekly Arizona Hispanic newspaper that is published every Friday with a circulation of 19,000 copies per week and a readership of 78,000. The article, which is featured in the August 10, 2007, edition of the newspaper, covers the basics of IC and directs people to the ICA for more information.

Norma, who is a nurse by profession, has become a very accomplished Spanish translator. She was directly involved in the very first Spanish translation of an ICA brochure and often assists the ICA in dealing with Spanish-speaking patients who contact us for assistance.

Norma has been particularly successful in her efforts to lobby for the publication of this vital information. ¡Muchas gracias, Norma!

2.3 New Jersey Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Conference Planned

The New Jersey Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Association (NJCFSA) recently announced its fall 2007 conference:

New Research, Testing & Treatment in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Sheraton Eatontown Hotel Conference Center
Eatontown, New Jersey

The conference is co-sponsored by Monmouth Medical Center and the NJCFSA. CME credits are available for physicians. Nursing Contact Hours have been applied for through Monmouth Medical Center. Monmouth Medical Center is an approved provider of continuing nursing education by New Jersey State Nurses Association, an accredited approver, by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.

To find out more information, register, and download the conference brochure, click here.

3. News YOU Can Use!

3.1 The Female Patient and Ortho-McNeil Partner to Create IC/PBS Patient Supplement

The July 2007 "reception area copy" supplement to the journal, The Female Patient, is dedicated to the topic of interstitial cystitis. The Female Patient, a medical education journal for primary providers of women's healthcare, partnered with Ortho Women's Health & Urology, manufacturers of Elmiron, to produce this supplement. ICA Board member and ICA Medical Advisory Board member, Robert Evans, MD, is one of the authors of the supplement.

The Female Patient circulates to office-based physicians with a primary specialty in family practice, general practice, internal medicine, and osteopathy. The journal also circulates to office-based and hospital-based physicians (including all residents and 1st year), and all physicians in other professional activities, including military, with a primary specialty in obstetrics and /or gynecology, gynecologic oncology, maternal and fetal health, OB/GYN critical care, and reproductive endocrinology. Nurse Practitioners, self-designated in women's health, obstetrics and/or gynecology, also receive the publication on a request basis.

A PDF file of the supplement in its entirety is available free-of-charge by clicking here.

3.2 Ortho-McNeil Produces Elmiron Medical Education Film

Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, Inc., the manufacturers of Elmiron, the only FDA-approved oral treatment for IC, recently produced a short medical education film in Kernersville, North Carolina, that will be used to educate medical professionals about Elmiron and IC. ICA Board member and ICA Medical Advisory Board member, Robert Evans, MD, is featured in the film.

The Winston-Salem Journal of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, carried the following article that captures a day of the filming at a local coffee shop. Click here to view the article.

3.3 How to Go About Finding the Right Physician

The ICA recently published a much needed and very helpful booklet in the Because You Care series of ICA educational materials. Because You Care: Being Your Own Best Advocate covers topics such as medication issues, hospitalization issues, employment issues, educational issues, insurance issues, disability issues, and three chapters focusing on navigating daily challenges in your own life.

We understand that living with IC and related conditions can be a challenge. This booklet is designed to help people with IC meet the challenges of chronic illness and find validation, comfort, and relief.

The following is a useful excerpt from the booklet:

Gather names of physicians from IC patients and the ICA's Healthcare Provider Registry, a national list, available from the ICA, of healthcare professionals who have indicated an interest in treating IC. Check board certification through the American Board of Medical Specialties at 1-866-275-2267 (http://www.certifieddoctor.org) or consult your local library. Be aware that some highly recommended physicians may not have an expertise in treating IC. Make an appointment to meet the doctor. Ask some of the general questions listed below. You don't have to agree to an exam or medical tests during the first visit. Ask yourself how you feel about this initial meeting and trust your feelings.

Suggested Questions to Ask Your Healthcare Provider:

Would you tell me what interstitial cystitis is and what symptoms patients experience?

What medical tests are used to diagnose IC? What findings support the diagnosis?

What are the treatment options for IC? What determines which ones you recommend?

