Sometimes, especially as they get older, people can develop little bulging pouches in the lining of the large intestine. These are called diverticula, and the condition is known as diverticulosis.
Will a high-fiber diet prevent diverticulitis? For those with diverticular disease, preventing painful inflammation of diverticula — small bulges that form along the digestive tract.
Diverticulosis, otherwise known as pockets or pouches of the colon, is very common. You can access a full description of this condition at Diverticulosis.
Eating a high-fibre diet may help prevent diverticular disease, and should improve your symptoms. Your diet should be balanced and include at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, plus whole grains.
Fibers are cell walls from plants. It is mostly found in the outer layers of plants. Fiber is a special type of carbohydrate that passes through the person’s digestive system. It is virtually unchanged, without being broken down into nutrients. Carbohydrate is the mother source of energy for all body functions, especially on motor development and brain functions. Cereals, veggies, fruits, rice, potatoes and flour products are major source of carbohydrates.
There are two mother types of fiber and they have relatively different effects on the body. Insoluble fibers are classified mainly made up of plant cell walls. Although they cannot be dissolved in water but it has an excellent laxative effect. Soluble fiber is made up of polysaccharides (carbohydrates that contain three or more molecules of simple carbohydrates). These fibers have beneficial effect on body chemistry such as lowering your blood cholesterol and blood sugar levels.
Because foods containing fiber-rich elements, they needed to be digested and chewed more thoroughly. Fiber slows down the eating process and it helps contribute to a feeling of being full. These in turn can help prevent obesity and other related diseases due to overeating. Fiber has an influence on the digestion process from start to finish. Fiber makes food more satisfying probably because the contents of the stomach are bulkier and it stays there longer. Fiber slows down digestion and absorption so that glucose in your food. As soon as it enters the bloodstream, it feeds the body slowly which keeps blood sugar on a more controlled level. Fiber is broken down in the colon by bacteria. This process is called fermentation and the simple organic acids are produced by this process and helps to nourish the lining of the colon. These acids elements also provide fuel energy for the rest of the body especially the liver, where it plays an important role in metabolism.
There are good sources of fiber. These would include whole grains, nuts and seeds, legumes, citrus fruits, vegetables, and some dietary supplement that they claim to have fiber packed. Some of the recommended supplements are Citrucel or Metamucil. Oily foods such as nuts, popcorn hulls, and sunflower must be avoided. People have difference appetites but decisions about diet should be based on what works best for each person general health.
Try to read food labels for bread and cereal products listing whole grain or whole wheat as the first ingredient. When in a hurry, look for cooked and ready to eat cereals that have at least 3 grams of fiber per serving. Eating fruits and green leafy vegetables has more fiber elements than cooked or canned foods, or processed juice. Dried fruits are also good sources of fiber.
Increase fiber in meat dishes by adding pinto beans, kidney beans, black-eyed peas, bran, or oatmeal. Try adding 2-3 tsp. of unprocessed wheat bran to foods such as meatloaf, casseroles, homemade breads, muffins and other baked goods. Dairy foods provide little fiber. Increase fiber by adding fresh fruit, whole grain or bran cereals to yogurt or cottage cheese.
Sometimes we can’t blame an autoimmune disease or an allergy for our gastrointestinal
discomfort. Sometimes the walls of the intestine grow weak and develop pouches. This is known as diverticular disease. If these pouches become inflamed or infected, you have diverticulitis. Read on to develop a better understanding of this potentially serious condition.
What Is Diverticulitis?
Diverticulitis vs Diverticulosis
What Causes Diverticulitis?
Primary Risk Factors
Diverticulosis Symptoms
Diverticulitis Symptoms
How Is Diverticulitis Diagnosed?
Diverticulosis and Diverticulitis Treatment
Diverticular Disease Diet
The Gluten-Free Diet and Diverticular Disease
Diverticulitis Surgery
What You Need to Know
What Is Diverticulitis?
A relatively common disease of the intestine, diverticulitis occurs when pouches form along the wall of the small or large intestine. These pouches are called diverticula, and they occur more often in the large intestine, or colon. If one or more of these pouches become inflamed, you develop diverticulitis.
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Diverticulitis vs Diverticulosis
I’ve seen many online sources confuse the terms diverticulosis and diverticulitis. But they are not interchangeable. When you develop pouches along your intestinal wall, you have diverticulosis. When these pouches become inflamed or infected, you have diverticulitis. Having the pouches — diverticula — alone is not diverticulitis.
Diverticulosis and diverticulitis are together referred to as diverticular disease.
As a quick summary:
Diverticulum: A single pouch formed in the wall of your intestine.
Diverticula: The plural of diverticulum, meaning multiple pouches
Diverticulosis: The condition of having diverticula.
Diverticulitis: When the diverticula become inflamed or infected.
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What Causes Diverticulitis?
In all people, the muscles along the wall of the intestine become thicker and less supple with age. While we don’t know why this happens, we have theories for why these muscles may grow thicker more quickly in some situations than others. The main theory is that, as we age, the pressure required to move and eliminate feces increases. If anything in your diet makes feces harder to eliminate, over time you increase your risk for developing diverticulosis.
As the colon experiences increased pressure over time, the inner-most muscles along the intestinal wall begin to push outward through weaker patches of outer-most muscles. This process is called herniation. This process results in the pouches or sacs in the intestinal wall we call diverticula.
