Q:

Can you recomend anything for ulcerative colitis and primary sclerosing cholangitis? 

A:

The serious and intense nature of these diseases of course require the type of attention and care that comes from a trained Ayurvedic practitioner who can not only determine the root cause of your illness but also prescribe a regimen that is appropriate for your constitution and individual condition. To learn more about Ayurvedic practitioners, you can go to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

However, when we consider the inflammation of various parts of the body, be it the colon, the liver, or another form of tissue, we are often concerned with the relative balance or imbalance of the Pitta dosha. Pitta energy is responsible for regulating the metabolism of substances that come into the body in the form of food and beverage. This metabolic process is derived from heat in the digestive system, which we call the digestive fire. When the fire remains in balance, the body is an efficient machine for processing food and purging the body of toxins. When the fire becomes excessive from too much rigorous activity, too many heat-producing foods (meat, spicy foods, sour foods, pungent foods), and other imbalanced behaviors, the heat leads to toxicity in the form of irritation and inflammation. When this imbalance becomes particularly intense, more severe conditions like ulcerative colitis are the result.

Again, it’s important that you address this condition under the guise of a trained practitioner, but simple things you can do to reduce heat in your body thereby lessening the severity of flare-ups and other symptoms include:

• Follow a bland diet with foods that are easy to digest such as cooked vegetables, white basmati rice, and  ghee.
• Take a tablespoon of aloe vera gel 2 to 3 times a day.
• Avoid eating spicy, hot, sour, and greasy foods.
• Avoid using too many hot spices and other foods that aggravate inflammation such as garlic, hot peppers, onions, pickles, bananas, vinegar, and salt.
• Avoid smoking and drinking alcohol or coffee.
• Avoid overexertion in physical activities such as exercise and manual labor.
• Avoid frequent and excessive amounts of eating.
• Avoid eating fewer than four or five hours before going to bed.

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