Colitis Explained: Part I What is Colitis?

Colitis is the term for inflammation of the colon or large bowel or intestine. The rectum is the very last part of the colon. When it is inflamed the term proctitis is used. Understanding the causes and treatment of colitis requires a basic understanding of the colon and inflammation.

The beginning of the colon is called the cecum. It begins in the lower right portion of the abdomen where the last part of the small intestine (ileum) empties into the large intestine. This part of the colon is also where the appendix attaches. The segments of the colon in order from the beginning of the colon or cecum going distally are ascending, transverse, descending, sigmoid colon and rectum. One of the major jobs of the colon is to recycle water for the body. When the entire colon is present and healthy the stools have only enough water in them to remain soft and easy to pass, but not so watery or loose that leakage occurs and dehydration ensues. When a large part of the colon is removed or when the colon is significantly injured the stools are very watery and frequent.

Inflammation is the body? response to infection or suspected attack or irritation. Inflammation of a body area is labeled by adding the suffix ??itis??to the body part, hence tonsillitis when tonsils are inflamed and appendicitis when the appendix is inflamed. Recognized since ancient times, inflammation has been classically described by the presence of signs and symptoms of redness (rubor), pain (dolar), heat (calor), swelling (tumor) and impairment of the function of the involved organ or tissue. If you have arthritis, joint inflammation; the joint is red, swollen, painful, warm and is stiff, preventing normal function.

In colitis the colon is usually quite red and swollen appearing when seen by colonoscopy (scope exam of the colon). Abdominal pain and impaired function occurs resulting in diarrhea because the damaged colon loses some of its ability to absorb water. If enough damage occurs to the lining sloughing of the surface cells occurs with passage of bloody stools, mucus, and even the appearance of tissue.

Inflammation has cell and fluid components. The cell component includes various white blood cells. The type of white blood cells found in the lining of the intestine determines the cause and effect on the intestine. Fluids include chemicals secreted to fight infection or presumed infection that can cause damage to the colon lining.

Colitis can be acute (self-limited) like E. coli infection or chronic like in ulcerative colitis. Causes of colitis include infections, ischemia (poor blood flow), food allergies, food protein intolerances, lack of normal bacterial flora or stool (after antibiotics, diversion after a colostomy), radiation injury, chemotherapy induced low white blood cell counts (neutropenic), or idiopathic (unknown cause).

Chronic colitis is one of several types of inflammatory bowel disorders or IBD for short and should not be confused with IBS the term for irritable bowel syndrome. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) does not involve any colon inflammation though it was referred to in the past as mucus colitis because of common symptom of excess mucus in stools or spastic colitis because of the common complaint of painful spasms of the colon that commonly occur in IBS. Biopsies of colon tissue in irritable bowel syndrome are normal and do not show signs of inflammation therefore it is not considered an inflammatory bowel disorder.

The food allergy expert-the food doc Dr. Scot Lewey reviews in more detail the various types of colitis, their causes and treatment in part II of this series. In the future href=?ttp://www.thefooddoc.com??target=?blank??www.thefooddoc.com will offer online help for colitis, Crohn's disease, food allergies, food intolerance, Celiac disease and gluten sensitivity.

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Ulcerative Colitis Diet 101 - How an Ulcerative Colitis Diet Can Help You

Take it from me: an ulcerative colitis diet can be very helpful in relieving the symptoms of this painful disease.

Here are some facts about whether an ulcerative colitis diet can help you and tips for implementing a program that works with your lifestyle.

The Symptoms

Though the causes of ulcerative colitis are unknown we do know what it does; it causes problems in the large intestines and rectum. Symptoms of this disease can be anywhere from slight abdominal pain to severe weight loss--more severe still, there are sometimes complications such as gastrointestinal bleeding and ulcers.

Because certain foods are known to be triggers of attacks, a specially-designed ulcerative colitis diet can sometimes be helpful in alleviating the symptoms of this often debilitating disease.

What is an Ulcerative Colitis Diet?

A typical diet for this disease will have you eating small amounts of food throughout the day. This helps to avoid overloading the intestine and possibly triggering an acute attack. It will also be low in fatty foods like nuts, beans, bran, popcorn and seeds; consumption of fats is also a common trigger.

