Ulcerative Colitis Information

As with other books I have reviewed (Iodine and Overcoming Thyroid Disorders), Brownstein provides his readers with valuable information regarding the nature of a number of related conditions including arthritis, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome and others. He explains the various symptoms and underlying causes. Based on the particular underlying causes, he uses a combination of therapies including natural hormones, vitamins and minerals, allergy elimination, detoxification, diet and water.

One unique aspect of his approach to treating arthritis is that he has observed a connection between arthritis and infection. So in addition to a number of natural therapies, he may combine with them a low dose of antibiotics. He listed a number of diseases that he suspects of having an infectious etiology (cause): Rheumatoid Arthritis, Scleroderma, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Gulf War Syndrome, Vasculitis, Reither's Syndrome, Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, Graves Disease, Polymyalgia Rheumatica, Polymyositis, Juvenile Arthritis, Sjogren's Syndrome, Lupus, Multiple Sclerosis, Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis. In addition, he lists 14 different infectious causes of arthritis.

From the Greek, arthritis means inflammation of the joints. Also a chronic disorder, fibromyalgia is a condition of poor sleep, muscle pain, stiffness and tender trigger points on the body. Those with fibromyalgia often have the diagnosis of other disorders including arthritis and chronic fatigue syndrome. Chronic fatigue syndrome symptoms include: impairment of short-term memory or concentration, sore throat, tender cervical or axillary nodes, muscle pain, multi joint pain without redness or swelling, headaches of a new pattern or severity, unrefreshing sleep, and postexertional malaise lasting more than 24 hours.

Brownstein tests his patients' hormonal levels (thyroid, adrenal, ovarian and testicular), for infection, nutritional deficiencies, heavy metal toxicity and allergies. Dr. Brownstein devotes two chapters on Natural Hormones and refers the reader to his own book, The Miracles of Natural Hormones.

In his chapter on diet, he talks of the macronutrients (fat, carbohydrates and proteins) and points out how Americans have become obese from the pyramid recommendation of low fat and high carbohydrate diet. (Now replaced with http://www.ChooseMyPlate.gov). While he does not agree with Dr. Barry Sears in every point, he recommends much of what he says in Enter the Zone. Brownstein also recommends Sally Fallon's treatment of dietary fats in her book, Nourishing Traditions.

Dr. Brownstein refers to a study that lists the food allergies that can cause arthritic symptoms (listed from most frequent to less frequent): Corn, Wheat, Pork, Oranges, Milk, Oats, Rye, Egg, Beef and Coffee. Environmental allergies include animals, pollens from trees, grass, weeds etc., chemicals and others. He uses NAET (Nambudripod's Allergy Elimination Technique) to diagnosis and treat allergies. It is a combination of applied kinesiology and acupuncture. I believe that allergies may result from consuming these foods or from ingredients used in the growth/production of these foods. There may be multiple reasons why this happens.

Further, Dr. Brownstein outlines general guidelines for nutritional supplements and ways to detox heavy metals. Truly, Brownstein's approach to arthritis and related conditions is holistic, in that it is comprehensive.

In addition to his own extensive medical practice and the data he has gathered over the years, he references other esteemed medical colleagues. In his chapter on Water, he recommends and quotes: F. Batmanghelidj, M.D author of Your Body's Many Cries for Water and ABC of Asthma, Allergies and Lupus. Further, he references Jonathan V. Wright M.D. who wrote the Foreword of this book and is author of numerous books. Throughout the book, Brownstein gives ample case studies to illustrate his approach. He also quotes Thomas Edison who said, "The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest the patient in the care of the human frame, in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease."

Books mentioned in the review can be purchased on http://www.amazon.com.

L-Arginine is an essential amino acid that acts as a building block for proteins in the body. In most of the cases, our body maintains the needful levels of this amino acid on its own. However, during the course of aging, infections, severe burns, injuries etc the body's supply of this essential amino acid gets depleted. Under such circumstances, it is imperative that proper intake of the same should be considered in order to replenish it. It is also useful for patients with different types of health disorders.

