Can we be personal for a moment?

Good. Thank you.

We want to talk about a peculiarly grievous condition that plagues millions of humans in our culture from midlife onwards. It is a condition known to be culture-specific, suffered by affluent Westerns more than by any other group of people. And it is cause is said to be unknown to modern medicine. It’s called diverticulitis.

Diverticulitis is a pain in the butt for millions of people, literally, since it involves the colon and rectum. What happens is that the wall of the colon, or huge intestine, becomes weakened over time from increased pressure of unknown cause. The pressure within the colon causes weakened areas to pocket outwards, creating sacs for digested matter to gather and fester. These sacs are called diverticula. When you have these sacs you are said to have diverticulosis. When diverticula become infected and inflamed, the condition is called diverticulitis, which may be as painful as appendicitis and may lead to rupture of the colon wall, a very dangerous situation. The key issue involved in this condition is the creation of increased pressure within the big intestine. It is the strength of this pressure that causes the sacs to form.

Knowing what causes the increased pressure, then, is necessary to the preventative action and treatment of this condition. At one time it was thought by medicine that the diet might be too high in fiber, causing a blockage of digestion and the increased colon pressure. But letting down the fiber of the diet did not significantly modify the condition. Then it was thought that too little fiber prevented proper elimination, and high fiber diets were recommended. Unfortunately, this did not help the condition, either. Diverticulitis is also evenly mutual among vegetarians as it is amid meat eaters. While particular interest groups advancing sure diets present exploration supporting their dietary view as preventive of diverticulitis, there is contrasting exploration to remainder it. So, the overall exploration on diverticulitis has been inconclusive in regards to the cause of increased colon pressure that gives rise to this dreadful condition. And in the absence of knowing the cause, medicine may merely offer pain relief with drugs, antibiotics for the infections, and surgery for exceptionally nasty, abscessed pockets. As for prevention, the current suggestion is to eat more fiber, making th bowels need to eliminate more frequently.

Of course, one thing was overlooked in the medical exploration on diverticulitis. The most mutual reason for increased colon pressure is not actually a medical issue, but a cultural one. That is why medicine has missed it. Furthermore, this cultural exercise causes the medical profession to suffer from diverticulitis to an even more outstanding extent than their patients.

It all has to do with answering Nature when it calls.

We live in a society that trains us from birth to hold in our waste products. From the pressures of diaper training, to the pressures of using public toilets at school, to the pressures of working without the choice of taking necessitated potty breaks, or where a toilet is merely not available, our culture has pressured us into keeping it in. Of course, this produces pressure in the colon. After all, one of the simplest ways to increase colon pressure is to close the anal sphincter while the intestine is contracting.

Everyone has experienced this one time or another. Perhaps the urge came when you were involved in a social circumstance that you could not conveniently stop plainly because you had to answer Nature’s call. Or it could have been while driving, and a rest stop or service station was nowhere to be found. Even if there was a commodious restroom, numerous persons are uncomfortable defecating in a public restroom and prefer keeping it in until home. Whatever the reason, the fact is that our culture makes personal waste management an issue that is not always without apparent effort resolved, furthering procrastination rather than elimination. The result is increased colon pressure and diverticula formation.

In addition to keeping in waste, there is the even dandier problem of keeping in gas. The technical term for this is flatus retention. It’s what most people are trained to do in public, from school days onward. This is why diverticulitis is more prevalent amongst professional, affluent Westerns, than among the poor of third world countries. The higher your status, the less worthy of acceptance or satisfactory your flatus. It seems that poverty buys a right to pass wind when needed, while affluence produces the need for dandier discretion. Yet, the sad fact is that the pressure of the fart ought to go somewhere. Either pass wind or have your intestine blow up. The choice is yours.

Now you may see why medicine says the cause of diverticulitis is unknown. A cultural taboo enshrouds this topic, preventing it is unbiased and honorable consideration. Interestingly, there was one article connecting diverticulitis with keeping in gas. It was in the British medical journal, Lancet, in 1975. The article is entitled, “Flatus retention is the major element in diverticular disease”. But the info was ignored. Medicine seems more comfortable prescribing drugs and surgery for diverticulitis than merely telling people to poop and fart more often.

For those who suffer from diverticulosis or diverticulitis, you may carry out your own self study. Over the next three months, note how often you feel the urge to eliminate, but find yourself choosing, for one reason or another, to hold it in. Pay peculiar attention to your need to pass wind, and how often times you don’t. Make each effort to concede your body to do what it wants to do. If you have a partner, you may want him or her to try this self study at the same time.

