Colitis

What Is It?

Colitis is inflammation of the bowel with symptoms very similar to Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis and IBS.

Colitis is often the term given to the generalised condition of inflammation the colon, or large intestine. While Crohn’s disease is diagnosed when there are several discrete and non-continuous patches of ulceration and inflammation, anywhere from the throat to the anus, colitis is less specific.

Cause and Effect

Colitis can cause discomfort upon eating and painful peristalsis can make elimination very difficult, with bouts of diarrhoea often the main symptom.

Carbohydrates and sugars have been shown to promote the growth of yeast and bacteria in the intestines which causes imbalance, increasing the risk for ulcerative colitis. Eating red meats, proteins and the consumption of alcohol may also increase the risk of a relapse of the disease.

Infections, poor blood supply and autoimmune reactions can also be linked.

When someone has suffered colitis for a long time, the result can often be an ulcerative colitis (whereby the bowel walls continue to be inflamed with the formation of ulcers). Ulcerative colitis is more common in men, although it can affect women too.

Symptoms of ulcerative colitis can include anaemia, weight loss, fatigue, loss of appetite, joint pain, rectal bleeding, diarrhoea and abdominal pain. Most people experience only mild symptoms, but some people can experience severe symptoms such as nausea, bloody diarrhoea and severe abdominal cramping. Ulcerative colitis can go into remission for many years and then return.

Juice Pharmacy Recommendations

What to Avoid

All processed, overcooked and starchy food, refined sugar, meat products, carbonated sugary drinks, tea, coffee, alcohol and smoking.

What to Include

A live, raw, fresh diet will help soothe and improve this condition. Following a ‘juice only’ plan for a short period of time may also prove helpful in alleviating symptoms, but always consult with your doctor. Juice boosts, super foods and anything containing soil-based organisms (SBOs) can be helpful in controlling irritating bacteria and micro-organisms like candida albicans (which has been suspected of contributing to this condition). The same dietary approach and juices recommended for treating Crohn’s disease can be useful for colitis too, particularly during a flare-up. As well as the ingredients listed below, you many also find wheatgrass, barley grass, cantaloupe melon, nectarines and aloe vera (blended with carrots so not to irritate) helpful in treating colitis.

Bananas - Bananas can soothe an inflamed colon which are easily digested - by the time the waste matter enters the colon, it has collected a mucosal load which helps to soothe and calm the irritated bowel wall. Bananas are highly nutritious and especially useful when your appetite is affected by the condition.

Cabbage - Cabbage juice can work wonders for digestive problems. Studies have shown that cabbage juice can be very effective in treating ulcers - as far back as the 1950s, a study carried out by Dr Garnett Cheyney from Stanford University School of Medicine found that 13 patients treated with freshly extracted cabbage juice all healed within a very short time. The amino acid glutamine was thought to be the anti-ulcer property in cabbage which encouraged the growth and regeneration of the cells that line the digestive tract. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov  Try adding cabbage to your juices or a cabbage shot (see below).

Coconut - There have been a number of reports highlighting the benefits of coconut and coconut oil for people who suffer with colitis and other bowel diseases.

Probiotics - These have also been used as a natural treatment for ulcerative colitis. Considered safe with no significant side effects, probiotics introduce ‘good’ bacteria into the intestines which may help control the potentially ‘bad’ bacteria which improve the health of the lining of the bowel and reduce inflammation.

Spinach - The high fibre content in spinach makes it a remarkable intestinal tract scrubber. It cleans out the system by removing accumulated waste in the digestive tracts by its mildly laxative effect. More importantly, it also repairs, heals and nourishes the tracts and tones up their functions. It is also excellent for constipation, colitis, poor digestion and stomach ulcers.

The Juice Recipes

Shot: The Cabbage Shot
1 Apple
¼ Small Red Cabbage
Juice and down in one.

Juice: Stomach Soother
2 Apples
½ Red Cabbage
⅓ Cucumber
Ice
Juice together and pour over ice.

Digestive Aid - taken from the Funky Fresh Juice Book
3cm Slice of Pineapple (peeled)
2cm Chunk of Fresh Ginger Root
2cm Chunk of Fennel
⅓ Medium Lemon
½ Medium Pear
1 Small Handful of Fresh Mint
Juice everything except the mint. You can either pour the juice into a blender, add the mint and blend. Or to save having to wash the blender, you can simply chop the mint very finely, add to the juice and stir.

Disclaimer

Please note, it is impossible to give a definitive list as what supports one person can be a trigger food or allergen for another. You must stay your own juice detective at all times and listen to how your own body responds to certain foods and always consult with your healthcare provider when making changes to your diet which may affect your medication. Please be aware that we are not doctors, so it is important to consult with your GP or medical practitioner BEFORE making any changes to your diet. The suggestions above are not meant as an alternative to any current medical treatment so please DO NOT stop taking any medications you are on. They are also not an endorsement of their effectiveness, or a recommendation that they should be followed but instead, are provided for informational purposes. None of the information on the Natural Juice Therapy site is intended or implied to treat, cure or prevent any condition or disease.

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