There are many benefits associated with intake of L-Arginine. Most common of the L-Arginine Benefits to human body are:

i) Its intake helps inhibit the primary mechanism of aging process. It increases the release of Human Growth Hormone also known as HGH from the pituitary gland.

ii) It has proven benefits for cardiovascular system:

a) It works on improving the blood circulation, increases the ability to exert physically.

b) It helps with vasodilation in patients who have angina.

c) It prevents the occurrence of atherosclerosis and also helps relieve the severity of existing atherosclerosis.

d) By stimulating the production of nitric oxide, it improves circulation of the blood.

e) Its use also helps in prevention of abnormal clotting of the blood by increasing vasodilation.

f) It increases cardiac output and stroke volume.

iii) It lowers the blood pressure in hypertensive patients. It also reverses the bad effects of high blood pressure.

iv) It has specially efficacy to improve the digestive system. It decreases the incidence of gallstones and reduces intestinal permeability. In many cases, it has shown alleviation of gastrointestinal diseases like ulcerative colitis and irritable bowel syndrome.

v) For immune system, it works by preventing viral and bacterial diseases. It also improves the efficacy of cancer treatments.

vi) It helps in reducing hair loss, especially male pattern baldness

vii) It accelerates healing of wounds and burns.

viii) It can benefit men with erectile dysfunction.

ix) It improves memory and aids in loss of excess weight.

Recent studies have revealed that supplemental dosages of Arginine can provide many types of health benefits when taken daily for a 3-month period. In order to boost the effects, in many patients they can be combined with L-citrulline - another essential amino acid. In view of the different nutritional and physical needs, the right L-Arginine Dosage needs to be identified and administered accordingly.

There are many online stores that offer you the supplements for the same. Opt for a reliable store that offers quality products. Online order can also be placed. If you wish to seek an L-Arginine supplement for prevention of a particular health condition, it is imperative that you consult your primary care doctor for right dosage and targeted approach.

Many people diagnosed with ulcerative colitis have already tried prescription drugs and often surgery to combat their illness. In most cases, the medical treatments only work to suppress the symptoms for a while. But since they don't heal the underlying causes of colitis, it is nearly impossible to effect a cure using medical methods.

Ulcerative colitis is usually caused by one or several of the following factors combining synergistically to produce disease. If you go back over your own personal health history, I think you'll find a mix of the following damaging events, that singly or in combination have degraded the health of your gut and immune system:

• 
  Antibiotic Use - any antibiotic therapy that is not followed by full-spectrum probiotic therapy causes lasting, pervasive damage to the bacterial flora of your gastrointestinal tract (from mouth to anus), which in turn leads to increased infestation of yeast, parasites, viruses, bad bacteria and other pathogens. These pathogens degrade the mucosal lining and damage the intestinal wall (symptoms include bloating, gas, inflammation, bleeding, etc.) which leads to Leaky Gut Syndrome, which then triggers allergic and auto-immune response. Certain antibiotic drugs can cause ulcerative colitis all by themselves (like Novo Clindamycin), and the pharmaceutical information that comes with these products even explicitly warns of this. Yet medical doctors continue to prescribe them and also don't follow usage with probiotics.




• 
  Environmental and Food-borne Toxins - processed foods with preservatives, monosodium glutamate (MSG), artificial sweeteners and flavors, nitrites and other proven toxins and carcinogens, microwaved foods, toxins contained in skin care products, shampoos, cosmetics, furniture, carpets, and the air (to name a few sources) all cause cellular and systemic damage.




• 
  Vaccination - childhood, adult, flu vaccines, etc. Causes direct damage to bacterial flora of the gut and long-term, immune system damage. See my article, "Should I Vaccinate My Child?" for details and scientific references.




• 
  Emotional Trauma or Abuse - don't underestimate the damaging effects of abusive or traumatic emotional experiences on the body, and the gut in particular. For some of you, this may be damage from your past that was never resolved/healed, and/or ongoing emotional patterns or experiences that continue to degrade your health daily. Remember that 60% of your body's neurotransmitters are in your gut, not your brain! An excellent book on this topic is When The Body Says No by Gabor Mate, MD.




• 
  Parasites & Pathogenic Microorganisms - if your gut ecology is already weakened or imbalanced, travel to a foreign country or ingestion of tainted food/water can be the 'straw that breaks the camel's back'. If your bacterial flora is already imbalanced with a deficit of beneficial bacteria, then it's very easy for parasites, yeast, molds, bad bacteria, or fungus to flourish. These pathogens then degrade the health of your intestinal mucosal lining, which can result in ulceration, inflammation, bleeding and subsequent damage to your systemic health.

