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How Coffee and Caffeine Effect Ulcerative Colitis

January 25, 2010 By

Coffee Ulcerative ColitisAnyone suffering from gastrointestinal disorders should consider eliminating coffee and any caffeine from their diet.  In the case of ulcerative colitis, the lower GI tract is already irritated and hypersensitive.  Dietary changes that include weaning off of coffee and all other sources of caffeine can help relieve symptoms of these disorders.

Side effects of coffee and caffeine in your intestines:

Coffee is highly acidic and it can stimulate the hypersecretion of gastric acids, irritating your whole intestinal track.  Caffeine also tends to speed up the process of gastric emptying, which may result in highly acidic stomach contents passing from the stomach into the small intestine too early, which may also lead to injury of the intestinal tissue.

Coffee decreases magnesium absorption

Magnesium is one of the most plentiful minerals in the body and plays an essential role in more than 300 cellular reactions.  Adequate magnesium is important for maintaining bowel regularity.  It is also a crucial mineral for the biochemical process involved in wound healing, making it vital to healing the irritated lining of the colon in ulcerative colitis.

Coffee elevates stress hormones

Caffeine in coffee elevates the stress hormones cortisol, epinephrine (adrenaline) and norepinephrine.  These hormones are responsible for decreased heart rate, increased blood pressure, and a sense of “emergency alert”.  Blood is diverted from the digestive system which can cause indigestion.  The circulation to the brain and extremitites is decerased and the immune system is suppressed.  With today’s sedentary lifestyle, the continual state of increased stress resulting from caffeine consumption can affect health especially in those types of disorders like irritable bowel syndrome and ulcerative colitis that are sensitive to stress, particularly because neural control of the gastrointestinal tract is affected by stress and emotions.

Sorry coffee lovers.

Adding a natural remedy such as AloeElite to your ulcerative colitis treatment, can also be of great aid to shorten and reduce severity of flare ups and give you more remission time.  AloeElite is a super purified, potent and highly concentrated form of Aloe that can act as an anti-inflammatory to help reduce the swelling and irritation of your intestines, and help your body to heal your whole digestive track from the inside out.

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Smoking Actually Helps Ulcerative Colitis

January 21, 2010 By

I thought smoking would only have negative side effects on ulcerative colitis but after a bit of research and to my surprise, it actually can have a positive influence on some symptoms.

Nicotine is a naturally occurring substance in tobacco that has a complex effect on many organs and systems in the body. Being highly addictive, many people who smoke cigarettes have difficulty quitting despite the serious health risks.  The benefits of nicotine on ulcerative colitis sufferers who currently smoke is unclear, however symptoms of the disease have actually deteriorated when the sufferer stops smoking.

Regardless, the long term and irreversible side effects and diseases caused by smoking such as lung disease, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, stroke, and others are far outweigh any possible benefits for an ulcerative colitis sufferer.  In the event that your ulcerative colitis symptoms get worse when you quit smoking, seek for safer alternatives such as diet modification or natural remedies such as AloeElite that help with inflammation to reduce symptoms.  Make sure you notify your doctor that you want to quit smoking so he can modify your medications according to any symptomatic changes you might experience.

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Dos and Don’ts of Ulcerative Colitis

January 15, 2010 By

Ulcerative Colitis TipsDo follow a well-balance diet
One of the most important aspects to remember about ulcerative colitis is that diet doesn’t cause the condition; it is merely a way of making life more comfortable for sufferers.  A well-balanced and nutritious diet is very beneficial.  Taking supplements can also help to adjust the nutrient intake and prevent the malnutrition that is commonly seen as a result from ulcerative colitis.

Avoid possible irritants
These involve but are not limited to:

  • Milk products
  • Saturated fats as found in animal products and dairy foods
  • Inflammatory foods such as, caffeine, and refined sugars
  • Corn products
  • Intestinal irritants like cabbage, Brussels sprounts, kale, couliflower, and broccoli
  • High-sugar fruits like watermelon, pineapple and grapes
  • Eggs, peanuts and soy in moderation
  • Foods containing gluten, which include foods produced from wheat, barley, triticale and oats

The above products will not affect and/or cause the same reaction on everyone.  These suggestions are based on individual reactions and outcomes.

Do drink plenty of water
Hydration, hydration, hydration!  Water not only nourishes every single cell in your body, it also flushes your intestines, soothes digestion, all contributing to avoid intestinal irritation.

Don’t drink any alcohol
especially if you are having a flare up. Alcohol can irritate the lining of the colon, and it can also interact with some ulcerative colitis medication.

Do take natural remedies for your ulcerative colitis
Natural remedies have had amazing results for ulcerative colitis sufferes!  Remedies such as AloeElite, an aloe based product can be combined with your present medication regimen.  Other ulcerative colitis friendly natural remedies are glutamine, slippery elm, fish oil, and cat’s claw.

