Gerard Depardieu is a hero. He is one of Nature’s gentlemen. How do I know? Because all intelligent and cultured humans possess the ability to laugh at themselves. And he can as his video on YouTube illustrates.

The French actor, who of the world’s greatest, made fun of the incident [...]]]>

Uriwell - the portable, unisex urinal

Gerard Depardieu is a hero. He is one of Nature’s gentlemen. How do I know? Because all intelligent and cultured humans possess the ability to laugh at themselves. And he can as his video on YouTube illustrates.

The French actor, who of the world’s greatest, made fun of the incident in a video, titled ‘Les Gaulois Dans L’Espace’. The video was released soon after the he answered Nature’s Call on an Air France flight from Paris to Dublin.

Yes, he should have packed a Uriwell & this would have solved the problem.

But his difficulties have shown how we are all at the behest of Nature and when she calls we must listen. I really admire how Depardieu & his ‘Asterix and Obelix’ co-star Edouard Baer, have poked fun at the primness of the press response. As if journalists are immune to the ‘I really need to go!’-pee.

It has been reported that he has prostrate problems which can really exacerbate the problem. So I salute Gerard Depardieu & Edouard Baer and here is a link to the video on YouTube. http://youtu.be/L7estuFU6VU

Uriwell the portable, flexible, unisex urinal

Talk about the ‘oui’ heard around the world. News of Gerard Depardieu’s urinating in a bottle whilst on a flight has been reported globally. It was front page news on tabloids from Ireland to New Zealand. But who among us has not been in a similar predicament?

Listen to any [...]]]>

Uriwell the portable, flexible, unisex urinal

Talk about the ‘oui’ heard around the world. News of Gerard Depardieu’s urinating in a bottle whilst on a flight has been reported globally. It was front page news on tabloids from Ireland to New Zealand. But who among us has not been in a similar predicament?

Listen to any drive-time radio show reporting on a traffic-jam. You’re almost guaranteed to hear complaints from drivers about their need to urinate. I once heard of a woman who had to use a plastic shopping bag to urinate in whilst stuck on the infamous M50 motorway in Dublin, Ireland.

A plastic shopping bag? A Wine bottle? Not ideal when Nature makes an emergency call.

Uriwell is the ideal. The portable, flexible, unisex urinal. It is flexible and bends to your body so that it can be used in any position – standing, lying or sitting – with no spilling. This means you can stay in your car, chair, tent, bag or bed when Nature calls. And when Nature calls you really have to answer.

If Gerard had packed Uriwell he could have discretely used it under his jacket, closed the lid and relaxed. The world would have been blissfully unaware.

Whether you are walking, driving or flying Uriwell will fit easily into your bag or glove compartment. It is extremely light and extends to a 750 ml capacity. It has a sealing lid which ensures no leakage or odours. So next time you are travelling always pack Uriwell and avoid the world’s press making fun of you when you need to pee.

Their website is www.eric.org.uk and it provides a wealth of information, support and resources to children, young people and their families and health professionals on bladder [...]]]> ERIC (Education and Resources for Improving Childhood Continence) is a national children’s health charity dealing with bedwetting, daytime wetting, constipation and soiling and potty training in children and young people.

Their website is www.eric.org.uk and it provides a wealth of information, support and resources to children, young people and their families and health professionals on bladder and bowel problems.

The site also has an online store and from here you can purchase products related to childhood continence. And HappyPee is the latest product to be listed on the site.

About 1 in 12 children and young people in the UK struggle with bedwetting, daytime wetting, constipation and soiling (sometimes called incontinence or continence problems).

ERIC’s Dry and Mighty campaign will run throughout the Summer months to raise awareness of bedwetting and to encourage parents to contact ERIC for support.

During the summer, thousands of children and their families will be planning trips with overnight stays and for the 500,000 UK children who wet the bed, these trips can be a source of stress, fear and anxiety. 

Trips away should be a fun time for the whole family, not a source of stress. There is often something which can be done to overcome or manage bedwetting and ERIC is here to help. For more information please contact www.eric.org.uk OR CALL ERIC’S CONFIDENTIAL HELPLINE 0845 370 8008 (10-4 MON-FRI)

It is even more shocking is that the UN [...]]]> The United Nations says that more than 1 billion people around the world live with temporary or permanent disabilities. More than 1 Billion. Are you as shocked by this number as I am? More than 1 Billion. That is 4 time the population of the United States.

It is even more shocking is that the UN reports that many face discrimination and a lack of needed services. The first-ever “World Report on Disability” reports that “few countries have adequate mechanisms in place to respond to the needs of people with disabilities…”

Human statistics are hard to imagine. We see the number only, forgetting that they are fellow human beings.

