When living with certain medical conditions, a flare-up can happen at any given time for any reason. Once a flare-up is triggered, it can be extremely hard to manage. Not only can it be hard to manage, but it can be extremely painful as well. A bad flare will have you feeling defeated with no hope that it will get better. Thankfully, that doesn’t have to be the case at all. Yes, you may experience a bad ulcerative colitis flare-up but there are so many ways to manage it naturally and with resources that are accessible to you.
What Causes A Flare-up?
Say you are someone who is living with IBD, specifically Ulcerative Colitis. You are bound to experience a flare-up or five every now and then, but what causes a UC flare?
Well first let’s answer what ulcerative colitis is. Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory bowel disease or an IBD that causes inflammation in your digestive tract.
Once inflammation starts to happen, ulcers can develop in your digestive tract as well. It affects the inner lining of your colon (large intestine) and your rectum.
So what causes inflammation or a flare-up with UC? Well, there are a few things that can cause a flare-up.
Your diet can be a reason for a flare-up. Eating dairy may cause inflammation as well as too much fiber and unhealthy or processed foods.
Stress can also cause inflammation to worsen or trigger it as well.
RELATED: How To Manage Ulcerative Colitis
21 Tips You Need During A UC Flare Up
- Drink lots of water throughout the day
- Stay away from coffee
- Skip the alcoholic beverage as well, too high in sugar
- Try drinking bone broth
- No nuts
- No seeds
- Lower your sugar intake
- Go skinless with your fruits and vegetables
- Dairy is not your friend, stay away if you can
- Healthy fats are great! Incorporate them into your diet often
- Be mindful of your fiber intake
- Carbs are okay, just remember not to consume too much
- Artificial flavors and chemicals are a no-go, remove them from your diet
- Use less seasoning when cooking
- Meditation works wonders
- Sleep as much as you can
- Supplements and vitamins help a lot, take them
- Low-intensity exercising is the way to go
- Yoga isn’t just for hippies, it helps with flare-ups
- Talk to your doctor to help find a plan that works best for you
- Give yourself grace and know that this flare-up will pass
RELATED: 5 Alarming Myths About Ulcerative Colitis in Black Americans
How These Tips Actually Help
In the middle of a flare-up, know that these tips can help you in more ways than you think even if they don’t seem like it at the moment.
When living with ulcerative colitis, your symptoms don’t all happen at once. They instead build up over time. This means that you’ll