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5 Pregnancy Tips for Ulcerative Colitis

December 16, 2009 By

ulcerative colitis pregnancyDealing with the changes that your body goes through when you are pregnant is difficult enough.  Suffering from ulcerative colitis during pregnancy can make enjoying a beautiful experience a real challenge.  The good news is that being pregnant will not cause a woman to have a flare up of ulcerative colitis any more than a woman who is not pregnant.  The bad news is that women who suffer from ulcerative colitis may have a miscarriage, premature birth, or spontaneous abortion more frequent than women without the disease.  If you are currently trying to conceive it is important you take control of your ulcerative colitis and condition your body properly in order to have a viable and healthy pregnancy.

The severity and extent of your disease when you become pregnant appears to influence the course of your disease during pregnancy.  Women who are currently in remission will remain in remission, and women with active disease are likely to have continued active disease during pregnancy.  Thus, if you are trying to conceive and you are currently active, it is recommended to wait until you are in your remission period.

- During the period of remission, prior to conceiving, it is recommended to take at least 400 mcg of folic acid, or an over the counter prenatal vitamin to reduce the risk of any spinal defects of the fetus.

- You should also stop smoking, consuming alcohol or any recreational drug.

- Women who take prescription or nonprescription medications should review these with a healthcare provider.  Natural remedies should also be discussed with your doctor, although natural products that help ulcerative colitis like AloeElite are considered safe to take prior and during pregnancy.  A quality AMP product (purified and concentrated aloe vera) such as AloeElite not only will help you decrease ulcerative colitis side effects, but pregnancy side effects as well.

- Caffeine intake should be avoided to prevent irritation of your digestive track, but if unavoidable, it should be limited to 250mg a day.

- Have a generalized physical with your primare care doctor.  Make sure you notify your doctor of your plans to conceive so the laboratory tests ordered can be specific to your case.

Best of luck, and enjoy the whole experience of achieving ultimate relieve in order to welcome your baby.

Dealing with the changes that your body goes through when you are pregnant is difficult enough.  Suffering of ulcerative colitis during pregnancy can make enjoying a beautiful experience a real challenge.  The good news is that being pregnant will not cause a woman to have a flare up of ulcerative colitis any more than a woman who is not pregnant.  The bad news is that women who suffer from ulcerative colitis may have a miscarriage, premature birth, or spontaneous abortion more frequent than women without the disease.  If you are currently trying to conceive it is important you take control of your ulcerative colitis, and condition your body properly in order to have a viable and healthy pregnancy.

The severity and extend of your disease when you become pregnant appears to influence the course of your disease during pregnancy.  Women who are currently in remission will remain in remission, and women with active disease are likely to have continued active disease during pregnancy.  Thus, if you are trying to conceive and you are currently active, it is recommended to wait until you are in your remission period.

During the period of remission, prior to conceiving, it is recommended to take at least 400 mcg of folic acid, or an over the counter prenatal vitamin to reduce the risk of any spinal defects of the fetus.

You should also stop smoking, consuming alcohol or any recreational drug.

Women who take prescription or nonprescription medications should review these with a healthcare provider.  Natural remedies should also be discussed with your doctor, although natural products like AloeElite are considered safe to take prior and during pregnancy.  Aloe not only will help you decrease ulcerative colitis side effects, but pregnancy side effects as well.

Caffeine intake should be avoided to prevent irritation of your digestive track, but if unavoidable, it should be limited to 250mg a day.

Have a generalized physical with your primare care doctor.  Make sure you notify your doctor of your plans to conceive so the laboratory tests ordered can be specific to your case.

Best of luck, and enjoy the whole experience of achieving ultimate relieve in order to welcome your baby.

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College Diet Survival Tips for Ulcerative Colitis

December 3, 2009 By

Pharmacy- New school, new city, time to find a new pharmacy!  Mare sure you have plenty of refills, and a near by convenient pharmacy (24 hrs open even better) where you can run and take care of emergencies.  Continue taking all your medication as prescribed, keep a copy, not the original of all your medical records and emergency contact numbers handy.

- After you brush your teeth in the morning, take a balanced multivitamin.  Remember, due to the poor absorbtion experienced with the constant bowel movements, it doesn’t hurt to have extra nutrition insurance.  Also, taking a daily dose of a pure aloe A.M.P. supplement such as AloeElite can help heal the intestinal lining and improve ulcerative colitis symptoms.

fruit- Keep quick snacks in your room: pretzels, low-fat popcorn, high-fiber crackers, unsweetenend breakfast cereal.  It turns out a lot cheaper to get your snacks at the grosery store instead of the vending machines at school.

- Grab a piece of fruit every time you leave the dining hall, and cary it with you for a quick snack on the go.

- Remember to eat three meals a day.  It may seem like you can function on caffeine alone, but your brain and body will fail you when you needed the most if you routinely skip meals.  It is also not a good combination to be mixing the stress from college with daily caffeine intakes as this can increase your chances of getting a flare up.

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