What About Supplements to Fight Colitis Symptoms?

There is a tendency for people diagnosed with colitis to seek out information and advice about supplements in additional to conventional prescriptive medication as a method to reduce the impact of colitis symptoms. Yet it is entirely wrong to assume that by taking supplements they can somehow automatically replace what your doctor has prescribed for your condition.

What is required is an understanding between the difference between medication that your doctor has prescribed for you to tackle colitis and supplements that can be bought over the counter. These are not classed as prescriptive drugs and they can contain such elements as vitamins and minerals. Their use is not as a substitute for prescribed medication but as an addition to. They are available to be used as a personal choice of the individual to perhaps complement other healthy initiatives.

With regard to utilising methods to reduce colitis symptoms, sufferers often look for supplements that will have the effect of reducing the inflammation in the large colon and increasing the presence of good bacteria. At the present time, medical research is studying whether there is a link between colitis and the role of bacteria in the gut. This has had the effect of raising awareness of the role of probiotics, whereby the patient is attempting to increase the amount of good bacteria found within the large colon.

It is too early to say with any certainty that using such a supplement will specifically reduce the effect colitis has on the large colon but it will provide the body with nourishment it so often needs. It has been found that people with a colon unaffected by colitis do receive a boost to their overall health and bowel function by taking probiotics.

It is important that a discussion is held with your doctor if anything other than prescribed medication is taken. Enquire if taking a particular supplement is safe for those diagnosed with colitis. What must be avoided is for innocently taking supplements that will either conflict with your regular medication to make it less effective or for a supplement to actually create a reaction which in fact exacerbates the symptoms.

It is also important to understand that by taking say, probiotics, there will still be a need for anti inflammatory medication. Think about it, they are not labeled supplements for nothing. It is important not to ignore the fact that they are not substitues for the anti inflammatory and steriod drugs that have been prescribed to you in order to bring and keep colitis under control. For sufferers, it is vital that they know how and when supplements can be used in coordination with other preventative measures by accessing the knowledge and experience of others in order to reduce the impact colitis has on their daily life.