Tag Archives: ulcerative colitis

Eating Your Way Out Of Colitis

Healthy Me, ,

Colitis is a chronic inflammatory condition of the intestine which can cause various symptoms such as constant abdominal pain with foods, persistent diarrhea, rectal bleeding and urgency to defecate unto 15 – 20 times a day. It can be quite severe in some individuals and can make life very difficult for those suffering from it. All age groups can be affected by it, and certain cultures are more prone to colitis than others. The less serious forms of colitis can be related to diet and stress, as well elimination habits of the individual.

Repeated use of antibiotic, parasites, diet and stress are some of the factors that contribute to symptoms of colitis.

If you do suffer from colitis, here are simple suggestions to find effective relief based on your diet and lifestyle:

1. Since everyone’s digestive system reacts differently to food, it would be worthwhile to keep a diet diary of the foods you consume daily and to record any abdominal symptoms and flare ups that came about as a result of certain foods.  You may also test your self for food intolerances and allergies and find that you might have been eating foods that you were either allergic to or sensitive to.

2. Stress has been implicated with colitis, so keeping a journal of your emotional state and the incidence of flare up would be helpful to understand better what emotions trigger your colitis, and committing to yourself to changing these behaviours or reactions would be helpful in reducing the number of flare ups as well.

3. Appetite is often affected when you have colitis flare ups, so it is very important to provide your body with the proper nourishment when you are not feeling well and fatigued, as well as making sure you are not staying hungry for prolonged periods of time.

4. Avoiding fibre during flare ups is very important as it may irritate the inflamed intestines further. Whilst fibre is very important for good bowel movements, it would be better to avoid it when you are experiencing bloody stools. Cooked and soft foods would be ideal for digesting food and assimilating the nutrients during flare ups. Baby foods on the go would great for individuals who have no time to prepare meals and are always busy as they are easy on the intestines and provide nourishment for the body.

5. Avoiding foods that are high in fats and oils is very important as these will make the diarrhea worse as well, along with dairy products, as quite often if you have colitis, you may also be borderline “lactose intolerant”. Try to avoid foods/ beverages with thickening agents such as carrageenan, which is found in ice-cream and certain alternate milks such as almond milk or brown rice milk, as this product has been implicated in worsening colitis symptoms.

As a Naturopathic Doctor, I do suggest that if you are suffering from colitis to try the above suggestions, but also get an individual assessment done to see what triggers your colitis symptoms as every individual reacts differently, and has to be treated as such as well. Please call the clinic at 416 913 4325 to get an assessment on your health and to start treating your health issues naturally.

By: Dr. Sushma Shah, Naturopathic Doctor. 

Treating Ulcerative Colitis Naturally

Healthy Me

Ulcerative colitis is one of the 2 main inflammatory bowel diseases that affects thousands and thousands of people worldwide, wreaking havoc on their lifestyles and pushing their stress through the rough trying to get some relief. It can be very frustrating for the individual, as well, on the family. Certain populations are more prone to this disease, and although the exact cause is questionable, naturopathic medicine has been extremely effective in treating the symptoms, as well, keeping it in remission for longer periods of time, if not heal it entirely.

Some of the symptoms of Ulcerative colitis include, and are not limited to:

1. Bleeding in the stools

2. Dull / Sharp pains in the lower abdomen that come and go or stay over a prolonged period of time

3. Bloating and indigestion, after meals

4. Weakness and fatigue along with weight loss due to loss of appetite

5. Abnormal bowel habits- diarrhea / constipation with urgency

6. Anal itchiness and joint aches and pains

7. Intermittent fever

The usual treatment for ulcerative colitis with western medicine has been various drugs that will help suppress the symptoms and decrease inflammation in the bowels. However, one must question the following: if I was not born with this ailment, am i supposed to take these medications for the rest of my life to suppress my body’s reaction to something that is imbalanced within the body and causing these symptoms? Or is my body trying to tell me something?

Well, as a naturopathic doctor – I usually urge clients to look at what has changed in their life over the time before the symptoms started – was there a big stressor in your life that you were not able to deal with very well? Had you travelled somewhere and picked up a parasite you are not aware of, after which these symptoms started? Had you made changes to your diet or was your diet a healthy balanced diet that supports your gastro intestinal tract to begin with? What changed in your life that might have affected your digestive system?

Here are some natural treatment suggestions that will be beneficial for helping with symptoms of ulcerative colitis:

1. Try to avoid the foods that you suspect might be worsening your symptoms – dairy and wheat are two culprits that have been shown to worsen symptoms of ulcerative colitis.

2. Foods that contain carrageenan – a thickening agent tends to worsen ulcerative colitis symptoms – so try to avoid foods such as ice cream, that contain it.

3. Talk to your naturopathic doctor to run an allergy / sensitivity test to see what foods you might not be tolerating, and avoiding these will provide quite a bit of relief to your gastrointestinal symptoms.

4. Try to follow more of an anti inflammatory diet, with simple and easily digestible foods to get optimum nourishment from the foods you ingest. An anti-inflammatory diet is also great as it helps reduce inflammation in the body and bowels, which in turn helps to heal the body.

5. Increase your intake of fiber in the diet, which will be helpful for improving the consistency of stools as well, make sure you drink plenty of fluids to prevent the body from getting dehydrated.

Need more information on ulcerative colitis, and treating it naturally? Click here

By: Sushma Shah, Naturopathic Doctor, at the Nature’s Intentions Naturopathic Clinic, in Toronto.