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Digestive Diseases Begin in the Colon

June 25, 2009 By

The first sign that something may be seriously wrong with you is when you experience every type of irritating digestive problem you can imagine: intense abdominal pain, diarrhea, gas, depression, rapid weight loss, joint pain, acid reflux, fever and fatigue. These could be the warning signs of a much more serious problem with your digestive system and your body overall functionality and health. If you don’t take steps to treat digestive issues, you put yourself at risk for more health problems. Some warning signs that your disease has spread are the leaking of toxic poisons into your kidneys, skin and lungs, chronic bad breath, headaches, and fatigue, loss of bowel control, and your eyes take on dark circles. You may even gain or lose weight rapidly from the toxins in your colon.

If you are struggling with any of these symptoms on a consistent basis, most likely you are suffering from diverticulitis, ulcerative colitis, crohn’s disease, or IBS. The good news is that you are not alone, as hundreds of thousands of people around the world struggle with these chronic digestive diseases every day. These diseases are characterized by inflammation of the colon, and are a group of conditions which are inflammatory and auto-immune, affecting the tissue that lines the gastrointestinal system.

There are theories about what causes chronic digestive diseases like ulcerative colitis,  Crohn’s Disease or IBS, but none have been scientifically proven. The most popular theory is that the body’s immune system overreacting to a virus or bacterium by causing ongoing inflammation in the intestinal wall. It is also believed that the cause of diverticular diseases is a low-fiber diet. But this is also a theory. The specific causes of chronic diseases are still vastly unknown, but the effects are not. These diseases are destroying the colon and intestinal system. If they aren’t treated, they will kill you.

In the more severe cases, patients may require surgery to remove the diseased colon. Traditional Western medical professionals often view surgery as a cure, but they tend to agree that it should only be considered in the most serious cases, when all other possibilities have been exhausted. There are alternatives. A natural healing supplement, AloeElite, can help lengthen periods of remission by naturally supporting the immune system and bringing the body to a more normal level of functionality through the ingestion of aloe vera pills.

AloeElite is a healing supplement that benefits every cell, tissue and organ in the body. The healing ingredient in AloeElite, Aloe Mucilaginous Polysaccharide, goes to work as a potent anti-inflammatory within the aloe vera pills. It will help eliminate diarrhea, bring the body back to a more normal functionality, act as an intercellular antioxidant, and it will rebuild and repair the protective mucosa lining throughout the digestive tract and mends the damaged tissue in the colon. Most people who use AloeElite have moderate to severe ulcerative colitis and have a 97 to 98 percent success rate. If you are suffering from digestive diseases and need relief, go to www.aloeelite.com to order your bottle today.

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10 Tips on Dietary Fiber

October 25, 2007 By

10 Tips on Dietary Fiber

  1. Keep in mind that a high-fiber diet may tend to improve:
    • Chronic constipation
    • Coronary heart disease
    • Hemorrhoids
    • Diabetes mellitus
    • Diverticular disease
    • Elevated cholesterol
    • Irritable bowel syndrome
    • Colorectal cancer
  2. Try to double your daily fiber intake.
    • Average American intake: 10-15 grams per day
    • Recommended intake: 20-35 grams per day
  3. Understand what fiber is, where it comes from:
    • Insoluble fiber
      • Cereals
      • Wheat/wheat bran
      • Whole grains
    • Soluble fiber
      • Brans
      • Fruit
      • Oatmeal/oat bran
      • Psyllium
      • Vegetables
  4. Substitute high-fiber foods for high-fat and low-fiber foods.
  5. Keep your daily fiber intake stable. Consider a fiber supplement if you:
    • Travel
    • Eat away from home often
    • Find it difficult to get enough fiber through food choices alone
  6. Don’t shock your system: Increase fiber levels in your diet gradually.
  7. Always increase fluids (water, soup, broth, juices) when you increase fiber.
  8. Add both soluble and insoluble fiber, from a variety of sources.
  9. Compare fiber content of foods:
    Grams of Fiber
    Bowl of thick vegetable (minestrone) soup 1
  10. Choose foods high in fiber content.
    Fruits and Vegetables
    Highest in Fiber Per Serving
    Fruits
    Artichokes
    Apples, pears (with skin)
    Berries (blackberries, blueberries, raspberries)
    Dates
    Figs
    Prunes    		 Vegetables
    Beans (baked, black, lima, pinto)
    Broccoli
    Chick-peas
    Lentils
    Parsnips Peas
    Pumpkin
    Rutabaga
    Squash (winter)
    Other Good Fiber Choices

Eating high-fiber foods is a healthy choice for most people. If you have ever received medical treatment for a digestive problem, however, it is very important that you check with your doctor to find out if a high-fiber diet is the right choice for you.

