Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Sunday, March 29th, 2009Inflammatory bowel disease is an umbrella term that’s often used to refer to two distinct but similar conditions: colitis and Crohn’s disease. Both affect the lower gastrointestinal tract, producing cramp like abdominal pain and urgent, bloody diarrhea.

Which type of inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD, you have depends on the location and severity of the small sores, or ulcers, that develop. In colitis, the sores dot the lining of the large intestine as well as the lining of the rectum. In Crahn’s disease, the sores bore deeper into the wall of the colon and spread into the lower portion of the small intestine, called the ileum.
Both types of IBD have essentially the same symptoms: abdominal pain and diarrhea. IBD may also cause weight loss, fatigue, skin rashes, and joint pain. In addition, Crohn’s disease sometimes produces fever.
IBD affects more women than men, although scientists have yet to figure out why. It also starts early in life: Most people with IBD are between ages 15 and 35 when they’re diagnosed.
Because both colitis and Crohn’s disease often run in families, scientists suspect that IBD may have a genetic component. Compared with the general population, people of Jewish heritage are at higher risk. But even among non-Jews, there are marked differences in risk. Scientists have noticed that IBD is two to five times more common in Whites than in people of African or Asian descent.
Of course, you can’t do much about your gender, age, or ethnicity. They’re predetermined. On the other hand, you can change your eating habits. And naturapaths maintain that diet outweighs all other risk factors in determining who gets IBD and who doesn’t.
Some studies have determined that food sensitivities contribute to IBD and that elimination diets often provide considerable relief from IBD symptoms, says Alan Gaby, M.D. In particular, food sensitivities appear to playa role in Crahn’s disease by setting the stage for what alternative practitioners have dubbed leaky gut syndrome.
As these experts theorize, leaky gut syndrome occurs when your small intestine gets damaged, whether by food sensitivities or some other factor. Normally, your small intestine allows only nutrients that your body needs to pass into your bloodstream. But a damaged small intestine leaks, dripping potentially harmful substances into your bloodstream-substances that ought to be eliminated as solid waste. Depending on the severity of your IBD, you may want to consider alternative therapies before going the drug-and-surgery route advocated by many mainstream M.D.’s. Discuss your treatment options with your doctor. If you decide to try alternative therapies, here is website what may help : - http://www.best-home-remedies.com/