Gas X Prevention 50 Count Box Picture

Gas X Prevention 50 Count Box Photo

Gas X Prevention 50 Count Box Photo

Gas X Prevention 50 Count Box Pic

Gas X Prevention 50 Count Box Picture

Gas X Prevention 50 Count Box Pic

It is surprising how mutual ulcerative colitis is today, I applied to see a case each two to three months in the late 1980′s, but now I see closely one case each fortnight. Could this be that more colitis people who are in need of medical care seek help by way of natural medicine, or could it be that this condition has become much more prevalent? Ulcerative colitis (UC) is an auto-immune condition causing bowel disease in which the lining of your big intestine (colon) becomes inflamed. This inflammation may lead to the formation of raw sores, or ulcers, causing pain and bloody diarrhea. UC may get started at any age, but galore humans who get initially are in their early twenties, and for most, UC comes and goes for the rest of their lives. UC people who are in need of medical care who experience flare-ups (if you have UC you will know what I mean) on very regular basis may experience a major betterment if they just follow a few simple rules which we will go into soon.

Some persons who requires medical care with UC I have seen over the years stay somewhat stable, with only the occasional bowel flare-up occurring at the peak of stressful times. A sheep farmer I saw a few yrs back would only have a bowel flare-up every year for the duration of the hectic shearing season. An accountant with UC I know has major bowel issues when tax time comes around. It is so typical for stress to cause a flare up of an auto-immune condition, because stress causes the depletion of the adrenal hormone called cortisol, and cortisol is the hormone responsible for decreasing the body’s natural inflammatory response to a huge degree.

Most humans who manufacture UC recover from these flare-ups within a sure amount of time of time. Some heal rapidly, but for others it may take ages for the bowel to restore. Most persons are told by the doctor that they may “control the bowel attacks” by taking drugs and adjusting their diet. But for with regards to one in four people with UC, surgery me be necessary at a great deal of stage. I with resolute determination believe that if the UC sufferer could learn when it comes to stress and grasp the significance of the connection among their stress levels, their immune system, their diet and lifestyle, that they would be in a much better position to suppose a good clinical result and experience minimal flare ups. Doesn’t this make more sense than to take drugs every day for years to stay clear from flare ups? Examine your lifestyle. Have you been living under a low-grade stressful circumstance for galore time? This could mean a high mortgage for numerous or a poor functioning personal kinship for others. For others it could be a low-grade infection “smoldering” away such as a root canal or dead tooth. Are you reading your body’s signals? Guys are in particular bad at doing this, and soldier on regardless. A few years ago a UC patient in his 40′s consulted me who had a bowel which bled for over a year before he sought help. It was too late for him, he passed away with bowel cancer at 42yrs of age leaving a wife and two young children behind. I may still do not forget him telling me that “there was no pain, I didn’t think much of it”. But had he come in a week after the bleeding started (like a woman most likely would have done) I would have encouraged him to have an investigation from the gastroenterologist. It doesn’t take much to get a colonoscopy done, and it may well have saved his life.

Although the precise cause of ulcerative colitis remains unknown, this condition appears to be related to a combining of genetic and environmental factors. This article reviews the traditionalisti and the unconventional treatments that may be considered in conjunction with conventional approaches or as percentage of a comprehensive substitute treatment protocol.

Signs and Symptoms

It is astounding how some people who are in need of medical care I have seen with varied signs and symptoms. For some people who are in need of medical care it may just be pain in the bowel, for others just a modify in bowel habit. Some cases of UC – in particular for the duration of a flare-up phase may be accompanied by abdominal pain, bloody diarrhea, pus or mucous-containing stools – from mild to severe. Ulcers distinctively form in the inner lining of the colon which cause the abdominal pains. Diarrhoea is quintessentially four times daily, altho this may be much more popular with a flare-up – with ten or more visits to the bathroom badly disrupting a person’s quality of life. Abdominal pains may vary from mild tenderness to severe abdominal cramping. Blood will be evident in the stool depending on the severity. Fatigue will in the end come as iron levels become depleted, and low grade fever may present in severe cases. I have found that when a person is in a chronic circumstance where they go from one flare up to another, their appetite may be decreased and weight loss may occur.

Potential health difficulties long term

It stands to reason that the longer UC is active in your body, the more outstanding the chances of devising a secondary condition or complications. UC people who are in need of medical care are at a higher danger of manufacturing a number of secondary conditions, including:

Bowel cancer – the inflammatory nature of the impairment of normal physiological function poses a higher risk, and it is now thought that the long-term use of anti-inflammatory drugs and immuno-suppressive therapy (steroids) may be partially responsible as well.

