IBD & The Gut: New Research & The Truth about Colonics and Probiotics

For those of us with IBD colon cleansing can be even trickier because with frequent or severe diarrhea our gut bacteria, as well as our salt and electrolyte levels can already be out of balance.

The only time colon cleansing is necessary is when directed by your doctor to prepare for a test, such as a colonoscopy, or for certain surgeries. I know that for me, the colon cleanse for a colonoscopy so depletes my body of salt, sugar, and electrolytes that it can take me a week or two to fully recover from the "cleanse."

Probiotics:

I believe that the better way to treat your colon is to help keep it populated with beneficial bacteria, such as those found in Probiotics and yogurt.

Probiotics is basically a fancy name for a capsule that contains good gut bacteria such as acidophilus, lactobacillus, and bifidus. In my opinion the best probiotics are those that 1. need to be refrigerated to keep the active cultures alive; 2. have at least 3 billion active cultures per capsule - 5-10 billion per capsule is even better; and, 3. have at least three different bacteria strains included in the formula. Today, probiotics can easily be found in health food stores, or places like Whole Foods or Trader Joe's.

If you prefer to eat your way to good gut health, then yogurt can be a good way to go to adding more good bacteria to your gut. But, you have to pick the right yogurt. All yogurt on the grocery store shelves today is not created equally. I would caution against eating those yogurts that have added sugars and other preservatives. Reading labels and shopping in the "healthy" or "organic" section of the grocery store is your best bet to finding "natural" yogurt without all those nasty extras that may simply serve to upset your gut all the more. Or, if you're the adventurous type, try making your own yogurt at home. Recipes abound, the process is relatively simple after your first or second time, and you can control what goes into your yogurt and therefore into your body.

Here's to happy guts!    

For more information on probiotics click here.

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