Understanding the issues that lead up to IC and perpetuate it is an interesting and difficult task. I was speaking to someone today about this subject, a patient whos medical history led her down a road of disaster one decision at a time since her early childhood. None of this was the fault of her, her family, and surely not even her doctors. Everyone was thinking logically and methodically from one step to the next. But, the logic used was one which we subscribe to in our Western society. As someone said to my husband only last week, "there is no other way of looking at anything other than through the scientific method". Well, some would say that is completely true, while others would disagree. What is a shame is the rigidity with which people often need to view things. It is this rigid thinking that sometimes gets us into trouble. And, often times poor decisions are made as a consequence. 
Embarking on a path in alternative medicine is not a path a person is likely to take unless that change has been spurred on by debilitating pain or major dysfunction in their normal life. This is typically where the average IC patient enters into my picture. They have already been to every doctor and visited the ER on one too many occasions. And, sadly private practice docs and ER docs could offer very little help.
Breaking away from the every day mindset of antibiotics for every sore throat, antidepressants for a way of dealing with our emotions, of antifungal creme for a yeast infection, of an aspirin for our headaches, birth control pills instead of natural birth control, while all the while we drink alcohol and eat lots of sugar, junk food, and chemicals is not something that is easy to do unless there is a really good reason. And, even if we do have a reason, like pain, it is not easy.
This is not to imply again, that Western medicine is bad. That is not what I am saying. What I am saying is that our conventional way of looking at our bodies and our health is short-sighted. A pill for this a pill for that kind of mentality without stepping back and looking at our body in its entirety gives us a piece-meal kind of treatment that just does not work and contributes to making us more ill.
And, if we are not willing to look at what we are putting into our bodies as a part of the problem, then, nothing will change. We wouldnt put dirty gasoline in our cars! it would ruin the engine. IT is the same with our bodies. Food needs to be clean. Substances we swallow for medicinal purposes need to be pure as well. All of these things that we consume create our health or our unwellness.
This does not even embark upon the connection between our minds and our bodies. That is also important. But, if we just stick to the idea that how we approach our diet and the management of our healthcare, we might begin to see the connectedness between our lifestyles and our unwellness.
The only way we can slowly change the piece meal approach to the human body in healthcare is if we take control of our health and manage it differently. The power of people is the power that we have to create that change. Modern medicine is based on the scientific method nad, while that is massively important, it does not always allow for the more fluid less rigid kind of approach to health that various kinds of alternative medicine offer. And, because its focus is more narrow on whatever the point of the study is, it looses sight sometimes of the bigger, more holistic approach to health. So, if we are talking about certain kinds of studies, the scientific method becomes invaluable, but when we are talking about chronic disease and re-establishing great health--not so much. And, that is fine, because everything has its place. As i have said before countless times, I myself have been saved by Western medicine. I had a life-saing surgery. But Chinese medicine gave me the quality of my life back. So, I would not be me wihtout either medicine. But, know the time and place for which is incredibly important. And remembering that our toes are connected to our heads by our bodies and that all of those parts are one is paramount!