Per viewer’s request, and my friend’s request, this week I will show you how to prevent incontinence and frequent urination using acupressure points, reflexology, exercise, and the mindset change. There are different kinds of incontinence based on different causes. I will focus on the overactive bladder also known as OAB as a possible cause.
Often when you have overactive bladder, you have a sudden urge to go to the bathroom when you hear a sound of water or some other triggers. Your bladder cannot hold as much urine as before and tells you to go to the bathroom even when it should be able to hold more.
Overactive bladder can be a symptom of medical conditions such as stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, enlarged prostate for men and urinary tract infection or UTI for women. Please consult a medical doctor if you suspect the cause is a medical condition.
Is Your Bladder Cold and Tight?
Your bladder expands like a balloon to hold the urine. But if your bladder becomes tight and loses elasticity, it cannot expand as much to hold the urine.
Check if your abdominal area is cold. If it feels cold, warm up the area with a heating pad so you can get the circulation going and loosen up the tight bladder so it can expand more.
Acupressure Points
The first one is Conception Vessel 3 or CV 3（中極）which is located five fingers below the belly button. Gently press and hold for one minute as you breathe deeply at least once a day. Or talking about the heat, daily okyu moxibustion that I introduced last week will be beneficial on this point. If you do okyu moxibustion on this point, you will be lying on your back.
Another effective point for your bladder issues is on your sacrum. Sacrum is a triangular bone at the base of the spine. As you can see there are four holes for the nerves on each side. These are all acupressure points but we want to press especially the 3rd ones from the top. This is called Urinary Bladder 33 or UB 33（中髎）.
Feel these holes on the sacrum. It may be easier to bend forward to feel them. Unless you’re very flexible and strong, it’s hard to press these points with fingertips. So once you learn the location, you can press them with your knuckles while you are sitting on a chair. Press and hold for one minute as you breathe deeply at least once a day.
Reflexology
We will stimulate the kidney, ureter and bladder for a general function. The kidney is located below the depression right in the middle. The bladder is located right above the heel on the inside edge. The ureter connects the two organs.
Kidney 
Ureter 
Bladder
Put one hand on the top of the foot to create a barrier to press against. With the index finger joint, make small circles 5 times over the kidney, then press and hold for 5 seconds. Massage the ureter 5 times. Then make small circles over the bladder 5 times and press and hold for 5 seconds. Repeat on the other foot. Do this at least once a day.
It’s easier if you have a foot massager like this. This one you can get from Daiso for $1.50. Step on it for 2 minutes twice a day. I often do it when I’m brushing my teeth in the morning and at night.
Daiso is a Japanese company but it’s in 24 countries. I’ll put the link below so you can check if there is any location near you.
Daiso Japan Store Locator https://www.daisojapan.com/t-storelocator.aspx
I sometimes giveaway this foot massager so be on the lookout.
Exercise to Strengthen Pelvic Floor Muscles
Next the exercise to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles to prevent the leakage. Adjust the holding time and repetition numbers based on your ability. If it’s too hard, start with shorter time and repeat less times and gradually increase.
Exercise #1: Squeeze your anus. Squeeze your anus for 5 seconds and hold it. And slowly release. Repeat 10 times. That’s one set. And do 3 sets a day so that’s 30 times.
Exercise #2: Kegel Exercise. If you can remember, while you are peeing, try to stop the flow of urine in the middle.
Exercise #3: Squat. Squat and hold for 10 seconds. When you squat, make sure your knees are not in front of the toes. Repeat 10 times.
So these are the exercises that you can do easily by yourself. But ultimately, I think Pilates is the best way to strengthen those inner core muscles. You will also get to tighten the whole body and lose weight. Or at least your fat will be replaced by muscles even if you don’t lose weight. But if you are a beginner, I highly recommend to do it with an instructor to avoid injuries.
Do these for at least a month because your muscles don’t become strong overnight.
Mindset
Finally, the mindset. I have read that overactive bladder can happen to people with busy mind. If you feel you are always under pressure to do something, find a way to relax your mind such as meditation.
Also, check to see if you are withholding things you want to say or having a trauma that needs to be healed which may be making you nervous and uneasy.
Over time, you may have already trained your bladder to not hold the urine much by hitting the bathroom as soon as you feel the urge. If that’s the case, trust and retrain your bladder to hold little bit more by not going to the bathroom as soon as you feel the urge.
I have another video on pee emergency. I’ll put the link below.