While we don’t know for certain that low fiber diets cause diverticula, there is a high correlation between societies that eat a low fiber diet and societies with high frequencies of diverticula. This suggests that a low fiber diet may increase the risk for developing diverticula.
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Primary Risk Factors
The primary risk factors for developing diverticular disease, and in particular for developing diverticulitis, include aging, low activity levels (lack of exercise), low fiber diet, obesity and smoking. We can’t control aging, so take a long hard look at the fiber in your diet, your exercise routine (or lack thereof), your weight and if applicable, a smoking habit.
Addressing these risk factors can have synergistic benefits. Increasing fiber in your diet and improving your exercise routine will help you lose weight, and when you’ve lost weight by improving these habits, you significantly reduce your overall risk for diverticulitis. Addressing these risk factors may also help you slow the one risk factor we can’t fully control: aging.
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Diverticulosis Symptoms
Most diverticulosis patients are asymptomatic. This means they don’t experience tangible symptoms. Some people, however, may experience intestinal bloating, cramps and constipation.
When symptoms do occur, they dovetail with the symptoms of many other gastrointestinal problems, including Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis and gluten intolerance symptoms, so experiencing these symptoms doesn’t mean you have diverticulosis.
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Diverticulitis Symptoms
Diverticulitis is a serious condition. If the diverticulum are inflamed but not infected, symptoms may be less severe. But if they are infected, symptoms may become acute. The most common symptoms include:
Abdominal pain or tenderness in the lower left abdomen
Constipation or diarrhea (constipation is more common)
Fever
Nausea
Vomiting
Diverticulitis symptoms tend to grow more severe over time if the condition is not identified and treated. In fact, symptoms my quickly grow severe, even during a single day.
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How Is Diverticulitis Diagnosed?
Diagnosis begins with identifying symptoms and excluding other conditions. Tests are performed to identify inflamed, infected or ruptured diverticula. Depending on the severity and urgency of the condition, different tests may be used.
Barium X-rays, sigmoidoscopies, colonoscopies, ultrasounds and CT scans (computerized tomography scans) are among the different tests doctors will use to identify and diagnose your condition.
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Diverticulosis and Diverticulitis Treatment
A diet with normal, healthy levels of fiber may help prevent constipation and the worsening of diverticular disease. In some cases, doctors may prescribe an anti-spasmodic medication like hyoscyamine (Levsin).
Inflammation usually occurs around the edge of diverticula, indicating the presence of infammation-inducing bacteria. For this reason, some researchers speculate that gut bacteria may contribute to the creation and rupture of diverticula. One new hypothesis suggests modulating gut bacteria with probiotic supplements may help reduce the risk for diverticulosis or help treat existing diverticulosis to minimize the risk of diverticulitis. However, this is just a hypothesis without clinical evidence to support it… yet.
In my opinion, certain probiotics known to improve stool consistency may help manage diverticulosis, and thus minimize the risk of diverticulitis. In particular, a specific bifidobacteria, B. infantis, has been shown to improve irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms, especially in women. Currently, researchers believe this is because (1) it alters the population of gas-producing bacteria in the gut and (2) it helps maintain a consistency of feces that is less likely to cause irritation along the walls of the colon.
In addition, we know that the population of this bacteria in the gut decreases as humans age. The risk for diverticulosis and diverticulitis increases as age, so we can correlate that as the population of B. infantis in our guts decrease, our risk for diverticulosis increases.
This is all my own conjecture, and I admit it is based on correlations, not established causation. However, I believe patients seeking to take a pro-active approach to relieving their symptoms should at least consider a probiotic supplement with Bifidobacterium infantis. Try to take one with an enteric coating to help the live bacteria survive your stomach acids. To further manage the growth of good and bad bacteria in your gut, you might consider a FODMAPs diet or a low fructose diet.
Treating diverticulitis is a different and more immediate issue. If you are diagnosed with diverticulitis you will be prescribed antibiotics. In early treatment or mild cases oral antibiotics — along with a temporary liquid diet — are usually enough to curb diverticulitis. However, in more severe cases, hospitalization and intravenous antibiotics may be required.
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Diverticular Disease Diet
While in the past some doctors advised diverticulosis patients to avoid nuts and seeds, lack of evidence to support this approach has caused this practice to fall out of favor. If you can enjoy nutritional diversity without consuming nuts and seeds, you might still try to avoid them if you’re struggling to find relief from symptoms.
(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19607778)
However, some evidence suggests nuts and seeds may help treat diverticulosis in adult males. If you are not allergic to them, nuts and seeds provide an excellent range of nutrients for people on a gluten-free diet, so only eliminate them from your diet if you are still looking for relief.
If you have been diagnosed with diverticulitis, you may be moved to a liquid diet or a low fiber diet. This is a temporary diet implemented to avoid acute attacks while antibiotics are administered to eliminate the infection and minimize the inflammation. While the evidence is sparse, the theory most doctors follow at this point is that reducing the total material passing by the inflamed diverticulum will reduce the risk for acute attacks.
Again, keep in mind this is a temporary diet for diverticulitis, not a permanent diet for treating diverticulosis. For long-term treatment, a healthy diet with plenty of fiber should be sufficient to minimize the risk of diverticulitis.
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The Gluten-Free Diet and Diverticular Disease
It is important to note that if you are new to a gluten-free diet, you need to make sure you get enough fiber in your diet. Many people rely on gluten-containing foods to fulfill their daily fiber requirement, then after they remove gluten they don’t compensate for this lost source of fiber.
