Posts Tagged ‘colitis symptoms’

At last it is good to hear some news about a greater emphasis on measures of how to cope with colitis symptoms, espacially for those diagnosed when young.

U.S. psychologists say cognitive-behavioral therapy can reduce physical symptoms and improve coping strategies involved with inflammatory bowel disease.

Teenagers with IBD, including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, often have serious trouble coping with the disorders, the researchers said. But the new psychological treatment intervention program developed at the University of Georgia shows promise of reducing physical symptoms and increasing adaptive coping strategies. The study on the effectiveness of the coping skills intervention involved 24 female teenagers age 11-17.

“We saw significant improvements in these adolescents’ physical symptoms and coping strategies following treatment,” said psychology Professor Ronald Blount, who led the study. “Parents, who were also involved in the study, reported reductions in catastrophic thoughts related to their daughters’ pain and improved behavioral reactions related to their daughters’ physical symptoms.”

It is not unusual when someone hears that you have colitis and suddenly they are some self appointed expert giving you advice that another person used for a stomach bug and it worked wonders! So why on earth would the colitis sufferer not want to use it they think? Hopefully, those diagnosed and prone to suffer from colitis symptoms will know better.

Whether unintentionally or otherwise, people often can’t help themselves in advising you of their own special health cure and even such a condition as colitis is not immune. If you make then aware that you are suffering from colitis symptoms, you will no doubt find someone who will voluntarily impart that they know just the thing for it. When faced with such a scenario, the best course of action is to close your ears to not only such a person but to the vast majority that think they have the answer to reduce the suffering from colitis symptoms.

Here’s some more hot tips on how to prevent colitis symptoms from appearing.

When diagnosed with colitis it is very important to maintain a healthy diet that has variety. There will be some foods that may create a reaction in the bowel and trigger some mild symptoms, so these should be identified and avoided if possible. If diet becomes a problem it is important to seek advice from a trained colitis dietician who can advise on the correct course of action to take. By eliminating various foods there can be a risk for the body of not receiving adequate amounts of vitamins and minerals and this is where the role of supplements can play an important part. Any taking of such supplements should be discussed with a doctor to ensure it is the correct course of action.

In addition to maintaining a healthy and varied diet, the taking of regular exercise is also beneficial in the fight against colitis. By undertaking some form of exercise, even just going for regular walks, this will boost the body’s immune system and builds ups strength to counter the fatigue factor that undoubtedly occurs for colitis sufferers. By being more active, the body will be in better shape, mentally and physically, to reduce the chances of colitis symptoms appearing and fighting them if they do make an appearance.

The fifth top tip and a very important one that too many sufferers do not pay enough attention to is the occurrence of stress and the effect it can have. It has to be understood that stress itself does not cause colitis, it is the over exposure to even moderate levels of it that can lead to a flare-up. Whilst it is acknowledged that the body and mind requires some level of stress to function optimally, once beyond such a level will only increase the danger of colitis symptoms appearing. The sufferer has to become much more aware of the stress levels that they are being exposed to and imposing on themselves and learn to cope with and also have effective measures to reduce them.

It is important for the colitis sufferer to gather as much information as possible about the disease and how to cope with living with colitis and leading as normal life as possible. And whilst the danger of a flare up and colitis symptoms appearing is always present, there are many effective methods to try and reduce the risks of it happening.T

Here are some tips to reduce the risk of colitis symptoms from occuriing.

As with anything colitis, nothing is guaranteed, but every little helps!

The most important tip you must adhere to is the continual taking of any medication that has been prescribed. Whilst this is self evident during a flare up, when the symptoms recede and the feeling of wellbeing reappears it is only natural to question the need for continued medication. Unfortunately, colitis is not a medical condition that can be forgotten about once the symptoms disappear. During a period of remission, it is dormant and medication is continually prescribed in order to try and keep it in this state. If the medication is reduced or stopped completely, there is a much higher risk of the symptoms reappearing as there is nothing being used to keep them suppressed .

The second tip is a general call to ensure the sufferer’s overall health is watched and maintained, as there is an increased chance of developing an infection or minor illness due to the acknowledged fact that medications such as steroids, used to counter the inflammation of the bowel, can lower the body’s immune system. The effect of this is having a reduced ability to fight off infections such as the common cold or flu. In relation to this, it is then important to try and avoid everyday remedies such as aspirin or ibuprofen for infections as some of the ingredients can cause colitis to flare-up.

Look out for more soon.

It still amazes me that there are so many people who have been diagnosed with colitis and are still living in the dark. There is now, with the assistance of the web, amazing sources of information and knowledge to be found.