Does it Work?

A diet of this kind will commonly allow only small amounts of dairy. Typically, a diet plan for ulcerative colitis is the same as any nutritionally-based diet. Full of protein, good fats, fruits and vegetables and grains while limiting fat and sugar intake.

Foods to Avoid

Though there is no scientific evidence that any specific foods cause flare-ups in the disease, people who suffer from this disease have found triggers that are common to them all. Some of them, like alcohol, caffeine and carbonated drinks, are things that should be avoided in any diet; at least in excess.

Dried fruit, beans, and foods containing sulfur or sulfate as preservatives are also prone to causing attacks. The list continues with spicy foods, nuts, some meat, popcorn, high-fiber foods, seeds, raw vegetables, and things that contain sorbitol.

Balancing Life With a Colitis Diet

The trick with ulcerative colitis is balancing medications with a diet. In some cases, a person may choose to avoid medications in favor of a diet.

Similarly, some may choose to take medications and eat whatever they desire. However, these plans work best in conjunction. The medications are primarily designed to heal damage, while the diet plan is designed to minimize the damage before it is done to the body.

Importance of Nutrients

More important than the diet, though, is a vitamin regimen. Because the disease is so depleting, nutritional supplements are essential to the health of the sufferer. Without these, medication or a diet plan will not do much good.

If you or a loved one are suffering from this horrible disease, rest assured that there are things that can help. An ulcerative colitis diet plan can help alleviate the symptoms, and can even prevent some occurrences. Though the cause is unknown, and there is not yet a cure, there is always room for hope. Until then, though, consider managing your symptoms with a specially-designed diet plan.

Ulcerative Colitis And Abnormalities In The Immune System

Many patients suffering from ulcerative colitis have been observed to have abnormalities of the immune system. However, it is not known if these abnormalities are a cause or are a result of this type of irritable bowel syndrome or Crohn's disease. Many doctors opine that in case of ulcerative colitis the immune system reacts abnormally to bacteria present in the digestive tract leading to an inflammatory and ulcerative condition.

Inflammation in case of ulcerative colitis resulting from an abnormally functioning immune system leads to the formation of sores called as ulcers in the inner lining of the colon and rectum. These ulcers form in areas where the epithelial cells lining the colon and rectum have been lysed due to inflammation. These dead cells then bleed and produce pus that in turn leads to an infectious condition. Inflammation also increases the urge to clear the large intestines thus causing bleeding diarrhea.

Since inflammation is a major cause for ulceration in ulcerative colitis, the disease is also termed as inflammatory bowel syndrome. If the inflammation occurs deeper within the walls of the intestines and also occurs in other parts of the digestive tract including mouth, esophagus, stomach and small intestines then the same condition is termed as Crohn's disease.

As a result of inflammation, patients might also suffer from other inflammatory conditions such as arthritis, eye inflammation, liver diseases and osteoporosis. Although the exact reason as to why symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome occur outside the colon is not known, it is postulated that inflammation caused by the immune system might be the predominant reason.

Other causes of ulcerative colitis have been outlined as stressful lifestyles, emotional problems and allergies to certain types of foods. These three are also known to lead to inflammatory conditions. No wonder then that people suffering from any one, two or all three of these are more prone to suffer from Crohn's disease.

In consonance with the fact that ulcerative colitis appears to be caused by inflammatory reactions, its treatment also involves the use of anti-inflammatory drugs such as corticosteroids and immunomodulators. Being a systemic problem involving the immune system rather than just the colon, there is also a chance for contracting cancer if it is left untreated. Therefore, timely treatment of irritable bowel syndrome or Crohn's disease is mandatory not only to relieve oneself of its unbearable symptoms but also to overcome the risk of suffering from cancer.

Thus, those suffering from ulcerative colitis might also have immune system abnormalities that in fact might cause the inflammatory condition.

Interesting Facts About Peptic Ulcers

The peptic ulcer damages the lining of either the stomach or the duodenum.The symptoms of indigestion caused by peptic ulcers may harm a person by a severe pain.They can be treated with medicines, but without treatment serious complications may appear.There are two kinds of peptic ulcers: one is gastric and the other one is duodenal ulcer.The diameter of peptic ulcers is between 1-2cm,which seems with a mouth ulcers.