According to the American Dietetic Association, most people new to a gluten-free diet don’t get enough fiber in their diet. You need plenty of fiber to keep your bowel strong, healthy and regular, especially as you grow older. I recommend fulfilling your fiber requirements with vegetables, but certified gluten-free grains can help as well.
It will depend on your gender, age and weight, but somewhere in the range of 25 grams of fiber each day will be the general range to target. If you go from 5 grams to 25 grams in just one day, expect to experience some degree of bloating and gas. I recommend gradually increasing your fiber intake until you are in your target range.
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Diverticulitis Surgery
In some rare cases when diverticulitis does not respond to intravenous antibiotics and a liquid diet, diverticulitis surgery may be required. Surgical procedures can vary depending on each case. Sometimes pus is drained from infected diverticulum, but sometimes surgical removal of parts of the colon (resection) may be required.
Surgery may also be recommended for chronic bleeding of diverticulum. Identifying the exact location of the bleeding is important as chronic internal bleeding can lead to a wide range of health concerns and complications.
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What You Need to Know
A healthy, low inflammation diet that incorporates plenty of fiber should help you minimize your risk for diverticular disease. In addition, get plenty of exercise, keep yourself well-hydrated (drink plenty of water), and watch your weight. But if you know you’ve already developed diverticular disease, don’t hesitate to head to the hospital if you begin to experience significant symptoms.
Once you develop diverticular disease, there is no cure. You will need to learn to manage your condition and avoid acute attacks. I recommend a healthy diet, plenty of exercise and an enteric-coated probiotic supplement with the strain called B. infantis.
Diverticulosis is not directly related to gluten consumption. Little evidence correlates gluten intolerance with diverticulosis. However, in my opinion, when a body is weakened by a long-undiagnosed case of gluten intolerance and the intestine is weakened by the damage done by gluten in people with celiac disease or a non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS), you will likely experience increased risk for diverticular disease.
Remember, if you are new to a gluten-free diet, be mindful of your daily intake of fiber. Many people new to a gluten-free lifestyle don’t get enough fiber in their diet. You need fiber to help keep your intestine strong and regular to minimize your risk for diverticular disease.
Diverticulosis is something we should all better understand as we grow older and the smooth muscle lining along the intestinal wall grows weaker and more susceptible to inflammation and infection.
Diet For Diverticulitis is a medical condition in which little bulging pouches, called diverticula, form in the digestive tract of the affected person. These can get infected and inflamed, causing abdominal pain. Other symptoms of diverticulitis include nausea, bloating, vomiting, fever, diarrhea, or constipation. Most of the times, Diet For Diverticulitis goes undetected for a long time as it does not cause many visible symptoms and the affected person doesn’t become aware of it until the symptoms
get worse.
Antibiotics are popularly used for its treatment, and sometimes surgery might be necessary. It is believed that a low-fiber diet can cause this condition and that is why people living in areas where diets are high in fiber tend to have lower incidences of it. Although, a Diet For Diverticulitis diet cannot totally cure this condition, it is very helpful in its prevention and recurrences. Given here is the recommended diet for diverticulitis that will help in its treatment, when taken along with medications.
Treatment For Diverticulitis With Diet
Increase Fluid Intake
While you are on treatment for Diet For Diverticulitis , it is best to give some rest to your digestive system by restricting your diet to fluids in the first few days.
Have only clear liquids like broth, fruit juices without pulp, and tea without cream. This will prepare your digestive system gradually for a proper diet by providing it good amount of rest.
Consume Whole Grains
Start initially with low fiber diet which can include fish, poultry, dairy products and eggs. After a while, you can start consuming whole grains as well which are high fiber foods. This is an important part of diverticulitis treatment.
What is Diverticulitis? Diverticulitis is a digestive tract condition involving the presence of little pouches called diverticula anywhere between your esophagus and large intestine in a process called diverticulosis. Diverticula are common and do not normally cause trouble, but when one of these pouches becomes inflamed or infected it can cause severe pain and intestinal trouble. Diverticula usually develop in weaker parts of the colon under a lot of pressure, but how they become infected or inflamed is still an area under a lot of medical scrutiny; some theories involved trapped fecal matter causing infections, obstructions causing reduced blood-supply and leading to inflammation, and increased pressure weakening diverticula walls.
Symptoms of diverticulitis are sudden and severe pain on the lower left side of the abdomen, changes in bowel habits, abdominal tenderness, fever, nausea, constipation, diarrhea, bloating, and rectal bleeding. It was once believed that diets high in nuts, seeds, and corn were associated with diverticulitis risk, but research has shown no association.
Find a Natural Diverticulitis Treatment on Earth Clinic
On this page you can find a number of natural and home remedies for diverticulitis submitted by Earth Clinic readers. Some of our popular treatments include grapefruit seed extract, aloe vera juice, sea salt, apple cider vinegar, and even an acid/alkaline diet for diverticulitis. Let us know what you use from Earth Clinic to cure diverticulitis. Know of a remedy not yet listed here? Please don't hesitate to share it with us!
Diverticulitis is a disease which consists of diverticula inflammation (an abnormal growth which develops in your intestine walls).
Usually, diverticulitis also triggers diverticulosis, which is an elevated pressure in the colon.
Unfortunately, nobody knows yet what kind of problem leads to diverticulitis, but scientists have proved that eating a low-fiber diet, lack of exercise and straining during bowel movements can increase the risk of triggering this ailment.
