My Husband has ulcerative colitis Is their anything Dietery that could help with the pain and the flair ups.?

Question

We are having to wait to go to the doctor because his insurance doesnt take affect until january 16, Hes known about this for two years and kept putting it off until it got really bad just recently

Answer 1

Everyone is different. I have Crohn's, not UC, but I find that greasy food, berries, popcorn, certain grains cause problems for me.

There is not one diet that will work for everybody. He should keep a food diary and try and figure out what foods affect him the most. Drink lots of fluids, and avoid high-fibre foods.

Check out the site below:

http://www.ccfa.org/

I wish him luck in finding what works for him. I hope he is able to get treatment soon.

Answer 2

You will find a lot of information at the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America website, listed below.

What he has is an autoimmune disease. Doctors may need to try various medications to bring it under control. All autoimmne disease are made worse by stress.

http://www.ccfa.org/info/diet?LMI=2.5 is a link that will interest you. Here is the introduction to the section on diet and nutrition. "Diet and nutrition concerns of patients with inflammatory bowel disease are extremely common, and appropriate. Patients often believe that their disease is caused by, and can be cured by diet. Unfortunately, that seems to be too simplistic an approach, which is not supported by clinical and scientific data. Diet can certainly affect symptoms of these diseases, and may play some role in the underlying inflammatory process, but it appears not to be the major factor in the inflammatory process.

Because Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are diseases of the digestive tract, it is only natural that you will have many questions about diet and nutrition if you have been diagnosed with one of these disorders. First of all, you may be surprised to learn that there is no evidence that anything in your diet history caused or contributed to these diseases. Once you develop IBD, however, paying special attention to what you eat may go a long way toward reducing symptoms and promoting healing.

The information provided here offers an overall dietary guide for patients and their families. It is based on the results of ongoing studies and the accumulation of knowledge gained in recent years. As this research continues, we will learn even more about the relationship between nutrition and IBD."

Answer 3

I don't know of specific foods that HELP the problem - but I do know that dairy products make the pain and flair ups worse. My mom has dealt with it and staying away from dairy really helps.

She did need to take medication briefly with the first flair up, but since then has managed well by avoiding dairy and also foods that are severely acidic.

Hope this helps get him through.

Answer 4

Check out the link
http://www.webmd.com/search/search_results/default.aspx?query=ulcerative+colitis+&x=39&y=11

Answer 5

Most people with inflammatory bowel disease (ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease) can eat a normal diet and do not need to avoid any particular foods. However, the following suggestions may be helpful. Some situations require extra attention to your diet.

* If you find that foods such as milk, alcohol, spicy foods, or foods high in fiber bother you, it makes sense to avoid them. A low-fiber diet may be helpful if a section of your small intestine is narrowed because of inflammation or scarring from Crohn's disease. However, you don't need to avoid any food that does not worsen your symptoms.
* Some people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) may not be able to eat dairy foods, which contain a nutrient called lactose. About 35% of people who have Crohn's disease and 20% of people who have ulcerative colitis are not able to digest lactose (lactose intolerance).1
* Eat a diet that includes plenty of nutrients. Vitamin or mineral supplements usually are not needed as long as you eat a balanced diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. In Crohn's disease, absorption problems can occur with vitamin B12 in the lower small intestine and iron in the upper small intestine. Some people with rectal bleeding also may lose iron.
* When symptoms are severe, your doctor may recommend supplemental nutrition, such as high-calorie liquid formulas. This may be needed especially for children whose growth is slow or for people with Crohn's disease in large areas of the small intestine.
* If the disease is so severe that your intestines are not able to absorb enough nutrients from food, your doctor may recommend other ways to get nutrition. You may receive nutrition through a needle in a vein (total parenteral nutrition, TPN) to allow the bowel to rest and heal. TPN often requires an initial hospital stay, after which you or a family member can learn to do it at home.

Research is being done on nutritional supplements to improve the symptoms of ulcerative colitis. Early studies of omega-3 fatty acids are promising, but the supplement is not yet recommended. Other supplements being studied include zinc, calcium, and folic acid.

Restricting sugar and dairy products in the diet is being studied in Crohn's disease. More research is needed before a particular diet can be recommended.

Answer 6

There is excellent advice in Yahoo answers! Type in ulcerative colitis in the question search.

Answer 7

he has had this for 2 years? i would love to know if: he drinks alcohol, smokes, dips/chews tobacco. i'm going to guess: he dips tobacco. he needs to stop this immed. if not, there is nothing that he can do or take that will help him. the ingredients in the tobacco will invade his body each time. the colon is target, probably due to its environment. here are some herbs that i use.

burdock root:it serves as an inflammatory agent and disinfect the blood. it is also good for wounds (ulcers), gout, arthritis, kidney stones.

golden seal: used for treatment of bacterial infections, fungal infections, colds, flu, pneumonia, sinusitis, canker sores, athletes foot, intestinal parasites, wounds, yeast, gastrointestinal problems, diarrhea, low white cell count and tumors.

gentian: cleanses, reduces inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract, decreases fever, and reduces gas.

of course avoid spicy foods, greasy fried foods and heavy creams.
good luck.