Naturopath diet + probiotic = happy belly

It's been a long time since I've been on here. Months/years ago I spent a lot of time scrolling through these forums looking for the "cure" to my debilitating colitis. Now, I'm back with some good news.

Just to recap, I was dx with severe pancolitis approx. 6 years ago. Since then I've been on varying doses of asacol + prednisone + azathioprine. With highs and lows where my health is concerned.

When I was diagnosed I asked the doctor about diet- what should I eat. I was told "diet doesn't matter - take these pills and you should be fine" I was on pred for over a year and struggled to taper off. Afterwards I was on imuran for 3+ years. Until a few months ago that is.

I finally went to see a naturopath because I was at my wits end, while the mess were keeping me out of the hospital I still wasn't living what I'd call a 'normal' life. After meeting with my naturopath she took a hair sample, sent it away to check my mineral levels/toxic metal levels in my body, etc. after the test results came back my levels indicated that colitis was off the charts and a few other ailments were close to if not already in the works. I was given a simple round of plant stem cell therapy (a few drops under the tongue twice a day for two weeks) and she suggested a specific probiotic for me to take (which I now swear by!) it was made by garden of life and is called "raw" probiotic. I take one pill a day. On top of all that of course she suggested I follow a specific diet, low in gluten, dairy, soy, sugar & night shades (I had already been doing the whole no gluten/dairy thing). That was back in January of this year and since then I was able to taper off my imuran (it's been over 2 months!) and just recently I reduced my asacol (because I actually listened to my body and found that asacol was causing me grief- bloating/gas, etc.) I had asked my doctor about it once before and if I could switch to another 5-ASA but he basically said no, it wouldn't matter(probably because he gets paid by Asacol considering there are brochures and posters in his office) So, now I'm down to taking one 400mg asacol tablet at supper, 1 garden of life probiotic with breakfast. And managing my colitis through diet & exercise (I'm a yoga instructor). I always like to share positive information because when I was at my worst I was desperate for a simple solution. Any this may not be the answer for everybody, and by no means did my naturopath tell me to come off my meds - that was my own doing.

But, if you're reading this and looking for a probiotic to try, I highly recommend that one. Also, if you're reading this and like me you think that changing your diet won't help or it's too hard, I promise it's not as hard as it sounds - you get used to it really quick and while it does have its disadvantages (family dinners, eating out can be challenging) there's no comparison to the grief of being sick. It doesn't necessarily have to be all or nothing! I still eat organic sour dough bread sometimes, and I find naturally lactose free cheese at the Grocery store made from yogurt. Eventually, you learn all the tricks and never really feel deprived. I have a major sweet tooth and still enjoy lots of cookies, cakes and cupcakes (sugar is the big one I don't avoid as much as I probably should - but, I'm working on it and as long as I'm feeling good, which I am, I say.. YOLO). We only get one body, one life and it's up to us to take care of ourselves, because truth be told I don't trust our healthcare system anymore.. And I live in Canada!!! If I had my time back I would've gone to a naturopath right after I left my first appointment with my gastroenterologist.

Anyways, I hope this helps someone in some way - and to anyone suffering right now - hang in there!! If you're in a flare up I find a liquid (broth) and apple sauce diet helpful for a few days to reset the digestive tract.. And don't forget your probiotics (pref. Dairy free) sending healing wishes out to everybody in UC land! Let's all hope we live to see the day they discover the CURE! xo

(Side note* if looking for a naturopath make sure that's their title, not homeopath - I tried that first and didn't feel it was helpful.)

I'm glad you're feeling better but I'd encourage you both to continue taking your uc maintenance medications as prescribed by your doctor. Noncompliance with your uc medications greatly increases your odds of flaring.

"Noncompliance with your uc medications greatly increases your odds of flaring."

only if they are effective -


thanks for sharing h4c & n9 - long live the happy belly

strikes me as shill testimonies from brand new profiles. call me cynical

DBwithUC - as stated earlier I've been scrolling through this forum on and off for years, and I actually have posted on here before years ago. I may not be an everyday poster because I do try to get out and live my life when I'm not held down by dis-ease. But, I figured it'd been a while and I always told myself that if I found something that worked for me I'd shout it from the rooftops because I know first hand how it feels to be suffering and to feel frustrated, lost and confused about what to do.

By no means am I trying to "sell" a certain product or idea, or advise people to ditch their doctor prescribed medications and rely solely on diet. But, I'd definitely suggest to everybody to change their diet and see how they feel (which by the way takes weeks/months to notice a change so be patient, it wasn't my strong suit either which is why it took me years to finally commit)) because, I do think that it's possible to manage this disease with diet (and meds/supplements) just letting people know that there is hope. The only options aren't steroids or immunosuppressants. There are more natural ways of healing. And to add to that, I resisted prednisone for a long time until I had no other choice and it certainly did offer me a world of difference at the time, albeit with some nasty side effects. I'm grateful for traditional medicine in times of urgent need, but I'm also a believer that with time and understanding of the human body we can all find a more natural way of healing. Sure, the work might be a little harder (finding gluten free products, eating less processed foods, etc.) but to me the pay off far exceeds the effort I put in.

Again, these are just my two cents worth... If I had a signature it would read like this:

Female age 30. DX with pancolitis at the age of 24. Treated with 1200mg asacol daily, Prednisone (can't remember the dose) took me a year + to taper off. Finally added azathioprine to the mix, 100mg/day. Controlled but still felt bloated most days especially evenings. Until now. One probiotic pull/day. 400 mg asacol once per day.

Here's how I know diet plays a huge roll. I just got back from vacation. While on vacation I was being brave/risky. So, I decided for supper one night I'd have a full pizza from a fancy pizza place because I believe that the flour wouldn't effect me because it was organic. Gluten + Goat cheese - washed down with a half a pitcher of sangria = recipe for disaster. I was sick for about 2 days!! (D + painful bloating:gas, etc) Luckily on day 2 I began a yoga retreat and all the food served was organic, healthy, gf + df. So, besides for taking a few activated charcoal pills I just made better choices and by day 3/4 I was back to normal.

The day I went into my doctor to plead with him to schedule me for a colonoscopy because I was so sick, I visited him at 1pm in the afternoon. By that time I had already visited the bathroom 24 times that day!! I was up 4-5 times in the middle of the night every night. Excessive bleeding/mucous, etc. it was awful and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. Now I have one BM every morning when I wake up and go about the rest of my day. THAT is why I popped on here to share my story. Not to be "shill".

Totally get you. And sugar should be spelt with three rrr's more often given how underrated it is when it comes to (gut) inflammation.

Well I'm eating my words this morning after last night's cheese enchiladas, even though they were organic Amy's. I now am giving a whole lot of crap.

I thoroughly enjoyed working with a Naturopath for one full year post diagnosis, but none of the products recommended (for example Neutrogenics Metagenic powder) made much difference in terms of remission and were quite expensive. She did administer B cocktail injections which did make me feel better. And she was so personable and compassionate it was a little like going to a shrink.

Now I'm with a regular M.D. who used to share an office with my Naturopath. She is so conventional I have to do some research before I take any of her meds. She recently prescribed a statin for me which was clearly contra-indicated to be harmful to people like me (female, over 65, low body mass and history of alcohol use) by Mayo Clinic. My LFTs soared into the 500's and my GGT went into the thousands. Then she thought I might have PSC even though my ALP was normal. Within two weeks off the statin my LFTs were in normal range.

Luckily my GI is a gem, she's very up to date on all the latest research etc.