Colitis Causes. Fact Or Fiction?

So why did it happen? As with something that is not yet medically proven, many see this as a great chance to dive in and offer “claims”, “cures” and other enticing silver bullets to sufferers. They can be very attractive especially when the symptoms or colitis are at their height.

You need to understand and appreciate that there is no known medical cure for colitis simply because there is no proven medical reason for it to occur. Yet that does not stop others proclaiming their “breakthrough”. For the most part, what are portrayed as “cures” can merely be seen as a method of reducing particular symptoms that have succeeded for the person making these claims.

The often heard scenario that someone can be diagnosed with colitis due to the effects of stress cannot be supported with medical research. Many studies have found that there are different types of colitis which affects animals. When stress tests are undertaken to the point where the action could bring about death in the test subject, there is still a lack of any symptoms related to the diagnosis of colitis.

In order to understand the role of stress, there is a requirement to separate inflammation of the colon from bowel habits. This is required for the simple fact that because ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory disease. When people are stressed, they are susceptible to have more bowel movements which is a normal occurrence and can be medically proven. Therefore, it can be concluded that stress affects our intestines yet it doesn’t cause inflammation. If a person has a tendency toward diarrhoea due to being diagnosed with colitis, the fact is that stress can make the diarrhoea worse though it is important to recognise and accept that it doesn’t make the inflammation worse.

This trail of thought should be used when approaching the subject of diet for ulcerative colitis.You may eat something that your stomach and intestine find difficult to accommodate. You may even be allergic to it. This sets off a reaction and diarrhoea is the result. You know what? Cut out that food and your colitis is cured! If only it was that simple. Colitis symptoms may appear because you have provoked the inflammation rather than the diet creating the inflammation. What should be proclaimed is “cut out this food and your colitis symptoms caused by that food will disappear”. I hope you can see that there is a big difference here.

In relation to diet, don’t regard your colitis in isolation but you entire health in particular. If you have a diet that is high in fat and processed food, plus a real lack of fresh vegetables and fruits, then you will not be as healthy as someone who has a balanced diet. One question that is asked is does unhealthy diet cause colitis? There is no medical proof to suggest as such but that does not mean you won’t have bowel trouble. A person who has been on an unhealthy diet for years, and with the onset of colitis, then changes to a healthy diet will be doing his overall health a power of good. If the result of a healthy diet is reduced symptoms then that is to be celebrated but don’t fall into the trap thinking that your colitis is cured. The inflammation on the colon is still there, with the ability to wake up and raise its ugly head at any time. It is essential that the colitis sufferer is aware of this and how others manage their daily lives living with colitis to try and ensure that periods of remission are of good health.

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