Project Description
What is Ulcerative Colitis?
Ulcerative Colitis belongs to a category of diseases known as Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). Ulcerative Colitis is an autoimmune disease where the bodys own immune system attacks the gastrointestinal tract. Ulcerative Colitis primarily affects the surface layer of the large intestine, and has a uniform distribution of lesions.
What are the common signs and symptoms of Ulcerative Colitis?
-
Pain in abdomen and rectum
-
Abdominal cramping
-
Constipation
-
Diarrhea
-
Urgency to defecate
-
Blood or pus in stool
How is Ulcerative Colitis diagnosed?
-
Blood tests
-
Stool samples
-
Colonoscopy
-
Sigmoidoscopy
-
CAT scan can be used to diagnose complications of Ulcerative Colitis
How is Ulcerative Colitis commonly treated?
-
Mesalamine
-
Immune suppressing drugs
-
Corticosteroids
-
These drugs can have serious side effects including bone loss, cancer, and diabetes
-
If these drugs do not work surgical removal of portions of the intestines may become necessary
Is Ulcerative Colitis a genetic disease?
No, Ulcerative Colitis is not a genetic disease. There are certain gene variations that can increase a persons risk of developing an autoimmune disease like Ulcerative Colitis. However, it is important to remember that just because someone may have these gene variations does not mean that they will definitely develop Ulcerative Colitis. Important factors that affect “gene expression” play a significant role and are discussed below. Your genes are not your destiny.
What causes Ulcerative Colitis?
According to conventional american medicine the cause of Ulcerative Colitis and other auto-immune diseases is unknown. However, a careful analysis of the peer reviewed scientific literature reveals a number of important factors that can lead to the imbalanced and malfunctioning immune system seen in Ulcerative Colitis. It is these important factors listed below that will ultimately determine whether or not you will develop an autoimmune disease like Ulcerative Colitis.
What are these important factors?
-
Vitamin D deficiency
-
Increased gastrointestinal permeability (Leaky Gut)
-
Gastrointestinal microbial imbalances (bacteria, yeast, parasites, etc..)
-
Adrenal gland dysfunction (the adrenal gland regulates the immune system)
-
Environmental chemical exposure (pesticides, herbicides, industrial pollutants, etc..)
-
Toxic metal exposure (mercury, aluminum, arsenic, etc…)
-
Nutritional deficiencies
-
Over consumption of inflammatory or potentially antigenic food molecules (gluten, partially hydrogenated fats, omega 6 polyunsaturated fats, lectins, advanced glycation end products, etc…), Europeans refer to some of these molecules as food toxicants
-
Over consumption of high sugar and high carbohydrate processed foods (cake, cookies, pastry, soda, juice, pasta, bread, etc…)
What should a Comprehensive Holistic Health Protocol for Ulcerative Colitis include?
A Comprehensive Holistic Health Protocol should always be customized to meet the unique needs of each person. Not only do people have different genetic variations, but differ in important lifestyle factors that influence their overall health outcomes. A persons diet, stress levels, professional and family responsibilities, sleep patterns, exercise choices, as well as pre-exiting and concomitant medical conditions all must be considered in protocol design. Of the over 11,000 Customized Holistic Health Protocols we have designed in the last 27 years of clinical practice, no two have been exactly the same. An appropriate protocol should accomplish the following:
-
Evaluate and Establish how many of the above factors are involved in each persons unique clinical situation
-
Design and implement a Customized Dietary Plan (CDP) that will address the above factors involved in each persons condition
-
Design and implement a Targeted Nutritional Supplementation (TNS) strategy that will address the above factors involved in each persons condition