Are there lifestyle changes that might be important in managing the symptoms of IC?

Specific questions to ask regarding diagnostic testing, treatment and management of IC:

Why are these tests necessary? What are the risks, discomforts and costs of these tests? When will the results be available? May I have a written copy of the test results?

What are my test results? What do they indicate? What is my exact diagnosis? What is that based on?

What are the benefits, possible side effects and risks of the treatment you are recommending?

How long do I need to follow this/these treatment(s) before I might expect to see some improvement?

If this treatment plan is not helpful, or only partially helpful, what other treatments would you consider?

Ask your physician if it would be possible for him or her to provide you with a list of possible treatment options so that if one treatment does not work, you will be reassured that there are other options available to you. Also, remember to ask about possible side effects and instructions for taking prescribed medications.

You Have The Right as a Patient to:

Change physicians, consult other physicians, and get other medical opinions.

Obtain your medical records.

Be given adequate information to make informed decisions and give informed consent.

Decline or refuse suggested diagnostic procedures and/or treatment options.

Seek information about your medical condition from other sources.

Seek other kinds of care and/or support, which may include nutritional advice, group support, participation in the ICA, psychological support, pain management, stress management, or more.

Receive supporting documentation required by agencies with which you may file disability claims.

Receive supporting documentation required by your insurance provider when care is denied.

Receive a timely response to telephone contacts.

Exercising these rights should not subject you to disrespectful treatment, threats, or denial of care.

To order copies of this very informative, one-of-a-kind ICA-produced booklet, please click here.

3.4 ICA Call to Action: Participate in IBS Study!

If you suffer from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), like so many people with IC, the International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders (IFFGD) wants to understand how IBS affects your daily routine, the ways your life is affected by IBS, and where the needs are for treatments - but they need your help.

Will you participate in an online survey, and help advance their mission to improve lives?

Over 1200 people have already used this survey to show just how they are affected. The IFFGD is hoping to have 2000 responders by early September!

To participate, click here and scroll down the page. The survey registration form is located in the left column.

From the ICA Mailroom:

I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your prompt and thorough response. You and your organization have been invaluable to me. Thank you for your help and I appreciate all that you do. Cathy M

4. The Latest IC Research Highlights

Pelvic Floor Problems Near Universal in IC
Peters KM, Carrico DJ, Kalinowski SE, Ibrahim IA, Diokno AC. Prevalence of pelvic floor dysfunction in patients with interstitial cystitis.

How common is pelvic floor dysfunction in IC patients? Using levator muscle pain during pelvic examination as a kind of marker of pelvic floor dysfunction, these investigators evaluated 77 women with IC who came to their clinic. Nearly all of the women-87%- had this pain (which they scored at an average of 4.5 out of 10 for severity). Nearly two thirds of these women (64%) had their pain for five years or more. Half reported irritable bowel syndrome, and more than one third (36%) reported urge urinary incontinence. Therapy directed at pelvic floor muscles is a useful component of treating IC in women who have this pain, said the authors.

Study Shows Links between Migraine, Endometriosis, IC
Tietjen GE, Bushnell CD, Herial NA, Utley C, White L, Hafeez F. Endometriosis is associated with prevalence of comorbid conditions in migraine. Headache. 2007 Jul-Aug;47(7):1069-78.

These neurologists compared 171 female headache patients with 104 healthy controls and found that endometriosis was significantly more common in women who had migraine than in healthy women (22 percent versus 9.6 percent). In addition, the frequency of chronic headache was significantly higher in women who had both migraines and endometriosis than in women who had migraine but no endometriosis. Migraine disability scores were also significantly higher in women who had both. Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (similar to PMS) was more common in women with migraines than in healthy women, but it was no more common in women who had both migraine and endometriosis than just migraine. Women with migraine and endometriosis did, however, have heavier periodic bleeding, menstrual pain, and infertility than women who had migraine and no endometriosis or healthy women. Women with both conditions also had more depression, anxiety, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and IC than healthy women.

IC Expert Shows Value of Nurses for IC Management
Warren JW. Interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome. Urol Nurs. 2007 Jun;27(3):185-9; quiz 190.

