[.uk] You Don't Have to Live with Cystitis (ISBN 0380787792)

IC Pain - Gone!!! (and so is other pain like neck and back):
With over 30 years of IC pain, I was tolerating only water and green beans until I read this book. The author, an IC sufferer and doctor, includes a wealth of suggestions which I immediately was easily able to incorporate into my diet and life style. Yes, the foods IC sufferers cannot tolerate are listed in her book which I found very helpful! As a high school teacher and a mother of a medical doctor, the knowledge I acquired in this book led me to a FOOD SUPPLEMENT which has STOPPED my IC pain-it's been over 8 years that I have been taking this, not to mention no more neck and back pain, severe menstrual pain, a decrease in allergies, a clearer complexion, etc. YES! - A miracle food supplement for me! Prior to the discovery of this food supplement, my urologist offered an option of removing my bladder and wearing an external bag! I was about to give up teaching because I felt like a zombie from the IC pain that awakened me every hour during the night, let alone, all the trips to the lavatory in between every high school class period! The food/drink/vitamin information in this book and the food supplement I discovered have stopped the IC pain, as well as other pain. What a fabulous domino effect! I started noticing that this same food supplement was stopping other pains! Prior to my taking this food supplement, the orthopedist recommended that I have neck and back surgery after years of recurrent episodes of excruciating pain when repeated physical therapy sessions and pain medications failed to provide relief. To avoid surgery, I went to a chiropractor for the first time in my life which continued for five years with therapy visits required every two months to stay pain free. I then went to a neurologist for a second opinion of the chiropractor's progress on my neck and back. The neurologist said I would always need to be under the chiropractor's care if I was to avoid the neck and back surgery . . . until the FOOD SUPPLEMENT stopped my neck and back pain! I have not seen my chiropractor in over 8 years or any other doctor for neck and back pain since taking this food supplement!!! I take one tablet after breakfast every day and I am pain free!!! Basically, it is a naturally-occurring substance in everyone's body that feeds the nerve endings so that they are healthy and pain free; but, in some people this substance does not replenish itself as fast as the body expends it and, thus, the pain. This food supplement is a naturally-occurring source of organically-bound dietary sulfur that replenishes this deficit without side effects. It contains no solvents, sugar, salt, yeast, wheat, corn, dairy products, coloring, flavoring, or preservatives. A well-known urogynecologist in Connecticut who sees many IC patients refers her IC patients to me to supply them with this food supplement. ... Thank you, Dr. Gillespie, for the knowledge in your book is what led me to discover this food supplement which has returned me to a normal life!!! I have been able to continue teaching which has allowed me to provide the financial support to meet the educational needs of my son who is now a Physical Education teacher and my daughter who is graduating this May from the University of Connecticut Medical Center in Hartford, Connecticut, as a medical doctor and to support my husband as he was caught up in the corporate buyouts and found himself unemployed until he changed careers and is now a U.S. Post Office employee. I can only imagine where my family and I would be had I not read your book! You will refer to her book over and over again - as I have!!!

Please Beware:
While the book does validate IC-which 10 years ago was relatively unknown, the treatments will not work for everyone. I believe everyone needs hope with this dreadful disease, and at a first pass, this book provides it. I must thank the doctor for that. I read the book, was a patient of the doctor, and followed the protocol for 2 years. ....

Must-Read Book for Anyone with IC or Cystitis!:
This is a ground-breaking book written by a doctor who truly understands both bacterial and interstitial cystitis. Before the 1st edition of this book, the medical world was virtually silent on the subject, telling women it was all in their heads! Dr. Gillespie shows a deep understanding of the all-too-common and frequently mis-treated and/or over-medicated cystitis (urinary tract infection). Further, Dr. Gillespie virtually forced the medical world to learn about interstitial cystitis (IC) and to begin research into more humane and effective methods of treating it. Dr. G is a personal hero for me. Her book has provided guidance in my dealings with IC,where unfortunately most doctors still don't know what IC is. This book can help the patient to make decisions about treatments that can affect their body for many years to come. This book has helped me to minimize the occurrence of bacterial cystitis. And while my IC is incurable, this book has provided insight and helpful methods to make the condition less debilitating. Thanks for this ground-breaking book!!!

(...):
I came across this book 10 years ago at a seminar and have been giving it to patients ever since. It is very well-written especially for the layman, providing numerous things to think about it in the face of chronic bladder problems. Being a chiropractor, I also found it fascinating that Dr. Gillespie basically spells out the whole theory behind chiropractic care when she cites that the number one cause of bladder and prostate problems is low back problems! Using diagrams she shows how the nerves enamating from the lumbar spine enervate these areas of the body. Though she doesn't mention chiropractic care in her book, I had to laugh when I saw that she had, however unwittingly, totally validated the science and theory of Chiropractic care. Whatever the underlying cause of your bladder problem, you are likely to find some help with this book.

There are better and more current books now available for IC!:
I have to admit that I was surprised to see so many positive reviews for this book. This author is, in my opinion, one of the most controversial figures in the IC movement. She has been disciplined twice (license suspension/probation in 1997 and 2002) by the State of California Medical Board. California medical license information, as well as copies of the actions above, are available at the California Medical Board website. The allegations presented in the first action were reviewed by David Olmos, an LA Times writer in an article called "A Difficult Case To Diagnose" (January 1997). I'm not aware of any IC support group leaders who currently suggest this book to newly diagnosed patients simply because it is older, out of date and provides information which, today, would be considered controversial. Spinal surgery, for example, is rarely considered today for interstitial cystitis and, of course, only for patients who have a proven spinal defect that could be influencing their bladder function. Rather, the most common therapies are non-surgical, such as the use rescue instillations, antihistamines, etc. etc. The author certainly deserves credit for bringing the importance of diet to the forefront. She brought attention and publicity to the IC movement and helped to build awareness for IC. For newly diagnosed patients looking for up to date information on IC, I strongly suggest the book "The IC Survival Guide" by Robert Moldwin MD (New Harbinger Publications), as a much better choice. It is written by a well respected doctor by both patients and the medical field. He is known world wide as a leader in the IC research movement and his book is the #1 recommended resource today by patient groups around the world.