Did you know that your digestive tract is the size of a small football pitch?

If you’ve got colitis then this football pitch sized bodily organ has become damaged at one or various points along its enormous area. When the cells of the digestive tract become damaged it makes the digestive tract more permeable – hence the term Leaky Gut. When your gut is leaky like this it can let through the digestive wall some incompletely digested food particles.

Some research has been done into the link between IBD and Intestinal Permeability and one study found that Crohns patients had a six fold increase in intestinal permeability.

A leaky gut can lead to food sensitivities as any food particles leaking out of the digestive tract may cause an immune response in the body, leading to inflammation. Elemental diets where patients are fed a diet of pure nutrients have been shown to bring about a reduction in intestinal permeability. Researchers have also found that low-allergenic diets where grains and dairy are avoided can produce welcome relief from Ulcerative Colitis.

How to fix a leaky gut?

There are several steps we can take to heal a leaky gut –

• Initially identify any foods you may be allergic to or have intolerance to. Try a York Test which is a pin prick blood test that you can do at home. A small blood sample is sent away to a lab where they test it to look for any anti bodies to specific foods. It will tell you if you have any food intolerances.
• Next you need to get some probiotics in there, to correct any in balance between the good and bad bacteria, and correct any Dysbiosis in the gut. You need more good than bad!  A good Probiotic is Primal Defense or VSL-3. Probiotics have been shown in several medical studies to be very helpful in the treatment of colitis.
• Get some l-glutamine powder, glutamine is an amino acid which is very useful for healing the digestive tract. Glutamine is the preferred ‘fuel’ for the cells lining the mucosa of the small intestine called enterocytes. These cells have the ability to take up glutamine directly rather than waiting for it to be supplied through the blood stream. Glutamine is also required for the production of both intestinal mucus and Secretary Immunoglobulin Type A (SIgA). As a result of these functions, a good supply of glutamine will help repair  a leaky gut. Glutamine also has the benefit of helping to prevent bacteria from getting from the gut to the bloodstream. You can buy l-Glutamine powder, or try juicing Cabbage as this is a good source of Glutamine.

Ulcerative Colitis Breakthrough

A study at Pennsylvania State University on Mice showed that there is a connection between Vitamin D deficiency and Ulcerative Colitis. Vit D deficiency was shown to worsen Colitis symptoms, and also treatment with Vit D for only two weeks brought about an improvement.

Vitamin D deficiency is also known to be more common in people who have inflammatory bowel disease. There is also research showing that Vitamin D helps in other autoimmune conditions like MS and Arthritis.

So why do people become deficient? Well we primarily produce our own Vitamin D from sunlight and the further you live from the equator the more likely you are to become deficient. There is also a correlation between incidences of Autoimmune diseases and the amount of sunlight people get.

Therefore more sunshine is a great idea, but in winter we need other ways to get it.

Oily fish are a good source of vitamin D, and you can take supplements as well. Apparently we need about 30mcg a day and if you eat a few portions of oily fish a week and get some sun every day for half an hour that should give you about 15mcg. Therefore supplementing with 15mcg of Vitamin D a day seems to be a good idea.

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.

So what is the best Diet to eat if you have Ulcerative Colitis ?

Personally I find that eating like a Cave Man helps my symptoms to pretty much vanish!

Take a look at the video below for a quick and concise introduction to Paleolithic eating.

Colitiscope: Living with Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis

Now this is a weird one but it looks rather promising -

not just for Colitis but for all autoimmune diseases,

It involves ingesting a friendly parasite called a Helminthic worm !

How weird is that? Check out this video and see what you think.

While no one single cause of Ulcerative Colitis in currently known ideas are emerging as to number of different factors which together seem to lead to inflammation of the colon i.e. Colitis.

They are -

A genetically inherited predisposition towards inflammation in the body.
A Leaky Gut, caused by increased intestinal permeability.
Bacterial Dysbiosis, where the friendly bacteria in the gut become outnumbered by bad bacteria.
Possible food allergies or intolerances to specific foods.
Eating too many foods which increase inflammation and not enough foods that reduce inflammation.

