What is Colitis?
Colitis is a chronic bowel disease that causes inflammation in the lining of your colon i.e. the large intestine.

Prevalence in India -
Once prevalent in Western countries, colitis is on the rise in India among other Asian countries. The causes for this rise are mainly the degrading environment and the consequent changes in your genes. Colitis brings many changes to your lifestyle. Therefore, it is important to arm yourself with all the information about the disease to better manage it and lead the life you want.

What are the causes?
The common causes of colitis are -

Infection due to virus, bacteria and parasites
Decreased blood supply
Allergic reactions
What are the signs and symptoms of Colitis?
The signs and symptoms of colitis include the following-

Extreme pain before, during or after diarrhoea in the lower abdomen
Aches in joints and muscles
Tender abdomen
Swelling of colon
Redness on the colon surface
Bleeding from stool
Diarrhoea or constipation
Loss of appetite
Weight loss
Fever, fatigue
Dehydration
Eye and skin inflammation
What can you do to prevent it?
In order to prevent the occurrence of colitis, you can adopt a few steps. Precautionary measures mostly include dietary changes. You should avoid intake of certain foods to eliminate the symptoms of the disease.

Avoid the consumption of dairy products
Avoid eating spicy foods
Avoid including vegetables like cabbage, dried beans, peas in your diet
Refrain from drinking alcohol, caffeine and carbonated drinks
Instead, include white bread, white rice, pureed vegetable soup, canned fruits, etc
Depending on the diagnosis and the treatment, people do get better. Many people can build successive careers after getting treatments. However, initially, the symptoms will cause a problem in your daily life. It is important to know how you can identify the early signs and what you can do to manage or prevent them.

Know More About Colitis!

Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammation of ulcers or open sores, in the innermost layer of the large intestine. It is a form of inflammatory bowel disease. Even though there is no absolute cause of ulcerative colitis, there are some possible factors such as genetics, infections and stress. It mostly seems to be hereditary in the sense that of the 10-30% people that have ulcerative colitis, most of them have one close family member with the same condition.

The main symptoms of ulcerative colitis are the following:
1. Diarrhoea with blood and mucus
2. Abdominal pain can range from mild discomfort to painful cramping
3. Anaemia
4. Fatigue
5. Weight loss

Treatment of ulcerative colitis
Even though conventional treatment such as corticosteroids and aminosalicylates are used to reduce inflammation, homeopathic treatment can help stop the bleeding and diarrhoea. A long-term remission is possible, and future attacks can be prevented by homeopathy.

Some of the common homeopathic ulcerative colitis remedies are:

 Argentum nitricum: this is used to relieve diarrhoea with mucus and blood, excessive gas; it is also used to treat anxiety that may arise from diarrhoea.
 Arsenicum album: this is used if the stool is foul smelling and frequent, especially at night, and there is a burning pain in the abdomen; fear of disease and death along with sudden chills is also treated by arsenicum album.
 Mercurius corrosivus: this is used to treat haemorrhagic and ulcerative lesions, severely painful defecation and painful foul smelling diarrhoea with blood; it might be taken if the pain remains even after defecation.
 Nitricum acidum: this is used if there is diarrhoea with mucus and blood and stinging pains; it is also taken if there are chills coupled with irritable anxiety.
 Phosphorus: it is used to treat bloody and painless diarrhoea; it is also used to treat emotional oversensitivity to the feelings of others.

Homeopathy Remedies to Cure Ulcerative Colitis Diseases

Ulcerative colitis is a disorder that causes inflammations and ulcers inside your colon, affecting the entire digestive system. The disease grows over time and symptoms start to worsen over a prolonged period, rather than the problem showing up suddenly. Severe cases of ulcerative colitis may even be fatal if treatment does not resolve some of the complications arising from the condition.

Causes of Ulcerative Colitis-
The exact cause for the inflammatory bowel disease is unknown. Improper diet and lifestyle can aggravate the symptoms, but do not cause the condition. Some possible causes for the disease include-

Improper functioning of the body s immune system causes it to recognize the colon as a foreign body.
Genetic factors and hereditary may also be held accountable in some instances.
Risk factors for the condition include old age and family history of the condition.

Symptoms of Ulcerative Colitis-
Here are some common symptoms associated with the condition-

Bloody diarrhoea
Rectal pain
Weight loss
Pain in the abdominal region along with cramping
Fever
Urgency to defecate
Inadequate bowel movement despite the feeling of urgency
How can you prevent ulcerative colitis?
Ulcerative colitis cannot be prevented as the exact cause for the condition is unknown. However, there are simple steps that will help manage the symptoms.

Diet change- You need to stop eating certain foods, such as, dairy products, beans, broccoli, cabbage and anything spicy. Instead, fibre intake must be increased drastically.
Exercise- Mild exercise or activities have a profound impact on managing the condition.
Avoiding stress
Drinking plenty of fluids
Role of Homeopathy in Managing Ulcerative Colitis-
Homeopathy follows a natural and holistic approach to deal with the condition. It does not merely treat the symptoms, but looks to cure the underlying cause for those symptoms. Homeopathic remedies will greatly bolster the overall condition of the body s immune system. Furthermore, the bloody diarrhoea accompanying the disease will also stop with proper homeopathic treatment.

Ulcerative Colitis - Does Homeopathic Treatments Work?