Here is one comparison that might help you understand the scale. The number of people who are disabled is roughly equal to the number of Catholics in the world. Or roughly equal to the Muslim faith. Or Hindu faith. Or Atheists. What if the world treated members of these groups as poorly as we do our disabled population?

Would you be moved to write to your local politician if you knew that 1 in 10 Catholics in the world reported that they’d experienced discrimination and a lack of adequate health care?

How would you join a march to protest that your society was persecuting Atheists by withholding rehabilitation services, transport, and jobs?

What would you do if your one of your neighbours was prevented from shopping in your local shop because of their religion? Would you be angry? Of course you would.

So why do we put up with the levels of discrimination meted out to the disabled human beings? If disability was a religion most right minded people would be on the streets protesting.

Disability rights are a human rights issue and we need to wake up to this now. The report quoted British physicist Stephen Hawking, who suffers from a debilitating motor disease, as saying that the world community has “a moral duty to remove the barriers to participation… and to invest sufficient funding and expertise to unlock their vast potential.”

The World Health Organization and the World Bank, estimate that about one in seven people globally now live with temporary or permanent disabilities. What can you do to help today?

Identify a disabled support organisation – there are many, just make sure you pick a good one. Make a donation. Or volunteer. Write a letter to your local politician. Insist buildings are designed with the disabled in mind.

I have personally seen a human being blossom as he was provided with the simple building blocks for existence. Work, respect, thoughtfulness. Do something, no matter how small because we cannot allow this to continue.

Uriwell - The Portable, flexible, unisex urinal

You are a rock goddess. You love your music and enjoy it all the more when it is live. Your friends are all booked to go to Glastonbury or Electric Picnic or even Burning Man. But…

Do you physically shrink from experiencing a summer music festival because of your [...]]]>

Uriwell - The Portable, flexible, unisex urinal

You are a rock goddess. You love your music and enjoy it all the more when it is live. Your friends are all booked to go to Glastonbury or Electric Picnic or even Burning Man. But…

Do you physically shrink from experiencing a summer music festival because of your fear of the dreaded toilet facilities. Are the horror stories you have heard a myth or reality?

All of us, regardless of gender, have to answer the call of nature and none can honestly say that festival loos are the most pleasant of places. It makes sense to stay out of them as much as possible over the course of a 3 day music festival.

Here are some of the various festival toilet solutions you might experience.

- Portaloos
Portaloos are the most common toilet at festivals. And they are a fine solution especially if they have been treated with respect by the hundreds of people who have shared each one preceding you. Portaloos are lockable & so your privacy is protected. This is a major plus for the rock festival goddess.

Portaloos also flush too which helps keep them relatively clean. Of course you depend on previous user to do so & to leave the seat back down. Once in the portaloo you are confined by four walls which can be quite claustrophobic. There is also the problem of smell.

Combine this tight, plastic space with sunny weather and you will be eager to finish as quickly as possible. You might even try the old holding your breath trick. Hold your breath before entering and your next inhalation is when you are outside again. You need to be fit & fast for this one to work.

Of course they do not have lights at night so you will need to bring a torch. Normally they will be some distance away from your tent.

Toilet queues are always long at festivals and they are even longer for portaloos.

One last disadvantage relates to the External Idiot Principle. Whilst in your portaloo you might find your world starting to move. You might think it is an earthquake. But it is actually an External Idiot (EI). They have taken sufficient quantities of cider to believe they are Jet Li. They also think it will be hilarious to use their newly acquired skill to topple a portaloo. Normally, security guards are more than aware of this danger and stop the EI before they do any damage. But sometimes they do not and it would not be a pretty experience for anyone inside at the time.

- Slurry Pits
These have a bad reputation but although you might find the odd mishap they are often preferable to most portaloos. This is because there are because they are used quicker. They are exposed to the open air and therefore smell is less of an issue. They are also normally lit.

They are basic almost military in their utility. But this can be a good thing. You can forget privacy as the doors do not lock and even if they did you head still sticks up over the walls. They are emptied daily and if you can time your movements with the departure of the emptying truck you’ll find this to be the cleanest time to use this type of facility.

- Water Aid cubicles
Apparently introduced at a Glastonbury festival these are the ‘continental’ type holes in the ground with footprints either side.

They are the most hygienic solution and they have buckets of water and brushes to quickly clean for the next user. There is no light so take a torch when using these after dark visits.

- Urinals
Many festivals are now providing urinals for female use! With urinary products like SheWee or Uriwell females can now pee standing up. Using urinals means enjoying a social experience and it is definitely more efficient and hygienic solution for ‘Number 1′s’.

