Frequent urination

Frequent urination is a condition in which the body urinates at short intervals. The quantity of urine may be large or abnormal, depending on the cause.

Introduction

The body has different mechanisms by which waste is removed. The urinary system is one such system that helps eliminate waste in liquid form.

In Ayurveda, mutra is considered a mala (waste) that should be excreted from the body. It removes excess udaka (water), kleda (moisture), and other waste products.

Causes

The cause of frequent urination may be physiological or pathological. Physiologically, it may be due to:

Excessive water drinking
Small, contracted bladder
Ectopic ureter
Pinhole meatus
Cold weather
Stress
Pregnancy
Old age (due to weakening of bladder muscles)

Pathologically, it may be due to an underlying disease that may or may not cause compression of the urinary bladder, leading to a frequent need to urinate.

Cystitis
Vesicular calculus (bladder stone)
Cystocele
Enlarged prostate
Urethritis
Urethral stricture
Neoplasms (tumors)
Diabetes mellitus

Symptoms

The patient presents with frequent urination along with symptoms of the underlying cause. In Ayurveda, frequent urination is considered a symptom of mutra vridhi (increase in urine). Mutra vridhi lakshana (symptoms of increased urine) include:

Increased frequency of micturition (urination)
Increased quantity of urine
Pain in the lower abdomen
Abdominal distension
Feeling of incomplete emptying after urination

It may be presented as a symptom of many disease conditions, like prameha (diabetes).

Treatment

Identification of the cause is the basis of treatment. If the underlying cause is treated, the condition subsides by itself. Exercises that help increase the strength of bladder muscles can be adopted. In Ayurveda, the increased state of urine is treated with proper shodhana (purification) procedures or medicines for natural evacuation of the cause.

Mutrasangrahaneeya drugs are those that are kledashoshaka (drying), sleshmavatahara (pacifying Kapha and Vata), and medohara (reducing fat) in nature. They have tikta (bitter), kashaya (astringent), and katu (pungent) rasa (tastes) and are ruksha (dry) in nature. Jambu (Indian blackberry), amrasthi (mango seed), ketaki (screw pine), triphala, and yashti (licorice) are some drugs that help reduce urine output.