I
was thankful to see that Dr. Oz highlighted interstitial
cystitis (IC) on his show that aired February 20, 2013 in a segment titled "Myths and Lies Your Gynecologist Believes." Guest physician Dr. Lauren Streicher discussed a variety of conditions that can often be confusing for patients and physicians alike. I have listened to the segment about IC three times now and although brief, Dr. Streicher stated what many of us would have asked her to tell the millions of people in Dr. Oz's national audience:
Interstitial cystitis is a painful bladder condition that gives people that insistent "gotta go" feeling. It is often confused with urinary tract infections. Most importantly, she repeated that having interstitial cystitis is no way to live, and that it is not a minor problem. She said you must go to a specialist like a uro or uro/gyn or even a pelvic PT who is familiar with IC.
I have to say, for the few minutes she had to mention it, she did a great job. Although there was not enough time to talk about any treatments, this was still excellent exposure and validity for those IC patients who live with tremendous pain. I actually thought her presentation was confident and compelling. She spent as much, if not more time on interstitial cystitis as she did her other topics of the day.
For those of you clamoring for more coverage about interstitial cystitis, we have to remember what this segment was about and understand the producers had to stick with that....conditions that are often missed by the gynecologist. Unless someone is doing a documentary on IC, we are not going to ever get a television doctor show to do a full hour on this disease. Remember, they are primarily in the entertainment business. It isn't just because it is a bladder disease; frankly, there are not that many diseases that are entertaining enough to fill an entire hour. We should be thankful that this popular show represented IC in such a compelling way.
We DO have an opportunity to continue the conversation. Please take a moment to do the following:
1. Thank Dr. Oz, Dr. Streicher, and the producers of the Dr. Oz show on their website where they are showing the video: Myths and Lies Your Gynecologist Believes
For those of you interested in seeing IC covered in even small ways like this, here is a link to a blog article I wrote
about getting IC recognized by the media: Petitioning TV Doctors and Health Experts to Talk About Interstitial Cystitits
Author, Speaker, Patient Advocate
Helping Yourself Is the First Step to Getting Well
For step by step guidance for creating your own personal interstitial cystitis meal plan, see: Confident Choices®: Customizing the Interstitial Cystitis Diet.
For some basic, family-style, IC bladder-friendly recipes, see: Confident Choices®: A Cookbook for Interstitial Cystitis and Overactive Bladder
For health care workers: Interstitial Cystitis: A Guide for Nutrition Educators
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I don't think that segment on Dr Oz covers even a fraction of what the symptoms and problems are with interstitial cystitis.
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