Incontinence urge, Erectile Dysfunction, Back Pain…

Blame and focus for:

• Incontinence, Urge
• Erectile Dysfunction
• Backaches and pain

are commonly placed on the pelvic floor and abdominal muscles.

• Calm/tone your vagus nerve and

• Strengthen your diaphragm muscle.

Both can be achieved by using the E for E breathing technique throughout the day.

👉🏼Today’s Simple Self Care Tip: Use E for E breathing technique throughout your day.

E for E will set your body up to improve and even eliminate Incontinence, ED, Backaches & Pain.

➻ How to do E for E

➻ When to use it

➻ Your biggest Hurdle

➻ Why the E for E technique works

➻ Wrap up and links/resources for you

How to do E for E

The 2 Steps

1. Inhale through your nose.

At the same time relax your jaw. Simply allow your mouth to be slightly ajar.

Repeat adding step 2 to the action.

2. Press the lower 3rd of your tummy muscles (the region that is from your belly button down). 👍🏻

This set up & action presses the air upward and out of your abdominal cavity.

When to use E for E technique:

Everything and anything you use EFFORT for throughout the day is when to use this E for E technique.

The Exhale is on the Effort of the action you are doing. (That’s where the E for E name originated from)

Here are Examples of Everyday actions we can use E for E for.

EXAMPLES of When to use E for E:

• getting in and out of bed
• lifting something or someone
• pulling against resistance i.e. raking, an exercise band,
• pushing an object- like a vacuum, wheel barrel, carriage…
• getting in and out of your car
• the effort phase of an exercise,
  
• standing up or on your way down to your chair (avoid plopping into your seat!)
• up and down from the toilet
• …. you get the idea.

..

…slightly open your mouth… then

press your lower abs and you are using E for E.

👉🏼Now for Your biggest Hurdle

Remembering.

Doing E for E throughout your day is SIMPLE.

It is remembering to do it that is the challenge.

Use reminders for a while.

• Phone reminders,
• Electronic reminders,
• You know I’m a fan of Post it reminders.

Strategically place them throughout your:

• home
• car and
• work

90 days in and they can all disappear 😁

Why E for E breathing technique works

Incontinence, urge, ED, Back-pain are improved, even eliminated by toning your body’s longest nerve first because it helps reset your fight or flight response.

Our 3 Organs that regulate our fight/flight response are called on so chronically these days that that we don’t even recognize they are on overdrive anymore.

Training the 3 Organs each day will rebalance and ‘tone’ your vagus nerve.

The Importance of Your Vagus Nerve

Because your Vagus Nerve is responsible for transmitting messages from your brain to your organs toning it will improve every organ it is messaging.

Read what others wrote in while training their HPA Axis 🔗 HERE.

Toning your Vagus Nerve will improve everything Including:

• incontinence (urine leakage),
• backaches & pain, and
• erectile dysfunction.

This is because as your vagus nerve ‘re-tones’ your stress hormones won’t kick in as high or frequently.

Just one of the MANY positive results from having a ‘toned’ HPA Axis is overall reduction of your baseline stress hormones.

The reduction of the amount and frequency of excess stress hormones can help our body in many ways.

To list just a few benefits:

Increase blood flow to regions like our pelvic floor, neck, shoulders, lower back.

Deeper more rhythmic, relaxed breathing will increase oxygen intake.

Less anxiety, better sleep, improved mood, digestion, weight control…the list is long.

The positive impact is exponential because each benefit positively impacts the organ function throughout our body.

.

If you are new here more on your HPA Axis in this Intro Video

The positive domino effect of reduced amount and frequency of stress hormones specific to today’s topic:

• Less incontinence,
• ED, and
• Backaches and pain.

Why training your diaphragm helps.

Your diaphragm is a part of your abdominal cavity. Below are pictures of the lower portion of the male and female abdominal cavities.

This is a side view showing how the bladder, bowel, and for females uterus are positioned above and then through the pelvic floor.

A balanced tone of the pelvic floor muscles is important in reducing/eliminating incontinence, urge, erectile dysfunction, backaches and pain.

👉🏼 The strength/tone of the pelvic floor muscles, shown above, are dependent on and greatly influenced by the strength/tone of the diaphragm muscle.

YOUR DIAPHRAGM is an important part of the picture when it comes to Incontinence, Urge, ED, Back aches/pains.

At the top of your abdominal cavity is your diaphragm.

It’s your spines number one stabilizing muscle! Yet when do we ever hear about toning it?….😞 That’s a whole post on its own…

Soooo diaphragm is the top of the cavity we are focused on.

Then your pelvic floor muscles are at the bottom of the abdominal cavity.

Think of the abdominal cavity as a pressurized box.

All 4 sides of the box work together to help keep the contents (in this case your organs) in place.

On top is your diaphragm.

Left side your Rectus Abdominis muscles.

Bottom of the box are your Pelvic Floor muscles & on the right Your Back Muscles.

If your mouth is closed and you press with your mid and upper ab muscles the diaphragm can’t go up,

The pelvic floor receives downward pressure and your back is stressed.

By using E for E having your mouth open as you press with your lower 3rd section of your abs: the diaphragm can go upward. The pelvic floor muscles work in sync contracting upward. Your back is protected/stabilized.

The result of a strong diaphragm is:

Your pelvic floor and back muscles have less of a burden when you lift, pull, or push things.

This is WHY training your Diaphragm BEFORE focusing on training your Pelvic floor and Ab muscles is the best first step of achieving your goal of less:

• Incontinence, urge
• Erectile Dysfunction
• Backaches and pains

Your toned diaphragm sets you up to effectively tone your pelvic floor.

