Everyone, at least once in a lifetime, would have faced issues like abdominal pain or discomfort. Abdominal pains are typical and have various reasons behind it. Colitis is a disease which is common in people with unhealthy food habits especially people having an excess of greasy and fast foods without any physical exercise or activities.

This is a gastroenterological problem which causes the colon to become inflamed, and thus there is discomfort and pain in the abdominal area. There are particular types of colitis, and it might sound a little scary but yes colitis if not treated it might become life-threatening.

Types of Colitis

Ulcerative colitis is common in people within the age group of 15 to 30 years and the age group 60-80 years. It is also observed that UC can be a genetic disorder. Pseudomembranous colitis is common in people who have gone through hospitalization, chemotherapies, had or having antibiotics for a long duration, etc. Ischemic colitis or IC has been mostly observed in the people above the age of 50 with a weak heart or heart problems or even if they have undergone surgery in their abdominal area earlier. 

Colitis in every form is dangerous, and the symptoms are discomforting.

What are the symptoms of Colitis?

The first step towards a cure is to understand its symptoms of the problem. The symptoms of colitis are –

– Abdominal cramps : You might experience sudden cramps in your abdomen. Colitis affects the large intestine so you can feel the cramp in any part of your stomach.

– Abdominal Pain : The most common yet important symptom of colitis is abdominal pain. If you have a continuous pain or frequent pain in your abdomen, you need to visit a doctor soon.

– Abdominal bloating : You might experience mild or excessive bloating in your abdomen depending on the condition of the lining of your large intestine.

– The sudden drop in weight: Without diet or exercise or any other changes, you might start losing weight.

– Diarrhea: Frequent diarrhea with or without a drop of blood in it might be a recurring event.

– Irregular stools: Bloody stool can also be a symptom in case of ulcerative colitis.

– Urgent bowel syndrome: You might not be able to control going to the loo and will frequently find the need for using the lavatory.

– Fever/vomiting: Sudden fever, high temperatures along with or without vomits can be experienced if you have colitis.

Diagnosis

The next step is the right diagnosis of the problem and the type of colitis. The doctor can do colonoscopy, sigmoidoscopy, MRI, USG and an X-ray called Barium Enema. These texts can indicate and predict whether you have colitis or not.

Colitis Treatment At Home

Besides medical treatment, home remedies and care is essential for curing colitis. The colitis treatment at home includes three steps which are as follows:

Avoid certain foods items or limit the quantity

Any therapy starts from finding the cause of the problem and in the case of colitis treatment at home, you need first to stop having or restrict the amount of having specific food items.

• Milk Products or Dairy Products: Lactose is hard to digest for people with bowel problems, so if you have colitis, it is better to limit the intake of milk products.

• Include low-fat items in your diet: You might love butter on your bread every day, but if you have colitis you need to cut that off from your diet and stick to low- fat foods like vegetables and fruits.

• Less fibrous food items for you: With colitis, you need to cut down intake of fibrous food like whole grains, nuts, cabbages, broccoli, etc.

• Say ‘No’ to rich food: You might crave for the fried fish just out of the oven with loads of oils on it, but if you don’t want to worsen your symptoms of colitis, you have to control your cravings.

Eating Habits for colitis treatment at home

• Lots of Liquids: Bowel movement will be smoother if you have lots of watery item in your diet. Drink water, juices, and soups as much as you can but not alcohol or caffeinated items.

• Small but frequent meals: Having one huge meal when you have colitis can affect you severely. Try having a small quantity of food at a time but eat at least 6-7 times in a day.

Lifestyle changes for colitis treatment at home

• Daily Exercise: Exercise or physical activity is mandatory for colitis treatment at home.

• Stress relief techniques: Learn how to get relief from stress with different methods which are necessary for colitis treatment at home.

Home remedies can cure most of the diseases from the roots and so is the case of colitis, but you need to be very strict with your routine and have a stress free lifestyle to accomplish this.