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Ulcerative
Colitis
Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory disease of unknown cause which
involves all or part of the colon. It has periods of getting worse and
then getting better or even entirely well for a while. The disease is
slightly more common in women than in men. One study demonstrated the
most likely time for the onset is between 16 and 20 years of age. The
incidence is lower in southern climates than in northern, and it is rare
in Negroes.
Symptoms are diarrhea, abdominal pain of a cramping nature, rectal bleeding,
weight loss and weakness. Fever may be present. Malnutrition with weight
loss and anemia are common. Abdominal tenderness is most common over
the left colon but may be present in any part of the abdomen.
The first thing must be a program of regularity, going to bed and getting
up at the same time every day, getting exercise out of doors every day,
sleeping in well ventilated bedrooms, keeping the extremities clothed
well and no tight bands around the abdomen.
The second thing is to control the diet quite precisely at first, using
only pears and well cooked millet, three hours of simmering time, or
overnight in a very good crockpot, one that cooks not only around the
edges, but also in the center. The pears should be canned or dried and
subsequently stewed or frozen. Use fresh only if very ripe. Do not put
anything on either the millet or the pears, except for a light sprinkle
of salt on the millet. Take small bites and chew until the food has turned
into a fine cream before swallowing. Juice must be rolled around in the
mouth until thoroughly warmed and mixed with saliva (the same with frozen
foods).
After three days of nothing but millet and pears, begin with apricots,
or apricot nectar, dried apricots, frozen, or canned. Use fresh only
if very ripe. After two or three days of that, decide which foods make
you feel better, the pears or apricots. If you are doing well on both
(bleeding diminished, number of stools per day diminished, pain diminished),
add a few other things to the diet, starting with okra, pumpkin or squash,
carrots, beets, turnips, rutabaga, well cooked collards (45-60 minutes),
or other greens. You may have some tapioca, and some of the South American
root crops such as cassava or yautia. Add each of these foods one per
day, using no seasoning or flavoring except the lightest sprinkle of
salt.
Study a list of the Top A Diet (allergy) which includes a listing of
those foods one is most likely to be sensitive to, and certain foods
that one can generally expect to eat after the first week. Start liberalizing
the diet from that list of foods.
Expect to lose a pound or so at the beginning unless you eat quite heartily.
Take a number of herbal remedies, the first being charcoal. Take a tablespoonful
of charcoal powder stirred in a bit of water with each loose stool. If
you cannot obtain charcoal locally, you may order it from Country Life
at (706)323-9194. Also take Slippery Elm tea, one cup full three times
daily, about ten minutes before meals.
Summary and Instructions
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Two or at most three meals daily composed only of millet (boiled
three hours) and pears (fresh canned or dried), for three days, then
3-hour rice and pears, rice and apricots, then after a week start
the Elimination and Challenge diet (Top A). Use a gluten free diet,
not a
crumb of wheat, rye, oats, or barley. Carrots and carob should be
tried, at least one whole carrot a day, and at least two tablespoons
of carob
powder a day, for the first month on the Top A diet.
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Make sure to chew food very well; even soups and juices should
be swirled in the mouth a good while to mix saliva.
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Avoid overeating, or compulsive eating, and never eat off schedule
or between meals.
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Avoid all things that would be bowel irritants (such as coffee,
teas, colas, and chocolate, even when caffeine free), alcohol and all
carbonated
beverages, vinegar, anything that is hot when it is not hot by temperature
(such as spices, horse radish, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, or cloves),
sugary or salty foods, all fried foods and those made with free fats
(margarine, mayonnaise, cooking fats, salad oils, nut butters not
made with a blender or simple seed mill). Learn to read labels carefully.
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Mealtimes, exercise times, study times, and bedtimes should be
on a very regular schedule.
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Avoid stress and highly emotional situations. A good neutralizer
of stress is outdoor exercise to physical tolerance. Do not overdo,
as this can increase symptoms; but get some physical exercise every
day.
Wear warm clothing on the extremities to avoid internal congestion.
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Use distilled water, well water or purified water, and no tap
water.
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Use a totally honey and sugar free diet, and no vitamin or mineral
supplements of any kind. Avoid all additives, flavorings, colorings,
even natural starch, gels, gums, sorbitol, whey, caseinate, lactate,
mono, di, and triglycerides, baking powder, bicarbonate, phosphates,
phosphoric or citric acid, conditioners, etc.
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Learn to relax. Sit in the sun whenever possible, both to relax
as well as to get the healing benefits of the sunlight. Take a 30 minute
nap before lunch daily, and get seven to nine hours sleep at night.
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Full body massage two to three times a week are helpful.
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Avoid the use of drugs of any type. A number of drugs can exacerbate
ulcerative colitis. Cortisone type drugs do not favorably alter the
course of the disease, however, complications related to corticosteroid
therapy
include osteoporosis, negative nitrogen balance and electrolyte imbalance,
hypoglycemia, peptic ulcers, cataracts, pancreatitis, increased cancer
risk, and a host of other disorders.
Hydrotherapy:
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Fomentations to the abdomen once a day for 20 minutes with a hot
foot bath.
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A hot retention enema given at about 109 to 110 degrees of golden
seal tea and pectin mixed. You can get the crude pectin with the
vitamin C in it such as we use for canning. Put two teaspoons of pectin
in one
cup of golden seal tea made with one teaspoon of the golden seal
tea powder to one cup of hot water. (Golden seal is an astringent and
pulls
tissue together for healing. Pectin breaks down to acetic acid and
butyric acid, which immediately convert to acetate and butyrate, both
of which
nourish the bowel lining.)
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A cold sitz bath for 15-30 minutes with a hot foot bath may decrease
diarrhea.
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Inflammation may be treated with a charcoal compress made with
strong hops tea instead of water. It should be applied at bedtime and
left on
all night. Drinking charcoal slurry water, three to four glasses
a day is often very helpful. Make the slurry water by stirring a tablespoon
of powdered charcoal into a glass of water; allow to settle, then
drink
the supernatant fluid.
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Apply a cold compress for one to five minutes by simply wringing
a large towel from ice water.
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A group of patients treated with artificial fever therapy, and
treatment used successfully in some viral illnesses, all demonstrated
improvement
with a marked decrease in the number of stools per day, decreased
rectal bleeding and an increase in appetite with weight gain. The patients
were
given 2-1/2 hours of treatment with rectal temperatures 104-105 degrees
F. three times weekly with an average of about twelve treatments
per patient.
Herbal Remedies:
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Pectin by mouth. Put one tablespoon of crude pectin (canning variety)
in a cup of water and stir it. Take three doses per day.
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Two Golden Seal capsules three times a day.
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Two enteric coated peppermint oil capsules (Mentharil is one brand
name) as needed for abdominal cramping.
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One half teaspoon of licorice powder to one cup of water per day
(for its salt retaining or steroidal effect).
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Charcoal, one tablespoon of powder stirred in water, with each
loose stool, Take at least an hour before or after meals and the other
herbal
remedies.
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Slippery Elm tea, one teaspoon in one cup very warm water. Take
one cup three times a day at usual mealtimes even if skipping the meal.
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Aloe vera, one - two ounces once or twice daily just before meals.
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