The discomfort of constantly running to the restroom might not be a simple habit issue. It is highly likely due to overactive bladder. Overactive bladder involves a sudden, intense urge to urinate (urinary urgency) that is difficult to hold, accompanied by urinating eight or more times a day or nocturia, where you wake up multiple times at night to use the restroom.
Modern medicine explains these symptoms through the complex interactions between the bladder muscles and the nervous system. Our urinary bladder is under the delicate control of the brain, spinal cord, and pelvic nerves. The detrusor muscle, which is the bladder muscle, relaxes and contracts to store and discharge urine, but in patients with overactive bladder, the detrusor muscle frequently contracts on its own even before sufficient urine has filled the bladder. This can occur when sensory nerves in the bladder become overly sensitive, or when an error develops in the regulatory signals sent from the brain.
In particular, during severe stress or anxiety, autonomic nervous system balance can be disrupted, intensifying the bladder's hypersensitivity reaction. Reinterpreting the Donguibogam's concept of weakening kidney qi from a modern perspective, it can be seen as a state where the regulatory capacity of the urinary bladder is diminished due to weakened neurological control functions or weakened pelvic floor muscles. In women, the decrease in estrogen after menopause thins the bladder mucosa and reduces the elasticity of the bladder muscle, worsening overactive bladder symptoms. In men, conditions like benign prostatic hyperplasia can intensify bladder irritation.
The Donguibogam perspective that cold qi affects the urinary bladder can be explained by poor blood circulation, inflammatory responses, or hypersensitivity of specific nerves causing the bladder to contract or trigger convulsions. As these are complex signals sent by multiple body systems rather than a single isolated symptom, approaching the issue from a comprehensive perspective is important.