This disease presents abdominal pain, cramping, nausea, fever, vomiting, a change in bowel habits and chills. Although the pain triggered by diverticulitis is powerful, when treated adequately, it will go away in no time.
If you’re tired of all the expensive traditional treatments, give alternative medicine a try and choose a diet for diverticulitis instead. However, before starting this diet, schedule an appointment with your doctor in order to make sure that you’re indeed suffering from diverticulitis and not colon cancer.
How a Diet for Diverticulitis Works
The main goal of this diet for diverticulitis is to restore your body’s capacity to fight infections and dissolve the abnormal growths in your intestine walls.
In order to be able to do that, this diet for diverticulitis must contain the right amount of active constituents, such as minerals (sodium, iron, magnesium, manganese), vitamins, acids, volatile oils, nutrients, natural enzymes, antioxidants and tannins. When in doubt, always ask your doctor in order to gather more information and be well-informed of the possible risks.
Efficient Diet for Diverticulitis
In order to be efficient, this diet must show results within days and be one hundred percent safe (avoid risky treatments at all costs).If you don’t know which ingredients this diet should contain, here’s a list to help you out:
- Eat more fibers – if you’re indeed suffering from diverticulitis, your doctor will recommend a nutrition that is rich in fibers, so eat rice, garbanzo beans, potato starch, ground oats or tapioca as much as you want.
- Eat as much fruits and vegetables as possible, from carrots, bananas, to papaya, broccoli and cooked black beans. However, try not to eat too much. A handful of fruits or vegetables should do.
- Chamomile Tea – well known thanks to its anti inflammatory and astringent properties, this particular decoction is also a great healer when it comes to many other disorders, such as nausea, stress, anxiety, menstrual and menopausal symptoms and even diabetes. It has a pleasant taste and a nice fragrance and it can easily become a daily habit since it’s one hundred percent safe.
- Wild Yam Tea – it is very effective in treating pre and postmenstrual syndromes and it is responsible for your body’s positive response. Its action is very effective and rapid, but you must not take more than two cups per day in order to avoid other health complications.
- Corn Silk Tea – can ameliorate any kind of localized pain, provide that you don’t forget this is a medical treatment and it could cause negative reactions. Since this tea is a powerful diuretic, make sure you do not exceed the number of cups recommended per day (this way, you will avoid diarrhea or uterine infections).
- Raspberry Leaf Tea – also used to treat menstrual and menopausal pains, this tea is well known for its ability to treat infertility and other conditions of the female reproductive system. Thanks to its vitamin C level, Raspberry Leaf Tea can also treat auto-immune deficiencies, such as anemia, colds, or flu.
Diet for Diverticulitis Warnings
When taken according to specifications, this diet for diverticulitis is one hundred percent safe. However, surpassing the recommended dosages may lead to nausea, headaches, vomiting and upset stomach.
Don’t start this diet if you’re pregnant, breastfeeding, on blood thinners, anticoagulants, pain killers or preparing for a surgery. Before starting this diet, ask your doctor for advice and be well informed of the possible risks.
If he gives you the green light and there’s nothing that could possibly interfere with your treatment, start this diet today and enjoy nature’s great benefits!
Excess pressure exerted on the walls of the colon, while emptying one’s bowels, sometimes lead to the formation of small bags or pouches called diverticula. The presence of one or more diverticula is referred to as diverticulosis. In case the diverticula develop an infection, the condition is known as diverticulitis. The inflammation and infection is a result of food or fecal matter getting trapped in the small pouches. A low fiber diet is a major cause for diverticulitis, and this accounts for the disease to be more common among Americans as opposed to Asians and Africans.
erticulitis diet should be administered depending upon the intensity of the inflammation. The initial aim should be to reduce the inflammation and pain. During this period, the diverticulitis diet should be a very low residue one that consists of less than 10 gm of fiber per daily allowance. This helps the intestine to heal faster as the load on the intestinal walls is also reduced. In the initial days of being affected, a liquid diet for diverticulitis is well suited to soothe the pain and inflammation. An easily digestible diet menu consisting of softly cooked and smashed rice and vegetables is a good choice. In case the healing period is delayed, your physician may also prescribe a multivitamin supplement so that the body is not deprived of the essential nutrients. Once the healing has set in, it is now imperative to seek out ways to prevent future spells of diverticulitis. A high fiber diet for diverticulitis is the essence of rightly addressing the issue. Include at least 40 gm of fiber in your daily consumption of food. Fiber can be of soluble and insoluble kind. Soluble fiber forms a soft pulp that passes easily through the intestines. Insoluble fiber does not change its form and is expelled as such from the body. Fiber provides the required roughage in your diet that eases off any pressure on the walls of the colon and wards off any signs of constipation. Along with the high fiber foods, it is essential to follow abland diet for diverticulitis. Spicy and seasoned foods are best avoided as they can irritate the lining of the intestines and cause an inflammation to flare up.
Diet Plan:
A diverticulitis diet plan should include a high fiber diet menu, if there is no inflammation, and a low fiber diet menu, if inflammation and pain is present. When an infection is present, the patient is required to consume a diet low in fiber. This may consist of softly cooked foods like smashed rice and vegetables or fruits. Once the infection has subsided, the person has to try to stick to a diet comprising foods rich in fiber. Including bran in your breakfast is a good start. Have fresh fruits and vegetables in plenty. Apples and pears are rich in fiber, so are dates and prunes in the dried fruits category and broccoli and spinach among the vegetables. Include 3 to 4 servings of vegetables between lunch and supper and 2 to 3 servings of fruits throughout the day. In addition to these foods, adequate exercise and plenty of water and fluids are also a requisite to keep constipation at bay. This facilitates the smooth functioning of the intestinal muscles, and the diverticula do not get trapped with any debris or food material.
