Kay Kay Healthcare Ltd.
DIVERTICULITIS
SYMPTOMS
• Severe, cramping abdominal pain that is usually more severe on the left side.
• Nausea.
• Fever.
• Constipation, thin stools, diarrhea.
• Pain in the lower left quadrant of the abdomen that increases when the sore spot is touched.
WHAT IS DIVERTICULITIS
Diverticulitis is the inflammation or infection of small pouches, called diverticulitis, that develop along the walls of your intestines. The formation of the pouches themselves is a relatively benign condition known as diverticulitis. The pouches can develop anywhere on the digestive tract, but they most commonly form at the end of the descending and sigmoid colons, and they also frequently occur on the first section of the small intestine. If you have diverticulitis, you may not even be aware of it, because the diverticulitis are usually painless and cause few, if any, symptoms. You may experience some cramping on your left side that disappears when you pass gas or move your bowels. And because diverticulitis sometimes bleeds, bright red blood may appear in your stool. The more serious disease, diverticulitis may involve anything from a small abscess in one or more of the pouches to a massive infection or perforation of the bowel. The symptoms are similar to those of appendicitis, except that the pain is located in the lower left side rather than the lower right side. Diverticulitis may be acute and chronic. The acute form can manifest itself with one or more sever attacks of infection and inflammation. In chronic diverticulitis, infection and inflammation may subside, but they may never clear up completely. The inflammation of diverticulitis can eventually result in bowel obstruction, which is indicated by constipation, thin stools, diarrhea, abdominal distention, and abdominal pain. If the obstruction persists, abdominal pain and tenderness will increase, and you may experience nausea and vomiting. If it is left untreated, diverticulitis can lead to serious complications requiring extensive surgery. Abscess may form around the infected diverticulitis, and if these go through intestinal wall, you may develop peritonitis, a potentially fatal infection that requires immediate treatment. An infected diverticulitis can also reach an ad joining organ and form a connection, or fistula, between them. This most frequently occur between the large intestine and the bladder, and it can lead to an infect ion of the neighboring kidneys. Another potential complication is severe internal and colonic bleeding.
CAUSES
Aging and heredity factors in the development of diverticulitis, but diet also plays a role; eating a lot of low fiber, refined food can greatly increase the risk. Indeed, in western societies, an estimated 20 to 50 percent of people over 50 eventually develop diverticular disorders; the figure may be higher than 50 percent in the United States. If you are often constipated and usually strain at bowel movements, you may create enough pressure in the intestinal walls to begin the development of the diverticulitis pouches. If the diverticulitis then becomes filled with fecal material or with undigested food, they are vulnerable to bacterial infection, leading to the inflammation of the diverticulitis.
DIAGNOSTIC AND TEST PROCEDURES
If you think you have either diverticulosis or diverticulitis, your doctor will probably have tests done on both your blood and stool to help diagnose possible infection. Because cancer, irritable, bowel syndrome, and diverticulitis can share the same symptoms, your doctor will need to thoroughly examine intestines. A barium enema, which fills the colon with barium and allows an x-ray to show an outline of the inside of the intestines, can help confirm of diagnosis of diverticulitis. You may also have the insides of your intestines examined with flexible lighted tube in a procedure called a sigmoidoscopy. Sometimes a bit of tissue may also be removed for biopsy, to test for cancerous growth. If you have an acute case of diverticulitis, both barium enemas and biopsies can injure your intestine, so your doctor may choose instead a CT scan, which show the bowel wall and the outside of the colon and can also confirm the diagnosis.
TREATMENT
Diverticulosis can be treated at home, but if you have diverticulitis, you need to see a physician to make sure you fully recover and to avoid possibly life threatening complications. Conventional medicine treats diverticulitis using diet modifications, antibiotics, and possibly surgery. Alternative treatments for diverticulitis may be use in conjunction with conventional treatment to help ease the symptoms and bolster the digestive tract.
CONVENTIONAL MEDICINE
If you have mild case of diverticulosis, your doctor may have you eat a high fiber diet to make sure your bowels move regularly and to reduce your odds of getting diverticulitis. If you do go on to develop diverticulitis but have only a mild infection, you may need just bed rest, stool softeners, a liquid diet, antibiotics to fight the inflammation, and possibly anti spasmodic drugs. However, if you have had a perforation or develop a more severe infection, you will probably be put in the hospital for intravenous antibiotic therapy. You may also be fed intravenously to give your colon time recuperate. In some cases, your doctor may want to drain infected abscess and give your intestinal tract a rest by performing a temporary colostomy. A colostomy creates an opening so your intestine will empty into a bag that is attached to the front of your abdomen. Depending on the success of your recovery, this procedure may be reversed during the second operation. If you have several attacks of acute diverticulitis, your doctor may want to remove the infected section of the intestine when you are free of symptoms. You may also need surgery if intravenous therapy does not effectively treat your acute attack of diverticulitis. Whatever your treatment, your chances for a full recovery is very good if you receive prompt medical attention.
