Frequent Urination

How often is too often? In TCM there are no hard and fast rules. We treat the person not the symptom. So it depends on your fluid intake, but also on whether you are a more yang type (who burn more fluids) or a yin type (burn less fluids and need to urinate more often). Drinking lots of coffee and stimulants will increase your rate of urination. If you use a lot of brain power, which affects the kidney, you may have more frequent urination. If you do more talking and walking around, you won’t urinate as much.

Regardless of all of this, the impulse to urinate starts at around 40 – 50 percent bladder capacity, so when you get the urge to go most people can ‘hold on’ for an hour or so. If you can’t control the urge to pee and can’t comfortably hold it in, and it starts ruling your day definitely look at the underlying bladder health issues.

The kidney and bladder are both involved in frequent urination and they are weakened by lifestyle factors leading to conditions including kidney yang deficiency. In this the fast pace of life, overwork for several years, drug addiction and excessive sexual activity burn out ‘the fire’. Chinese herbal formulas can correct urinary problems quickly. I highly recommend UROX, formulated by a colleague of mine. It is a great bladder tonifier based on three Chinese herbs, it has no contraindications and has proven results published in peer reviewed publications. Combine with a lifestyle that balances yin and yang. For more tips on building your bladder health read my book Clock On To Health.