Alternative medicines and supplements

Posted , 4 users are following.

I have recently been diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, and I am currently on a long term dose of steroids along with pentasa , I Am currently having a bad attack with joint pain, leathergy amongst other symptoms, my question is is there any alternative supplements I can be taking to help boost my energy levels?also any alternative combination tablets that are more natural but that will boost what is am lacking with vitamins and mineral .

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4 Replies

  • Posted

    Sorry to hear you've been diagnosed with UC.

    My advice is; listen to your body, it will tell you what it wants or doesn't want. Learn what makes you feel better and worse.

    Try you best to do as many of the good things and as little of the bad. Even if you feel well, keep going, you won't regret it.

    To get you started, outside of medicine, the 4 major things to consider is, mind, diet, movement and sleep.

    These can be anything from -

    Mind

    Stress avoidance

    Relaxation

    Mindfulness

    Meditation (Qigong is good)

    Trying to overcome anxiety

    Diet

    Eating habits

    "Clean" eating

    No tap water

    Avoid possible triggers; caffeine, alcohol, sugar, gluten, dairy, nightshades, soy, nuts

    Nutrient dense diet

    Fresh smoothies/soups/juices

    Fibre is really important for your gut bacteria (you'll read a lot saying avoid fruit, veg and fibre, long term this isn't good for you in many ways, find what ones you can tolerate and eat as many as you can)

    Whole meats, eg skin and bones (organic l/grass fed if possible)

    Bone broth

    High omega 3 less 6 eg extra virgin olive oil and coconut oil, NO vegetable and seed oils, plus more fish

    Organic

    Fasting

    Paleo

    SCD

    Supplements; D (sun is best!), Bs (complex), iron, magnesium (bath salts). Always better do get your nutrients from food if you can.

    Movement

    Minimise sitting

    Take walks

    Yoga

    Pilates

    Intervals/HIIT

    Don't over do it (rest is key!)

    Too much cardio can be bad (no marathons at least until you're better!)

    Sleep

    Habits

    Dark room

    Quite

    Own room/bed?

    No screens within 1 hour of bed

    Avoid too much protein in the evenings

    No caffeine

    That's not an exhaustive list but some things to consider. None of them will "cure" you but will certainly make you feel better and increase chance of remission and staying there. Even if something doesn't feel like it's necessarily doing something, keep at it. It's all about a combination effect.

    Too often I see people try one thing, give up, try the next and nothing works. If they had just done a few at once they would have seen a big difference. It's like a team effort!

    Only other thing to consider is a decent probiotic, you can read all about them here -

    https://www.ibdrelief.com/learn/probiotics-and-ibd

    I hope that helps, good luck with your journey, it's not going to be easy and there will be tough times but it's also extremely rewarding when you find things that make you feel better. Say positive and you can beat it!

    Final note would be, try to meet other people with IBD. You'll learn and lot from them any they can help you through the bad times as they'll understand what you're going through.

  • Posted

    Hi Sophie,

    Welcome to the club of which no one wants to be a member. I'm sorry you have developed this wretched condition, but the good news is that there are medications which can assist in making life less difficult, streeful and painful.  My very best wishes for your future.

    Have you considered visiting a qualified nutrionalist and asking their opinion and advice?

    Good luck and I hope and pray that your current flare-up flares down again very quickly and you speedily return to a more normal life.

    Peter A

      

     

    • Posted

      Hiya thank you and thank you for. Responding 😄 I haven't thought of that but I will strongly consider it as I am worried my body isn't. Absorbing all the nutrients I need I am already on extra calcium as I have severe hip and joint pain part of the reason why I am on steroids. Thank you so much . Sophie 
  • Posted

    Stay away from supposed alternative meds as there are a lot of snakeoil salesmen out there looking to take advantage of people with chronic illnesses.

    Get your vitamin levels checked I ended up being deficiant in both D3 and B12 which I now supplement. Also diet plays a massive part look up diets ofr colitis such as SCD and Paleo both have positive effects.

    Good luck.

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