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Diverticulitis diet: What should I eat after an attack?

October 2, 2007 By

What is the appropriate diet for a person recovering from a mild attack of diverticulitis?

Answer

Diverticulitis occurs when small, bulging pouches (diverticula) in your digestive tract become infected and inflamed — causing severe abdominal pain, fever and nausea. Treatment of diverticulitis depends on the severity of your symptoms and whether this is your first attack. Mild cases of diverticulitis can be treated with changes in diet, rest and antibiotics. Severe cases may eventually require surgery to remove the diseased portion of your colon.

During a mild attack of diverticulitis, your doctor may recommend a clear liquid diet or a low-fiber diet. This helps the area of infection to heal.

Foods allowed on a clear-liquid diet include:

  • Plain water
  • Fruit juices without pulp
  • Broth (bouillon or consumme)
  • Gelatin
  • Popsicles without bits of fruit or fruit pulp
  • Tea or coffee without cream

Foods allowed on a low-fiber diet include:

  • Enriched white bread
  • White rice or plain pasta, noodles or macaroni
  • Low-fiber cereals
  • Most raw, canned or cooked fruits without skins, seeds or membranes
  • Fruit juice with little or no pulp
  • Canned or well-cooked vegetables without seeds, hulls or skins
  • Tender meat, poultry and fish
  • Eggs
  • Smooth peanut butter
  • Milk, yogurt or cheese without seeds or nuts
  • Desserts without seeds or nuts

Once your symptoms improve — often within a few days — you can gradually increase the amount of fiber in your diet. Start by adding about 5 to 15 grams of fiber a day to allow your digestive system to adjust to the higher fiber intake.

To prevent attacks of diverticulitis:

  • Eat more fiber. High-fiber foods, such as fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains, soften waste and help it pass more quickly through your colon. This reduces pressure within your digestive tract. Aim for 25 to 30 grams of fiber a day. If you have a difficult time consuming this much fiber every day, consider using a fiber supplement, such as psyllium (Metamucil, Nature’s Way) or methylcellulose (Citrucel).
  • Drink plenty of fluids. Fiber works by absorbing water and increasing the soft, bulky waste in your colon. But if you don’t drink enough liquid to replace what is absorbed, fiber can be constipating.
  • Exercise regularly. Exercise promotes normal bowel function and reduces pressure inside your colon, decreasing your chances of forming diverticula.
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Colonoscopy

September 8, 2007 By

Colonoscopy is used to visually examine your entire colon and rectum for abnormalities. Colonoscopy is generally considered the procedure of choice for colon cancer screening. During the exam, a colonoscope — a long, flexible tube about the thickness of an adult finger — is inserted into your rectum. A tiny video camera at its tip allows your doctor to view the inside of your colon.

In some cases during colonoscopy, if a polyp or abnormal tissue is found, your doctor may remove it at that time. Alternatively, a tissue sample (biopsy) of the polyp may be taken for lab analysis to determine whether subsequent surgical removal of the tissue is needed.

How do you prepare?
For the colonoscopy procedure to be accurate, your colon must be well prepared. It must be clear of stool and fluids that obscure the view of the colon and rectal lining.

What you do the day before the exam directly affects how well your colon can be examined. To prepare your colon, you’ll likely be asked to do the following during the 24 hours before the exam:

Stop taking iron pills or medications containing iron, as iron can alter the color of your colon lining.
Take laxatives and sometimes enemas prescribed by your doctor.
Avoid eating solid foods and opaque liquids.
Drink only clear, nonalcoholic liquids such as black coffee, tea, water, or clear broth and juices. Eat only soft foods such as Jell-O — but not red Jell-O.
Avoid liquids that are red in color, as they can look red in the colon and be confused with blood.
Take a five-minute walk every 10 minutes during the time you’re drinking the laxative, but stay near a toilet.
During this preparation time, you may have a frequent and urgent need to use the toilet, due to the laxatives.

On exam day you may be asked to fast. In some cases your diet is again restricted to clear, nonalcoholic liquids up to four to six hours before the exam. At this point you stop ingesting anything, including any medications, until after the procedure.

If you have diabetes or take blood thinners, including aspirin or other pain relievers, your preparation for colonoscopy may be slightly different. Remind your doctor of either of these factors at least seven days ahead of the test, to see if you need additional instructions.

In rare instances phosphate-based colon-cleansing solutions have caused kidney damage in certain groups of people. These groups include healthy older adults, those taking medication for hypertension, arteriosclerosis or heart disease, and those with chronic kidney disease. You may be given a different type of laxative solution if you fit in one of these categories.

