Inflammatory Bowel Disease, also known as IBD, is a common chronic condition, affecting over half a million people in the UK 1. However, many more people remain undiagnosed or wait many years to receive a diagnosis.
IBD is characterised by inflammation and irritation in the intestines. This damages the tissues of the digestive system. In the long term, it leads to poor nutrient absorption and problems with the functioning of the gut.
The two most common forms of IBD are Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. In Crohn’s disease, any part of the digestive tract may be affected. In the case of ulcerative colitis, the condition affects the lining of the large intestine and rectum.
This blog will explore some of the natural strategies and lifestyle choices to naturally support IBD.
Chron’s disease and ulcerative colitis can cause varied symptoms. They include abdominal pain and cramping, bloating, fatigue, fever, poor appetite, weight loss, anaemia, nutrient deficiencies, and diarrhoea, often urgent.
Symptoms may be mild or severe, often coming and going in seemingly random patterns. They can significantly affect your quality of life.
Your GP may order blood or stool tests to measure any inflammation in your body. Diagnosis is confirmed by a colonoscopy or endoscopy to examine your digestive system for areas of inflamed tissue.
Conventional treatments include drugs to suppress inflammation and dampen down your immune system, along with medicines to control diarrhoea, or in severe cases, surgery.
Managing inflammation is key to controlling IBD. It’s important to determine the underlying causes of elevated inflammation and put these right. At the same time, it’s crucial to correct any underlying nutrient deficiencies and pinpoint any foods which may be triggering or worsening inflammation in the intestines.
By looking at the root cause of your symptoms, IBD can be managed naturally.
Plant foods are naturally high in fibre. This feeds the types of bacteria beneficial to your gut. A diet rich in fibre can therefore reduce IBD remission rate, according to research 4. Anti-inflammatory foods include berries, oily fish like salmon and mackerel, leafy greens and turmeric.
It’s wise to avoid foods likely to spark off symptoms, like processed foods, sugar, alcohol and gluten-containing grains. Toxins and additives in food can worsen IBD because they trigger inflammation in the gut.
Ongoing stress wreaks havoc on your digestive system. Relaxation techniques like deep breathing, meditation and yoga all help to reframe your response to stress. Exercise is a great stress reliever and can help improve gut microbiome health, too 5.
Many cultures have been enjoying fermented foods for centuries, and they’re now becoming popular in the UK, with good reason. These foods naturally contain friendly bacteria. Although these bacteria are unable to populate your gut for any length of time, they create the conditions needed in your digestive system for your beneficial bacteria to thrive.
Fermented foods include sauerkraut, kombucha, kefir and natural live yoghurt. Your practitioner may recommend a supplement of beneficial bacteria to help repopulate your gut 6.
Your digestive system, in common with your whole body, repairs itself at night, so it’s crucial to get enough quality sleep. Staring at screens late into the evening can significantly impair your sleep quality. Not snacking late at night, in so doing leaving a decent gap between dinner and breakfast, also enables your gut’s healing processes to kick in.
Certain herbs and botanicals possess anti-inflammatory properties and can help support gut health. They include ginger 7, slippery elm, aloe vera, green tea 8 and curcumin, found in turmeric 9.
By understanding the potential causes of IBD and those playing a role for you personally, your practitioner can advise you of appropriate natural methods to improve your gut health and ease your symptoms. They will carefully analyse your diet, lifestyle, and health history and may recommend functional tests to see what’s happening within your gut and assess any imbalances in your microbiome.
Take the first step to better gut health by requesting a FREE 15-minute discovery call.
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