Toronto-Centre Naturopathic Medicine is a Toronto naturopathic clinic dedicated to providing safe and effective treatment of a wide variety of health conditions using natural therapies and the principles of naturopathic medicine.
Ulcerative colitis is a well treated using naturopathic medicine. Ulcerative colitis is a condition characterized by chronic inflammation of the digestive tract, specifically segments of the large intestine. If the entire colon is affected, complications may be life threatening.
The cause of ulcerative colitis is unknown, but genetic mutation, viral or bacterial infection and autoimmune reaction are considered possibilities. Ulcerative colitis can severely impair quality of life, and may lead to complication including severe dehydration, perforation of the colon, liver disease and skin, joint and eye inflammation, and increased risk of colon cancer.
Professional healthcare should be sought out if you experience a persistent change in your bowel habits, ongoing bouts of diarrhea that don’t respond to over-the-counter medications or notice blood in your stool.
Symptoms of ulcerative colitis
Symptoms of ulcerative colitis vary, depending on the severity of inflammation and which segment of the large intestine is affected. Possible symptoms of ulcerative colitis include:
• Abdominal cramping and pain
• Rectal pain and bleeding
• Profuse diarrhea, possibly with blood
• Difficulty having bowel movements in spite of urge (tenesmus)
• Weight loss
• Dehydration
• Fatigue
• Night sweats
Treatment of ulcerative colitis at Toronto-Centre Naturopathic Medicine
At Toronto-Centre Naturopathic Medicine, the goals of ulcerative colitis treatment are to reduce symptom intensity and frequency, identify and eliminate food triggers of ulcerative colitis episodes, soothe and heal tissue of the large intestine, address dehydration and malnutrition caused by fluid losses and poor nutrient absorption and manage side effects of conventional medications and if possible, prevent recurrence.
Conventional treatment for ulcerative colitis may include surgery, and a variety of medications, including anti-inflammatory medications, immune system suppressors, nicotine patches, anti-diarrheal medications, laxatives and pain relievers (e.g., aspirin, Tylenol®, Advil®, Motrin®, Aleve®). These medications may have short- or long-term side effects. For this reason, you may choose to try natural treatment to possibly avoid use of conventional medications, or together with conventional medications in order to decrease dosages of conventional medications required to manage your ulcerative colitis symptoms.
Naturopathic treatment of any chronic health concern must be recognized as a process that involves identifying specific treatment goals, a thorough understanding by your naturopathic doctor of all factors affecting your health, including physical, psychological, emotional and lifestyle factors, development of a comprehensive treatment plan and execution of that plan through periodic monitoring and adjustment.
At Toronto-Centre Naturopathic Medicine, a typical approach to treating ulcerative colitis may be to identify and address underlying factors in your lifestyle (e.g., poor stress management) and diet that may be triggering ulcerative colitis episodes, use of acupuncture or homeopathic medicines to reduce pain and use of botanical (herbal) medicines and nutritional supplements to soothe and heal tissues of the large intestine and replace lost nutrients.
Where appropriate, a number of therapeutic options are available, to be used alone, or more often in a complementary fashion, including:
• Diet therapy
• Lifestyle counseling
• Relaxation techniques
• Acupuncture
• Homeopathic medicines
• Botanical (herbal) medicines
• Nutritional supplements
• Cleansing protocols
• Homotoxicological medicines
References
Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Ulcerative Colitis [Online]. [cited 2010 Jan 25]; Available from: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/ulcerative-colitis/DS00598 .