Colitis is Inflammation of the Colon. When you get treatment from the Doctor, the main method is the use of anti-inflammatory drugs. These either calm down the inflammation in a specific area for which Mesalazine is commonly used, or to turn off the body’s immune reactions with a drug like Azathioprine. These are effective ways of treatment but Drugs do tend to have side effects when used long term and they are not addressing the root causes of the inflammation.

Inflammation is the immune systems way of alerting you to that fact that something in the body is wrong. The symptoms are often localised, however the problem is a whole body issue which is just showing up in one place – probably where there was already a genetic predisposition to weakness. Often with Colitis there is tiredness associated and also aching joints which are signs of the inflammation showing up in other areas of the body, these symptoms are low level minor pains but are a sign of the underlying unbalance. The body has shifted in to a state of high alert and chronic inflammation is present, when this builds up to an excess then suddenly a Flare Up arrives. It may be stress, or something you eat or drink that triggers the Flare but the underlying situation was already there and these events just triggered things to break out.

The trigger mostly gets the blame for the Flare up, but really it is just the last straw in a cascade of events. Obviously if you know what has triggered a flare before then it is well worth avoiding that thing but it is also very necessary to address the underlying situation.

A lifestyle that has high stress, little exercise and bad diet sets the scene for inflammation to build up inside and when this reaches an unsustainable level then disease symptoms – a flare up – appears. Conversely a lifestyle including moderate exercise, time for relaxation and an anti-inflammatory diet will build up health reserves and reduce levels of inflammation in the body as a whole, thereby reducing the probability of a flare up.

Too much sugar is really bad news for Colitis. There are several reasons for this –

• Excess sugar can cause fermentation in the gut, especially when you have Colitis and your intestinal bacteria are already out of balance. Excessive sugar will feed the bad bacteria in you and allow them to become more prevalent. You will notice this as excess flatulence to begin with gradually becoming fouler smelling, until finally Colitis symptoms will increase and before you know it a Flare Up has begun.
• Damage caused in the body by high sugar levels is known as glycosylation and damages proteins in ways that can cause them to behave in the wrong way, which leads to the body’s immune system identifying them as enemies and attacking. Proteins damaged in this way are known as Advanced Glycation End Products, and the more of them there are inside you the more likely your immune system is to attack them thus causing inflammation and Colitis. It is not just normal sugar – sucrose that you need to be careful with, fruit sugar – fructose in excessive amounts causes the same problems. Many fizzy drinks and sweets have fructose in them as well as normal sugars you would expect.
• Insulin Resistance, which is caused by excess sugar intake, also causes excessive inflammation in the body.

Colitis is thought to be an autoimmune disease. So what is an autoimmune disease?

Autoimmunity is where the body’s immune system reacts against the body, causing excess inflammation in certain parts of the body. In the case of Colitis it is in the gut. But why does it do this?

Our immune systems are designed to react to both unwelcome outside invaders like bacteria and other pathogens, but also to malfunctioning cells, like cancer cells. Unfortunately sometimes the immune system can attack healthy cells, which results in autoimmune diseases like Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s.

One way of looking at the situation is to assume that the immune system is over reacting to things and that it needs to be calmed down, and not boosted in any way. However a better way to describe the condition of Autoimmunity would be to look at it as a situation where the control mechanisms as to where the immune system is directed have malfunctioned, the immune system is still working fine however it is being mis-directed in its efforts and sent to some incorrect places where it is not required. This then leads to problems as the body starts attacking itself. If this is the case then squashing the immune system with drugs is most likely not the best course of action. Perhaps if we can understand the cause of the malfunction we would be better able to solve the problem.

One of the most popular theories as to the current increase in Autoimmune conditions is that we live in too clean and hygienic environments and that we don’t get enough exposure to bugs and bacteria. Most bugs and bacteria contain beta-glucans in their cell walls and these beta glucans stimulate the immune system in such a way as to build up normal healthy immunity. Beta Glucans appear to act as immune system modulators, and may be of use in correcting a misbehaving immune system. Beta Glucans are naturally found in foods like Shitake Mushrooms and Oats.

The balance between Omega 3 and 6 Fatty Acids is another factor that in implicated in gut inflammation. By increasing the intake of Omega 3 in proportion to Omega six the guts over reactivity is turned down. In our modern diet we generally ingest far more Omega 6 than Omega 3; they should ideally be in an equal balance. So eating oily fish and taking omega 3 supplements is a good course of action.

Colitis means Inflammation of the Colon. The cause is not really known but it is thought to be an autoimmune disease. It causes inflammation of the lining of the colon. When the inflammation becomes bad or continues for a long period of time you get really frequent bowel movements- can be 20 times a day, and painful cramping. The cells that make up the lining of the colon can die and ulcers can then form in the colon which causes bleeding which you then discover as blood in your stools or when you wipe. Generally Ulcerative Colitis can be kept under control and there will be no obvious symptoms, but people tend to have regular ‘Flare Ups’ where the symptoms suddenly return. Other symptoms of colitis are tiredness and weight loss which is caused by all the frequent bowel movements meaning you don’t absorb as much from your food. It can be extremely debilitating and when you are having a flare up you really need to rest. It can often be a difficult condition to discuss due to the nature ot the symptoms, but support from family and friends is important especially when you are having a flare up. Colitis is a serious condition and if it gets really bad you may end up in Hospital, as I did once. The worst case scenario is surgical removal of the colon, but in most cases this should not be necessary. The best thing to do if you are diagnosed with colitis is to get things under control and then keep them that way through diet and probiotics.

Inflammation is the underlying cause of Colitis. Colitis literally means Inflammation of the Colon. The chances are that if you have Colitis you will also have other signs of inflammation in the body as a whole such as skin rashes and joint pains. What is going on is that your body’s immune system has got out of control and is working to hard – it’s forgotten when to take a break! And it starts attacking your body by mistake. The main place this is happening if you have Colitis is in your colon, but there may be signs of inflammation elsewhere in the body as well.

If you have colitis you need to work on reducing your inflammation levels which are measured by doctors through a blood test for C-Reactive Protein. There are several ways we can reduce our inflammation such as taking Omega 3 Fish Oils. If you’d like to know more sign up for my free report in the side bar on the right.