Each of these causative factors - including lesser factors like whether or not you were breastfed, your mother's health while you were in utero, hereditary/genetic weaknesses, heavy metal levels in your body, mercury amalgam fillings in your teeth, pesticide exposure, etc. - will contribute in varying degrees and combinations to your particular pathology. Different people are susceptible to different factors and something that strongly affects your friend adversely, may only mildly affect you adversely. There is seldom just one factor (pathogen) in isolation that causes ulcerative colitis. However, I believe each of us is capable of identifying our own particular pathology, or the causative factors, of our own ill health and then taking the steps that will be particularly healing to each of us.

Once you've identified the underlying root causes of your colitis, you can seek out potent natural remedies to heal each of those causative factors. If infection is the cause of your colitis, then your medical doctor will likely already have put you on antibiotics to wipe out the bad bacteria that are infecting your colon. However, unless this was followed by therapeutic-grade probiotics, then your colon is likely infected again, plus overrun with yeast (Candida albicans), which flourishes following antibiotic usage.

So in this case, you would need a potent natural antibiotic like wild oregano oil, followed by high dose, therapeutic-grade probiotics and a low-sugar diet to prevent relapse. You may also need targeted supplements to repair the damage done to your mucosal lining and intestinal wall - like L-glutamine, aloe vera, N-acetyl glucosamine, deglycyrrhizinated licorice, slippery elm, marshmallow root, etc.

Lastly, you need to keep in mind that natural healing is not quick. Since it is healing the actual cause(s) of your colitis (which no doubt took a long time to build up in your body), this healing and balancing will take some time. You know that if you cut your finger open, for example, it will not heal immediately, but takes time to heal. In addition, your body will simultaneously be cleansing and detoxing from pathogens, drug residues, and other toxins, and this also takes time.

But if you truly want to 'cure' your colitis - not just suppress the symptoms, or experience short-term remissions - then natural, holistic healing is the pathway to success. Yes. it takes time. This is why I call it a "Healing Journey", but it is so very worth it.

Explosive diarrhea after eating is not pleasant: you go out to a restaurant, and enjoy a beautiful meal but within a half hour you start to feel stomach cramps, and that horrible feeling in your bowels that something is about to happen!

I am sure you know the feeling - we all get it now and again, but some of us a lot more than others. The cramps get worse, and you have to rush to the rest room where you have explosive diarrhea. The problem is that you never know when you are finished, and it can be extremely embarrassing. Wouldn't you just love to have that cured?

Of course you would, and there are a few possible reasons for diarrhea after eating, such as allergy to the gluten in many foods, although the most common is IBS, or irritable bowel syndrome to give it its Sunday name. This is a condition that affects up to 20% of all Americans.

The root cause of IBS usually is not a single trigger but a complex set of triggers, with explosive diarrhea after eating as one of the main symptoms. IBS can be tied with celiac disease, which is an intolerance to the gluten protein in some grains such as wheat. It is difficult to know where the beginning starts with these types of digestive issues, thus it is a condition that has to be targeted from several directions.

Main stream medicine has trouble diagnosing IBS, because it has such similar symptoms as several other digestive disorders. In fact IBS not only causes diarrhea, but can also cause the exact opposite: severe constipation. The way that IBS is generally diagnosed is to test with very invasive procedures for all other known causes of the symptoms, and once none are left it must be IBS. How unscientific! No wonder that the best remedies for you are natural ones. Let's discuss a few alternative diarrhea cures that you can try.

1. Your diet. It is probably worth while trying a gluten free diet just to make sure that is not the cause. Lactose can also cause similar symptoms, so if you keep free of these for a week or so and the symptoms disappear, then you could have found your cure. However, celiac disease occurs in only 1 in each 133 of the population: a long way away from 20%!

2. Eating a lot of fruit and vegetables can help some people. You might feel tempted to increase your fiber intake, but that can often cause symptoms of bloating and gas. Many find that bananas can help both the diarrhea and constipation symptoms of IBS. Many people swear by them, and so are worth a try. The high potassium content of bananas helps replace potassium that is lost through diarrhea, and also helps in the proper formation of stools. Juiced greens also seem to be an effective treatment for some.