ALTERNATIVE CHOICES
Alternative practitioner may treat some mild cases of diverticulitis, but more serious require conventional treatment in order to prevent dangerous health complications.
ACCUPUNCTURE
To great diverticulitis, an acupuncturist will target points intended to relieve pain and distention, reduce inflammation, regulate intestinal peristalsis, and improve the tone of the intestinal peristalsis, and improve the tone of the intestinal wall. Treatment is performed once or twice a week depending on the severity of the condition, with a full course of treatment requiring about 10 visits. It’s very important to observe good dietary habits while undergoing acupuncture therapy.
AROMATHERAPY
Inhaling two drops of hyssop three times daily may serve as an abdominal relaxant.
CHINESE HERBS
Some Chinese herbs that are used to treat systematic disorders may prove helpful for diverticulitis. See a practitioner of Chinese medicine for recommendation and treatment.
HERBAL THERAPIES
Slippery elm may be soothing to infected diverticulitis: put 1 tsp. powder into ½ cup water, bring to a boil, and simmer 15 minutes. Drink three times daily. Always check with a practitioner first to see if using this herb is appropriate for your particular illness.
HOMEOPATHY
Many homeopathic remedies, such as Belladonna, Bryonies, and Colocynths, may be used to treat diverticulitis. Check with homeopathic physician to see which medicines and dosages might be appropriate for you.
MASSAGE
Use a light vegetable oil to massage your lower abdomen with circular clockwise strokes for five minutes while you are lying down each morning. Follow the massage by drinking an herbal tea such as chamomile which may help promote relaxation.
MIND/ BODY MEDICINE
Relaxation techniques may help you deal with the stress and pain of diverticulitis.
NUTRITION AND DIET
Drink at least six glasses of water daily to prevent constipation. If you do become constipated, prunes, prune juice, or herbal teas specifically formulated for constipation may serve as a natural laxatives. Keep to a low fat diet; fat slows down passage of food through the intestine. Get yourself tested for food allergies to identify food that irritate your system and that you should avoid. During acute attacks of diverticulitis, try one to three days water or vegetable juice fast. Eat low bulk foods while diverticulitis is still inflamed and sensitives. During an attack of acute diverticulitis, make the following foods a significant part of your diet: cooked vegetables, cooked fruits, and apples all of which will be soothing to the inflamed intestine. Avoid milk and milk products, which could worsen your illness, especially if you have diarrhea.
REFLEXOLOGY
To stimulate secretion of nor epinephrine and hydrocortisone and maintain intestinal muscle tone, a practitioner will massage adrenal gland areas on the foot. Stimulating intestine areas helps intestines contract regularly and remove wastes as will stimulating areas corresponding to the location of the inflamed diverticulitis in the intestine. Stimulating the diaphragm / solar plexus area may help with stress and tension.
AT HOME REMEDIES
• Use a heating pad to treat mild pain and spasm in your abdomen. However, do not use high settings for prolonged periods, and never sleep on a heating pad; you could burn yourself.
• To promote regularity, try to move your bowels at the same time every day.
• Stay in bed if you are feverish or having a great deal of pain, and get medical help soon.
PREVENTION
The best preventive action you can take against diverticulitis, of course, is to keep from developing the small intestinal sacs called diverticulitis. You have good chance of doing that simply by modifying your diet and lifestyle. Eat whole grain breads, oatmeal, bran cereals, fibrous fresh fruits, and vegetables, or try an over the counter preparation containing psyllium to increase the bulk in your diet. You can also try ground psyllium seed: add 1 tsp over any cold liquid, and drink once a day within a few minutes of preparing, before the mixtures gels. Make sure you drink plenty of fluids if you increase your intake of fibre, and take care to add fibre gradually; a sudden switch to high fibre diet can cause your abdomen to become distended and create an uncomfortable amount of intestinal gas. Adjust your diet to remove foods that are difficult for you to digest. Avoid refined food such as white flour, white rice, and other process foods. Contrary to popular wisdom, however, it is not necessary to avoid nuts and seeds; they are no more likely than other foods to become caught in diverticulitis. Try over the counter stool softener to fight constipation. If you have urge to move your bowels, don’t delay or ignore it. Regular exercise can help the muscle in your intestine retain their tone, which encourages regular bowel movement. Don’t use suppositories for constipation, because your system may become addicted to them. Prunes, prune juice are all good natural lixiviates. Specially formulated teas to fight constipation are available in health food stores, but some may be very strong, so use them only as directed; avoid products containing sienna which is an especially strong herbal laxative.
