Colitis

Hi Catareta

My father used to suffer with severe colitis when he was going through a particularly stressful period in his life. I remember he would eat large amounts of unpasturised natural yoghurt for a few days, which always seemed to bring it under control. The real resolution came when he moved away from the thing that was causing the stress.

In Chinese medicine, stress, frustration and anger are all thought to be contributing factors in intestinal complaints, as are "Cold" foods, especially icy drinks, salads and chilled foods straight from the fridge. A properly qualified practitioner may be able to help, hopefully without recourse to strong medication.

Best wishes
David

I agree with stress, I have been away from stress for a while, and the problems came back ...when I came back!!

More over, I have just found, in a book about aromatherapy, that those functional col(on)itis could also give fibromyalgia symptoms!! And I am supposed to be starting fibro...

This is nervous, but nerves are in our body aren't they? This is real and not just "emotional" (usually interpreted as psychojustinthemind...)

I take artemisia dracunculus.

Chinese medicine asserts that the Mind and Body are inseperable- whatever happens in one will affect the other. There is a view that individual emotional states have a direct effect on the function of specific Organs (remembering that in CM this means body functions rather than physical organs). Constant or on-going emotions are attributed with specific disfunctions.

Fear
Long term fear affects the Kidneys. In western medicine this might be indicated by adrenal disfunction; Chinese medicine asserts that the Kidneys rule the urinary functions (amongst others) and Fear may cause poor bladder control.

Grief/Sadness
A long term state of grief may deplete the Lungs. This would be seen as a "weak chest", low voice, poor energy and a sense of "stuckness".

Overthinking/Obsession/Worry
These are thought to lead to a poor digestive function, as these emotions affect the Spleen, the primary digestive Organ in CM, which transforms the energy from the food we eat into energy for metabolism. It roughly equates to the pancreas in western medicine. Overthinking might be linked to loose stools early in the morning, weight gain and tiredness. At a deeper level it may lead to fluid build up such as oedema and sinus problems.

Excess Joy
Often thought of as excessive craving for happiness and excitement that is usually unresolved, Joy affects the Heart and may lead to palpitations, mania, disturbing dreams and heat flushing. Excessive use of video games in children could lead to this type of pattern.

Anger/Frustration
These emotions are thought to affect the Liver, which is seen as a regulating Organ, smoothing the flow in our bodies and in our lives. Anger jams up that smoothness, causing internal tension. If there is no outlet, the tension creates internal "pressure" which eventually looks for an outlet. The pressure may rise up as Heat to the head, where it causes migraines and dizziness; it may also flow sideways and affect the function of the Spleen. Because of the internal "jamming up" constipation often occurs, but if the Spleen becomes affected there may be a swing between loose stools and constipation, often at the weekend when the pressure loads are often reduced. This would be a classic case of stress-related IBS. This type of problem may well respond to acupuncture, due to the calming effects of the proceedure.

Chinese medicine asserts a circular relationship between the Organs and the Emotions. Pathology in one area can easily lead to pathology in the other. A weak digestion can be both the cause or result of emotional disorders. Finding helpful ways to relax is always a good place to start; some tai chi or yoga perhaps, rather than alcohol and nightclubs!

I'm a bit late posting on this, but as the thread has been brought to the fore, I hope you will get to see it...

Been given mebeverine 135mg three times daily for spasms. And have been suggested to take probiotics, aloe vera and peppermint capsules...

How long shall I give it for symptom relief??

I'm not medically qualified, but just from personal knowledge...

Unlike, say, antidepressants that can take a couple of weeks for the positive effects to take hold, Mebeverine is something that is more like asprin or paracetamol, in that it should start to be effective within 15-30 minutes after taking it. However, I would imagine it could depend on the severity of the discomfort as to how much it will benefit. If you've been taking it for a few days with no noticable benefit you should arrange to go see your doctor again (or phone up and speak to them if possible).

Peppermint capsules, ensure they are enterically coated, so that they get down into the digestive system rather than dissolving in the upper stomach (potentially making you feel acidic).

Aloe vera can be soothing and helpful, just make sure you don't get caught up by the "our brand is the best" marketing that goes around with some Aloe Vera products.

Probiotics, ensure you balance those with Prebiotics too.

http://nutrition.about.com/od/therapeuticnutrition1/p/pro_prebiotics.htm

As indicated by the previous posters you may also wish to consider therapies that deal with the mental/emotional side of your life. Not only can such issues be caused by some mental/emotional stressor, but the discomfort that it creates can cause more mental/emotional stress for you and make things worse. There are many therapies that could help including EFT, Hypnotherapy, NLP (or NLP & Hypnotherapy as they work well together), Timeline therapy, and I could go on. 😉

All Love and Reiki Hugs

I would definitely look up your local Chinese Medicine practitioner for some help... Acupuncture can be very useful, and some dietary advice from either a Western or Chinese Nutritional Therapist.

Also, Tai Chi or Qi Gong can be very useful to strengthen and regulate the system, and reduce stress.

Extra Virgin Coconut Oil

Substituting the oil you use to cook with, with extra virgin coconut oil has been shown to be very healing for the gut.