Ulcerative Colitis is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the lining of the intestine and the rectum. It is located just above the anus. Patients suffering from ulcerative colitis tend to have small ulcers in their rectum and the colon. These eventually flare up leading to diarrhea, bloody stools, anemia and abdominal pain. The inflammation starts from the rectum and eventually, spreads to the colon. Ulcerative Colitis tends to flare up and remit in an alternate phase. The remission can last from few weeks to few years.

Methods adopted to diagnose Ulcerative Colitis-
Ulcerative Colitis is very similar to an inflammatory bowel disease known as Crohn s disease. The only differentiating factor is the fact that, ulcerative colitis affects the colon whereas, Crohn s disease affects the digestive system and the small intestine. A doctor might prescribe certain tests such as the colonoscopy, blood tests, CT scan, pill camera, stool sample tests etc.

Why is surgery necessary to treat Ulcerative Colitis?
An estimated 40 percent of all Ulcerative Colitis patients need to undergo surgery to recover completely. The reason surgery becomes necessary to treat ulcerative colitis are the following:

Drug therapy and medication become ineffective.
Without undergoing surgery, the condition might increase the risk of developing cancer.
The colon has the risk of getting ruptured if surgery is not performed on time.
There could be excessive bleeding.
Toxic megacolon might set in.
Types of surgery available to treat Ulcerative Colitis
A procedure where the entire colon is removed is known as the colectomy. In case both the colons are removed, the procedure is termed as proctocolectomy. In this procedure, an external pouch needed to be attached to the stoma that collects the stools. There is another method known as pouch surgery. 

Pelvic pouch or ileal pouch is also termed as IPAA. This procedure doesn t involve permanent stoma. In this procedure, both the colon and the rectum are eradicated from the body. The small intestine is then used to form a J-shaped pouch, that serves as the new rectum. The pouch is then connected to the anus. The whole procedure is done via two surgeries.

What are the surgical complications of this procedure?

There could be an excessive bowel movement.
There are instances where an inflammation of the pouch is observed. This condition is known as pouchitis.
There could be a situation of intestinal blockage from adhesion due to surgery.
There could be pouch failure that can happen inside within 5 few years. This is observed in 4 out of 100 patients who are treated. In this case, the patient should go for a permanent ileectomy.

Ulcerative Colitis - What You Need To Know?

Amlapitta is the Ayurvedic term for a medical condition when your stomach produces more acids than you need for digesting food. It is a very common disorder today, which is triggered by our unhealthy lifestyle choices. Amlapitta or acid peptic disorder needs medical attention because if it continues for too long, you could end up with painful peptic ulcers.

What are the causes behind Amlapitta?

According to Ayurveda, your diet and lifestyle mainly lead to Acid Peptic Disorder-

Diet -

Consuming spicy, fried food

Excessive consumption of pickles and oily food

Excessive intake of sour and salty foods

Eating fermented, stale food

Intake of hot beverages, like tea/coffee and soup

Skipping meals

Irregular meal times

Lifestyle -

Lack of sleep at night

A fast-paced lifestyle with no time to rest

Overexposure to fire and sun

Excessive anxiety and stress

Signs and Symptoms - 

The obvious signs and symptoms of the acid peptic disease include  

Bitter or sour blenching

A burning sensation in the chest 

Nausea and vomiting

Throat burn

Abdominal pain

Foul-smelling bowel movement

Fatigue and tiredness

Giddiness

How is the condition cured?

Since the primary causes of acid peptic disease are dietary, Ayurveda suggests the selection of the right kinds of food and healthy lifestyle changes to cure the condition.

Follow these guidelines to get rid of amlapitta  

Take small meals twice a day

Eat your food in a loving manner with awareness and attention

Eat at fixed time regularly

You should eat your meal during Pitta period i.e. between 10 AM and 2 PM
Eat light food like Rajgira Laddoo, Dry black resins decoction in morning 

Pomegranate is useful in Amlapitta 

Coconut sweets is also eaten in Smlapitta to get rid of it

Drink plenty of water and juice of raw vegetables

Avoid eating/drinking foods that are too hot or too cold

Avoid consumption of carbonated beverages 

Cut back on fatty meat

Include sufficient amount of rice, wheat, bitter gourd, cucumber, pumpkin and cow s milk in your diet

Ayurveda also believes that yoga and exercise can heal the condition from within and restore the balance of the doshas causing the disease. 