How is it done?
A colonoscopy can be relatively painless when performed by an experienced practitioner. However, the exam can cause sufficient anxiety and pain, so people generally tolerate the procedure better when they have some form of anesthesia. Most often you’ll receive a mild sedative either alone or with an opiate pain medication administered intravenously to minimize any discomfort.

During the exam you’ll likely lie on your left side. Your doctor inserts the colonoscope into your rectum. Colonoscopes are disinfected between procedures, so the risk of transmission of infection is extremely low. The colonoscope is long enough to allow your doctor to view the entire length of your colon. It contains a fiber-optic light and a channel that allows your doctor to pump air into your colon, inflating it to get a better view of the interior lining. You may feel some abdominal cramping or pressure as the air is introduced.

The colonoscope also contains a tiny video camera at its tip. The camera transmits images to an external monitor so that your doctor can look closely at the inside of your colon. Your doctor can insert instruments through the colonoscope’s channel to remove polyps, take tissue samples, inject solutions or destroy (cauterize) tissues.

If a polyp or abnormal tissue is found, your doctor may choose to remove it with a snare or destroy it with cautery. Or he or she might take a biopsy or advise surgical removal, depending on the size of the mass.

A colonoscopy exam usually takes about 20 minutes to an hour.

After the procedure
After the exam is over, it takes about an hour to partially recover from the sedative. You’ll need someone to take you home because it can take up to a day for the full effects of the sedative to wear off. Rest and don’t drive for the remainder of the day.

You may feel bloated or pass gas for a few hours after the exam. You should feel better as you pass the gas. Walking may lessen your discomfort. If you have persistent pain after the procedure, tell your doctor.

You may also see a small amount of blood with your first bowel movement. Usually this isn’t cause for alarm. See your doctor if you continue to pass blood or blood clots, have persistent abdominal pain, or have a fever of 100 F or higher.

These signs and symptoms may result from bleeding when a biopsy is taken or, rarely, from perforation of the colon wall. Although they’re rare, be alert for these signs and symptoms, as they can indicate the need for medical attention.

Results
Frequency of follow-up exams depends on the findings as well as the quality of the exam performed and should be discussed with your doctor. If a polyp or abnormal tissue was found during your colonoscopy that couldn’t be removed, your doctor may recommend subsequent surgery.

Negative test results. If no abnormalities are found, you can probably wait several years before repeating the exam, depending on your doctor’s recommendations.
Positive test results. If the colonoscopy reveals adenomatous polyps, you may have to adhere to a more rigorous screening schedule in the future, depending on the size and number of polyps. If your doctor finds one or two small polyps (less than 1 centimeter in diameter) you should undergo colonoscopy again in five to 10 years, depending on your other risk factors. If you have larger polyps, a greater number of polyps or polyps with certain cell characteristics, your doctor may recommend colonoscopy again in three to five years, depending on your other risk factors.
Consider asking your doctor if it was a good-quality exam. If your colon wasn’t completely empty of stool at the time of the exam, parts of the colon may have been obscured. If so, abnormalities may not have been seen. Your doctor may even recommend that you have another colonoscopy in a year’s time or even sooner.

In some cases, your doctor may not be able to advance the colonoscope far enough to examine your entire colon. This might occur, for example, because of an obstruction or a spasm of your colon. If so, your doctor may schedule a barium enema or virtual colonoscopy to complete the exam of your colon.

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Diverticulitis Pouches

September 7, 2007 By

Most people have small pouches in their colons that bulge out through weak spots. A pouch is called a diverticulum, and multiple pouches are called diverticula. This condition is called diverticulosis. When pouches become infected or inflamed, the condition is called diverticulitis. The cause of this disease is unknown, but it is believed that the association of a diet not containing sufficient fiber which contributes to constipation, makes the muscles strain to move stool that is too hard, causing increased pressure in the colon. This pressure instigates the weak spots in the colon to bulge out and become diverticula. Symptoms for diverticulitis and diverticulosis differ. Most people with diverticulosis do not have any discomfort or symptoms. However, symptoms may include mild cramps, bloating, and constipation. The most common symptom of diverticulitis is abdominal pain, with tenderness around the left side of the lower abdomen. Diverticulitis can be a source of rectal bleeding. If an infection is the cause, fever, nausea, vomiting, chills, cramping, and constipation may occur as well. The severity of symptoms depends on the extent of the infection and complications. Diverticulitis can lead to complications such as infections, perforations or tears, blockages, or bleeding. These complications always require treatment to prevent them from progressing and causing serious illness. Treatment may include open or laparoscopic surgery. A colostomy is infrequently needed unless it is an emergency.

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