Ulcerative Colitis Remedies

Hi Josephus,

Thanks for sharing your experience.

I am on my 4th day of rice fasting and the situation improoved noticeably.

Did you drink the Kefir while you were on the fast or did you drink it before and after the fast? Could you tell me which amout you took each day?

I could imagine that the Kefir has big influence in restoring the gut flora...

Hope you're still doing well and best wishes to you,

Christian

Hi Josephus,

Thank you for the encouragement. I have been seeing an easing of symptoms. Today is day 7 and (sorry for the specifics) yesterday held two BMs. Major victory! But somehow I am disappointed that it is not all the way better.

By being completely normal by the seventh day, did you mean consistency of BMs as well as number?

I'm debating whether I will do an extra day or not. If today is at least similar I don't think I will. I am going to do Dom's kefir bit, which I think will be helpful for me since I've always felt this has been a bacterial issue.

Has the world gone looney or what! I don't know if most of the posts here on UC are from folks who actually have IBS or have self-diagnosed because most of this info will actually HURT UC SUFFERERS not help them.

I was diagnosed with UC in 1998 through colonoscopy and biopsy, and then again in 02, and 04 follow-ups. My worst was 40cm up from rectum. At one point I lost 3 pints of blood with a hematocrit of 28. And during an 8-hour period I used the toilet 27 times all for blood loss with mucus and the debilitating pain where I couldn't walk back to the bed.

I've kept a food diary since 1999, every single day of my life, every item I ingest and my bowel responses. I have learned the following:

AVOID FOODS:
-Flour and sugar combos like cookies, cakes, etc.
-Rice...this will make me bleed within hours! Rice is "sticky" and the worst thing any UC sufferer can do is to put "sticky" foods on their colon.
-Glutens...again, sticky.
-Syrups
-Yellow Cheese...this will bring any UC sufferer out of remission...causes me to bleed by the next day.
-Lunchmeats and prepared meats with nitrates, nitrites, etc.
-Flour tortillas...again it's gooey and sticky on the colon.
-Raw vegetables...I don't know how people say a raw veggie diets helps...what brought me out of my first remission was raw broccoli, carrots and cauliflower.
-Some dark colored fruits like Blueberries, Cherries...it has something to do with the element that gives the fruit its "blueness" or "redness" that the UC feeds on...I'll bleed by the next day with these fruits.
-High toxic fish and high pesticide fruits and veggies. The chemicals just aggravate the UC and will bring it out of quiescence.
-Soy...if it works for others, that's a new one, because it ravages my colon, whether it's milk or product, it's just no good for my UC.
-Red meat...you never if the cow is corn or grass fed, what it was fed, and the meat is too hard on the colon.
-Iron Supplements...even pharmaceutical grade will cause bleeding instantly. There is only 1 iron supplement I can tolerate and it is a liquid, made in Germany but sold here in the U.S. It has other B vitamins too, and I tolerate it okay to help with my anemia.
-Pasta, especially imported pasta from Italy because of the iron enrichment. It rips up the colon and I'll bleed instantly.
THE GREATEST ENEMY OF ALL TIME IS..."Guar Gum"!!!!
It is found is just about everything, and will cause bleeding within a day...it is the most evil additive! Xanthan Gum which is an expensive alternative is okay though.

APPROVED LIST FOODS:
These items work for me and help me control the UC.

-Chicken...I usually grill my chicken in bulk, freeze it, and take a breast to defrost so I can always eat at home.
-Cooked broccoli, cauli, asparagus, even corn on the cob is fine for me.
-Corn tortillas...as long as they are just corn, lime, water with no chemical additives.
-Tomatoes, cilantro, onion...a good salsa is very tolerable.
-Organic apples (unfortunately most bananas will cause problems if I eat them every day; once in a great while only on the bananas).
-Avacados
-Most breads...I can tolerate one brand, but several others cause problems...it's all about keeping track of what you eat and how you react to determine what you can tolerate.
-Eggs
-Salad with homemade dressing...once you get UC under a good control you can enjoy an Organic salad now and then with a homemade dressing...store bought dressings have chemicals that will bother the UC.
-Milk...I have no problems with milk at all and I'm a heavy milk drinker at 1/2 gal. per day.
-Some chocolates...unfortunately most chocolate will bother UC, but find which one works for your system. Most will just pull me out of remission and cause bleeding.
-Mozzarella and white Mexican Cheeses...they won't hurt in moderation. Stay away from yellow cheeses, and even White Cheddar must be enjoyed sparingly.

HIGHLIGHTS
-Avoid Guar Gum at all costs.
-Avoid all things sticky including rice.
-Cook your veggies.
-Stick with chicken, and fishes sparingly.
-Keep track of your diet in a diary and write down what works, your reactions, so you can determine for yourself what helps you or hurts you.

I have much more info to give, but wanted to keep it simple. This is a good start.

I have had ulcerative colitis for 46 years now. For much of that time I have not had medical insurance and therefore through necessity had to investigate naturopathic remedies. I have had great success with a combination of diet (avoiding most white flour and sugar products when I can and adding vegetables, fruit and I still do not get along except for apples and cantalope) and 1/4 cup aloe vera juice (I use one formulated for digestive problems) with 1/2 teaspoon of l-glutamine. When I had attacks I used the formula 3x daily. I have to avoid milk and milk products but I use soy milk for calcium along with copious quantities of steamed broccoli. Surprisingly I can eat cruciferous vegetables without the problems most people have. I try to eat only organic meats and in season grow my own vegetables. The foregoing has given me a real measure of control for the last 15 years before that it was on and off. Purported remedies would work for a while and then stop working. Last year I discovered probiotics in an over the counter preparation forumlated for crohns and colitis sufferers. I can now say that I feel normal. I was interested in some of the suggestions in the posts and will try them. There is no cure for colitis, but it can be controlled when you pay attention to what you are putting in your body. Reducing stress is ideal but not practical in our society.

How can I tell which type of colitis is which? My diagnoses was ulcerative colitis 10 years ago. I ate spinach and sunflower seeds to get to about 80% remission, but rectum still inflamed so still urgency present. What can I do for final push? Need to be healed of urgency 100%. Please advise.