Exercising regularly helps to control acidity. Morning walks are good for health and may prevent the occurrence of acid peptic disease. 

Yoga works well to keep your digestive system healthy. As we know, certain mental disorders like anxiety and depression can worsen acid peptic disease, it is imperative that you live a happy and stress-free life. Yoga helps relieve stress and elevates your mood, and helps to strengthen your overall system.

Some yoga postures that may help include  

Bhujangasana 

Naukasana - 

Suryanamaskara

Vajrasana

 Amlapitta or acid peptic disease can be distressing and extremely uncomfortable to live with. The best way to treat and prevent the condition is to adopt Ayurvedic remedies and precautionary measures. These not only help reduce the symptoms of acidity but also build your immune system.

Know More About Amlapitta / Acid Peptic Disease!

Water effectively constitutes 70-75% of human bodies and keeps us protected from many harmful things. But many people have a frequent question: is it alright to drink water before you brush your teeth? Will it harm your body? Let us discuss the same in this article.

Many people believe that they should not drink water before brushing their teeth because of the bacterias present in saliva after you wake up. But this is a myth and it does not have any scientific logic. When you drink water after waking up before brushing, your saliva goes with the water down into the stomach which results in the killing of the bacteria due to the high acid content inside it. Therefore there is absolutely no harm if you drink water before brushing teeth.

If you are familiar with Japanese culture then you must know that the Japanese drink two glasses of water every morning immediately after they wake up. Drinking water immediately after you wake up without brushing your teeth does not harm you in any way. Doctors always recommend drinking two full glass or at least one, on an empty stomach. There are several benefits your body receives when you consume water every morning after you wake up.

Drinking water every morning has its own long list of benefits. Let us have a look at them-

Boosts your immunity- Drinking water every morning strengthens your immunity system. Helps you to fight diseases and germs much better.
Clears the bowels- After your drink water in the morning, you will get an urge of flushing out your bowels. This way the bowels remain clear and you do not face any constipation issues.
Speeds up metabolism- Your metabolism gets boosted when you drink water resulting in faster digestion and metabolic rate. It also keeps you hydrated through the day.
Prevents headaches and migraines effectively and it also helps in preventing colon infection because your bowels get cleared easily.
Helps in weight loss- Drinking water every morning helps you to lose weight by a significant margin due to the fact it occupies the stomach killing the desire to eat much in the morning.
Beneficial for skin- Increase in the freshness of your skin complexion which water delivers if you drink it every day in the morning. It flushes out the toxins and dead cells which helps in increase of new and fresh body cells.
Thus as you can see the long list of benefits you will receive if you drink water every day after you wake up.

Is It Alright To Drink Water Without Brushing Your Teeth?

Colitis is characterized by an inflammation of the large intestine (colon). It is generally caused due to reduced blood supply, autoimmune reactions (wherein the immune system erroneously starts attacking the body s healthy tissues) and infections in the large intestine.

Symptoms of colitis
1. Presence of blood traces in the stool.
2. Acute colitis can itself be a symptom of hemorrhoids (inflamed and swollen veins in the anus or the rectum)
3. Tenesmus (constant urge to empty the bowels) is also quite common
4. Occurrence of abdominal pain in regular intervals, thus resulting in diarrhea
5. Constant abdominal pain
6. Fever and sudden chills throughout the day

Types of colitis
1. Inflammatory bowel disease: This condition is characterized by inflammation of the intestines or all the parts of one s digestive tract
2. Microscopic colitis: This involves inflammation of the large intestine (colon), resulting in a cramping sensation that can be painful
3. Chemical colitis: This condition is caused due to prolonged exposure to certain harsh chemicals which results in intestinal swelling and inflammation
4. Ischemic colitis: The most common form of colitis, this occurs mainly due to an insufficient blood supply to the large intestine
5. Infectious colitis: Caused due to certain bacterial or parasitic infections

Treatment for colitis
1. Medications such as acetaminophen and ibuprofen can be recommended to ease the pain
2. The drug  Loperamide  can control the diarrhea. However, this should not be consumed if there is presence of blood in the stool
3. Colitis reduces your appetite. Thus, it is important to maintain a healthy diet in this regard. Avoid consuming dairy products or high fiber foods because they further inflame the large intestine.
4. Colectomy (surgically removing a part of the whole of the colon) is recommended in the most severe of cases.