Foods To Eat & Avoid Diverticulitis
Foods for diverticulitis include those within the high fiber category. Once the pain or inflammation has set in, then the foods to eat with diverticulitis should be carefully chosen. Include foods that will not create further constipation but are also easily digestible by the body. Softly cooked rice and vegetables or fruits do not exert any pressure on the inflamed intestinal walls and help in the healing process.
Foods to avoid diverticulitis should be able to provide ample roughage so that fecal matter travels through the intestines and get expelled from the body without any strain. Hence, a high fiber diet plan with plenty of water and fluids for hydration is to be consumed on a daily basis. Foods that cause diverticulitis are best avoided to prevent further flare ups. Highly processed and refined foods are not suited for persons with a history of diverticulitis. Fatty foods and meat as well as fried foods are also best avoided. Certain foods that aggravate diverticulitis include hot and spicy foods and those containing a lot of seasoning. They irritate the lining of the intestines and can result in further inflammation or a bout of diarrhoea. Nuts and the seeds of certain fruits and vegetables are also considered to aggravate diverticulitis further by getting entrapped in the pouches in the intestinal walls. However, in certain cases, seeds can move smoothly through the intestines and get expelled easily from the body.
Nutrition:
Nutrition for diverticulitis supports the choice of foods high in dietary fiber. Natural fiber rich foods are preferred over supplements as they provide the vitamins and nutrients as well. Diverticulitis nutrition therapy works well, owing to its multiple benefits, i.e., including more fiber in your diet helps also in maintaining blood cholesterol and sugar levels. The bulk added to the fecal matter helps in easy bowel movements and better intestinal health. High fiber content in your diet also aids in loss of body weight. Whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, beans and legumes and plenty of fluids constitute a high dietary fiber intake. This also reduces the chances of haemorrhoids and the formation of further diverticula or pouches.
Vitamins:
Diverticulitis patients are to be put on a diet menu consisting of very low fiber content. This low residue diet may should contain vitamin B complex, vitamin A and vitamin K. Vitamin A helps heal the lining of the large intestine and therefore it is extremely beneficial for patients of diverticulitis. Vitamin K regulates digestion and functioning of the liver. Al these vitamins benefit the digestive system in some way or another.
Supplements:
Supplements for diverticulitis sufferers are given to make up for the deficiencies of vitamins in their diet. Diverticulitis nutritional supplements include multivitamins to provide sufficient nutrients required for the body. The B vitamins provide strength to the nerves and folic acid as well. Vitamin E strengthens the muscles of the intestine and vitamin C aids in faster recovery and detoxification of the body. Fiber supplements for diverticulitis include supplements consisting of psyllium husks or crushed bran. They provide added roughage or bulk to the stools and help in easy defecation.
Herbs:
Herbs for diverticulitis include flaxseed and chamomile, which aid in adding bulk to and softening the stool. Natural herbs for diverticulitis strengthen the walls of the intestines. Marshmallow, licorice, and cat’s claw have anti-inflammatory properties and help with treating diverticulitis in a natural way. All natural herbs should be taken under the supervision of a general physician, lest they interfere in the action of other drugs.
Symptoms:
Diverticulitis symptoms include:
Sharp, lower abdominal pain, followed by tenderness in that area
Bleeding in the stools
Nausea and vomiting
Fever
Bloating with irregular bowels or even diarrhea
Causes:
Diverticulitis causes are not clearly known. However, some of the common causes are as follows:
A diet low in fiber can be a major cause of the formation of diverticula or pouches.
Food particles or fecal matter entrapped in these bags can result in inflammation.
Treatment:
Diverticulitis treatment would include the following measures:
A liquid diet with antibiotic treatment
Severe cases may require intravenous antibiotics and medication
Once the inflammation has subsided, a diet rich in fiber
Prevention:
When it comes to diverticulitis prevention, the following can be kept in mind:
Consume a diet high in dietary fiber
Stay away from red meat, processed foods, and spicy foods
Exercise regularly
Stay hydrated
Diagnosis:
Diverticulitis diagnosis can be done by using any of the following methods:
Barium X-rays and colonoscopy give a clear picture of the colon
CT scans and ultrasound scans detect the presence of any pus in the cavities
Diverticulitis is a common form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Many people develop small pouches (diverticula) in the lining of their colon that bulge outward through weak spots, usually in the large intestine. This is called diverticular disease. The condition of having diverticula is called diverticulosis. When the diverticulae become infected and inflamed, it’s called diverticulitis.
Ten to 25 percent of people with diverticulosis develop diverticulitis. Diverticulosis can remain undetected for many years, but when a pouch becomes infected, it can cause serious diverticulitis symptoms like abdominal pain, bloating, nausea, constipation, or loose bowel movements and diarrhea. Mild diverticulitis symptoms may be confused with overlapping symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
After healing myself of a serious gastrointestinal disease, consulting with people with all types of colon and bowel conditions for over ten years, and answering thousands of questions on my online forum, I have won international recognition as an expert on natural remedies for diverticulitis. Even if you have tried every diverticulitis treatment available without success, don’t give up hope – my natural remedies for bowel and colon disease have helped tens of thousands of people worldwide, and my books are sold in over 40 different countries.
