Beer for Your Bladder?


Q: A friend of mine says that drinking a beer at bedtime keeps his bladder quiet through the night. Have you heard anything about drinking beer as a way to quiet a spastic bladder?
— Dave

A: Dave, I love the question! I searched far and wide hoping to find a journal article saying that beer is good for the bladder! Alas, after many search engine explorations, the closest match I came up with after typing in “neurogenic bladder and beer” was a reference to a urologist from 1915 named Dr. Beer. Other than that was a post on Healthline.com and a couple of lines in the Merck Manual, both of which say alcohol is a natural diuretic, increases urine output and is a bladder irritant—none of which sound very helpful in terms quieting the bladder.

Undeterred, I emailed the question to a urologist who is well versed in physical medicine and rehab. Although he hadn’t heard of any scientific research on beer and its effects on the bladder compromised by SCI, he did say that the hops in beer can be anti-inflammatory. And while alcohol irritates the bladder, it is also a central nervous system depressant and would probably quiet some of the spinal cord nerves, which may, in turn, quiet the bladder. Anti-inflammatory hops and quieter CNS nerves—now I was getting somewhere.

Next I turned to a New Mobility reader. Paul Knott, 55, of Davis, Calif., is in his 24th year as a C7 complete quad. Knott is a systems analyst for California Department of Forestry and spends his days in front of a computer screen. “I had horrible problems with lower body spasticity, including a very spastic bladder — the spasms were the worst after a long day of sitting at work,” he says. “My urologist started me on Ditropan, and it wasn’t enough. Then upped the ante to Oxybutynin, which worked but wiped me out and made me dizzy and very temperature sensitive. Then I noticed if I drank one or two 12-ounce beers during the evening my bladder quieted down for the night.” Knott shared this with his urologist at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose, Calif. The urologist said he hadn’t read any official data but anecdotally, beer seemed to help some of his other patients. He told Knott, “If it works for you keep doing it — in moderation.”

The bottom line is, so far there is no scientific evidence that beer can quiet the bladder; however there is anecdotal evidence that it has helped some people. The key word here is moderation. Alcohol is high in calories and can add unwanted weight. In addition, while moderate consumption alcohol may be of some benefit, heavy drinking can be addictive, harmful and even fatal. According to the USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005 moderate drinking means no more than one 12-ounce beer per day for women and two 12-ounce beers for men.

Q: I became a C4-5 quad in October 1971. I have been on an indwelling catheter ever since. I get occasional bladder infections and resolve them with antibiotics. I see my doctor on a regular basis, but I could be more diligent about getting ultrasounds and X-rays. I live an active lifestyle and am generally in excellent health except for a few bladder infections a year. Am I playing Russian roulette by not being more conscientious about my urinary tract system?
— Jim

A: Jim, it wasn’t long ago that urinary tract related complications were the leading cause of death among people with SCI. Over the years research has led to better monitoring and better options for managing a neurogenic bladder, which, combined with better antibiotics, have improved the morality rate, but it still ranks in the top five.

To answer your question, I asked several urologists versed in physical medicine and rehab, “How frequently should somebody with SCI see a urologist, and what tests would you suggest?” While some urologists were more aggressive than others in their suggestions of which tests should be performed and how often, there was a consensus on the basics: A yearly visit to a urologist versed in PM&R. A yearly renal/bladder ultrasound—a quick, painless and relatively inexpensive test that gives a good view of the kidneys and bladder and will point out any changes in shape, size, or upper tract obstruction, without any exposure to radiation. A urine culture to check for any unwanted colonization. And a blood draw for a chem panel to check the function of the kidneys, specifically looking at creatinine levels — elevated creatinine levels in the blood indicate that the kidneys are not working at 100 percent. They also said that these are just general guidelines, and monitoring should be customized for each person.

In terms of the urinary tract system, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Significant damage can occur in the bladder and kidneys without any noticeable symptoms. And kidney cells are similar to brain cells in that they don’t regenerate—if your kidneys get damaged, they stay damaged. In addition, medical journal articles state that the incidence of bladder cancer among people with SCI is higher than the general population—higher still with long-term use of indwelling catheters. At best, regular urology check-ups will show a healthy bladder and kidneys, verifying that your management system is on track. If there is a problem, regular check-ups give you the best chance of catching it early when it is (hopefully) easily correctable.


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Kelcat
Kelcat
1 year ago

SO VERY INTERESTING! I have been sitting a desk job for 30+ years and have a spastic bladder issue. Recently in the heat, I’ve popped a cold one and wow, thought it was coincidence but nope. It for sure helps with my pain/tension if I have just one 12oz bottle.
Then I jumped online and found this. Ty!

Last edited 1 year ago by Kelcat