K. Jeff Carney, MD: Lifestyle changes are extremely important
in the management of overactive bladder, especially smoking cessation.
Tobacco contains chemicals which serve as irritants to the bladder.
Additionally, the cough that's associated with smoking
can induce a patient to actually leak urine.
K. Jeff Carney, MD cont: We ask that patients control their diabetes.
Diabetes is a condition that leads to increased production of urine,
and an overactive bladder does not
handle this increasing production of urine very well.
We ask that they lose weight,
K. Jeff Carney, MD cont: especially if they have a tendency to carry that weight around their midsection.
And we ask that they develop healthy bowel habits,
because a constipated bowel adds additional pressure to the bladder.
Additionally, we ask that they develop a urinary schedule
where they put themselves on a schedule, perhaps every two or three hours,