- Night follows day
Night brings a new dimension to the festival toilet experience. During the day you have probably had a beer or two. You are now tired & happy to be in your sleeping bag. You are relaxed & about to sleep. And nature calls. Ahhh! It is a long dark walk to the loos.

Imagine if you’d left your portable, unisex urinal in your boot within easy reach. It is easy to use. Has a lid so no need to worry about spills or odour. You have solved a major festival problem. In fact during the day you avoid all the toilet queues by quickly visiting your tent. Perfect.

A summer music festival can be one of the most enjoyable experiences of your life. You will hear & see great musicians and be surrounded by like-minded people. Do not miss this experience because of festival toilets.

In addition to packing a portable, unisex urinal our last piece of advice is to bring sanitary wipes or spray with you. You will be very glad you did. Enjoy yourself!

You are at Glastonbury or Electric Picnic or T in the Park or any of the mega-rock festivals that run during the Summer in the Northern Hemisphere. The sun is shining & your best friends are with you. Your favourite act is about to go on stage and you are [...]]]>

Uriwell, portable, flexible, unisex urinal

You are at Glastonbury or Electric Picnic or T in the Park or any of the mega-rock festivals that run during the Summer in the Northern Hemisphere. The sun is shining & your best friends are with you. Your favourite act is about to go on stage and you are stuck in a queue for the ladies. And you have been there for an hour already!

Later that night you are tucked in your sleeping bag and nature calls. You fight the urge but you are losing. You have to find your torch. You have to find your shoes. You have to crawl over your two other friends to get out of the tent. They love you for waking them. You have to walk in the dark to the loos. And when you return you have to climb over your two friends listening to their endearing verbal reactions as you do.

You have two more days and nights to go. Surely someone, somewhere has come up with a solution to this problem?

And then you notice that neither of your friends have left the tent when nature calls. In fact, they have stayed in their sleeping bags. And, to make matters worse you remember that they were rocking in the mosh pit to your favourite whilst you were in the queue for the toilets! What is their secret?

Smiling they both look at each other before telling you that they too were just like you last summer. But this year in their local camping store the assistant suggested they look at the range of portable urinals. At first they thought it was a joke. But then the assistant asked ‘How many hours did you girls spend in a toilet queue last year?’ and they both knew this was worth looking at.

There are many portable urinals available but finding one that is suitable for females is a little more difficult. But there are now a few good options that are more or less easily available. Here is an overview of the top three:

Shewee is a portable urinating device for women. It is a moulded, water-repellent plastic funnel that allows women to urinate whilst standing or sitting and without removing clothes. It is ideal for outdoor pursuits and long car journeys or for travelling abroad, and is available on prescription for all types of medical purposes.

Whiz Freedom is similar to the SheWee. It is a guide funnel for use with urinals to allow women to urinate in sitting, standing and lying positions. The guide allows the user to urinate without splashes and without the need to undress. The urine guide can be folded away when not in use so that it can be transported in a bag or pocket.

Uriwell is a unisex, portable, flexible urinal with an anti-spill, anti-odour lid. Like the others it can be used in any position. Because it is a complete urinal it can be used in a tent or car & closed for emptying in the morning. Uriwell too is available on prescription.

All products are available to buy online and many are now stocked by good camping & adventure stores.

So this year skip the queues to the ladies toilets and avoid the night-time trips too. Enjoy your summer – you deserve it.

My guess is that you would immediately call your doctor. You might briefly discuss the pain with a loved one & ask them [...]]]>

One of the most common healthcare situations is that your elderly parent reluctant to talk to their about their bladder control problem. This is why incontinence has been called ‘The Silent Epidemic’.

Their reluctance is understandable and you should not be discouraged from helping your elderly parent learn that [...]]]>

Uriwell - The Portable, flexible, unisex urinal

One of the most common healthcare situations is that your elderly parent reluctant to talk to their about their bladder control problem. This is why incontinence has been called ‘The Silent Epidemic’.

Their reluctance is understandable and you should not be discouraged from helping your elderly parent learn that incontinence is not a new problem to health professionals.

In fact, loss of bladder control can happen to anyone and is very common in older people, especially women. At least 1 in 10 people age 65 or older suffers from the symptoms which can range from mild leaking to uncontrollable wetting.

It is important to understand that incontinence is not caused by aging. There are many reasons, including infections, childbirth, injury, indeed certain drug treatments can cause short-term urinary incontinence. Other reasons include:

Weakened pelvic floor muscles
In males, blockage from an enlarged prostate
Weak or Overactive bladder muscles

Studies have shown that in 80% of cases urinary incontinence can be controlled, if not cured. If your elderly parent has a bladder control problems, encourage them to talk about it and to see a healthcare professional.