So even though we don’t have one overall cause, it is interesting to see from this list that there are things we can do to help ourselves, such as – Eating an anti inflammatory diet, taking Probiotics to reverse Dysbiosis, Taking steps to heal a leaky gut and finding out if we have any food allergies/sensitivities.

Here is what I do if my Ulcerative Colitis Flares Up –

1. Take Probiotics in particular VSL-3 which is specifically formulated for Ulcerative Colitis, and in one medical study at The University of Alberta UC patients were given 8 sachets a day for 6 weeks and this produced remission in 77% of them. Also get some Kefir Grains and make your own Kefir with Goats Milk, which is easy to do and provides you with a nourishing drink which is packed with probiotics. Another good Probiotic supplement for Colitis Primal Defense Ultra it’s cheaper than VSL-3
2. Drink Fangocur it is a  clay based mineral drink which is a highly effective natural remedy for Ulcerative Colitis. It has been studied at the Medical University if Vienna and was found to be effective in the treatment of Ulcerative Colitis. It fights inflammation of the intestinal wall and reduces diarrhoea.
3. Diet, No Sugar or Alcohol at all, Best to avoid fruit too with the possible exception of the odd banana. Chicken Stock Soup is soothing and nutritious in a flare up recipe here. Avoid all grains, beans and potatoes, with the exception of rice. Eat Chicken and Fish but when you cook them only steam or boil, absolutely no frying. Vegetables are ok if well cooked , again steam them well, but avoid the really fibrous root ones like swede, and also tomatoes and peppers. Avoid all dairy products,I find they make any bleeding worse – except Kefir and home made probiotic yogurt. Don’t overeat, have lots of small meals little and often is best.
4. Take these Herbs – Boswellia, Turmeric and Ashwaganda, all are very effective anti inflammatories, in one study Ashwaganda was shown to be a stronger anti inflammatory that steroids.
5. Elemental Drinks – These are a form of feeding which is completely absorbed in the small intestine, and therefore give the colon a rest whilst still providing nourishment. They have been used in medical studies to induce remission in UC as successfully as steroids. I have had Elemental 028 from my Doctor and they really help in the midst of a Flare Up. You can also get Absorb Plus on the Web.
6. Omega 3 Fish Oils are another excellent anti inflammatory, take 4g of them a day.

Once things settle down, continue with Probiotics, Omega3, and Boswellia & Turmeric. Reintroduce more foods but follow a paleolithic diet for autoimmunity. It is also worth having a Igg antibody test for food in-tolerances done in case there is any food which is triggering your Colitis.

Nutrition can be useful in the treatment of Ulcerative Colitis in many ways –

• Colitis Sufferers require excellent nutrition to strengthen themselves after a Colitis episode, the right kind of diet which is nutritious and helps reduce inflammation is very useful. Many people find eating a Paleo type diet helpful.
• Vitamins are  very useful during recovery; a multi vitamin as well as Vitamins C E & D can be very helpful in treating Colitis. But take Vitamin C as Calcium Ascorbate not Ascorbic Acid as it may cause pain.
• Calcium – Following a Flare up which has been treated with Prednisolone it is a definately a  good idea to take calcium pills if you doctor is not already providing them. Calcium helps prevent osteoporosis which can be a side effect of steroids like Prednisolone. It also helps to reduce Diarrhea.
• Iron – If there has been bleeding during a flare up you may become anaemic and need to boost your Iron Levels. This is often done by an Iron Infusion as Iron pills can sometimes upset Colitis symptoms.
• Omega 3 Fatty Acids are an excellent supplement for staying in remission- they are anti inflammatory and Colitis is an Inflammatory Condition, so anything to reduce inflammation is a winner.
• Herbs – such as Boswellia and Turmeric  are very useful in reducing inflammation in the body as a whole.
• Probiotics – Either as supplements or in the form of Kefir made with Goats Milk. Probiotics are excellent at improving the good bacteria in the Gut and reducing inflammation.