One to ten people at some point in their lives are affected by the duodenal ulcers, especially younger men.Stomach ulcers are more common. The peptic ulcer may be acute or chronic.One of acute ulcers may heal without any long term consequences. On the other hand chronic ulcers are deeper and they causes symptoms leaving a scar even they heal.The stomach contains acid which helps to protect the body from infection.The stomach and duodenum has its lining covered in mucus which protects it from acid.When the stomach produces excess acid an ulcer may appear.

There are some factors which leads to the apearance of the peptic ulcer like: infection with bacteria called Helicobacter Pylori; certain medicines like aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen, naproxen and diclofenac;smoking and alcohol.In many cases the majority of people have abdominal pain, below the chest bone,but there are also people without symptoms.In the case of gastric ulcer a sharp pain may occur soon after eating, and the pain caused by the duodenal ulcer is relieved by eating or by drinking milk. Other unpleasant symptoms of the peptic ulcer are belching, general discomfort in the stomach,loss of appetite,nausea, vomiting, loss of weight.

Nowadays there are many tests that deals with the detection if there is any infection with H. pylori, needed in the diagnosis of the gastric or duodenal ulcers or even for stomach cancer.Through several methods we may see if a person has or has not peptic ulcer. One of these methods can be realized by breath or by blood test to observe the presence of H. pylori. Another method is the one with a given substance to swallow called barium, which appears white on X-rays.The X-rays may show the presence of an ulcer.The gastroscopy is another method which uses a tube called endoscop with a fibre-optic cable; the last one being passed through the mouth and into the stomach.

If any person accuse such kind of pains should immediately consult a doctor.

Bacterial Colitis is the Most Common Cause of Colitis

Pseudomembranous colitis is a form of inflammatory disease characterized by the pathologic presence of pseudomembranes consisting of mucin, fibrin, necrotic cells, and polymorphonuclear leukocytes. Bacterial IBS is the most common cause of this disease , particularly beyond the first year of life. Allergic IBS is the most common form of colitis during the first year of life. Collagenous colitis and lymphocytic colitis are two other types of bowel inflammation that affect the colon.

A diagnosis of collagenous IBS or lymphocytic IBSis made after tissue samples taken during a colonoscopy or flexible sigmoidoscopy are examined with a microscope. Collagenous IBS and lymphocytic IBS are also called microscopic IBS. Ulcerative colitis is not caused by emotional distress or sensitivity to certain foods or food products, but these factors may trigger symptoms in some people.

For extreme cases of collagenous and lymphocytic that have not responded to medication, surgery to remove all or part of the colon may be necessary.

Ulcerative colitis can occur in people of any age, but it usually starts between the ages of 15 and 30, and less frequently between 50 and 70 years of age. IBS is an inflammation of the colon. IBS may also cause problems such as arthritis, inflammation of the eye, liver disease, and osteoporosis. This disease causes inflammation and sores, called ulcers, in the lining of the rectum and colon.

Ischemic is a form of vasculitis that results from inflammation and ischemia of colonic mucosa, which causes rectal bleeding and abdominal pain. Treatment for collagenous and lymphocytic varies depending on the symptoms and severity of the case. People with ulcerative colitis have abnormalities of the immune system, but doctors do not know whether these abnormalities are a cause or a result of the disease. Pseudomembranous usually presents with profuse watery or mucoid diarrhea, tenesmus, fever, abdominal cramps, and tenderness usually within one week of antibiotic therapy.

After age 50 a regular colonoscopy is recommended for early detection of colon cancer unless the patient has increased risk of cancer and then more frequent examinations may be prescribed by the patients doctor.

Hypnosis With Cancer Patients - Spontaneous Healing to Remission

Some medical pioneers in the study and utilization of information regarding mind-body medicine are writing books and spreading the word about how we can change our health and heal disease through our thoughts -doctors such as Deepak Chopra, Andrew Weil, Christiane Northrup, Bernie Siegel, and Herbert Benson.

