If you have become sick with either proctitis,
ulcerative colitis or colitis then its probably safe to say that your body has
become intolerant to gluten (gluten is a protein found mainly in grains &
especially in wheat) and possibly other proteins. The intolerance is triggered
off by a combination of different influences, these factors are not the same in
each person & so the severity of intolerance varies too.
The factors that trigger the intolerance are
extremely hard to pin point and that’s why every doctor you ask about this
subject will have his or her own theory, some doctors do have extremely
plausible ideas which make a great deal of sense and command some respect,
whilst some theories are so off the wall they just cannot be taken seriously for
a second. It’s worth mentioning that there is also a great deal of bad
information, poor quality information and highly misleading information
regarding intolerance and these digestive conditions.
When you are gluten intolerant your body and
also immune system is affected, once you have become intolerant to gluten this
seems to be a permanent change in the body and one which cannot be undone, this
means there is no going back and the sooner you can fully grasp what this means
for you personally and your life style the quicker you will be able to come to
terms with your changed situation. I know this isn’t exactly an easy process
but it is an essential one and its better to face it and to be positive. Coming
to terms with your changed circumstances and having to start a gluten free diet
can be a significant turning point in the healing process.
Normally gluten is just another substance that we
should be able to eat and digest without any bad effects. The digestive system
contains enzymes that help us digest this protein in the normal course of life.
However once you have become gluten intolerant the body reacts against or
rejects the protein gluten, and the result is that gluten then seems to become
almost toxic to the body, the body rejects it and the result is that we get
sicker and sicker. Our symptoms become more & more alarming, & the
longer we try and ignore what we are putting into our mouths (through a bad or
imbalanced diet) the worse the condition gets and the longer any healing might
take.
When symptoms become
sever or acute it might
require fairly rapidly treatment that is usually given by conventional drugs in
the short term. But western drugs alone wont heal or deal with the root cause of
the intolerance to gluten. Once intolerant the body requires a process of
detoxification that helps to aide the process of clearing the bad effects of the
gluten that has been consumed. The negative effects of the gluten seem to get
into the major organs & so it is these vital organs such as the liver,
kidneys, colon and possibly the pancreas that are affected (as well as the
immune system). The fasting process aims to help detoxify these organs prior to
starting with a fresh diet, a diet that will be free from gluten and chemical
sugars (or man made sweeteners).
I have outlined on the website the process I under took & the different stages my own healing. I discovered for myself that probably the best treatment, management & long term cure for proctitis (applies also to ulcerative colitis or colitis) is a gluten free diet & preferably a diet free from man made or chemical sugars such as aspartame. Think of a gluten free sugar free diet as a long-term remedy, it may seem very a little simple yet I know and have show that this approach actually works & that it is possible to reduce the symptoms significantly, this can eventually lead you back to a normal life style.
If you’ve had proctitis, colitis or ulcerative colitis then I would highly recommend a change of diet to a gluten free sugar free diet. This might sound rather drastic to some people but it’s important to think of this change to gluten free sugar free eating as an ongoing part of your healing. Clearly then moving to a gluten free diet is not something to be undertaken lightly, it needs to be done with care and consideration.
Eating a gluten free diet at its most basic level means eating food/s that are completely free from wheat products or products that contain wheat even in small amounts (i.e. might contain wheat flour for example). This at first sounds pretty straight forwards and easy but when it comes down to the practical realities of life, its not at all straight forwards or easy.
What is important to realize is that the whole of the western world lives off and eats a diet that is based on wheat or wheat products. We have all been eating wheat products since we were born this is something that we all (me included) tend to take for granted. It’s just not something we normally would give much thought too but as you will know from your own experience when you get sick with a digestive condition then diet becomes a very vital issue.
Gluten is a substance (a long chain molecule, a form of protein) found mainly in wheat gain and therefore also in products that have been made from any part of wheat. Wheat grain is not the only gains that contain gluten, other gains are relatives of wheat and so also contain gluten but at lower levels. Grains such as Rye, Barley, Oats, (and a few others) all contain gluten at low levels, however even gluten at low levels can and will make you sick if your digestive system (and immune system) are intolerant of gluten.
Yes! it is true that whilst you will have to carefully check the labels on some food items, increasingly many foods clearly state that they are gluten free or suitable for someone on a gluten free diet.
Some parts of your gluten free food shopping will be easier and more straight forwards than others. For example all fruit & vegetables are going to be quite safe and easy to purchase. However there is a vast range of products that are generally NOT going to be safe or suitable for you if you need to stay gluten free.
Frankly most food products to be found in the large supermarkets are NOT going to be suitable for your needs apart from those food items that are clearly marked as gluten free. Here in the UK both supermarkets ASDA & Tesco now have gluten free food sections in their larger stores (in most cities) these are usually amongst or close to their organic products, if you have trouble finding these gluten free sections ask the staff they are usually quite helpful.
Here in the UK both of the two big supermarkets ASDA & Tesco sell a reasonably good range of gluten free breads, pasta's, biscuits, rice cakes, sweets and snack items. If you live outside of the UK then I would suggest that you contact your nearest supermarket or larger food store and ask if the stock gluten free foods on a regular basis.
Other foods that might make up a gluten free diet can normally be found else where in small local shops or whole food stores.