Osteoporosis – A higher incidence of low bone solid homogeneous inorgani substance density was seen in persons who requires medical care who steadily rely on corticosteroids. The hip was more often affected than the lumbar spine. Avoid steroidal drugs as much as possible.

Kidney stones – Patients who construct multiple loose motions each day are at a higher danger of fabricating a more concentrated urine, and accordingly are at a higher peril of being “stone formers”. Drink water!

Gall stones and liver sickness – A study of records of 113 UC people who are in need of medical care revealed that 27% had elevated liver enzymes (ALT, AST, GGT) as wel as bilirubin. Additionally, gallstones were diagnosed in 4% of patients. Most UC people who are in need of medical care gain at a heap of stage from the herb St Mary’s thistle.

Conventional Treatment of UC

While conventional treatments may be effective in sustaining remission and decreasing the length of active impairment of normal physiological function periods (flare ups), the treatments are not without side effects, and a significant number of humans suffering from UC fail to respond to even the firmest drugs. What does the doctor in general prescribe the UC patient? The most mutual drug protocol includes a drug called an aminosalicylate (sulfasalazine) for preserving remission, and corticosteroids (prednisolone) for the duration of the acute flare-ups. Pharmaceutical corticosteroids are a huge group of drugs that are based on the chemical structure of hormones formulated by your adrenal gland. Side effects of short-term steroid use include liquid retention, weight gain and mood swings. Long term use increments the peril of cataracts, osteoporosis, a multitude of health troubles surrounding immune suppression and adrenal gland depletion leading to fatigue ranging from tiredness to finish exhaustion.

Pain killing drugs are also believed to be a causative factor. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) in particular Ibuprofen, are believed to cause UC as well as exacerbate existent impairment of normal physiological function by increasing the permeability of the bowel (“leaky” bowel) and bestow towards bowel bleeds as well. I have seen a various persons who requires medical care over the years who have told me that they have developed UC since taking Brufen® for their arthritis. Please be very careful with Brufen, you will get closely 4 million websites on Google when you type in: “Ibuprofen and side effects”. It is one of the most side-effect ridden drugs you are ever likely to take.

Antibiotics have been prescribed for UC; however, they have been largely inefficient according to a an American gastroenterology diary published in 2002. A comparatively “new” immune drug called Cyclosporin, had been billed in 2003 as “the biggest treatment advance for UC in 10 years,” and seemed like a sensible choice for those UC persons who requires medical care for whom steroids were no longer effective. But like all drugs, the more potent the drug, the more desolating the side effects long term. Cyclosporin has significant potential toxicity, including high blood pressure, nausea, vomiting, headaches, seizures and kidney toxicity. I think I’d rather have the UC! Try to stay away from the “anti” drugs, in particular antibiotics, they seldom help in most cases of auto-immune conditions. These drugs give rise to more difficulties than they solve, peculiarly recurrent antibiotic therapy which allows other potentially pathogenic organisms like yeast and fungi to proliferate in the bowel.

Eric;s Dietary Recommendations

Food allergies have long been considered a causative factor in UC, with a lot of exploration focusing on allergies to cow’s milk. No consistent proof to lactose intolerance (a sugar found in milk) has been found, but the jury is still out on beta casein (a protein). I in general tell all UC people who are in need of medical care to keep away from dairy merchandise with the exception of butter. A little study involving 18 UC persons who requires medical care demonstrated that an elimination diet excluding all the known mutual allergenic foods resulted in less UC symptoms, particularly diarrhoea and bleeding. In addition to the decrease in symptoms, four people who are in need of medical care in this study attained remission on the elimination diet and eight months later three were still symptom-free, in spite of returning to a “normal” diet. The highly allergenic foods include citrus (especially oranges), pork, pineapple and banana, spicy or curried foods, shellfish, grapes, tomatoes and specially the high sulphur containing foods like eggs.

