Colitis is prolonged irritation of the delicate-membrane that lines the walls of the colon leads to the inflammation of the colon or large intestine. They are either mucus colitis or ulcerative colitis. Mucus colitis is common and it produces discomfort and irregular bowel habits. Chronic ulcerative colitis is a prolonged severe inflammation of the colon or large bowel where ulcers are formed on the walls of the colon and the stools are accompanied with mucus, pus and blood.
Symptoms And Causes of Colitis
- In chronic ulcerative colitis, there is an urgency to move the bowel, cramping pain in the abdomen and bloody mucus in stools.
- The stools then become watery and more frequent.
- Loss of appetite, nausea, fever, vomiting, bloated stomach where gas is neither absorbed nor expelled, anemia, undernourishment and underweight, sleeplessness.
- In some cases persistent diarrhea for years together are other factors.
- Ulcerative colitis in its extreme cases may lead to nutritional problems; exhaustion, depression, irritation and even suicidal tendencies appear.
Causes of Colitis
- Constipation due to which stools are not properly evacuated and purgatives that cause irritation are the main causes.
- Allergic foods like eggs, milk and wheat, poorly digested cereals and carbohydrates, intake of antibiotics and stress are other factors.
Treatment of Colitis
- Firstly warm water with a little olive oil should be used to clean the colon.
- Juice fast especially of raw carrot, cabbage and papaya with a little boiled water should be observed for 5 days.
- Use warm water enema.
- Then adopt a diet of small frequent meals that should be chewed thoroughly and eaten slowly. See natural laxative foods also.
- Foods cooked in aluminum utensils; sugar, strong tea and coffee, white flour products, alcoholic beverages and highly salted foods should be avoided.
- Ripe bananas are easily digestible, slightly laxative, promote healing and relieve acute symptoms.
- Tender coconut water, buttermilk is soothing, and cooked apples are healing.
- Drink 2 glasses of water first thing in the morning; have a bowel movement at the same time each day but avoid straining.
- The patient should be free of tension, have plenty of fluids and complete bed-rest.
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