When it comes to diverticulosis, there is no disagreement among natural health practitioners on how to treat it. What is diverticulosis you ask? It is a disease of the colon, or the large intestine.
Diverticulosis is a result of small areas of the colon wall protruding out in-between the bands of muscle that encompasses the organ in which they form little pouches that are the size of a pea. These pea-sized pouches are called diverticula. The best solution to this problem is to increase your intake of dietary fiber.
Fiber is the material that’s found in plant foods such as fruits, grains, vegetables and beans, it is indigestible and it helps the colon to form large, soft stools. If you’re not getting enough fiber in your diet, the muscles around the colon will have to work extra hard to propel small stools from the body. Fiber gives the stool bulk, which makes it easier for the body to dispel. Without fiber to help things along, abnormally high levels of pressure are built up over many years, which eventually cause diverticula.
Many people with diverticulosis will probably never experience symptoms. However, some people may experience painful cramps in the lower left abdomen as well as constipation and bloating. Currently, fifty percent of all Americans ages sixty to eighty have diverticulosis.
When you add more fiber to your diet, it helps to lower the internal pressure, which will help to reduce or eliminate the symptoms.
Natural diverticulosis treatment with fiber supplements
In order to prevent problems with diverticulosis, you’re going to need at least 20 to 35 grams of fiber daily. One of the best ways to get that amount of fiber on a daily basis is to take a fiber supplement.
The best supplement to use is a pure psyllium supplement such as Konsyl. It contains no added sugar or flavoring. For every teaspoon, it should provide at least 5 grams of fiber.
Increasing your fiber intake in such a short amount of time could cause gas and bloating; therefore, you’re going to want to start out with 1 teaspoon of psyllium supplement a day. You can mix it with a glass of water, fat-free milk, or juice. You should also take it with a meal.
Stay with the teaspoon a day for a couple of days and if you don’t feel any excess bloating or gas, increase to two teaspoons a day – that’s one teaspoon for breakfast and one teaspoon for lunch, if after two days and you’re comfortable with two teaspoons, go ahead and take a teaspoon with each meal. Remember; always take the psyllium supplement with at least eight ounces of some form of liquid.
If for some reason you begin to experience discomfort, you can go back to the previous levels and stay there for one week then go back and try again. You’re going to eventually reach the 3 teaspoons a day and when you do, stay there for the foreseeable future.
During or right after an attack of diverticulitis, fiber can irritate the problem. Therefore, if you’ve been diagnosed with diverticulitis, make sure that you use fiber supplements under your doctor’s supervision.
Natural diverticulosis treatment with high fiber foods
You can get loads of dietary fiber by eating 5 to 9 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. In addition, along with the fiber, you’re going to get a lot of disease-preventing phytonutrients that include vitamin C as well as beta-carotene. It is also recommended that you add plenty of fiber from sources such as whole grains and beans.
You can really increase your intake of fiber by choosing breakfast cereals that provide at least twelve grams of fiber per serving. This will allow you to get half of your daily intake in one meal.
Restore elasticity to the intestinal walls with MSM
Fiber is not the only remedy for diverticulosis, but it is the most important healing agent. However, when the colon loses its natural elasticity, diverticula are more likely to develop.
Returning elasticity to the colon will ensure that the situation does not get any worse and it will prevent new diverticula from forming. Return elasticity by taking one thousand milligrams of the supplement MSM (methylsulfonylmethane). This supplement is well endowed with a very high sulfur content, which makes it a good remedy to heal the damage that’s already been done to intestinal tissue. It is recommended that anyone that’s susceptible to diverticulitis inflammation should stay on MSM indeterminately.
You should also take 100 milligrams of vitamin C when taking MSM because it increases its effectiveness.
When the pouches that form in the intestine because of diverticulitis become infected, you’re going to need antibiotics treatments. According to many natural health practitioners, you can increase the effectiveness of antibiotic treatments by taking a probiotic supplement, which includes replacing the friendly bacteria that will help fight the infection and aid in protecting you against future infections.
Try finding a probiotic supplement that contains at least one billion units of acidophilus as well as other bacteria that are beneficial, such as bulgaricus, casei, bifidum, plantarum, reuteri, thermophilus, or faecium. It is very important that you buy these supplements freeze-dried or refrigerated at the store because they’re perishable. Once you get them home, put them in the refrigerator right away.
During an attack of diverticulosis, start out by taking 2 capsules three times a day, then you can take 1 capsule 2 or 3 times a day until the symptoms dissipates.
Soothe the digestive tract with slippery elm
Slippery elm is an herb that can help strengthen and soothe the digestive tract, which can help to prevent diverticulosis symptoms. For best results, take 3000 milligrams of slippery elm daily. You can take them in either powder or capsule form until symptoms dissipate.
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