COLITIS AND IBD

posted 23rd November 2019
Colitis is inflammation of the lining tissues of the large intestine (colon).Typical symptoms and signs can include abdominal pain, cramping, bloating, and diarrhoea. Other symptoms can be rectal pain/bleeding in stools, urgency to defecate and inability to defecate despite urgency, weight loss, fatigue and fever.
Some years ago a lady in her sixties came to see me who had travelled some distance and was suffering colitis, for which she was being treated with steroids. It was a challenge to travel such a distance but she said she took the risk despite her condition.
After discussing her health, dietary and medical background I then tested her for food sensitivities. She tested sensitive to most of the foods we tried including the foods/drinks that generally test ok on people. However, she was quite determined to avoid these for a month and insisted she could get around it. We also addressed gut bacteria.
On follow-up consultation 4 weeks later I was pleasantly surprised! She told me that she was no longer house-bound, and was able to go out again without experiencing any colitis problems at all. Because she was at home all day every day, she used that time to make meals using alternative flours and ingredients, but admitted that it would not have been possible if she went out to work every day.
It was a delightful outcome as she also came off her steroids. On that follow-up consultation she was able to tolerate the foods/drinks that usually test fine and non-allergenic on people. She then included them in her diet without any problem at all, and was able to live a normal life again without being tied to her home.
© Ann Shaw Clinic Of Nutritional Medicine 2025