Colitis - 5 Common Types!

Peptic ulcers are sores that develop in the lining of the stomach, lower esophagus, or small intestine (the duodenum), usually as a result of inflammation caused by the bacteria H. pylori, as well as from erosion from stomach acids. Peptic ulcers are a fairly common health problem.

Causes

Heredity   Patients with peptic ulcer often have a family history of the disease, this is particularly so with duodenal ulcers which develop below the age of 20 years. The relatives of chronic ulcer patients have three times the expected number of ulcers.
Helicobacter pylori   This is the most important etiological factor in peptic ulcer disease, accounting for 90% of duodenal ulcers and 70% of gastric ulcers. By causing gastritis it reduces the resistance of the gastric mucosa to attack be acid and pepsin and a gastric ulcer may result.
Non-Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDS)   These damage the gastric mucosal barrier and are an important etiological factor in up to 30% of gastric ulcers.
Smoking   confers an increased risk of gastric ulcer and to a lesser extent duodenal ulcer.
Symptoms

Abdominal pain
Hunger pain
Night pain
Episodic pain/ Periodicity
Other Symptoms

Heartburn
Loss of appetite
Vomiting
Homeopathic Treatment For Peptic Ulcers

Homeopathy offers some very good medicines for peptic ulcer disease. But for a homeopath, the symptoms of the disease are much more important than the ulcer itself. This is because to select the right medicine a homeopaths needs to differentiate between the finer presentations of a disease which, vary from person to person. A homeopath not only tries to heal the ulcer but also tries to remove the general predisposition to acquire it. The homeopath not only tries to find  What is wrong? , but also  Why it went wrong? ;  Where it started going wrong? ;  How it evolved to the current stage?  etc. To find the answers to all these questions, a homeopath tries to gather as much information as possible regarding the pat and present medical history of the patient, his/her family history, his/her general physical and psychological characteristics etc. This hard work on the part of homeopath not only helps in removing the acute symptoms and the ulcer but also is usually able to remove the tendency for relapse. The  on-again/off-again  nature of the disease is often removed and the general health of the person also improves as a result.

Homeopathic Medicines for Stomach Ulcers

Argentum Nitricum   One of the best Homeopathic medicines for stomach ulcers with radiating pains
Nux Vomica   Highly effective among Homeopathic medicines for stomach ulcers where eating worsens pain
Kali Bichromicum   One of the most wonderful Homeopathic medicines for ulcers in stomach
Lycopodium Clavatum   One of the effective Homeopathic medicines for stomach ulcers with bloated abdomen
Carbo Veg   One of the known Homeopathic medicines for stomach ulcers

How To Treat Peptic Ulcer With Homeopathy Remedies

Protein is said to be a building block for the body. That being said, a high protein diet can either have some great results to show, or some terrible consequences. As long as a person is willing to learn more about it, only the former will appear!

When a person thinks of a diet which is high in protein, the automatic association is with the famous Atkins diet. This diet is not only high in the amount of protein consumed but is low in the relative amount of carbohydrate.

Who is it for?

A high protein diet is best if a person is looking to build little muscles and does not consume enough protein in his or her current or normal diet. However, studies have found that only professional endurance athletes showed any benefits from a hike in their consumption levels of protein, and that too they could have received these benefits by just eating more food. So, it is fair to say that the normal person is not likely to need more protein than what he or she already gets from his/her diet.

It can be bad too, in addition to this, if a person has an amount of protein which is beyond what is good for him or her according to the activity level, it can be quite bad. This is because a lot of the sources of protein from which most people fulfil their requirements also happen to be quite high in terms of the saturated fat content, which can put the heart at a great amount of risk. Moreover, gout can also occur and it is something that is not curable but can only be managed. A person who is considering the prospect of going on a high protein diet should take these possible side effects into due account prior to making his or her decision regarding the same.

The modest increase in the protein part of a person s diet can be good, and there are a variety of ways a person can increase it by having some simple munch food items such as almonds. Things like these can serve well as snacks and can go a long way in preventing a person from overeating on something less healthy just due to his or her being ravenously hungry. Another option is Greek yogurt and chia seeds, which can be added to almost anything! 

Making small changes in the diet can help in fulfilling the protein requirements. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a dietitian-nutritionist.

High Protein Diet - Things You Must Know!

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