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.

There is no known medical cure for colitis because there is no proven medical reason why it happens. 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 notion that you can be diagnosed with colitis due to stress just does not stack up. Medical research has found that there are many different types of animal models of colitis. You can stress these animals in various ways until they die of stress, and still they do not show any symptoms of colitis.

The key to understanding the role of stress is that we have to separate, in many respects, inflammation of the colon from bowel habits, because ulcerative colitis is a disease of inflammation. For instance, when people are stressed, they are prone to have more bowel movements. That’s normal and is proven medically. We have all recognised that it can be nothing out of the ordinary to get diarrhoea with upset stomachs before what can be a stressful event, such as public speaking. Stress affects our intestines. But it doesn’t cause inflammation. On the other hand, if you have a tendency toward diarrhoea because of the colitis, stress can make the diarrhoea worse, but it doesn’t make the inflammation worse.

This is the exact same thing with diet, too. 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.

When it comes to diet, don’t just think of your colitis in isolation but your whole health in particular. If you have a diet heavy in fat, processed food, lacking fresh vegetables and fruit, high in sugar etc then you will not be as healthy as someone who has a balanced diet. 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. 

Don't get caught up in the "why did it happen to me?" mental state. Ensure you are well equiped to face what colitis can throw at you in the future. Ensure you have the colitis answers from The Colitis Experience