Archives: ulcerative colitis

Hi All!

I know it’s officially Winter now and we’re all bracing ourselves for the time when the temp hits below 20 degrees! Brrrrrrrrr! Hopefully that won’t be for a little while though.

On the topic of winter, it seems that our bodies are constantly fighting off colds, bugs and any other germs that might make us sick.

I have recently started adding organic apple cider vinegar into my daily routine because I’ve read that its got super powers! No, but really, apple cider vinegar is a powerful cleansing and healing elixir. From the Bragg’s website it’s “a naturally occurring antibiotic and antiseptic that fights germs and bacteria.”

To help heal your cold or cough, they say to drink 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar mixed with one tablespoon honey in a tall glass of water approx 1-2 cups.

This is meant to cut the mucus. With that exact statement I started wondering if drinking this vinegar might be beneficial to one with ulcerative colitis. I’ve done some research and found that yes, for many it has helped and for some it hasn’t. Now that seems like a frustrating answer, but the only way to really find out if it might help you with any digestive problems is to try it for yourself. It shouldn’t hurt you, but if it doesn’t sit well with you then you know it’s not the right remedy.

Everyone who has a digestive disorder has it differently. That’s why it’s hard to say that one remedy will definitely work – we are all different and the only way to tell is trial and error.

The apple cider vinegar that I’m referring to is raw, unfiltered, unheated, unpasteurized and has 5% acidity. It contains the amazing Mother of Vinegar which occurs naturally as strand-like enzymes of connected protein molecules.

Braggs makes an organic raw apple cider vinegar that you can find in the health food store. Make sure your vinegar is brown in color and not clear.

I hope you get through this Winter season with all the right remedies on hand to attack any and all unwanted bugs and germs.

Stay healthy!!

I just went for my annual physical checkup today and was so pleasantly surprised when Dr. Lee took a look at my latest colonoscopy results and stated “it looks like your colitis is getting smaller and smaller.” I’ve been having a flare up for 3 years and the time is finally here when not only are my flares getting less and less but also, the colitis is diminishing all together!

You might be asking how in the world did I do this?!

Let me explain – over the past year and a half I’ve taken the time to read many books and educate myself on how to cure myself of this belly bloating, gas producing, uncomfortable, colitis.

I know that there are lots of sufferers out there and I totally get what your going through – I promise I was right there with you not too long ago.

Instead of only listening to my GI doc, I decided to educate myself even further on the topic. I wasn’t happy about taking steroids for the rest of my life so I made a decision not to do it. Yes I did take the suppositories when needed but I coupled them with the eastern side of medicine.

I do yoga, acupuncture and see a chiropractor on a regular basis, which are all part of eastern medicine. I believe that these forms of medicine have helped calm belly.

I’ve made the conscious choice to change my diet and I haven’t looked back since. Well… maybe I’ve looked back when everyone is enjoying their glutinous filled pizza and all I want is that NY slice… I have found other options for pizza and they are pretty delicious, but when it’s right in your face it’s very hard to say no – the only way to really say no is to remember how you feel when your belly hurts and for me that’s plenty. I’m so happy to have my gluten free, dairy free Amy’s Pizza readily available when I need my pizza fill. It takes strength and a good support system but you will overcome it.

If you have specific questions on what books I’ve read or what I’ve done to help cure myself please feel free to message me. I want to keep an open communication with you and anyone you know who suffers from a hurting gut.

Please take care of yourself.

During my IIN (Integrative Institute of Nutrition) classes we had the pleasure of meeting David Wolfe, raw food guru. The most important lesson that I learned from him is that going raw may not be the best idea for everyone – but adding raw products into your existing daily diet can’t hurt at all.

He taught us how to make a “superfood smoothie,” which uses ingredients that I usually use on a daily basis but now I’ve learned how to also add in superfoods to pump it up.

Here is the recipe:

Handful of strawberries

Handful of blueberries

Handful of blackberries

Handful of raspberries

Coconut water – enough to cover the fruit and a little extra (too much is never a bad thing) one cup-full of coconut water contains more electrolytes than most sports drinks and more potassium than a banana**

1 tbls chia seeds– Chia is very rich in omega-3 fatty acids, even more so than flax seeds! Chia is rich in antioxidants, provide fiber as well as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, copper, iron, molybdenum, niacin, and zinc. Chia is an AMAZING superfood!

