When the colonists first came over from Europe they were introduced to Goldenseal by Native Americans. Since the colonial days in the United States, it has been used for a number of health related issues and it has actually proven to be one of the herbs that can really perform as it is supposed to. So many medicinal herbs are based on nothing more than myths but Goldenseal actually has endured scientific testing and clinical analysis to treat such things as:
- digestion problems
- yeast infections
- liver conditions
- diarrhea
Along with being able to treat digestive disorders, Goldenseal is also effective in treating eye irritations and skin disorders. Many people find it extremely soothing for infections of the mucous membranes so it is often drank as…
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Ulcerative colitis can be very difficult to diagnose short of radiological and laboratory tests. Once a definitive diagnosis is made, unfortunately, there is no cure. But the good news is that when it comes on suddenly and not over a period of time, it only comes back in about 10% of individuals. Also, there are ever increasing treatments both pharmaceutically as well as holistically. Some doctors even prescribe a combination therapy.
When a patient is suffering from a severely inflamed bout, the treatment of choice by most doctors is steroids. Steroids however are not for prolonged periods of time and can have serious side effects. Also, the antibiotic that was used for many years was a sulfa drug that a good…
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Unfortunately, ulcerative colitis can be very hard to diagnose if you have to rely solely on the symptoms because so many of those symptoms can be attributed to any number of other diseases and/or illnesses. However, the symptoms that are common to ulcerative colitis include persistent or recurring diarrhea, abdominal pain and sometimes fever.
In ulcerative colitis, often diarrhea is full of mucous or bloody, and the pain is often worse just before a bowel movement. It tends to come in waves of cramps and usually on the left side of the body. Because it is an inflammatory disease, it may be accompanied by fever. Unfortunately, those very same symptoms can be indicative of other colorectal diseases or totally unrelated…
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Ulcerative Colitis is an inflammatory disease that usually only affects the innermost lining of the large intestine and/or the rectum. It is one of a group of illnesses broadly categorized as an ‘Irritable Bowel Disease’ (IBD) and it only affects continuous lengths of your colon whereas other IBD like Crohn’s disease usually affects separate patches of the colon.
Although it is unclear what exactly causes Ulcerative Colitis, there are two possibilities that top the list. In years gone by doctors felt that stress was a main factor, but now that is no longer thought to be the case. Stress can aggravate the situation but the underlying cause is probably either the Immune System or Heredity.
There is one school of thought…
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Obesity, in medical terms, is considered as a body disorder due to the accumulation of excessive fats in the body. The aftermaths of obesity are more dangerous than the side effects of smoking and excessive drinking. Researchers have blamed obesity as the primary cause of over 30 medical disorders in our body. Some of these disorders are blood pressure, diabetes, sleep apnea, asthma, cardiovascular disorders etc. In many people, an overweight body is the primary cause of their psychological turbulences. It is noticed that overweight people often nurture complexes like depression, inferiority complex, low self-esteem. Of all these, low esteem has some of the most serious ramifications. It is a complex and deep-routed problem which can also force a person…
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One of the more controversial methods of cleansing the colon is a practice known as ‘colonic irrigation.’ It has gained some popularity in recent years but the procedure itself has been around even from the times of ancient Egypt. There are individuals who swear by it, while there are people on the other side of the fence who claim that it is invasive, dangerous and totally unnecessary. With all the natural and safe products available today, many naturopaths and medical doctors prefer less drastic measures.
No one disputes the fact that regular colon cleansing is beneficial. But the inherent dangers in the colonic irrigation process can cause more harm than good. It needs to be performed by trained medical professionals because…
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This is one ailment that if you have it, you KNOW it. Of course, there is always a danger that the lump you are ‘thinking’ is a hemorrhoid could be something more serious like anal cancer, but that disease is extremely rare. Recently it came to the public’s attention when a celebrity from the 1980’s publicly documented her painful journey through anal cancer. It was noted at that time that it is really very, very uncommon. However, having advised you that there is a possibility, you are better armed to make the decision whether that painful, burning lump on your anus needs to be seen by a doctor.
There are so many causes for hemorrhoids that it would be hard to…
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Sometimes we go to the doctor and we tell him/her what is going on with our health and we try to describe what our current complaint is. Unfortunately, sometimes the symptoms are so vague or they could relate to so many different illnesses or diseases that the doctor decides that diagnostic tests need to be performed in order to get a handle on what is really going on. When you go to your physician presenting symptoms related to digestion or pain in the abdomen, it is quite common for the doctor to order an ‘endoscopy.’
An upper endoscopy entails the use of a small tube that is threaded down the esophagus, through the stomach and as far as the upper…
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Oh, I love that saying! We were always told that stress and spicy foods were the culprits that caused ulcers, but current medical research has shot that theory right out the window. Actually, current data suggests that ulcers are caused by a common bacterium, Helicobacter pylori. It is referred to as H. pylori. It is usually harmless but when it penetrates the mucous lining of the stomach a painful inflammation can occur. An open sore develops and it is this sore that is actually the ulcer.
Ulcers can occur in the stomach and are then known as a gastric ulcer. If they occur in the first part of the upper intestines they are referred to as duodenal ulcers. And of course…
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There is much debate currently as to just how to define the term ‘probiotics,’ so the most popular definition at the moment is the one offered by the World Health Organization. They define probiotics as “live microorganisms, which, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host.” And by the term we can deduce that ‘microorganisms’ are so small that they can only be seen under a specific, high-powered microscope. These organisms include yeasts, bacteria and viruses.
But what exactly are the ‘benefits’ that they offer us as the ‘host?’ For starters, probiotics can effectively replace the good bacteria that are necessary to digestion, and that have been killed off when taking antibiotics. You have all seen…
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