Does Ulcerative Colitis Trouble You? Ayurveda At Your Service!

Does your stomach often put you in trouble? Does stomach pain, cramps or loose bowels visit your physique often? Adding to this, if you are suffering from symptoms like joint pain and sudden loss of weight, then it’s high time you should check if you’re affected by an intestinal condition called Ulcerative colitis.

What is Ulcerative Colitis?

Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory disease that affects bowels or simply the intestines. It causes inflammation and ulcers on the digestive tracts. The innermost layers of the small intestine & rectum get swayed the most. Moreover, this can cause great discomfort when you get hit by rectal pain or joint pain and can be even more painful when you have to face constipation and rectal bleeding. Many of us by now face this issue and might find it really exhausting whether there are any difficulties regarding something light as a slight stomach pain after a meal or severe bleeding that comes with both abdominal and rectal pains.

What Are The Symptoms Or How To Identify?

To start with, it is always important to keep a check on the symptoms as a primary step towards knowing if you are diseased. As per many studies this is pictured as an unpredictable disease. This is because there are two possibilities, either you could get a visibility of symptoms or it can come and go without any slightest clue to your knowledge.

So, the most likely to get noticed symptoms include loss of appetite, weight loss, low energy and anemia. Though there can be presence of other potential symptoms that could even alter your health status which might aid you find it out easily but still can be exhausting or sudden that it might demand immediate treatments.

What Causes Ulcerative Colitis?

It could be due to environmental factors like bacteria or viruses. It can be due to genetic inheritance from your parents.

Ayurveda & Ulcerative Colitis

It’s a well-known fact that the science of Ayurveda works on the basic fundamental concept of Tridosha or the 3 humors which include Vata, Pitta and Kapha wherein they have individually different properties and functions. Like Vata holds properties like dry, light and cold, Pitta is hot, light and intense & Kapha will have properties like cold, oily and heavy. Similarly, the 3 Doshas have different seats, places of origin and main site of dwelling as well.

According to Ayurveda, ulcerative colitis is a disease taken into consideration under the concept of Purisha Vaha srotas i.e., the tracts which carry Purisha (feaces). In some other points of view, it is also compared to Pittaja Grahani and this is because the disease is caused due to the imbalance of Pitta dosha in the body along with slight vitiation of Vata as well. Here Grahani is related to the intestines. The sole reason behind all these conclusions is that mainly or dominantly Pitta is seated in the intestines and so any diseases related to intestines would priorly point to imbalance or vitiation of the Pitta dosha.

Home Remedies For Ulcerative Colitis

Since Ayurveda is a natural science, anything and everything you take up as a home remedy using natural ingredients would ultimately fall under it. Also, anyone might know at least a few Ayurvedic remedies, as household ingredients are part of everybody’s daily life. Some of them could have now become part of practices carried on from many generations before, Also, each family would have their own methodology of preparations and applications which are treasured as valuable ones.

Simple remedies would be useful to tackle every disease either at its beginning or if it’s not severe So, this disease of ulcerative colitis has got many home remedies like taking in turmeric (Curcuma longa), which helps to overcome internal sensations to an extent, as it has an ant-oxidant called curcumin which reduces the inflammations. Adding herbs and spices like cumin (Cuminum cyminum), coriander (Coriandrum sativum) and celery (Apium graveolens) to daily food would help you to heal the disease as they are rich in antioxidants and vitamins. Another handy method included is using mixture of powdered cloves (Syzygium aromaticum), cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum), and asafetida (Ferula assa-foetida), having one spoon daily mixed in a glass of boiled water would help you improve your digestion and heal your affected intestinal linings. Similar mixed powder of dried ginger (Zingiber officinale), black pepper (Piper nigrum) and long pepper (Piper longus) in equal amounts can be taken in 1 ⁄ 2 spoonful by mixing in water. Other than turmeric there are other herbs like Boswellia (Boswellia serrata) and Psyllium (Plantago ovata). Boswellia is a chemical component mainly found on tree barks and has a property of healing inflammations which hence is ideal for ulcers. Psyllium seeds are also a good remedy as it reaches in fiber content and aids in smooth bowel movements so as to avoid disturbed elimination of wastes like constipation and bleeding during defecation. Another preventive method is including probiotic foods like garlic (Allium sativum), onion (Allium cepa), banana (Musa acuminata), barley (Hordeum vulgare) etc. to your daily diets.

What Are The Ayurvedic Treatments?

The initial step is to find out the main cause of the disease which often is Ama accumulation. Ama is the formation of toxins due to incomplete digestion. Hence in this case, pitta aggravating food should be avoided at first. So, the natural treatments include methods to eliminate the Ama and cure the ailment. Once the Ama is corrected, the later body is treated to heal the ulcers that affect the intestines.

The therapies include, Parishechana – It is the process of dropping oils like Chandanadi tailam or Shatadouth grtham below the navel of the abdomen.

Piccha basti – Which is a process enema using drugs like honey, rock salt or nalpamaradi keram.

Pichu – It is a treatment in which oils like Dhanwantara tailam and Bhala tailam are used to apply on an instrument to place it inside the anal canal. The herbs due to their cooling property gives a cooling effect to the ulcers within the canal. Basti is mainly done to cure Vata. Anuvasan basti is also another type of basti that is used using Prapaundarikadi thailam.

Prevention is Always Better Than Cure

Ulcerative colitis being a disease that can also sustain unnoticed in the beginning and it being a painful disease as well, it is always better to follow proper diets and regimes according to Ayurveda. Drink a good amount of liquids every day to make the Pravaha or flow of digested food easier. Include Vitamin C to your diets as it makes the intestine healthier. Eating fibrous food or fiber supplements will help your bowel movements to get regular. Avoid carbonated drinks and often stick to smaller meals.

Ulcerative colitis can be a tiring picture from which you might wish to get out as soon as possible. Hence this could be the right time to invest in Ayurveda to get your health back and prevent having troublesome intestines too. Let Ayurveda get you a good time to have food you like with no worries.