½ tbls maca powder- Has been found to enhance fertility and sexual performance in both men and women.

½ tbls cacao powder – All chocolate is made from the cacao (cocoa) bean, and cacao beans in their natural, unprocessed, unadulterated state are rich in nutrients and beneficial to health. Cacao helps dilate bloods vessels, reduce blood clotting, improve circulation, help regulate heartbeat and blood pressure, lower LDL cholesterol, and reduce the risk of stroke and heart attacks. It is a feel good food and it may reduce the risk of certain cancers.

½ tbls camu camu powder – Camu camu fruits contain more vitamin C than any other plant in the world from 30 to 60 times more than an orange. It has astringent, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, emollient and nutritional properties, and also contains important levels of beta-carotene, calcium, iron, niacin, phosphorus, riboflavin and thiamin.

1 tbls raw honey – Honey is antiseptic, antibiotic, antifungal, and antibacterial — it never spoils and is best in it’s raw, unprocessed state.

½ tbls blue green algae – A form of microalgae phytoplankton containing chlorophyll, vitamin B-12, complete protein and omega 3 fatty acids.

1 tincture of cat’s claw – Is thought to have anti-inflammatory effects and has been used for rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. It has also been used for high blood pressure, HIV, diverticulitis, gastritis, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

1 tincture of pau’darco – An anti-inflammatory

1 tincture of fo-ti – Can lower serum cholesterol, decrease hardening of the arteries, and improve immune function.

1 tincture of reishi mushroom – Regulates and fine tunes the immune system.

A handful of almonds (if you like them!)

Feel free to add in a green veggie if you want, sometimes I add in spinach or kale depending on what I have in the fridge.

If you have any serious health problems I suggest you do some more research on these superfoods to make sure they won’t effect you in a negative way – they are powerful and wonderful if you use them properly.

It’s finally time to enjoy what Mother Nature’s given us!

There has been a lot going on in my life at the present time… I just finished an intensive yoga teacher training course on February 12^th and the week after I began attending courses at the Integrative Institute of Nutrition (IIN). I’m planning a wedding, figuring out a business for myself and am all around tired!

I’m sure you have all experienced busy lives but personally, I’m not used to such chaos! My belly has taken a toll because of all the running around that I’ve been doing. I am currently working on bringing myself back to health – today I took my first steps.

I went on a one-day liquid and soft foods detox. I drank smoothies, juices and water. I steamed sweet potatoes and beets. Drank more smoothies with greens, I made a green soup and ate a squash for dinner.

I wanted to eat as clean and simple as possible and I think I succeeded in doing so. I still have a bit of a tummy ache but I think it’s getting better! Tomorrow I will pump up the protein and eat lots of nutrients.

It’s always hard the day after a detox to jump back into eating “normal” again… It’s really important to not overload the body. I will eat small portions, clean food and make sure to exercise.

I know this plan will make me feel better and I can’t wait to cross back over into the wonderful world of feeling healthy.

Staying positive is essential to heal. So here I am, Ms. Positivity!

I will feel better tomorrow and so will you if you have any pains.

Let me introduce myself to you, my name is Shira and about 2 years ago I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis and have been forced to change my diet drastically. Doctors told me that food did not play a role in the bloating and the awful feeling that I felt each day. Finally I decided to go against their word and I worked hard on identifying each item that I put into my mouth and began writing down exactly how it made me feel after.

I have been continuing with this and have made a new diet for myself that excludes all dairy, wheat/gluten, caffeine and all refined sugar. This has been quite challenging but I’ve found that I feel much lighter and my bloating has subsided. I recently had a colonoscopy and I’m happy to report that the colitis has improved! There’s definitely hope that changing one’s diet can help and I’m living proof of it. To all those people out there who don’t believe food can affect your body not just with weight, but with emotions, stress and disease I want to tell them that anything’s possible, it’s just about trial and error as well as listening to your body.

So do yourself a favor and pay attention to what goes into your mouth because you have to live with it and the effect it has on your body.

I look forward to helping heal those in need.