Flare up symptoms of ulcerative colitis can be controlled by natural remedies and also medication. While herbs like turmeric, aloe Vera and Boswellia have a major role in controlling the inflammation; patients should also avoid high fiber diets and cut down on stress.
An inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis causes inflammation in the lining of the colon and rectum and is characterized by open sores and ulcers. Its main symptoms include diarrhea accompanied by frequent watery and bloody stools and abdominal cramps. Due to the similarities in symptoms, it is often confused with Crohn's disease and irritable bowel syndrome, which is actually a functional bowel disorder.
A far more serious disease compared to Crohn's disease and irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis requires immediate treatment. Regarded as an intermittent disease, patients suffering from ulcerative colitis experience painful flare up symptoms in the form of loose stool and severe abdominal cramps from time to time. Several natural remedies as well as medications are available for controlling flare-ups. The remedial treatment is based on the symptoms a patient experiences and looks to control the pain, ulcers and inflammation and also improve the overall health.
Apart from prescribed medications, remedies for ulcerative colitis flare-ups include taking herbal supplements and also nutritional supplements in the form of vitamins and minerals.
Probiotics - A gut friendly bacteria, probiotics is mainly taken in the form of VSL-3 and helps control the inflammation of the colon.
Turmeric - Having strong anti-inflammatory properties, it also helps fight infection and even has a role in preventing cancer.
Aloe Vera - Taken in the form of gel capsules or drunk as juice, aloe vera helps in controlling ulcers along with reducing inflammation. It also helps in healing other digestive tract and stomach ailments.
Boswellia - Taken in the form of capsules, Boswellia has powerful anti-inflammatory properties and thus helps control abdominal cramps, loose stool and stabilizes bowel movement.
Nutritional Supplements - Frequent loose stool leads to the loss of essential body fluids and nutrients leading to weight loss and fatigue. Thus, patients suffering from this disease must take multi-vitamin capsules to make up for the loss of nutrients. Iron supplements help in controlling anemia, while Vitamin E being a strong anti-oxidant, has anti-inflammatory properties, prevents bleeding, and also boosts the immune system.
Moreover it has been seen that diet has a major role in the flare up of the disease. Patients suffering from ulcerative colitis should avoid fiber-rich foods like whole wheat bread, raw fruits, vegetables, dairy products, alcohol, caffeine and red meat. Removing fibers from the diet results in lesser formation of undigested residue and thus helps in controlling the frequent loose stools. Although oils should be avoided as much as possible, omega-3 fatty acids present in fatty fish like tuna, sardine and mackerel help in reducing flare up symptoms and controlling inflammation.
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