Diverticulitis Treatment
Over time, most Americans develop small pouches in the colon, the section of the large intestine that runs from the cecum to the rectum. One of these pouches is called a diverticulum, while more than one is referred to as diverticula. These pouch-like places bulge out from the colon and provide places where bits of undigested food and fecal matter can lodge and cause the infection and inflammation known as diverticulitis.
Almost half of all Americans over 60 years of age have developed diverticulosis, which is the condition of having multiple diverticula. When one or more of the diverticula become infected from the presence of undigested bits of food or fecal matter, a condition called diverticulitis results.
Because the low fiber diets so favored in America are suspected as being the cause of diverticulitis, dietary changes are the first indicated course of treatment for mild diverticulitis where surgery is not indicated. Getting enough fiber is important because lack of fiber causes constipation, which in turn makes abdominal muscles to strain to move stool, thus creating increased pressure in the colon and creating diverticula that can later become inflamed and infected.
Diverticulitis, also known as diverticular disease, is rare in countries where people consume high-fiber vegetable diets. So, adding more fiber and exercising more which increases circulation and encourages body systems to function better will help mild cases provided that these are genuine lifestyle changes and not simply "band-aids" put on to alleviate mild symptoms and then removed once those symptoms abate.
In addition to a high-fiber diet exercise, mild pain medications can help relieve the symptoms of mild diverticulitis, as can muscle relaxants. Foods that encourage bowels to function smoothly include virtually all fruits and vegetables, juices, whole grain bread and cereals, and non-fatty chicken, turkey and fish. Foods to avoid include high-fat items, most cheeses, red meat and products made with refined flour and sugar. Though many people with mild diverticulitis process nuts easily, others find that nuts seem to aggravate a tendency to constipation.
When an attack of diverticulitis is severe, it may warrant being treated with a liquid diet, antibiotics, a hospital stay or even surgery. An attack of acute diverticulitis can develop quite suddenly and without warning. Abdominal pain and tenderness around the left side of the lower abdomen are the most common symptoms of diverticulitis. If the diverticula are infected, people frequently experience fever, nausea, vomiting, chills, cramping, and constipation as well, with the degree of infection determining the harshness of the symptoms. Fiber will not heal existing diverticula, but it may prevent more from forming and it will relieve constipation problems that cause diverticulitis in the first place.
Symptoms may be also be relieved improved by avoiding large meals, especially rich or fatty meals. Extra fiber can be added to the diet with products such as Metamucil and medicinal preparations containing the plant seed, ispaghula.
Repeated or severe attacks of diverticulitis may require surgery that removes the damaged sections of the colon and then reattaches the non-damaged ends. It is best to schedule this surgery rather than wait until the diverticulitis becomes so severe that harmful bacterium to spill into the abdominal cavity and cause peritonitis, which requires immediate emergency surgery.
A emergency colon resection is often a two-stage process in which the damaged colon sections are removed but the ends are not immediately rejoined because of infection. it is not safe to rejoin the ends. Instead, a temporary hole, or stoma, is put into the abdomen and a bag attached to collect stool until the infection has cleared up and the ends of the colon can be safely reattached.
Aloe Vera as a Treatment for Diverticulitis
The Aloe Vera plant is believed by many to be one of nature's most incredible byproducts. It has been used for many years around the house to treat cuts and burns, and has been incorporated into countless of commercial products such as lip-balm, shampoo, and sunscreen/sunburn lotions. However, there exists a concentrated powdered extract from aloe called aloe mucilaginous polysaccharide. It is used to treat auto-immune disorders and diseases. Particularly those in the digestive tract.
Aloe Mucilaginous Polysaccharides can be used to help treat diverticulitis. Aloe mucilaginous polysaccharides are long-chain sugar molecules composed of individual mannose and glucose sugar molecules connected together — which have been attributed to subduing and reducing symptoms associated with Diverticulitis.
The AMP molecule is extracted from the aloe plant in a controlled environment. To get the highest refinement of AMP, lyophilization must be used to preserve the varying sizes of molecules that contain these potent healing properties. Unfortunately, there are few manufacturers that offer the freeze-dried extracted form of AMP as it is expensive to manufacture. To learn more about lyophilization, read this article: Processing of Aloe Mucilaginous Polysaccharides.
SEROVERA® AMP 500 is currently the only vendor of freeze-dried Aloe Mucilaginous Polysaccharides.