Natural Treatment For Diverticulitis*
In 1989, I was weak, malnourished, and wracked with pain from a serious bowel disorder, Crohn’s disease. Skeletally thin, I was unable to eat almost anything without suffering intestinal bleeding and cramping. Despite their best efforts, the medical profession was unable to help me. I was taking 13 pills a day, and my doctors told me that I would never be able to work, have children, or live a normal life.
I came from a family of doctors and pharmacists and, after three years of feeling tortured by my digestive disorder, I literally decided to heal myself, or to die trying. Refusing surgery, I began a seven-year mission, researching and experimenting with alternative and indigenous (native) healing therapies. Years of research and experimentation led me to discover eight key steps that nearly everyone with a bowel syndrome such as diverticulitis needs to take in order to heal their gastrointestinal illness quickly.
Natural Diverticulitis Treatment
When my healthcare professionals realized how much healthier I was using my holistic treatment methods than their other patients with similar colon and bowel conditions, they encouraged me to share my knowledge of natural healing for bowel disorders. That resulted in my first book, Listen To Your Gut, now published in over 40 countries. My eight key steps to healing inflammatory bowel disease such as diverticulitis (described in detail in Listen To Your Gut) are:
1. Providing bowel rest using a special elemental (pre-digested) liquid diet
2. Killing off the bad bacteria and fungus in the gut (disease-causing organisms)
3. Re-populating the gastrointestinal tract with good bacteria
4. Healing intestinal inflammation and ulceration
5. Resolving nutritional deficiencies
6. Detoxing your living environment
7. Healing the contributing emotional factors
8. Resolving constipation
By the time people find their way to my diverticulitis treatments, their bacterial flora is usually unbalanced throughout their gastrointestinal tract. The repeated use of antibiotics (often since childhood) and the invasive medical diagnostic tests alone have destroyed much of the “good” (protective) bacteria in their small and large intestines. When the good, protective bacteria are depleted, then disease-causing organisms like yeast (candida albicans), viruses, parasites, and bad bacteria flourish.
This excess of disease-causing microorganisms causes inflammation and damage to the mucosal lining, resulting in diverticula and leaky gut syndrome - a condition where undigested food particles and bacteria seep into the bloodstream, triggering allergic reactions and infection in other places in the body (the joints, skin, eyes, etc).
Let’s look at each of these eight healing steps in more detail…
Eight Key Steps to Heal Diverticulitis
1. Resting the Bowel
In extreme cases, the best and fastest way to heal diverticulitis – especially if you have a bowel blockage or obstruction – is to go on an elemental liquid diet (as outlined in my second book, The IBD Remission Diet). This allows you to rest the bowel, eliminate any foods that trigger inflammation, heal the underlying infection and inflammation in the digestive system and increase the tone of the intestinal wall. An elemental liquid diet is also a good idea if you are very malnourished or underweight, or if you have ongoing intestinal bleeding, intestinal obstruction, stricture in the colon (narrowing), or blockages. An elemental, liquid diet is especially helpful when combined with regular colonic massage:
In 2002, I introduced a liquid diet supplement shake especially for those with colon and bowel disorders like diverticulitis, called Absorb Plus. Absorb Plus is a delicious elemental (pre-digested) nutrition and protein shake made of the highest quality natural ingredients. Absorb Plus requires very little digestion and is absorbed quickly by the body, nourishing even those who have difficulty eating and/or digesting solid food.
If you don't require anything as drastic as an elemental liquid diet, then just follow the appropriate Healing Diet (in Chapter 3 of Listen To Your Gut) for your symptom profile, while following the other steps below. If you do start with an elemental liquid diet, then begin the rest of the protocols below at the same time. If you can tolerate it, the multi-pronged healing approach is the quickest natural treatment for diverticulitis.
The great news is that a number of my readers have tested using raw milk (unpasteurized milk from pasture-fed cows or goats) instead of Absorb Plus for their elemental diet, and if they can tolerate it, they show great improvement. Others have used a combination of Absorb Plus and raw cow or raw goat’s milk. Unfortunately, people in extreme disease states can often only tolerate a completely elemental shake product, like Absorb Plus.
Vegan Elemental Shakes - Your other option, if you cannot tolerate whey protein isolate, is to use a vegan elemental shake. We have put together these Vegan Elemental Diet Kits specifically for that purpose.
Food-based Shakes - Alternatively, if you cannot afford any kind of specialized shake or supplements, then check out my article on how to Use Common Foods To Heal IBD.
2. Killing Off The Bad Bugs
To get rid of disease-causing bacteria, viruses, yeast, mycobacteria (a treatment resistant type of bacteria/fungal hybrid) and parasites in your gut, use Jini’s Wild Oregano Oil Protocol (see Chapter 2 of Listen To Your Gut or my eBook, Jini's Healing Guide: Natural Treatments for Gut Infection). If you have a mycobacterial infection, you will need to cycle on and off the Wild Oregano Oil Protocol for 2 to 3 years to get rid of all the mycobacteria – as they have an inactive/active lifecycle.
People generally start with Jini’s Wild Oregano Oil Protocol and then after completing the first round of treatment, move to high dose, therapeutic probiotic (“good” bacteria) supplementation. Remember, they have already begun probiotic supplementation with Jini’s Wild Oregano Oil Protocol, so their system doesn’t usually have much difficulty making the change to high dose probiotics.