Pelvic floor muscles (PFMs) play a crucial role in urinary continence. …The greatest difference in PFMS was in the PFM training group, but diaphragm training had the best effect on PFME. (1)(bold added)

The effect of diaphragm training on lumbar stabilizer muscles: a new concept for improving segmental stability in the case of low back pain (2)

E for E trains your diaphragm and pelvic floor.

When we exhale using the E for E technique the downward pressure on the pelvic floor is reduced tremendously.

And as the diaphragm strengthens the mechanics are such that the pelvic floor can then effectively strengthen as well.

This is because you are setting the diaphragm and pelvic floor to work in unison as shown below on the left.

The diaphragm flattens upward and pelvic floor can rise when using E for E.

Illustrated on the right is what happens when we hold our breath.

Abs press from the middle and upper ab region and this places pressure downward.

Our spine is less stable and our pelvic floor is weakened from the excess pressure.

Now there is a time and place for holding your breath when lifting. When you KNOW the object is SUPER heavy. Use E for E to first Stabilize. Then close the mouth for the small stint of time you need the extra oomph.

Your trained diaphragm and pelvic floor muscles will be better able to handle the extra pressure you are asking from them during these times.

A Toned Vagus Nerve and Diaphragm

• Improve abdominal cavity stability.
• Improve Pelvic Floor Muscles.

The result:

☀️ Incontinence (Urine leakage) is reduced. This is because the toned pelvic floor muscles help keep the bladder and other organs in place. (Less ongoing pressure)

☀️ Erectile Dysfunction is reduced. A strong pelvic floor can help improve blood flow to the penis. Blood flow is essential for achieving and sustaining an erection. Also the reduction of the downward pressure on the penis helps to get and maintain an erection.

☀️ The abdominal strengthening exercises you do can be more effective.

☀️ Backaches and pains caused by a weak abdominal cavity improves. The stable abdominal cavity decreases excess pressure on back muscles. Blood flow to the back muscles improves as well. Both are essential for reducing and eliminating back pain.

Wrap-up and Resources for you

1.Train your body’s longest cranial nerve Your Vagus Nerve throughout the day and 🔗 as you fall asleep as well! Now that’s SIMPLE 🤗

and –

Take training your Vagus Nerve & Diaphragm to the next level:

Vagus Nerve Training:

🔗 Train your Vagus Nerve Videos LINK.

🌿 Resources for you

Zachovajeviene B, Siupsinskas L, Zachovajevas P, Venclovas Z, Milonas D. Effect of diaphragm and abdominal muscle training on pelvic floor strength and endurance: results of a prospective randomized trial. Sci Rep. 2019 Dec 16;9(1):19192. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-55724-4. PMID: 31844133; PMCID: PMC6915701.

Finta, Regina et al. “The effect of diaphragm training on lumbar stabilizer muscles: a new concept for improving segmental stability in the case of low back pain.” Journal of pain research vol. 11 3031-3045. 28 Nov. 2018, doi:10.2147/JPR.S181610

Myers C, Smith M. Pelvic floor muscle training improves erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation: a systematic review. Physiotherapy. 2019 Jun;105(2):235-243. doi: 10.1016/j.physio.2019.01.002. Epub 2019 Jan 14. PMID: 30979506.. 2019 Jun 1;105(2):235-43.

Yu X, Jiang HY, Zhang CX, Jin ZH, Gao L, Wang RD, Fang JP, Su Y, Xi JN, Fang BY. The Role of the Diaphragm in Postural Stability and Visceral Function in Parkinson’s Disease. Front Aging Neurosci. 2021 Dec 23;13:785020. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2021.785020. PMID: 35002681; PMCID: PMC8733584.

Martí-Salvador M, Hidalgo-Moreno L, Doménech-Fernández J, Lisón JF, Arguisuelas MD. Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment Including Specific Diaphragm Techniques Improves Pain and Disability in Chronic Nonspecific Low Back Pain: A Randomized Trial. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2018 Sep;99(9):1720-1729. doi: 10.1016/j.apmr.2018.04.022. Epub 2018 May 19. PMID: 29787734.

Park, Hankyu, and Dongwook Han. “The effect of the correlation between the contraction of the pelvic floor muscles and diaphragmatic motion during breathing.” Journal of physical therapy science vol. 27,7 (2015): 2113-5. doi:10.1589/jpts.27.2113

Sapsford RR, Hodges PW. Contraction of the pelvic floor muscles during abdominal maneuvers. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2001 Aug;82(8):1081-8. doi: 10.1053/apmr.2001.24297. PMID: 11494188.

Neumann P, Gill V. Pelvic floor and abdominal muscle interaction: EMG activity and intra-abdominal pressure. Int Urogynecol J Pelvic Floor Dysfunct. 2002;13(2):125-32. doi: 10.1007/s001920200027. PMID: 12054180.

Madill SJ, McLean L. Quantification of abdominal and pelvic floor muscle synergies in response to voluntary pelvic floor muscle contractions. J Electromyogr Kinesiol. 2008 Dec;18(6):955-64. doi: 10.1016/j.jelekin.2007.05.001. Epub 2007 Jul 23. PMID: 17646112.

Madill SJ, McLean L. Relationship between abdominal and pelvic floor muscle activation and intravaginal pressure during pelvic floor muscle contractions in healthy continent women. Neurourol Urodyn. 2006;25(7):722-30. doi: 10.1002/nau.20285. PMID: 16817184.

Gatzoulis MA: Anatomy of breathing. In: Standring Susan (ed) Gray’s Anatomy, 40th ed. Churchill Livingstone, 2008, pp 1011–1012.