Epidemiologic researcher John Warren, MD, wrote this review article on IC to educate urologic nurses and to show how important urologic nurses are in managing IC. He explained that IC/painful bladder syndrome is a chronic disease characterized by pain, frequency, urgency, and nocturia and diagnosed primarily in women. Urologic nurses play a critical role in managing IC, providing sensitive counseling and education as well as therapy.

To view the article in its entirety, please click here.

ICA Resources

NEW! Because You Care: Being Your Own Best Advocate

Living with IC and related conditions can be a challenge. This new booklet in our Because you Care series is designed to help people with IC meet the challenges of chronic illness and find validation, comfort, and relief. We have found that it is very helpful for people with IC to become actively involved in the management of their condition and to be strong advocates for themselves. After all, no one knows as well as you do what it is like to BE you!

Topics covered include medication issues, employment issues, educational issues, insurance issues, disability issues, and three chapters focusing on navigating daily challenges in your own life.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER NOW!

https://secure3.realssl.com/ichelp/store/shop.cgi?page=Topic04.html#BKBYCA07

The Many Faces of ICPeople Living with Interstitial Cystitis: Their Stories

The ICA has brought together a collection of some of our most popular and inspiring patient stories that we have had the privilege of publishing over the past several years.

This book contains 100-plus pages of inspirational and moving profiles of people living with IC. The Many Faces of IC includes portraits of men, women, and children from a multitude of cultural, ethnic, and philosophical backgrounds.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER NOW!

https://secure3.realssl.com/ichelp/store/shop.cgi?page=Topic10.html#BKMF06

Because You Care: Exploring the Unique Intimacy Issues of People with Interstitial Cystitis

Another first for the IC world from the ICA a booklet about sexual intimacy issues and challenges written from the patient's perspective!

This one-of-a-kind booklet is written especially for people with IC and their intimate partners, offering insight into how IC affects sexuality, as well as successful coping strategies for achieving and maintaining rewarding intimate relationships while living with IC.

The 45-page Because You Care booklet focuses on the following challenges of sexual intimacy and IC: physical, psychological, emotional, social, spiritual, cultural, and other special concerns, such as medications and the concerns of men who suffer from IC.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER NOW!

https://secure3.realssl.com/ichelp/store/shop.cgi?page=Topic04.html#BKBYCI06

IC: Current ConceptsPart Two of the ICA's Video Series

This video presentation was recorded at the ICA's University of Maryland Regional IC Forum that took place at the Hyatt Regency in Arlington, VA, in September 2005. The keynote speaker was 2003 National Book Award winner, Carlos Eire, PhD, a Yale University professor who is an IC sufferer. Featured presenters included clinicians and researchers from the University of Maryland: Toby Chai, MD; Susan Keay, MD, PhD; and John Warren, MD. ICA Founder and President, Vicki Ratner, MD, moderated the event.

The most current IC research is explained by the researchers themselves. IC: Current Concepts is designed for both IC patients and healthcare providers. The presentation is available in both DVD and VHS formats.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER NOW!

https://secure3.realssl.com/ichelp/store/shop.cgi?page=Topic09.html#UM05

ALSO AVAILABLE: For those of you who prefer reading IC presentations, we have published a written transcript of IC: Current Concepts.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER NOW!

https://secure3.realssl.com/ichelp/store/shop.cgi?page=Topic01.html#TRUM05

Our Pocket Guide Series Continues!

IC: Expert Opinions, Volume II

With IC: Expert Opinions, Volume II, we have assembled some of the top experts in the field of IC to explore specific topics and special concerns that people with IC often ask about. This is the fourth addition to our Pocket Guide series. Physicians included in Expert Opinions, Volume II: Robert Evans, MD; Christopher Payne, MD; Susan Keay, MD; John Warren, MD; and Kristene Whitmore, MD.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER NOW!

https://secure3.realssl.com/ichelp/store/shop.cgi?page=Topic01.html#XOP205

5. Upcoming Conferences

SUNA 38th ANNUAL CONFERENCE
October 12-16, 2007
Hyatt Regency
Phoenix, AZ

This year's conference will offer a variety of topics and outstanding speakers. Whether your goal is to learn more about urologic medications, influence health policy, or learn the latest in urologic technologies, there is something for everyone. Preconference workshops on basic urology, advanced practice, and certification review will also be offered. This conference will help you improve your patient care, broaden your horizons, and reach new heights in career satisfaction.