3. Re-Populating The Gut Flora
Probiotics for diverticulitis treatment must be taken in a powerful bioavailable (able to be absorbed and used by the body form); the bacteria must be capable of colonizing (multiplying in and sticking to) the gastrointestinal tract, and they must be taken in high enough amounts to have a therapeutic effect. Based on clinical trials, you need to take a minimum of 7 to 10 billion CFU (colony-forming units) of each species, per day. Learn how to choose a potent probiotic for therapeutic use, so that your probiotic will actually be capable of shifting your bioterrain (gut flora).
However, if your inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is in a very active state, or you are highly sensitive to probiotics, then start out with small amounts and very gradually build the dose up. In these cases, it is often best to start with an infant species of bacteria called B. infantis and then gradually work your way up to the adult species like L. acidophilus, B. bifidus and L. bulgaricus.
Note: If you are having more than 3 bowel movements per day, then don’t take anything in capsule form (probiotics or supplements), as when you have very loose bowel movements the travel time through the gut is too fast to be properly absorbed and used. In that case, you need to take powder or liquid supplements, or open the capsules and dissolve them in liquid. Once you can tolerate high, therapeutic levels of probiotics (and many can right away) then the best diverticulitis treatment results are seen from probiotic layering.
This means you take both the powders and the capsules to maximize the beneficial effects of each, and then perform Jini’s Probiotic Retention Enema – where a probiotic enema is held in your colon until all the liquid is absorbed, so the probiotics can immediately begin to colonize the large bowel without having to go through the digestive tract.
4. Healing Intestinal Inflammation and Ulceration
While the steps above greatly contribute to the healing of intestinal inflammation and ulceration, targeted herbal supplementation is also a highly beneficial natural diverticulitis treatment for more rapid healing.
If you have inflammation in your colon, then use MucosaHeal and George’s Aloe Vera Juice, along with an elemental liquid diet. Probiotics are also very helpful, along with the appropriate Healing Diet for diverticulitis (from my book Listen To Your Gut or get the free report in the pink box on the left side of this page).
5. Resolving Nutritional Deficiencies
Here are the nutritional supplements that I believe pretty much everyone with diverticulitis needs to take, because of increased loss of nutrients through loose bowel movements, diarrhea and/or lack of absorption of nutrients:
A full spectrum multi-vitamin and multi-mineral – although it would be ideal to take these in food form, many people with diverticulitis symptoms cannot tolerate whole food vitamins. Angstrom-sized, or nanoparticle minerals, are very easily tolerated and highly absorbable, but are also more expensive. While regular mineral supplements are not ideal, if you cannot afford the nano-sized minerals, they are certainly better than nothing. Due to the alkalizing (acid-lowering) effect of minerals (people with irritable bowel diseases tend to have a hyper-acidic pH), I strongly recommend that those with Diverticulosis take both the Bone Support nanoparticle minerals and the Trace Minerals for the most rapid healing.
2,000 to 4,000 IU of vitamin D3 per day. Discover the right dosage for your skin color and environment.
4 to 6 capsules of cod liver oil per day (or 2 teaspoons).
2 tablespoons of Udo’s Oil per day.
Pycnogenol or grape seed extract.
Coenzyme Q10.
Many people with a bowel syndrome also suffer from anemia. But iron supplements are irritating to the gut and can trigger intestinal bleeding. Again the solution is to take your iron in nanoparticle, or angstrom-sized form. This means that the iron is instantly absorbed into the bloodstream and does not require digestion, therefore not irritating the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.
Vitamin C in mineral ascorbate form – needed for your immune system and for blood clotting. Do not take it in ascorbic acid form, if you are prone to loose bowel movements or diarrhea.
If you tend towards constipation, then take magnesium citrate to bowel tolerance (250 mg - 1000 mg per day). Natural Calm is a nice, soothing way to take magnesium before bed to stimulate a bowel movement in the morning. Or you can add regular magnesium citrate to your protein shakes or smoothies.
Each of these supplements is vital for healing the various symptoms of gastrointestinal disease, and they also work synergistically (better together) to accelerate healing. These are the exact products that I recommend for my natural diverticulitis treatment (which have been tested for tolerance by thousands of my readers with colon and bowel disease). If you don't want to order online, copy down the names and get your local health store to order them in.
Note: If you are having more than 3 bowel movements per day, take powder or liquid supplements, or open the capsules and dissolve them in liquid.
When, after using the various Healing Diets, therapies and supplements in Listen To Your Gut, your digestive tract is healed to the point where you can properly digest and absorb the nutrients from your food, continue onto the Maintenance Diet for ongoing bowel and colon health. Many people follow the Maintenance Diet guidelines for their entire family as a common-sense way to eliminate toxins and damaging additives from your food.
6. Detoxing Your Living Environment of Causes of Diverticulitis
A major part of healing diverticulitis involves reducing and eliminating as many as possible of the toxins in your life that you sense are harmful to you. You need to become aware of all the elements of so-called “normal” life that are actually toxic diverticulitis causes, and create an environment that supports healing – not one that works against your efforts.
In Chapter 4 of Listen To Your Gut, I take you through every room in your house and shows you how to create a safe and supportive healing environment in your home. What pans are you cooking with? How much electromagnetic radiation is in your house? What elements of your home are giving off harmful chemicals while you sleep?
