Dr. Emily Parke – Arizona Wellness Medicine, LLC

How Inflammatory Bowel Disease Affects the Digestive System

ulcerative colitis symptoms

ulcerative colitis symptoms

Find out About 2 Common Autoimmune Diseases of the Gut

How Inflammatory Bowel Disease Affects the Digestive System

Stomach pain. Diarrhea. Fatigue. Weight loss.

Much worse: the fear of suddenly needing the toilet holding you back from socializing. Or the abdominal pain that means you have to seclude away from your loved ones.

These are all concerns if you have inflammatory bowel disease.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an umbrella term that describes both Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis – autoimmune diseases of the gut. But what causes these diseases, and how are they diagnosed?

What Is Crohn’s Disease?

Crohn’s disease (CD) is an inflammatory condition of the bowel. Your small intestine and large intestine (colon) can be affected – in fact half of all patients have the disease throughout their gut, however Crohn’s disease is traditionally thought of as a disease of the small intestine. Where inflammation occurs, your immune system attacks – as it perceives a threat. Crohn’s disease is characterized by the inflammation that occurs through the entire thickness of your gut wall – from the mucosal layer to the outer sheath.

Risk factors for Crohn’s include:

  1. Having a family member with the disease
  2. Smoking
  3. Having an existing autoimmune disease
  4. A diet high in polyunsaturated and omega-6 fats, or eating a diet high in conventional meat.

Crohn’s disease is a painful and distressing autoimmune disorder that can be life-changing. Symptoms can be mild to severe, and can develop slowly – or seemingly come out of nowhere.

Crohn’s disease symptoms include:

As many of these symptoms can also be a sign of something more serious, it’s important to see your doctor and get checked out.

Is Crohn’s Disease Hard to Diagnose?

If your doctor suspects you have Crohn’s disease, they need to order a series of tests. There’s no single test or biomarker to indicate the disease – often a combination of tests are needed. Diagnosis of Crohn’s may include the following:

A combination of these tests and procedures can help your doctor identify whether you have Crohn’s. Then you can discuss possible treatments and changes to lifestyle.

What Is Ulcerative Colitis?

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is the other form of IBD. In this case, the inflammation in the colon is combined with ulcers, but it typically affects the innermost lining of your colon and rectum – the mucosa and submucosa. The ulcers can bleed and produce pus. Symptoms typically develop slowly but can be absolutely debilitating. In fact, it can lead to very serious complications if left untreated.

Risk factors for ulcerative colitis include:

Like Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis is a lifelong disease which can impact you physically and mentally.

Ulcerative colitis symptoms include:

These symptoms can also be caused by other serious diseases, so if you experience one or more it’s essential to consult your doctor. 

How Do You Diagnose Ulcerative Colitis?

When you first consult your doctor, they need to eliminate the possibility that your symptoms are down to another disease or illness. So they may order a number of tests.

Ulcerative colitis diagnosis can involve many of the following tests:

These tests can help your doctor to diagnose ulcerative colitis. Often it’s possible to identify the specific subtype that’s linked to the location of the inflammation. A diagnosis gives you the information you need to make changes to your lifestyle and tackle living with the disease.

The Functional Medicine Approach to Crohn’s and Ulcerative Colitis

Functional medicine is a discipline that allows your doctor to focus on the root cause of your inflammatory bowel disease – inflammation. Inflammation of the gut has many different potential causes and triggers, thus your functional medicine doctor can order comprehensive lab tests to help determine these triggers. Functional medicine is collaborative, thus your doctor will work with you on a plan of action, looking to adjust your lifestyle through individualized diet, exercise, quality sleep,  stress management and toxin reduction, as well as working on your specific root causes that were found on testing. It’s an excellent way to take care yourself and achieve your best health – without simply masking your symptoms. If that sounds good to you, get in touch today!

We can help you in tackling the underlying causes of inflammatory bowel disease or other autoimmune diseases. If you’re interested in checking out functional medicine in the Phoenix, Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, Arizona area, call to book an appointment at 602 892-4727 or fill out our contact form. If you’re not local to us, why not try 7 Weeks to Your Healthiest Self – our masterclass that provides you with the lifestyle change benefits of functional medicine – from the comfort and privacy of your own home.

 

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