Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

What is inflammatory bowel disease? 

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) involves chronic inflammation of all or part of your digestive tract. IBD primarily includes ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. Determining which type of IBD you have can sometimes be difficult. Both usually involve severe diarrhoea, pain, fatigue and weight loss. IBD can be debilitating and sometimes leads to life-threatening complications.

Why do I have inflammatory bowel disease? 

The exact cause of inflammatory bowel disease remains unknown. Experts believe that Crohn’s disease has a genetic basis, but that it does not appear until a bacteria or virus triggers an abnormal reaction of the immune system. Ulcerative colitis also tends to run in families and possible contributing factors include poor eating habits, stress, food allergies and infectious agents such as bacteria. Most experts agree that diet and stress might not cause, but likely aggravate IBD.

The cause, or causes of most cases of ulcerative colitis are unknown, but possible contributing factors include poor eating habits, stress and food allergies. Infectious agents such as bacteria can also cause colitis. This type of colitis is often associated with the use of antibiotics, which alter normal bowel flora and allow microorganisms that are normally kept in check to proliferate.

What are the symptoms of IBD?

Symptoms range from simple diarrhoea to the more severe symptoms associated with ulcerative colitis such as:

• swollen joints
• painful skin
• fever
• shortness of breath

Conventional treatment for IBD usually involves drug therapy and sometimes surgery. The type of treatment needed depends on the type of symptoms, as well as their degree of severity. 

How does healthy nutrition help treat Inflammatory bowel disease naturally? 

Nutritional therapy is an essential part of the treatment of IBD. People with Crohn’s disease are often malnourished because the small intestine, where most food absorption takes place, is affected and those with ulcerative colitis may develop iron deficiency due bleeding resulting from inflammation of the colon. Prolonged diarrhoea can also cause dehydration and deficiencies of important minerals such as magnesium or potassium.

Since inflammation plays a key role in IBD, dietary and lifestyle measures put the emphasis on controlling inflammation. This approach can also decrease the use of anti-inflammatory and immune suppressive drugs, so avoiding their unwanted side effects. It can also prolong periods of remission and may reduce the need for surgery.

Managing Inflammatory Bowel Disease 

Managing IBD effectively includes:

• following a whole food anti-inflammatory diet
• identifying food allergies and intolerances
• avoiding inflammatory foods
• supporting the integrity of the intestinal lining
• avoiding stress
• correcting nutritional deficiencies...

...as well as the appropriate use of natural supplements and home remedies.

Find out more about the Inflammatory and Immune Conditions Program here