How do you prevent ulcerative colitis

Blood tests and stool examinations may be done to check for low blood counts and bacterial infections. Once this is done, your doctor can then prescribe the proper medication to treat your ulcerative colitis and prevent it from coming back.

Try asking your doctor for different home remedies and procedures you can follow in order to prevent ulcerative colitis on your own. A dietician may be called upon to provide you with a specific list of food items that should and should not be consumed. Do not go to the pharmacy alone to buy different drugs before seeing a doctor. Every case of ulcerative colitis can be different and needs to be treated according to an accurate diagnosis. Going to your physician is the safest way to treat and prevent your case of ulcerative colitis.

Call for An Appointment Home Our Doctors Gary H. Hoffman, M. Eiman Firoozmand, M. Liza M. Capiendo, M. Elsevier; Accessed July 22, Goldman L, et al. Inflammatory bowel disease. In: Goldman-Cecil Medicine. The facts about inflammatory bowel diseases. Crohn's and Colitis Foundation. Ulcerative colitis. Accessed Aug. What is ulcerative colitis? Kliegman RM. Inflammatory bowel diseases. In: Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. Chronic ulcerative colitis. Mayo Clinic; Abraham B, et al. Antibiotics and probiotics in inflammatory bowel disease: When to use them?

Frontline Gastroenterology. What should I eat? Accessed July 27, Mind-body therapies. Brown A. Allscripts EPSi. Mayo Clinic. June 23, Special IBD diets.

Shergill A, et al. Low fiber foods include:. Instead of eating raw vegetables, steam, bake, or roast your vegetables. Cooking vegetables results in some fiber loss.

If you have abdominal pain or diarrhea after eating three large meals a day, scale back to five or six small meals a day to see if your symptoms improve. Exercise can boost your mood, ease stress, and improve anxiety and depression associated with UC. Physical activity can also suppress inflammation in the body and help you feel better. Find what type of exercise works best for you. Even incorporating low-intensity exercises such as swimming, biking, yoga, and walking can help.

Stress can worsen a flare-up. Simple ways to relieve stress include meditation, deep breathing exercises, and setting aside time for yourself every day.

You should also try to get plenty of sleep, eat a balanced diet, and stay hydrated. Cutting back on alcohol, caffeine, and carbonation is also wise. They may recommend medication or seeking counseling from a mental health professional. Without treatment , people with UC tend to relapse. For many people with mild or moderate symptoms, things improve somewhat after diagnosis.

This is thanks to medication, along with identifying and avoiding triggers. More aggressive cases are less common, and only a small number of severe cases will require hospitalization. Repeated flare-ups can indicate problems with your current treatment, so speak with your doctor and discuss adjusting your medication. Several classes of medication now exist that can help you get into and stay in remission.

Your doctor may need to add another type or increase your dosage. The only way to prevent UC flare-ups is to have surgery. The most common type of UC surgery is the proctocolectomy, which involves the removal of the rectum and colon. UC causes inflammation and ulcers in the colon. If left untreated, this condition can lead to life threatening complications , such as:.

Your doctor will likely prescribe a medication to reduce inflammation, such as an anti-inflammatory drug or an immunosuppressant drug.