3. Activated charcoal absorbs gas and toxins, and helps your stool to form properly.

4. Garlic is useful in that it helps to remove parasites and mucus from your colon, and fights infections in the gut. It also expels gas, and a combination of all of these effects can help relieve some of the symptoms of your condition. A side-benefit of garlic is that it is also good for your heart!

5. Slippery elm taken with a lot of water can coat the colon, and treat chronic diarrhea and ulcerative colitis. It appears to soothe and heal your whole gastro-intestinal tract and help you to form normal stools.

6. Where children are involved, agrimony and meadowsweet are very useful because they are mild but effective herbal remedies for explosive diarrhea after eating, and meadowsweet is both astringent and nutritious for children.

Diarrhea after eating can also be caused by drinking too much alcohol, infections from contaminated food or water, parasites and also emotional stress and other similar conditions. An example of one of the minor causes is withdrawal from some forms of prescription painkillers.

However, most of these cause only temporary diarrhea which goes when the condition is cured. Nevertheless some other natural remedies reflect one or two of these other causes. So, to continue:

7. Stress relieving herbs such as catnip and chamomile are particularly effective in treating IBS and other conditions of the bowel, and far more effective that St. John's Wort for this condition. Kava kava and valerian are useful in dealing with general stress: in fact kava kava is increasing in popularity, and can relax you without affecting your mental alertness. Hops also help to reduce stress, but not in the form of beer!

8. Finally, probiotic drinks and supplements can increase the volume of friendly bacteria in your gut, and improve your digestion in general as well as regulating the function of your bowel.

All of these remedies are a good place to start for overcoming explosive diarrhea after eating. They are easy to try, and actually aid your body in healing, unlike many of the manufactured chemical drugs that can have severe side effects, only address the symptoms and not the root causes, and can even make your condition worse.

While main stream medicine still does not recognize the causes of IBS and struggles to give definitive diagnoses, if you are struggling with diarrhea after eating or other digestive disturbances, you can try these natural remedies since they are easy to take and give good results. They have been recommended after countless years of successful use by untold numbers of people that have gone before us.

Most of us flirt with the risk factors for bowel cancer. How many of us don't exercise enough; eat the wrong foods and have bad habits such as drinking and smoking that are not conducive to good health? How many of us are stressed in our high powered lifestyles and don't seem to have enough time to exercise or prepare healthy meals?

So what are the risk factors for bowel cancer and what can we do about them.
The main risk factor of bowel cancer is age.

* 83% of people who get bowel cancer are over the age of 60yrs.
* Poor diet.
* Lack of exercise.
* Smoking.
* Being over the age of 50. (risk increases with age)
* You have a family history of bowel cancer.
* If you have ever had Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis.
* If you have previously had polyps called adenomas in your bowel.

So, if 83% of people who get bowel cancer are over the age of 60 years and I'm well under that, I'm safe, right? Not exactly, there's still17% left who get bowel cancer below that age and some in their 20's.

So what to do? For a start, if you are approaching 60years old, book yourself in for a colonoscopy. Who knows they may find nothing, on the other hand they may find something that can be dealt with before it gets serious. For those younger, be vigilant and look for any signs and symptoms that may manifest themselves.

Fortunately bowel cancer is fairly slow in developing; unfortunately it doesn't show symptoms until it's developed. Therefore, the earlier you go to the doctor, if any symptoms do occur, the better for your long term survival.

Poor diet, something a lot of us suffer from. Whether it be fast food for convenience sake or those yummy snacks we eat when we are probably not even hungry, it doesn't matter, they take their toll. For a start this type of food will probably be high in fat or processed to death. Take your pick, neither is good. Fresh vegetables and fruit are a good start on the road to good eating habits. Plenty of fibre and water to get the flow going is another plus on the road to good eating habits. There are plenty of books on the subject, go out and find them and educate yourself.

Lack of exercise, another pastime we often ignore, especially when we are asleep in front of the TV. You don't have to be a marathon runner to exercise. Walking is extremely good for you.10,000 steps a day is fantastic. Get yourself one of those step counters and clip it to your belt and see how much you walk in a single day. Some will be pleasantly surprised and some will be disappointed. The good thing is it's a simple way to define and reach your goal. Be good to yourself and use the stairs, walk the dog, walk to the shops and leave the car at home. Do any sort of walking to get your 10,000 steps and you are heading toward the healthy zone.