Eliminate the sulfur containing amino acid based foods

I have all UC people who are in need of medical care stop eating any form of eggs, may make a big divergence within a matter of weeks. A study was conducted involving eight UC persons who requires medical care who were relying on sulfasalazine for maintenance and Prednisolone for flare ups. Patients were asked to eliminate dietary roots of sulfur-containing amino acid foods, including eggs, cheese, cow’s milk, ice cream, cream, mayonnaise, soy milk, solid homogeneous inorgani substance water, and sulfited drinks such as wine and cordials, nuts and the cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, Chinese veges, mustard, cauliflower and canola oil. They were likewise asked to reduce their intake of red meats and substitute this with chicken and fish. Amazing things happened – for the duration of the twelve month follow-up, the UC persons who requires medical care experienced NO flare ups or acute attacks. The expected relapse rate on sulfasalazine was 22.6%. Additionally, their bowels showed a remarkable betterment on biopsy. The number of bowel motions scaled down from an intermediate of 6 per day down to 1.5 per day! Two persons who requires medical care stopped the diet, but quickly resumed it once the flare-ups occurred. And all this was achieved with a diet alter folks. Now you may see how eliminating sure foods may have such a unfathomed effect on ulcerative colitis, imagine what eating the right foods, and eliminating the “garbage” may do for your health in general.

I have tested over one hundred UC persons who requires medical care by way of the IgE/IgG Elisa feed allergy test and have found closely universally without exception that all UC persons can not handle eggs, and most have antibodies towards the cruciferous vegetables to varying degrees as well.

Eat the Right Fibre

Diets with a low fibre content have been related with an increased danger of developing UC. The low fibre diets which are rich in refined carbs are thought to help publicize the muscle spasms which are a mutual feature of the UC flare-up. Diets high in complex carbs aid to publicize optimal intestinal flora composition. Psyllium husk (avoid the mercantile psyliium blends, mainly due to their content of Aspartame, a neurotoxin) is best taken in it’s natural form, and your health feed shop must be capable to help out here. Psyllium is outstanding in UC – a double-blind placebo controlled trial of 29 UC people who are in need of medical care demonstrated that 4gr of psyllium husk twice daily (or the placebo – a low fibre crushed crisp bread) for four months resulted in 69% of persons who requires medical care taking psyllium as equated to 24% taking placebo, profiting symptomatic improvement.

Butyric acid is the major fuel source (a fatty acid) for the cells that line the colon. Butyric acid may advertize the proliferation of healthful cells in the colon and provides energy to these cells, as it is the preferent metabolic fuel for the colonic cells. Psyllium seed increments the production of butyric acid in the intestines, in particular in the colon. This effect occurs from beneficial bacteria in the intestines fermenting the carbohydrates content of psyllium seeds. Guess what feed holds the most eminent amount of butyric acid? Butter. This is why I tell UC people who are in need of medical care that it is okay to consume butter. Ghee, or clarified butter is even better.

What to take

Glutamine is an amino acid which is one of the main roots of “respiratory fuel” (energy) for the cells of your digestive system, exceptionally the end portion of the little intestine and the majority of your colon. It has been found that this amino acid in addition to the rectify (low-allergy) diet promotes a more rapid healing of ulcers and lesions in the colon. A good quality bowel product must integrate this, it is best taken as share of a bowel product three times daily. Omega 3 fatty acids exert a beneficial effect in UC patients. It has been found through studies that UC people who are in need of medical care who receive Omega 3 steadily achieved remissions earlier than those taking a placebo (olive oil capsules). Patients who took Omega 3 likewise noticed a significant reduction in steroid medication requirement over time. But not all studies found positive results, however. A long term study involving 63 UC persons who requires medical care taking EFAs for one whole year failed to prolong their remissions when equated to a group who were taking 500mg each day of sunflower seed oil., but in this study the dosages of Omega 3 may have been too low be of significance. Dosage: Omega 3 1000mg three times every day with meals, but likewise include a little sunflower oil or flaxseed oil in your diet daily. This way you are ensuring you receive a more balanced fatty acid approach to your diet.

Herbal Medicines

There are a good deal of types of herbs you could potentially try, but what do you take? A little but significant study done in Bulgaria in 1982 involved 24 UC people who are in need of medical care taking a herbal combining of Dandelion, St John’s Wort, Lemon balm, Calendula and Fennel. By day 15, 23 out of 24 persons who requires medical care had a finish solution of pain in the colon, diarrhoea had resolved and the fecal content had normalised. This is rather amazing. Why resort to drugs when studies have revealed a positive response in UC with herbal medicines? The herb Boswellia serrata has also shown beneficial results, particularly when the anti-inflammatory action of Boswellia and sulfasalazine were equated side by side. Your herbalist must be competent to make you up a formula of the above herbs. Dosage of the above formula: 5mls three times daily in a little water before meals.

