People are having to navigate unprecedented challenges right now that they never imagined they would have to face. Seemingly small, yet important, things once relied upon without a thought are now nearly unobtainable, one of which is adult incontinence products.
And this specific shortage isn’t impacting just a few people: globally the projected worth of the adult diaper market is $28.65 billion by 2025.
Manufacturers and retailers of disposable hygiene products have reported massive sales spikes in the past few weeks, driven by COVID-19 fears and emergency mandates. The initial panic buying of toilet paper has been followed by reported hoarding of infant and adult diapers.
US adult diaper retailer, NorthShore Care Supply, stated its sales surged 250% compared with last year mid-March with shoppers buying three to 4 months of supplies at a time. They halted all marketing campaigns, eliminated their 2-day guaranteed Amazon Prime shipments and imposed limits on the quantity’s shoppers can purchase.
Kimberley Clark has gone into production overdrive to meet the demand for their incontinence and essential products. In response to shortages wholesalers, supermarkets, pharmacies and major retailers such as Chemist Warehouse, Target and Walmart have imposed limits on the number of units allowed per purchase.
Making matters more challenging for people with an overactive bladder, medical research shows a direct correlation between heightened anxiety and the increasing severity of incontinence symptoms, causing worse quality of life and more psychosocial difficulties under uncertain conditions.
COVID-19 is revealing vulnerabilities in how we manage our staple products that may have lasting effects long after supply stabilises (such as the recent spike in bidet sales in response to toilet paper shortages).
One of the consumer behaviour changes in recent weeks also causing shortages is an increase in dietary supplement use.
This includes herbs shown to decrease urinary incontinence, most notably a formula that has won a nutrition research award.
“Our distributors are experiencing high demand for their products containing Urox. Our orders have increased 250% since 1 March,” said Dr Tracey Seipel, Seipel Group founder/CEO.
“Some are actually, as of today, temporarily sold out and asked if we can find a way to rush the most recent purchase orders. Fortunately, we understand the demand for Urox and secure our raw materials a year in advance.”
Tracey Seipel, ND, naturopathic doctor, medical herbalist, clinical nutritionist and natural bladder health expert, has combined traditional and scientific theories to develop treatment strategies and formulations since 1987.
The patented Urox ingredient formula was developed through years of research into bladder control issues, for both men and women, which affect up to 60 million Americans and is sold under several US supplement company brands.
In a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, at 8 weeks, the patented herbal formula Urox was significantly effective for decreasing symptoms of overactive bladder and urinary incontinence resulting in 75% of the Urox group reducing adult diaper/pad usage to preventive (one or less per day), compared with 95% of the placebo group remaining dependent upon adult diapers.
The Urox group reported 60% reductions in day urinary frequency and urgency with some subjects reporting normal continence at 8 weeks. In addition, nocturia (getting up to go at night) was reduced nearly in half.