My next article will finish off the risk factors we started in this article.

Manifestations of different colitis symptoms can vary in severity. Colitis symptoms are very similar to those of pathological hemorrhoid and without proper diagnosis, are easily mistaken to be cases of infected hemorrhoids. Colitis symptoms include abdominal pains, fatigue, nausea, loss of appetite, diarrhea, cramping of gastrointestinal muscles, tenesmus, and bloating.

Colitis symptoms manifest in several physical conditions such as tenderness of the entire abdomen, abrupt weight loss, more frequent bowel habits, fever, excretion of bloody stools, and distension.

As the name implies, colitis refers to the inflammation of the colon. However, it can also be used to describe the inflammation of the large intestine in general which encompasses cecum, colon, and rectum. Colitis can be acute and restricted to itself, or chronic. It can be caused by several factors such as underlying infections, poor blood supply, or a weakened immune system.

The colon, in particular, collects and temporarily stores the waste products of food digestion. It is a long tube made of smooth muscles, that pushes undigested food through the anus for excretion. This process is collectively called the bowel movement. However, when the walls of the colon get irritated and inflamed, the movement of the bowels through the canal creates further pressure and friction on the walls. This, in turn, makes the underlying tissues more inflamed, ultimately leading to what is known as colitis.

The colon is situated within the abdominal cavity and is divided into segments - the cecum, the ascending and descending colons, and the rectum. The end part of the colon is the segment most prone to developing colitis since it contains more concentration of tissues and membranes. The colitis in this area eventually ends up as the hemorrhoids in the anus. As the canal runs through the end, the walls tend to be more susceptible to underlying infections that causes colitis symptoms to be felt.

The wall of the colon is made up of different layers. First, there is a smooth muscle layer, which wraps the exterior and is responsible for squeezing and pushing the waste products all the way through the colon. The inner layers, also called as mucosa, touches these fluid waste products, which will then absorb remaining water and electrolytes in it, thus solidifying it into feces. It is in the mucosal layer where the colon inflammation occurs and serves as one of the stages where colitis symptoms manifest.

Colitis symptoms are identified and diagnosed through a physical examination, and laboratory tests including medical imaging, such as x-rays, and colonoscopy.

Since colitis symptoms are similar to hemorrhoids, relief could be achieved through the same three natural ways used in treating infected hemorrhoids. These treatments involve eating foods that are rich in fiber, such as green leaf vegetables and fruit, in order to induce proper digestion and bowel movement. Natural products like apple cider vinegar and Cayenne pepper can help mitigate internal bleeding and prevent further infection. Natural herbs promote good digestion and help maintain a healthy digestive tract.

A Zinc PCA Shampoo provides several benefits to those experiencing hair loss or chronically oily hair. Zinc helps regulate and control sebaceous glands that secrete oil onto our scalp and hair. Equally effective, Zinc PCA also helps block DHT, a primary cause of male hair loss.

Zinc L-Pyrrolidone Carboxylic Acid has several important functions on skin and scalp. It comes in the form of salt as well as Zinc PCA. As Zinc PCA, functions to inhibit catalase to limit the production of DHT (Dihydroxytestostosterone). DHT is responsible for sebaceous gland production of sebum as well as constricting blood flow to the scalp. When this chemical compound slows the oil production in the perifollicular sebaceous glands, it effectively also controls and lowers the cause of the oily feeling of hair.

Other benefits include the static properties against bacteria and fungi. In this way it secondarily controls odor that arises from bacterial overgrowth. While it controls sebum production, it moisturizes through other chemical reactions. This makes a Zinc PCA shampoo excellent for several applications - controlling oily scalp and hair, helping stop hair loss, and as an active ant-fungal.

Where Is Zinc Found?

The trace elements can be obtained through diet. Any fish, if you eat it two to three times a week will provide you with enough minimum levels that you shouldn't have to take supplements or vitamins. Shellfish have especially large amounts of zinc in it. It can also be found in oysters, Veal liver, and in wheat germ. Seeds, like watermelon seeds, pumpkin or sesame seeds will provide adequate amounts as will dark chocolate.