For more information, visit SUNA's website at /portals/0/images/cafeica/www.suna.org or call toll free 1-888-TAP-SUNA.
Click here to visit the event web site.

American Public Health Association
2007 Annual Meeting & Exposition
November 3-7, 2007
Washington, DC
Click here to visit the event web site.

SUNA 2008 ANNUAL SYMPOSIUM
February 28 - March 2, 2008
Tampa Waterside Hotel and Marina
Tampa, FL

This conference, focusing on pelvic pain and pelvic floor disorders, will offer a variety of topics and outstanding speakers, from basic workshops to advanced practice content, all offering current evidence-based information. A certificate of completion will be offered to attendees completing the Urodynamics track. For more information or to submit an abstract, visit SUNA's website at /portals/0/images/cafeica/www.suna.org or call toll free 1-888-TAP-SUNA

6. Products That Can Help YOU Today!

CystoProtek®: CystoProtek®, a patent-protected natural oral dietary supplement in softgel capsule form, has been clinically demonstrated to relieve symptoms associated with interstitial cystitis. The anti-inflammatory properties of the chondroitin sulfate, quercetin and rutin in CystoProtek®’s unique natural formula reduce bladder damage and pain, while its glucosamine sulfate, chondroitin sulfate and hyaluronate sodium help replenish the damaged glycosaminoglycan (GAG) protective layer in the bladder.

CystoProtek®’s beneficial effects in interstitial cystitis are believed to be due to this dual action. In two clinical studies, CystoProtek® was well tolerated by patients and reported to be effective in reducing the pain and improving overall symptoms in many women with interstitial cystitis. To find out more about CystoProtek® please visit www.alavenpharm.com or call 888-317-0001.

Desert Harvest Aloe Vera: Aloe vera is a powerful anti-inflammatory and pain reliever. A small clinical trial of Desert Harvest whole-leaf aloe vera capsules showed significant reduction in the symptoms of IC. Desert Harvest Aloe Vera’s active ingredient is a polysaccharide, which researchers believe may form an artificial GAG layer in the bladder.

Desert Harvest makes this very concentrated form of aloe vera just for IC patients. They remove the two chemicals in the aloe plant that cause diarrhea, and all of the water and fiber, leaving all of the other ingredients of the plant intact. Desert Harvest dries their aloe without heat. Heat can damage the active ingredients, and adds no fillers or preservatives.

For more information and a free sample, please visit www.desertharvest.com or call 1-800-222-3901.

LoFric Catheters: Astra Tech, Inc. is the maker of the LoFric hydrophilic catheters and kits for intermittent catheterization. LoFric is the only catheter in the world proven to reduce the risk of both UTIs and long-term complications. 100% latex-free. To find out more please visit www.lofric.com.

Prelief: AkPharma, Inc. makes Prelief, a dietary supplement containing calcium glycerophosphate that has been shown in research studies on IC patients to help reduce bladder pain and urinary urgency when used with acidic foods and beverages.

For more information about Prelief, please visit www.prelief.com or call (800) 994-4711.

Minute Maid Acid-Reduced Frozen Orange Juice Concentrate: This product can be found in the frozen food section of most supermarkets, alongside Minute Maid’s other juice products. Although it is reduced in acid, some IC patients may find that they need to dilute the concentrate with more water and/or add some Prelief to lessen the possibility of flaring IC symptoms.

To find out more please visit www.minutemaid.com.

Natural Touch Kaffree Roma: Roma is a multi-grain beverage with chicory that has a full-bodied taste similar to coffee, but without caffeine or tannic acids. It can be used as a coffee or hot cocoa substitute. Roma is distributed by Worthington Foods, a division of Kellogg's, and can be found in many major supermarkets.

To find out more, please click here.