Once your parent sees a Nurse or Doctor they will be immediately reassured that they are far from the only ones to suffer and that the chances are very good that they will make a full recovery to urinary health.

Depending on the exact nature of the incontinence the health professional will outline a number of available treatments. By far the most common recommendation relates to regaining control of the bladder through gentle Pelvic Floor muscle exercises.

If you speak to health professionals they will cite pelvic floor muscle as the single biggest determinant in urinary incontinence. Most will say that the if only patients completed these simple exercises daily that they would see a lot less cases.

Pelvic floor exercises can be completed in a few minutes each day. Your parent can be sitting, standing or lying down. Indeed, there are fun activities that have the added benefit of exercising the pelvic floor. A gentle walk can help develop the muscles. Yoga is very good for them too. Depending on the mobility of your parent the problem of urinary incontinence can lead to a overall improvement in their general health and zest for life.

Urinary incontinence is highly treatable and doing so increases the quality of life of your parent. The biggest hurdle is communication and your willingness to listen and patience will be most helpful to your parent in overcoming this.

This article is about the understanding how to use the most powerful natural remedy at your disposal, your own body. When you cut you finger slicing vegetables what do you do? You [...]]]> When you read the term ‘Natural Remedies’ do you immediately imagine taking organically distilled tinctures of magical plants from the Brazilian rainforests? Be honest.

This article is about the understanding how to use the most powerful natural remedy at your disposal, your own body. When you cut you finger slicing vegetables what do you do? You put a plaster on the wound and forget about. You are unaware that your body has immediately started to heal the wound.

Your body is the single biggest source of natural remedies and you can help it a little with ‘putting on a plaster’ & letting it get on with what it is designed to do. To heal you.

Urinary incontinence is a lot more complicated than a minor cut. You know how difficult it is to live with. Whenever you laugh, cough or sneeze you leak urine. Whenever you lift your child or try to open that bottle of wine you leak urine. However, the principle is the same. We simply need to identify the equivalent of ‘putting on a plaster’ for this problem and allow our body heal itself.

Medical research indicates that eight out of ten women with urinary incontinence can be helped by simple, natural remedies that facilitate self-healing.

The primary ‘sticky-plaster’ for urinary incontinence is exercising the pelvic floor muscles. This simple set of exercises completed daily will allow your body to heal itself of urinary incontinence. It has the added benefit of improving your orgasm.

According to Arnold H. Kegel himself, “Sexual feeling within the vagina is closely related to muscle tone, and can be improved through muscle education and resistive exercise. 78 of 123 women complaining explicitly of sexual deficits achieved orgasm following the training.”

To exercise the pelvic floor you contract & relax your pelvic-floor muscles for one or two seconds for ten repetitions three to five times a day. As you progress you can gradually increase contracting for 15 seconds. Imagine you are holding in wind & stopping the flow of urine in each contraction and you are engaging the correct muscles.

Exercising your pelvic floor muscles is proven to be more effective than surgery and medication for stress and urge incontinence.

So the benefits of exercising the pelvic floor are gaining control of your bladder without side-effects and improvement of your orgasm. This has got to the best natural remedy yet.

Doctors advise getting some coaching to ensure you are doing to exercises correctly and physiotherapists have been proven to be an excellent resource in this type of training. See my article ‘Cure for Stress Incontinence? See Your Physiotherapist for more information.

It can take up to 8 weeks of pelvic floor training and during this time of healing your body you might need a little help from another natural remedy.

This is where the ‘tampon fix’ can be useful. Inserting a tampon works pushes against the wall of the vagina and compresses the urethra, thus closing the duct that carries urine out of the bladder. This should be used emergency situations only. If you have a round of golf to play or have an important meeting then the tampon fix is a good one. It is vital to remember to remove the tampon to avoid toxic shock syndrome (TSS).

There are many products available that simulate the tampon fix without the worry of TSS. Products like pessaries and IncoStress all assist in gently closing the urethra.

I have left the primary natural remedy until last. This remedy stems from that ability that makes us uniquely human. Speech. Understandably, you suffer embarrassment when you leak. This is also human. But did you know that urinary incontinence has been called ‘The Silent Epidemic’?

Most women suffer in silence and yet if you shared your concerns with a friend you would find that this problem can be healed easily. You would also learn that you are not alone. One in 5 women suffers urinary incontinence during their lifetime. You are not alone and by speaking to a friend or health professional you are taking the first steps allowing your body to naturally heal itself.