Such techniques are finally garnering the attention of the AMA and medical facilities and schools. The benefits of stress management workshops in maintaining health and reversing such conditions as ulcerative colitis, chronic headaches, heart disease, and cancer have been acknowledged by doctors as well as employers, and are now routinely taught in most major medical facilities and covered by many health insurance companies.

In addition to helping with the preparation or effects of whatever medical procedures are employed to eliminate cancer in one's body (surgery, chemo/radiation), there are many things hypnosis can do to help a person increase the likelihood of a positive outcome--from utilizing visualization techniques in order to increase immune system function, to boosting self-esteem and a feeling a control over the cancer and your recovery.

Visualization has been successfully utilized for many years to fight cancer in the body. Dr. Bernie Siegel is perhaps the most well-known proponent of its use. His classic best-seller, Love, Medicine, and Miracles, recounts stories of his cancer patients who have triumphed over their illness by using the power of their minds. There are numerous accounts of people who have had "spontaneous" healing, such as having their cancer shrink or even "disappear" on x-rays taken after invoking prayer or visualization techniques. Though medically "unexplainable," these accounts are, nevertheless, real. With hypnosis, visualization techniques can be made even more powerful because they are presented directly to the subconscious mind, which is the agent of change.

Professionals in the fields of hypnosis and behavioral medicine believe that producing feelings of calm and relaxation allows the immune system to function at a maximum level, aiding the fight against cancer. Although research evidence is still anecdotal and limited, many other health professionals also believe that hypnotic imagery may enhance immune system functioning, and there is encouraging research underway that is giving us hopeful news about our ability to enhance cellular immunity. Psychoneuroimmunology is beginning to identify factors such as stress, depression (vs. laughter), and loneliness (vs. social support) that seem linked to diseases like cancer and impede the healing process.

With serious illnesses such as cancer, an emotional toll is also exacted upon the patient. A loss of security, control, self-esteem, and lifestyle can cause feelings of helplessness, vulnerability, and depression. The use of hypnosis can allow the person to feel a sense of control over their illness and recovery by taking proactive steps in deciding what course of treatment they are willing to use, working to visualize a positive and reasonable outcome, assisting their body in the healing process, and reducing negative side effects and pain.

At the very least, hypnosis offers many cancer patients physical as well as emotional relief from the fallout of being diagnosed with cancer, thus providing a higher quality of life and reserving energy for the important healing work that lies ahead.

Some of my most rewarding sessions have been working with cancer patients to prepare them physically, emotionally, and even spiritually for what lies ahead in their healing and improve their chances of recovery. If you or someone you know is currently dealing with this issue, read some of my cancer clients' testimonials on my website at hypnocoachlisa.com/Testimonials.html and contact me for a free consultation.

Aloe Vera and Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis

Aloe vera (Aloe barbadensis) is a plant originally found in Africa. It has thick cactus-like green long leaves which contain a gel and also a yellow residue known as latex. It is this gel that contains all the medicinal values of Aloe. All the medicinal features of it are found in Aloe Mucilaginous Polysaccharides (AMP). Aloe mucilaginous polysaccharides are long chains of sugar molecules consisting of separate mannose and glucose sugar molecules linked together.

With its incredible medicinal properties Aloe vera is used in the treatment of grave diseases like ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) all ailments caused due to the inflammation of the digestive tract between intestine and rectum. Aloe is considered to be a natural remedy for these conditions because of its anti-inflammatory properties. Let us now take a look at how exactly aloe vera heals these conditions.

Every cell, tissue and organ of your body is benefited by AMP (Aloe Mucilaginous Polysaccharide) molecules in Aloe-Vera. Primarily and most importantly, this medicine functions as a highly potent anti-inflammatory drug. It directly tackling the inflammation in the digestive tract, aloe vera successfully helps in removing diarrhea and constipation. Similarly, using its property as an intercellular antioxidant Aloe-Vera detoxifies your body rather naturally by repairing and rebuilding the protective mucosa membrane along the bowel walls and fixing damaged tissue from mouth to rectum.

Moreover it helps your body in digestion, better absorption of digested food and even better assimilation of absorbed food into your body. Also it helps restore and balance the optimum functioning of your immune system. Complete with antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal and antiparasitic properties, Aloe mucilaginous polysaccharides provide a wide range of benefits to your body while helping maintain good health without any serious side effects.