How to Minimize Effects of Colitis and IBS

How to Minimize Effects of Colitis and IBS



This How To outlines various steps you can take to better cope with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), ulcerative colitis (UC) or other inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). You can do as few as one or as many as all the steps, but they are not intended to be instead of professional medical advice!









1


Eat oatmeal everyday, with a banana cut up in it for extra help. These foods help regulate your bowels, help you achieve that regularity and minimize diarrhea and constipation.





2


Guzzle water. This may seem like a no-brainer, that traditional 8 glasses a day, but this is actually a great immediate fix. If you are having bathroom troubles and cant stomach any food, wait a bit and then pound as much water as you can. It will help flush some toxins out and make you feel MUCH better.





3


For gas, lay on your back and prop your knees up as if you were going to do sit ups. Keep your feet planted on the floor about hip-width apart and just relax with deep breathing. The position helps release gas downward.





4


Acidophilus. Take it as a supplement in pill form or eat those yogurts infused with extra live cultures. Digestive disorders keep the bacteria in our bodies all out of whack and any additional help we can give, like adding the helpful bacteria we lack, will help make our tummies feel much better.





5


Keep a food journal. Because everyone is different, you should not listen to others' dieting advice to ease your pain. Some people with digestive disorders have trouble breaking down peanuts, while others need the peanut butter to ease their stomach pain. If you log all of your foods and the way they make you feel, you can start to determine if you have problem foods to avoid.





6


As a general rule, foods with lots of grease and fat will give you diarrhea; many vegetables can cause gas pains; spicy foods will cause diarrhea; many pain medications cause constipation; and not all diet supplements are helpful.





7


Stress relief is critical, so figure out what works for you be it yoga, running, painting, talking, singing at the top of your lungs.





8


When all else fails, turn to the pink stuff. Pepto Bismal can help temporarily alleviate most stomach issues, but will not cure the underlying cause of IBS or IBD!








Tips & Warnings










Listen to your body! The mind-body connection is powerful and you can learn a lot about the changes you need to make by paying more attention to signs and signals.








Check with your doctor before starting any new routine.



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