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.