Probiotics

Beneficial bacteria are peculiarly beneficial when taken in supplement form by the UC patient, because these friendly bugs are responsible for the lactic acid production which favorably effects the inhibition of the putrefactive or destructive bugs. The other ofttimes overlooked problem is that opportunistic bacteria may gain a foothold in the bowel of the UC patient, creating all sorts of problems. I have done comprehensive stool analysis of assorted UC people who are in need of medical care over the years and found this surely to be the case. Sometimes an anti-parasite product may be called for, and I like using GSE (grapefruit seed extract) with UC persons who requires medical care with a good result in this regard. This is a hard to get product, but a lot of health feed shops still stock it. Dosage: 1.5 – 3 billion CFUs twice daily.

Bromelain is an enzyme found in the pineapple which is proteolytic, which means it may support in the digestion of protein (meat). Bromelain is also a potent anti-inflammatory and two studies have revealed that it may well be of gain in reducing diarrhoea, decrease the number of bowel movements and reduce the aspect of blood in the stool. In both studies, endoscopy performed after the supplementation of Bromelain revealed a healed intestinal mucosa. Dosage: 0.5 – 1gr twice daily. The bioflavonoids Quercetin and Rutin have shown that they may support in reducing bowel adhesions and colonic surface harm significantly. They have a protective anti-inflammatory effect on the colonic mucosal wall, and are perchance a good adjunct therapy. Try a supplement with both these bioflavonoids, you may find them in combining with a good Vitamin C supplement. Take a little amount each day in water. Dosage: 500mg two to three times daily

Butyrate enema

I have read galore positive American studies involving the use of butyrate retention enemas in the acute flare up phase of UC. In a huge trial involving 51 UC patients, which involved receiving the enemas twice each and everyday for various weeks, the persons who requires medical care were then assessed by way of endoscopy, laboratory data, stool frequency and consistency and other UC symptoms. It was found that the administration of the butyrate enemas was significantly more effective than saline (placebo) enemas in achieving impairment of normal physiological function betterment or remission. These enemas are not readily available in NZ regrettably at this stage, but I am sure if you find a doctor with a huge interest in complementary meeicine you must be capable to have access here. A pharmacist may be competent to make them up for you perhaps. Take a look online, a Google search revealed over 27,000 sites.

Wheatgrass

According to a new double-blind study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology, people taking wheat grass juice experienced a significant betterment of their ulcerative colitis sensations or changes on a scale that measured overall sickness activity, equated with persons taking a placebo. Wheat grass juice likewise significantly scaled down the severity of rectal bleeding and abdominal pain.

The use of wheat grass juice for therapeutic purposes was initiated by the late Dr. Ann Wigmore. In 1956. Although this “green drink” has been promoted for over 50 years as a treatment for a wide range of health conditions (including cancer), until 2002 it had not been tested in clinical trials. Researchers studied 23 humans (average age, 35 years) with clinically active UC who were randomly assigned to consume wheat grass juice or a placebo for one month. The basi amount, 20 ml per day, was increased over a amount of time of various days to a greatest or most complete or best possible of 100 ml per day. In addition to the positive results brought up above, an examination of the colon (sigmoidoscopy) showed betterment in 78% of the people receiving wheat grass juice, equated with only 30% of those receiving placebo. No severe side effects were seen. Although nausea was reported by 33% of the players receiving wheat grass juice, and 41% also brought up an increase in vitality while taking the supplement.

Wheat grass is developed by sprouting and planting the seeds of the mutual wheat plant (Triticum aestivum). The divergence amongst wheat grass and what most of us know as edible wheat is that the former is harvested much earlier in it is life cycle. The wheat grass juice applied in the new study was prepared fresh each day and consumed within an hour of extraction. Wheat grass juice has long been sold at numerous health feed stores and juice bars in NZ. Some humans grow wheat grass at home from the seeds. Talk to your local health feed shop, they will have to be competent to put you in touch with a wheat grass supplier.

Conclusion

I have found in the clinic in most UC cases that once the diet and modus vivendi has been changed and the UC patient becomes less reliant on sulfasalazine therapy that the bowel may heal over a amount of time of time to the point where flare ups seldom occur. There are rare exclusions of course, and not each chronic UC patient responds as well as expected, but most do and aren’t they thankful once they may trust their bowel to do it’s job! Ask your natural health care professional if they have much experience with UC, and a heap of have, specially the ones who have been in exercise for ten years or more. Your best results will come when you make the right changes, because staying on pharmaceutical drugs to treat a condition like ulcerative colitis is not the best choice long term.

Eric Bakker ND

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Konsyl Psyllium Fiber 100 Capsules Pic

Konsyl Psyllium Fiber 100 Capsules Image

Konsyl Psyllium Fiber 100 Capsules Pic

Konsyl Psyllium Fiber 100 Capsules Pic

Konsyl Psyllium Fiber 100 Capsules Picture