DIVERTICULITIS
SYMPTOMS
• Severe, cramping abdominal pain that is usually more severe on the left side.
• Nausea.
• Fever.
• Constipation, thin stools, diarrhea.
• Pain in the lower left quadrant of the abdomen that increases when the sore spot is touched.
WHAT IS DIVERTICULITIS
Diverticulitis is the inflammation or infection of small pouches, called diverticulitis, that develop along the walls of your intestines. The formation of the pouches themselves is a relatively benign condition known as diverticulitis. The pouches can develop anywhere on the digestive tract, but they most commonly form at the end of the descending and sigmoid colons, and they also frequently occur on the first section of the small intestine. If you have diverticulitis, you may not even be aware of it, because the diverticulitis are usually painless and cause few, if any, symptoms. You may experience some cramping on your left side that disappears when you pass gas or move your bowels. And because diverticulitis sometimes bleeds, bright red blood may appear in your stool. The more serious disease, diverticulitis may involve anything from a small abscess in one or more of the pouches to a massive infection or perforation of the bowel. The symptoms are similar to those of appendicitis, except that the pain is located in the lower left side rather than the lower right side. Diverticulitis may be acute and chronic. The acute form can manifest itself with one or more sever attacks of infection and inflammation. In chronic diverticulitis, infection and inflammation may subside, but they may never clear up completely. The inflammation of diverticulitis can eventually result in bowel obstruction, which is indicated by constipation, thin stools, diarrhea, abdominal distention, and abdominal pain. If the obstruction persists, abdominal pain and tenderness will increase, and you may experience nausea and vomiting. If it is left untreated, diverticulitis can lead to serious complications requiring extensive surgery. Abscess may form around the infected diverticulitis, and if these go through intestinal wall, you may develop peritonitis, a potentially fatal infection that requires immediate treatment. An infected diverticulitis can also reach an ad joining organ and form a connection, or fistula, between them. This most frequently occur between the large intestine and the bladder, and it can lead to an infect ion of the neighboring kidneys. Another potential complication is severe internal and colonic bleeding.
CAUSES
Aging and heredity factors in the development of diverticulitis, but diet also plays a role; eating a lot of low fiber, refined food can greatly increase the risk. Indeed, in western societies, an estimated 20 to 50 percent of people over 50 eventually develop diverticular disorders; the figure may be higher than 50 percent in the United States. If you are often constipated and usually strain at bowel movements, you may create enough pressure in the intestinal walls to begin the development of the diverticulitis pouches. If the diverticulitis then becomes filled with fecal material or with undigested food, they are vulnerable to bacterial infection, leading to the inflammation of the diverticulitis.
DIAGNOSTIC AND TEST PROCEDURES
If you think you have either diverticulosis or diverticulitis, your doctor will probably have tests done on both your blood and stool to help diagnose possible infection. Because cancer, irritable, bowel syndrome, and diverticulitis can share the same symptoms, your doctor will need to thoroughly examine intestines. A barium enema, which fills the colon with barium and allows an x-ray to show an outline of the inside of the intestines, can help confirm of diagnosis of diverticulitis. You may also have the insides of your intestines examined with flexible lighted tube in a procedure called a sigmoidoscopy. Sometimes a bit of tissue may also be removed for biopsy, to test for cancerous growth. If you have an acute case of diverticulitis, both barium enemas and biopsies can injure your intestine, so your doctor may choose instead a CT scan, which show the bowel wall and the outside of the colon and can also confirm the diagnosis.
TREATMENT
Diverticulosis can be treated at home, but if you have diverticulitis, you need to see a physician to make sure you fully recover and to avoid possibly life threatening complications. Conventional medicine treats diverticulitis using diet modifications, antibiotics, and possibly surgery. Alternative treatments for diverticulitis may be use in conjunction with conventional treatment to help ease the symptoms and bolster the digestive tract.
CONVENTIONAL MEDICINE
If you have mild case of diverticulosis, your doctor may have you eat a high fiber diet to make sure your bowels move regularly and to reduce your odds of getting diverticulitis. If you do go on to develop diverticulitis but have only a mild infection, you may need just bed rest, stool softeners, a liquid diet, antibiotics to fight the inflammation, and possibly anti spasmodic drugs. However, if you have had a perforation or develop a more severe infection, you will probably be put in the hospital for intravenous antibiotic therapy. You may also be fed intravenously to give your colon time recuperate. In some cases, your doctor may want to drain infected abscess and give your intestinal tract a rest by performing a temporary colostomy. A colostomy creates an opening so your intestine will empty into a bag that is attached to the front of your abdomen. Depending on the success of your recovery, this procedure may be reversed during the second operation. If you have several attacks of acute diverticulitis, your doctor may want to remove the infected section of the intestine when you are free of symptoms. You may also need surgery if intravenous therapy does not effectively treat your acute attack of diverticulitis. Whatever your treatment, your chances for a full recovery is very good if you receive prompt medical attention.
