How Homoeopathy Can Ease the Symptoms of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Homoeopathy can be very helpful in treating the signs and symptoms of Inflammatory Bowel Disease by assisting the sufferer’s vital force (body’s unique intelligence) to restore balance, harmony and wellbeing – our natural Homeostasis.

I know only too well the difficulties of living with Ulcerative Colitis after seemingly developing the ‘dis-ease’ from contracting amoebic dysentery in my early twenties.

According to the NHS website “Ulcerative colitis is a long-term condition where the colon (the large intestine or bowel) and rectum (the end of the bowel where the stools are stored) become inflamed. Small ulcers can develop on the colon’s lining, can bleed and produce pus.

Main symptoms

The  main symptoms of Ulcerative Colitis are:

• Recurring diarrhoea, which may contain blood, mucus and/or pus.
• Tummy pain
• Needing to empty your bowels frequently.
• You may also experience extreme tiredness (fatigue), loss of appetite and weigh loss.

The severity of the symptoms varies, depending on how much of the rectum and colon is inflamed and how severe the inflammation is. For some people, the condition has a significant impact on their everyday lives.

Symptoms of a flare-up

Some people may go for weeks or months with very mild symptoms, or none at all (remission), followed by periods where the symptoms are particularly troublesome (flare-ups or relapse).

During a flare-up, some people with ulcerative colitis also experience symptoms elsewhere in their body.

For example, some people develop:

• Painful and swollen joints (arthritis)
• Mouth ulcers
• Areas of painful, red and swollen skin
• Irritated and red eyes

In severe cases, defined as having to empty your bowels 6 or more times a day, additional symptoms may include:

• Shortness of breath
• A fast or irregular heartbeat
• A high temperature (fever)
• Blood in your stools becoming more obvious

In most people, no specific trigger for flare-ups is identified, although a gut infection can occasionally be the cause. Stress is also thought to be a potential factor.

When to seek medical advice:

You should see a GP as soon as possible if you have symptoms of ulcerative colitis and you have not been diagnosed with the condition. They can arrange blood or stool sample tests to help determine what may be causing your symptoms. If necessary, they can refer you to hospital for further tests.

It is estimated around 1 in every 420 people living in the UK has ulcerative colitis. This amounts to around 146,000 people.

IBD or IBS?

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a term mainly used to describe 2 conditions that cause inflammation of the gut (gastrointestinal tract).

They are:

• Ulcerative colitis
• Crohn’s disease

IBD should not be confused with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) which is a different condition and requires different treatment.” [www.nhs.uk]

What works for me?

Thankfully over thirty years on I’m currently symptom free, not reliant on prescription drugs and enjoying life to the full. I contribute this to a healthy lifestyle, avoiding triggers – certain foods and stress, good nutrition, meditation, yoga and homoeopathy.

It’s not simply a case of one remedy to match a disease name. A professional homoeopath, such as myself will closely ascertain how the symptoms are expressed by each individual and match the homoeopathic prescription accordingly.

In homoeopathy we look at the patient’s physical symptoms, emotional state, lifestyle factors and family history as these all assist in matching the Homoeopathic remedy to the individual.

Please contact me directly if you’d like to make an appointment or take advantage of a no obligation, up to 15 minute telephone conversation or online chat to discuss.

The charity Crohn’s & Colitis UK are a brilliant source of information and support for sufferers.