There are many sources from which you can get your daily recommended amounts. Remember that it is a trace element. This means that only a trace amount of it is needed to fulfill the body's requirement for it. However, if there is any doubt that you may be deficient, an all-around diet supplements will help you restore any deficiency.

Who May Be At Risk Of Oily Hair or Hair Loss Through Zinc Deficiency

Most people do not have to worry about vitamin or mineral deficiencies. However, if you are battling certain illnesses, such as sickle cell disease, or if you have had GI surgery due to Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis, you may want to be sure to take supplements. These surgeries involve removal or alteration of certain parts of the intestine, thereby compromising absorption abilities that occur through the bowels.

Vegetarians and Alcoholics may experience zinc deficiencies. The vegetarian may be deficient because of the decreased availability of zinc, which is found in much greater concentrations in meat and fish than in legumes, grains and vegetables. The alcoholic may be deficient because his metabolism has changed so that re-absorption of zinc through the GI system has been reduced and elimination via urine increased.

Zinc PCA And Hair

With its enzymatic activity, a Zinc PCA shampoo will suppress the production of oil in the sebaceous glands. It is those sebum producing glands that express oil along the hair shaft, giving it an oily feeling and look. Not only does it inhibit excess oil production, but it will also absorb some of the oil already on the scalp. In this way it keeps hair better looking, healthier and keeps the scalp from becoming infected with bacteria as well. Zinc also inhibits the action of 5-alpha-reductace, the enzyme that produces DHT. DHT is a testosterone derivative which is much higher in males than in females. In short, a Zinc PCA shampoo suppresses sebum production in the scalp.

Whilst there appears little connection between a poor quality diet and the diagnosis of colitis, diet does have a significant role to play during both periods of flare up and remission. Through careful awareness of the effects of diet on the bowel, a sufferer can still enjoy a varied diet for colitis whilst in remission and another for periods of attack that will not compound the symptoms.

It is often the case that as soon as people hear about the medical condition of colitis they immediately conclude that a sufferer's diet will have to change beyond recognition and that all fibre should be eliminated. They view fibre as the last food group that a sufferer should inflict on their ulcerated large colon. This common misunderstanding could not be further from reality as it should be recognised that there are actually two distinct types of fibre.

The two types of fibre have differing effects on someone diagnosed with colitis. Soluble fibre is in fact helpful for colitis and should be encouraged in its use as it is broken down and digested in the large colon. The result of this is the production of soft stools and has the benefit of not producing the type of particles that can adhere to the wall of the large colon and ultimately cause inflammation. Included in the variety of soluble fibre that a colitis sufferer can eat are fruits such as apples and pears plus root vegetables including potatoes and carrots. Just remember that they must all be peeled to avoid the problematic fibre in the skins. Oat bran can be eaten such as porridge plus the use of white rice in savoury dishes.

In complete contrast to this, insoluble fibre can have the unfortunate affect of inflaming colitis and thus steps should be taken to avoid it if possible. The difference is that this type of fibre passes through the entire digestive tract without being digested. The result of this is that there is a tendency for it to adhere to the wall of the large colon. This can have the effect of irritating it and thus increase the chance of aggravating the ulceration. This is particularly important to avoid during the period of a flare up. A high fibre diet is made up of insolubles and includes the peel of fruits and vegetables plus broccoli, cabbage and sweet corn. You should be aware that wheat bran which is found in wholemeal bread and several breakfast cereals should be avoided.

Another beneficial food group to include in a diet for colitis is fish oils especially from oily fish such as sardines. It is acknowledged that fish oil has a beneficial effect in reducing inflammation generally plus also it is a soluble foodstuff that easily passes through the bowel. It should be noted that eating actual fish rather than fish oil supplements will be far more beneficial to the colitis sufferer.

Plus also, another factor in a diet for colitis that should be examined is the amount of consumption of dairy products such as milk, cream and cheese. Whilst it is not essential to eliminate this food group from the diet, it is well advised to lower present consumption to reduce the chance of the build up of lactose in the colon, which unfortunately has the effect of encouraging the production of unhelpful bacteria that can result in inflammation.

It should be recognised that an effective diet for colitis does not necessarily suggest a heavily restricted choice. In fact, when in remission, the sufferer can enjoy a diet as close to normal as possible though this has to change when a flare up occurs. It is then that there has to be even more vigilance about what is eaten and the resultant effect it has on the bowel activity.