7. Identifying and Healing Emotional Causes of Diverticulitis
I have long been convinced that if you don’t heal the underlying psychological and emotional causes of diverticulitis, then you will never have long-term good health. After all, over 60% of your body’s neurotransmitters are not in your brain, but in your gut!
There is now an entire field dedicated to emerging knowledge about the interrelation of the mind, emotions and the digestive system, called neurogastroenterology. (See Dr. Michael Gershon’s book, The Second Brain, to learn more about this). This is not airy-fairy stuff - this is hard science. Consider blushing – a purely emotional event that instantly produces a marked physical reaction.
In my experience, the most effective mind/body therapies to treat diverticulitis and other colon and bowel disorders are EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques), hypnotherapy and craniosacral therapy (at Level II or higher). You need to work with a skilled therapist, at least initially, to really see good results. And it’s best if you can use a therapist who is experienced with chronic illness like gastrointestinal disease; which is more complex than regular illness.
8. Resolving Constipation
Often, one of the underlying, originating causes of diverticulitis is chronic constipation. The build up of fecal matter in the bowel, combined with excessive straining and pushing also contribute to the formation of diverticula pouches.
If you suffer from diverticulosis constipation, undigested food and fecal matter can get trapped in these diverticula outpouches and then these areas of the bowel can become inflamed or infected. A quick remedy for acute or occasional constipation that is often effective is to add the following supplements to an Absorb Plus, or whey protein shake before bed:
300 to 1000 mg magnesium citrate (adjust according to need - start at 300 mg and only increase if needed)
100 mg potassium citrate
2 tbsp. Udo's oil
These supplements help to relax the colon and the rectum and stimulate a bowel movement. They are all non-addicting substances so don't carry the same ramifications as using a laxative. The whey protein in Absorb Plus (or the whey protein shake) are alkaline and act as a buffer against the magnesium; so the magnesium doesn't cause pain or nausea.
To resolve long-term or chronic constipation though, you need more in-depth, comprehensive treatment protocols. See the symptom page for Constipation (and download the free report there) or see my book specifically for constipation called Listen To Your Colon. I also have a number of videos on YouTube that will be helpful for you, like this one:
The key to healing diverticulitis is to do all of the eight steps above – preferably all at once – without skipping over any of them. Step-by-step guidelines for using natural treatments to treat disease of the bowel, including targeted healing diets, self-assessment tests, symptom guides, and more are outlined in Listen to Your Gut.
Remember, in order to be truly freed from the oppression of diverticulitis, you need to take the time to address and heal ALL of the contributing factors and underlying causes. Read these examples of people's Healing Journeys for personal evidence of how well my natural diverticulitis treatment has worked for other bowel disease sufferers.
One last thing: A hot castor oil pack can be fantastic for relieving pain when you are in the midst of a diverticulitis flare-up.
A hot castor oil pack is very effective at relaxing cramping or spasming muscles anywhere on the body. The oil is also absorbed into the lymphatic circulation to provide a soothing, cleansing and nourishing treatment, which stimulates immune function and tones internal organs.
Hot Castor Oil Pack
A castor oil pack has many applications, and has also been used to treat non-malignant uterine fibroids, ovarian cysts, headaches, liver disorders, constipation, diarrhea, intestinal disorders, gallbladder inflammation or stones, poor elimination, night time urinary frequency, inflamed joints, and general detoxification.
I have used a hot castor oil pack repeatedly on myself and many of my family members for many reasons (usually pain, cramping or spasming) and it has never failed to provide significant, and usually total, relief.
Materials Needed:
• Expeller-pressed castor oil
• White cotton flannel twice the size of your abdomen (so you can fold it in half and cover your abdomen)
• Hot water bottle or heating pad
• Thin dish towel (or baby’s burp cloth, or old diaper cloth, etc)
• Sheet of plastic (a garbage bag will work)
• Old bath towel
• Old t-shirt and sweat pants
Procedure:
Cut a piece of plastic that will cover the flannel with at least 1 to 2 inches extra around the border of the flannel. Drizzle approximately 1/4 cup of castor oil onto the flannel, then fold it in half to saturate. The pack should not be dripping with oil - it should have just enough oil to make a slight oil mark on furniture, as if you were going to polish it.
NOTE: The first couple of weeks you use the pack you will have to apply a tablespoon or so of oil about every 3 to 4 days. Eventually the pack will be saturated enough that reapplication of oil should only be needed every couple of weeks.
Lay out an old towel on the surface you will be lying on. Castor oil stains, and you want to avoid getting it on sheets, carpet, or clothing. Lie on your back and place the saturated flannel on your abdomen. Cover the flannel with plastic. Then place the thin dish towel or old cloth over the plastic. Place a hot water bottle or heating pad over the thin towel and plastic, and wrap the bath towel around you to hold it all snug.
Relax for 30 to 60 minutes. This is an excellent time to practice visualization, meditation, or deep breathing exercises, listen to classical music or sleep - or to watch a good movie!
When finished, you can remove the oil with warm water and soap in the shower. I prefer to just wipe my abdomen with an old towel and leave the oil on my skin to be completely absorbed while I sleep (I apply the pack at night, before bed - but I sleep on a towel or old sheets, as even the oil residue can stain).
Store the pack in a large zip-lock bag. You can reuse it many times, adding more oil as needed to keep the pack saturated. Replace the pack after it begins to change color (usually several months). Do not wash the flannel - just throw it out.