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!

This is a disease that affects the large intestine and the rectum. The Ulcerative Colitis refers to the inflammation in the innermost lining of the large intestine. The main function of the large intestine is to absorb water from indigestible food matter in the body before throwing away any waste. Hence, the large intestine is a vital part of our body. If left untreated, the disease increases risk of colon cancer.

Symptoms:

    Diarrhea with blood or pus: A person suffering from Ulcerative Colitis is likely to suffer from loose stools accompanied with blood or pus.
    Stomach pain and Cramping: In many cases, patients complain of severe stomach pain and cramping.
    Rectal pain: At times, many patients feel pain while sitting or even after a bowel movement.
    Bleeding from the rectum: Bleeding can be observed while passing stools.

The other complications leading to this disease are kidney stones, swelling of the colon, thickening of intestinal walls and blood infection.

Diagnosis:
This disease can be diagnosed by several methods. A simple stool test may be done to check out for bacteria and parasites. A blood test to check the level of C-reactive protein helps determine the inflation rate of the body. Endoscopy, colonoscopy, biopsy are some other methods of diagnosis.

Treatment

    Oral medication: Treatment involves drug therapy or surgery. The first step in treating Ulcerative Colitis will be an intake of anti-inflammatory drugs, but these may have a side effect. Another option is immune system suppressors, which help to bring down the inflammation by suppressing the immune system response. Antibiotics, anti-diarrheal medications, pain relievers are some of the additional drug supplements recommended by doctors.
    Surgery: Surgery plays an important role because this disease is pre-malignant in nature. Depending on the severity of the condition, the medical practitioner may advice surgery. The common methods of surgery are:
        Proctocolectomy and Ileostomy: Proctocolectomy involves removal of the colon in part or whole. Ileostomy is carried out by placing a special bag in the small intestine to collect waste from the body.
        Proctocolectomy and Ileo-anal: Ileo-anal pouch is a bag directly created the small intestine and connected to the anus, for diffusing the stools. As colon is removed Ulcerative Colitis cannot re-occur.

Precautions after surgery
It is very important that the patient takes healthy, sufficient and nutritious food so that bowel movement can be carried out with ease and zero strain. The patient has to restrict lifting of heavy grocery, mowing the lawn, any physical activity that can strain the abdomen and related areas.

Surgery and Post Surgery Care for Ulcerative Colitis

Living with ulcerative colitis can be very challenging. Patients of this disease will have to deal with pain in the abdomen and several digestion related issues in their daily lives. It is known to adversely impact the digestive tract. There can be extreme discomfort at the time of flare-ups. A patient can find life extremely difficult while dealing with symptoms like abdominal pain, fever, weight loss, and chronic diarrhea.

What is Ulcerative colitis (UC)?
It is a serious inflammatory disease. It is caused due to inflammatory bowel movements in the digestive tract. It can affect your daily life adversely. The worst part about this disease is that it relapses in the individual. It is characterized by flare-ups. You need to know fist what is an UC flare-up. Well, it is a term to refer to an exaggerated condition in the disease. It refers to a state when things turn worse. These flare-ups can be caused due to a number of factors. Some of these include:

Side-effect of certain medicines
Hormonal imbalance, especially during pregnancy
Sudden withdrawal from medication
Any infection or other medical condition
How to deal with the UC flare-ups?

Doctors often prescribe corticosteroids to deal with the flare-ups. Some of the most common drugs are Prednisone and budesonide.
Doctors prescribe the intake of steroids, 5-Aminosalicylates, antibiotics, and biologics.
Lifestyle changes are helpful in treating this disease. You can work towards detoxification and de-stressing yourself to get rid of the flare-ups. Take up some exercises, meditation and Yoga for best results.
You can also control chronic diarrhea by keeping a check on what you eat. You should avoid eating fibrous diet. Fibres are tough to digest for patients with UC. You must maintain proper hygiene as well to stay away from diarrhea.
Surgical Management of Ulcerative Colitis

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is an inflammatory disease of the colon and rectum limited to the mucosa, and may vary in severity from a mild intermittent disease to an acute fulminant and potentially fatal disease requiring urgent surgery. Management of ulcerative colitis depends on severity, extent, and duration of the disease, response and tolerance to medication, patient age and comorbidity as well as patient preference.

Surgery plays an important role in the management of UC both because of the premalignant nature of the disease, and because of the periodic failure of medical management. The underlying rationale for surgical treatment of the disease is that the disease is confined to the colon and rectum, and therefore proctocolectomy is curative. The goal of surgical therapy for ulcerative colitis is to remove the disease with as little alteration of normal physiological functions and lifestyle as possible.

Four surgical options exist for patients with ulcerative colitis and each has its own advantages and disadvantages.

The surgical choices are:

Proctocolectomy and Brooke ileostomy.
Abdominal colectomy and ilcorectal anastomosis.
Proctocolectomy and Kock pouch.
Restorative proctocolectomy with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA).
The choice of operation requires consideration of the advantages and disadvantages of each option and must be tailored to an individual patient's needs and circumstances. Important factors to be considered in the choice of operation include the indication for surgery, age, associated medical conditions, body habitues, and quality of the anal sphincter. Extensive preoperative education is required which should include discussion with a specialized Gastroenterologist.

Ways To Deal With Ulcerative Colitis!

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