Inflamed Colon

In medical terminology, the condition of inflamed colon is known as colitis. The commonly identifiable inflamed colon symptoms are anemia, abdominal cramps, bloody stools, diarrhea, fatigue, joint pain, fever, loss of appetite and weight loss. According to general observation, the symptoms of inflamed colon are not persistent, rather they keep coming and going. Also, sometimes the episodes are worse and sometimes they are hardly noticeable. You might be wondering what causes inflamed colon and how such a state can be restored to normal. Well, this article has the answer to both questions.

Inflamed Colon Causes

Out of a number of causes of inflamed colon, allergy is the most common. It may occur when your colon is exposed to a substance that acts as an antigen and triggers an immune reaction. Such substances are known as allergens. They may be present as an ingredient of foods and drinks ingested by you. Allergens disrupt the normal working of the immune system of your body.

The identifiable symptoms of inflamed colon caused by allergy are diarrhea, fatigue and pain in the lower abdomen. Inflammation of the colon may occur as a result of taking antibiotics. In such a case, the symptomsinflamed colon include abdominal cramps and diarrhea. The action of HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) can be a reason behind persistent inflamed colon. This is because, HIV works to weaken the immune system of your body to a great extent. As a result, your body including the colon becomes more susceptible to microbial infection.

Hormonal changes may lead to irritable bowel syndrome, which in turn can cause inflamed colon. The noticeable symptoms are bloating, belching and diarrhea. Lastly, inheritance may be another factor that may be responsible for recurrent inflamed colon. In such a case, complete treatment is generally not possible. However, supportive care can be provided to the patient to maintain a sound health.

Inflamed Colon Treatment

Inflamed colon treatment depends upon the severity of the condition. The traditional medical treatment follows any of the three methods of curing an inflamed colon. These are drug therapy, hospitalization and surgery. In drug therapy, antibiotics, antivirals, antihistamines, analgesics, etc are given to the patient to treat infection, inflammation and pain. Usually, all such types of medicines are sufficient enough to subside the symptoms and restore the normal healthy state of the digestive and excretory system. However, if the patient is suffering from serious complications of inflamed colon such as severe diarrhea and bleeding, hospitalization can be required. The patient is given medication and made to follow an colon diet to maintain water-salt balance and boost his immune system.

In some 25-30% cases, most of the treatment options fail, and the condition of inflamed colon reaches a stage where there is rupturing of the colon, heavy bleeding, a risk of cancer or other associated complications. In such cases, surgical removal of the colon is considered as an option.

Effective medical treatment is available to treat inflamed colon. While you are on any kind of medical treatment, you need to follow some colon soothing measures to accelerate the process of healing as well as provide yourself some comfort.

• Avoid taking beverages that aggravate diarrhea. Some examples are alcohol, aerated drinks, etc.
• Stay away from foods rich in fat and dairy products as they tend to increase the workload on the digestive system and make the condition worse. Cut short on the intake of fiber while you are going through an episode of inflamed colon as they further aggravate the symptoms.
• Manage stress by following different relaxation techniques such as yoga, meditation, deep breathing, etc. This will assist your body in dealing with inflamed colon well.
• Take natural supplements of zinc, folic acid, vitamin B12 and glutamine. This will help you in subsiding the inflamed colon symptoms. To know their intake amounts, consult a doctor.

Thus, you see that both medical treatments and home remedies are required together to cure inflamed colon.