ALTERNATIVE CHOICES
Alternative practitioner may treat some mild cases of diverticulitis, but more serious require conventional treatment in order to prevent dangerous health complications.
ACCUPUNCTURE
To great diverticulitis, an acupuncturist will target points intended to relieve pain and distention, reduce inflammation, regulate intestinal peristalsis, and improve the tone of the intestinal peristalsis, and improve the tone of the intestinal wall. Treatment is performed once or twice a week depending on the severity of the condition, with a full course of treatment requiring about 10 visits. It’s very important to observe good dietary habits while undergoing acupuncture therapy.
AROMATHERAPY
Inhaling two drops of hyssop three times daily may serve as an abdominal relaxant.
CHINESE HERBS
Some Chinese herbs that are used to treat systematic disorders may prove helpful for diverticulitis. See a practitioner of Chinese medicine for recommendation and treatment.
HERBAL THERAPIES
Slippery elm may be soothing to infected diverticulitis: put 1 tsp. powder into ½ cup water, bring to a boil, and simmer 15 minutes. Drink three times daily. Always check with a practitioner first to see if using this herb is appropriate for your particular illness.
HOMEOPATHY
Many homeopathic remedies, such as Belladonna, Bryonies, and Colocynths, may be used to treat diverticulitis. Check with homeopathic physician to see which medicines and dosages might be appropriate for you.
MASSAGE
Use a light vegetable oil to massage your lower abdomen with circular clockwise strokes for five minutes while you are lying down each morning. Follow the massage by drinking an herbal tea such as chamomile which may help promote relaxation.
MIND/ BODY MEDICINE
Relaxation techniques may help you deal with the stress and pain of diverticulitis.
NUTRITION AND DIET
Drink at least six glasses of water daily to prevent constipation. If you do become constipated, prunes, prune juice, or herbal teas specifically formulated for constipation may serve as a natural laxatives. Keep to a low fat diet; fat slows down passage of food through the intestine. Get yourself tested for food allergies to identify food that irritate your system and that you should avoid. During acute attacks of diverticulitis, try one to three days water or vegetable juice fast. Eat low bulk foods while diverticulitis is still inflamed and sensitives. During an attack of acute diverticulitis, make the following foods a significant part of your diet: cooked vegetables, cooked fruits, and apples all of which will be soothing to the inflamed intestine. Avoid milk and milk products, which could worsen your illness, especially if you have diarrhea.
REFLEXOLOGY
To stimulate secretion of nor epinephrine and hydrocortisone and maintain intestinal muscle tone, a practitioner will massage adrenal gland areas on the foot. Stimulating intestine areas helps intestines contract regularly and remove wastes as will stimulating areas corresponding to the location of the inflamed diverticulitis in the intestine. Stimulating the diaphragm / solar plexus area may help with stress and tension.
AT HOME REMEDIES
• Use a heating pad to treat mild pain and spasm in your abdomen. However, do not use high settings for prolonged periods, and never sleep on a heating pad; you could burn yourself.
• To promote regularity, try to move your bowels at the same time every day.
• Stay in bed if you are feverish or having a great deal of pain, and get medical help soon.
PREVENTION
The best preventive action you can take against diverticulitis, of course, is to keep from developing the small intestinal sacs called diverticulitis. You have good chance of doing that simply by modifying your diet and lifestyle. Eat whole grain breads, oatmeal, bran cereals, fibrous fresh fruits, and vegetables, or try an over the counter preparation containing psyllium to increase the bulk in your diet. You can also try ground psyllium seed: add 1 tsp over any cold liquid, and drink once a day within a few minutes of preparing, before the mixtures gels. Make sure you drink plenty of fluids if you increase your intake of fibre, and take care to add fibre gradually; a sudden switch to high fibre diet can cause your abdomen to become distended and create an uncomfortable amount of intestinal gas. Adjust your diet to remove foods that are difficult for you to digest. Avoid refined food such as white flour, white rice, and other process foods. Contrary to popular wisdom, however, it is not necessary to avoid nuts and seeds; they are no more likely than other foods to become caught in diverticulitis. Try over the counter stool softener to fight constipation. If you have urge to move your bowels, don’t delay or ignore it. Regular exercise can help the muscle in your intestine retain their tone, which encourages regular bowel movement. Don’t use suppositories for constipation, because your system may become addicted to them. Prunes, prune juice are all good natural lixiviates. Specially formulated teas to fight constipation are available in health food stores, but some may be very strong, so use them only as directed; avoid products containing sienna which is an especially strong herbal laxative.
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