What is Inflammatory Bowel Disease?
By: Mark MonteiroTotal Views: 626, Word Count: 574,
Inflammatory bowel disease is a health condition which is extremely disruptive in nature. Inflammatory bowel disease is also referred to as IBD. It is a group of inflammatory conditions of the small and large intestines.
Inflammatory bowel disease can occur at any age. IBD mostly occurs in the age group of 15 to 35 years. The reasons behind inflammatory bowel disease could be many the main being environmental issues and diet.
The major types of inflammatory bowel disease are-
Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, both Crohn’s disease or CD and ulcerative colitis or UC are intestinal disorders.
Crohn’s disease: Crohn’s disease is a chronic autoimmune inflammatory disease of the intestines. This disease can affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract from the mouth to the anus. Crohn’s disease is mainly found in the ileum. The ileum is the area where the small and large intestine meet. A break in the lining or ulcerations of the large and small intestines is the result of this disease.
Ulcerative colitis: Ulcerative colitis is categorised as a chronic inflammation of the large intestine or colon and the part of the digestive system, mainly where waste from the body is stored. The rectum is closely connected to the colon which is adjacent to the anus. Ulcerative colitis causes an inflammation in the inner lining of the colon. Ulcerative colitis causes rectal bleeding, diarrhoea and abdominal pain.
Causes of inflammatory bowel disease-
- Problems in the body’s immune response system, patients with inflammatory bowel disease have a low immune system to fight harmful substances which enter the body.
- Reduced levels of glutathione in body cells have shown to cause IBD.
- Autoimmune disorder also leads to inflammatory bowel disease, since a person who suffers from inflammatory bowel disease fails to distinguish between good substances which enter the body and harmful substances. The inability to distinguish between good and bad substances leads to an overactive immune system disorder which thereafter leads to chronic inflammation.
Treatment for inflammatory bowel disease-
Steroids, immuno suppressive drugs are known to be the most effective for the treatment for IBD.
Diet change: A diet is change is recommended for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease. A patient is advised an exclusion diet where food items which cause inflammation are eliminated from the diet. During diet change food items which have anti-inflammatory properties are added to the diet. Fish oil and high quality multi-nutrients are added to ones diet as it has anti-inflammatory properties.
Herbal extracts and vitamins: Inflammation can also be treated effectively with the use of other supplements such as vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin D3 and coenzyme Q10. One can also use plant extracts since they have natural anti-inflammatory properties. Some extracts which are helpful for the treatment of IBD are olive leaf, ginger, turmeric and green tea.
You must visit your doctor if you suffer from inflammatory bowel disease. Your doctor may recommend you to replenish glutathione antioxidants levels in your body, to improve your body’s self help mechanism. When your body’s immune system improves you can fight inflammation.
About the Author
Dr. Mark Monteiro is graduated from the Hazard University and done his MBA from the he University Of Illinois College Of Medicine. Currently he is working as general physician at Elmhurst Loyola Center for Health. For over 15 years he has been a pioneer in the field of physician health. He has contributed to the treatment of many diseases like- ASTHMA, TUBERCULOSIS, HIV, HEPATITIS AND ITS TREATMENT.
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