Why would you want to be in a situation where, when diagnosed with what can be a very serious disease, you do not have the understanding and the tools to ensure that life can be as close to normal as possible?

Living with colitis symptoms is all about how to manage them effectively in order to reduce their impact on life.

It’s either carry on living in the dark (and at the mercy of colitis) or start taking responsibility and control and ensuring you are best equiped to respond to whatever this disease throws at you.

I read on a form recently about someone eager for advice about why colitis symptoms had emerged so soon after they had subsided.

So here is a little warning for those who may be coming out of a relapse period, looking forward to enjoying a period of better health again…

Now that the discomfort had gone, it just felt great again to get outside and do the little things that you take for granted.

But I was very cautious about what I did and how much I did until I knew that the relapse had ended, that the inflammation had reduced completely.

This cautious approach came about from the experience between my first attack and the first relapse.

All manner of things went wrong. The advice I received, my own actions, my lack of understanding of colitis and lack of appreciation of how hellish this disease is in fighting back.

This was back in early 1995. There was no internet to search for advice. The doctor was pretty much in the dark and the hospital consultant, well the less said the better.

Quite simply, I, through lack of knowledge and understanding, screwed up. I did everything wrong and I ended up suffering when I probably could have avoided it.

I pushed myself too much by going back to work too soon. I took on too much workload. I did not rest. I carried on as usual in, quite simply, ignorance of what had happened to me.

I hope you realise that one of the most susceptible times is the period just after a relapse has died down. You might not be feeling any discomfort any longer, in fact you might be feeling really quite well again, but that does not mean you are out of the immediate danger zone.

Please remember to keep the breaks on your enthusiasm to rejoin the world again. One step at a time and you will feel the benefit in the long run.

When colitis symptoms appear, whetehr for the first time or in relation to a flare up, you should never, and that means never, think of waiting a few days before making an appointment to see the doctor.

The thought “I will just stay here and carry on as usual” is loaded with danger. The danger that colitis will quietly and stealthily gain control until the full force of symptoms are unleased. Then it will be case of playing catch up with the medication.

Never delay. Go and see the doctor and start the medication to defend yourself against the ferocity that colitis symptoms can throw at you.

Did you know that there is some evidence that ulcerative colitis has a genetic component?

Between 85 percent and 90 percent of people with ulcerative colitis have no relative with ulcerative colitis. But the 10 percent to 15 percent of people who have relatives with ulcerative colitis means that the risk is statistically higher in individuals who have a family member with inflammatory bowel disease .

Other evidence points to a genetic basis: Populations that bred closely within their communities for many generations, such as Eastern European Jews, have a higher incidence of inflammatory bowel disease than other groups.

Just for explanatory sake…Probiotics are friendly bacteria which may potential benefit health and prebiotics are foods which encourage friendly bacteria to grow in the gut.

Recent trials have failed to show a dramatic benefits of pro or prebiotics in Crohn’s Disease although there have been some trials showing a benefit with long term use in Ulcertative Colitis.

Many probiotic trials use bacteria at concentrations which are vastly greater than those found in probiotic yoghurts and often with different bacterial species. Therefore, even if there were positive trials, it would not necessarily be possible to infer that commercially available probiotic yoghurts were equally effective. “Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital London”.

Now, as we are now into March and the harshest winter for 30 years here in the UK is now passing with some gorgeous early Spring weather appearing, it is the time to remind you of the importance of ensuring you are getting enough Vitamin D…
“Good health is not just about recipes and cooking, for eating food without thought to the nutrients your body needs can lead to serious health problems.

For that reason, I have chosen to make you aware of the importance of vitamin D and the knowledge that not enough can be obtained from your daily food consumption

For those of us in the UK, estimates of nearly 60 percent of our population are affected due to our limited sunshine. That’s the best source of vitamin D, but we don’t get the bright sun on a daily basis, even in the summer months, that’s needed to absorb enough UV rays. If we did, no more than 15 to 20 minutes of sun exposure about three times per week on bare skin would be needed to provide up to 10,000 international units a day from solar radiation.

The body will only absorb and synthesize the amount of vitamin D from the sun that it requires. It will stop when that time is reached.

Research indicates that vitamin D deficiency is implicated in heart disease, stroke, hypertension, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, depression, chronic pain, osteoarthritis, prevention and treatment of osteoporosis, periodontal disease, calcium and other degradations of aging.

One cannot get enough vitamin D from food intake per day, so obtaining it from supplements may be necessary. Cholecalciferol vitamin D3 is the supplement to take.”

So with Spring approaching, try and get out and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine and also have a chat with your doctor about ensuring that you are getting sufficient vitamins in order to ensure that your body is fit enough to fight or trying to keep colitis symptoms at bay.