The famous Greek physician Hippocrates said, "All disease begins in the gut." 70% of your immune system resides in the gut, there are more nerve cells in the small intestine alone than in the brain and spinal chord combined and every single chemical produced in the brain is also made in the gut. If you are having trouble losing weight this could actually be an imbalance in the bacterial colonies in your intestine!

Your digestion is a key factor in achieving optimal health.

The bowel transit time test is an easy and inexpensive way to assess your gut function. To perform the test do the following: Ingest six 250mg capsules of activated charcoal (inert substance that will stain your stool black or gray), 翹 cup of unpopped popcorn, or 翹 ounce of a liquid vegetable dye following completion of the largest meal of the day. Make a note of the exact time. After each bowel movement the stools should be observed. Log the time when you first visualize a sign of the substance and continue until the substance has completely disappeared in successive bowel movements. The total time from the ingestion of the substance until complete disappearance is then recorded as your bowel transit time.

Normal bowel transit time is 18-24 hours. If your transit time is longer than 24 hours you may have a toxic bowel, poor muscular tone of the bowel, enlarged colon, dysbiosis (bacterial colonies are out of balance), leaky gut, dehydration, hypothyroidism, low stomach acid production, pancreatic enzyme insufficiency, gall bladder dysfunction, or adrenal stress.

If your transit time is less than 18 hours you may have malabsorption, parasites, gluten intolerance, bacterial or viral infection, sympathetic nervous system overdrive, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis or acute poisoning.

Repeat the test in 3-5 days to see if your results are consistent. This can provide valuable data about not only your gut function but your overall health. If you perform this test please mark your findings and bring them to your next appointment. Your gut function must be working well to balance the rest of the systems of your body. A stool test may be required to evaluate the specific type of parasite you may have or to pinpoint any of the other imbalances showing up on your home test.

Try this easy and inexpensive test today!

Once the sufferer has endured the worst of a colitis relapse, their strength slowly returns and having no doubt been confined to indoors for a period of time, they will be anxious to get out and start living life to the full again. Unfortunately, if key points are not understood and adhered to, the colitis symptoms that were so painful and discomforting to endure, could well make a fast reappearance.

Having been stuck indoors for several weeks, the feeling of freedom can be amazing. Now that you have entered the phase where the discomfort has disappeared, it really can feel wonderful to be outside again and undertake the little things that you would normally take for granted. The sense of being able to undertake usual daily activities again without any discomfort, reintroduce your normal diet, every thing that you normally take for granted when well. But you must be on your guard.

It is essential to be very cautious about what you do and undertake until you know that the relapse had ended completely and that the inflammation of the colon had reduced entirely. It is not the case to assume that once the symptoms such as the passing of frequent diarrhea and blood have stopped that the sufferer can assume that the relapse has passed and life can begin as normal once again. The inflammation of the colon takes many weeks to be eliminated through the use of medication such as steroids and therefore whilst the symptoms may have reduced or disappeared, the safe haven of remission mode has not as yet been reached.

The effective action to take in the short term is the very cautious approach. Reintroduce daily activities back into your life very slowly in a restrained way so as not to put too much mental and physical pressure on your body. Yet some sufferers do not do this and before they have enjoyed the start of remission their health takes a downward turn. Through incorrect advice that they receive, their own actions, their lack of understanding of colitis and lack of appreciation of how strong this disease is in fighting back colitis makes an unwanted return.

The cause can be incorrectly returning to your work far too soon. And whilst the pressure to return to work will most likely exist, the sufferer must consider the impact it will have on their recovery and overall health. Through undertaking both physical and mental tasks far too soon, and it is so easy to do this, there is the increasing chance that the relapse will not be given the full opportunity to pass whereby colitis symptoms could re-emerge. There requires to be more rest taken than usual when in the early days of remission to give the body greater time to recover and ease back into the pattern of everyday life. Ignorance of this can be very costly.

It is imperative to realize that one of the most susceptible times for a colitis sufferer is the period just after a relapse has died down. There may not be the feeling of any discomfort any longer, in fact the sufferer might be feeling really quite well again, but that does not mean they are out of the immediate danger zone. By using the knowledge of other colitis sufferers they can find the answers to avoid unintentionally provoking what were dying colitis symptoms into a second life.