Fitness: A Brief Overview Of Colitis

A Brief Overview Of Colitis

Written by Kirsten Whittaker

Colitis, more formally known as Ulcerative Colitis, is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It can be difficult to diagnose because of repparttar

similarity of symptoms to other intestinal disorders and IBDs such as Crohn's disease. The main difference is that Crohn's disease causes inflammation deeper within repparttar 150471

intestinal wall and usually occurs in repparttar 150472

small intestine, although it can occur anyway along repparttar 150473

digestive tract from mouth to anus, whereas Colitis causes inflammation and ulcers in repparttar 150474

lining of

large intestine. The inflammation is usually found in repparttar 150476

rectum and lower portion of repparttar 150477

colon, but it can effect repparttar 150478

entire colon.

Colitis can affect people of any age, but generally symptoms start between 15 and 30. Children and teenagers sometimes develop repparttar 150479 disease but it is less common, as are sufferers over 50. The inflammation within repparttar 150480 intestines causes diarrhea, as repparttar 150481 colon empties more frequently. Ulcers appear where repparttar 150482 inflammation has killed repparttar 150483 cells lining repparttar 150484 colon, which then bleed and produce pus.

Like Crohn’s disease, repparttar 150485 cause of Colitis has yet to be determined. The current thinking is that it’s a reaction by repparttar 150486 immune system to a virus or bacterium. People suffering with colitis tend to have abnormal immune systems, but what is unclear is whether this is repparttar 150487 cause or an effect of repparttar 150488 disease. It has been proven, however that Colitis is not caused by stress or through food allergies, however these factors may in fact be a trigger for some people already suffering with repparttar 150489 disease.

Get More Out Of Life While Managing Your Diabetes

Written by Brandon C. Hall

When I was first diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at repparttar

age of 21, I had not given repparttar 150470

first thought to living a healthy diabetic lifestyle. As far as I was concerned, a healthy lifestyle was reserved only for fitness junkies and overweight moms.

I didn't know squat about repparttar 150471 benefits and overall happiness a healthy lifestyle would lead to. I was perfectly content eating frozen pizza, smoking cigarettes, and binge drinking on a regular basis. After I was diagnosed with diabetes, I had a lengthy discussion with my doctor that resulted in an epiphany, "Everything I love is killing me!"

First, we'll define what I mean by healthy lifestyle. When I asked repparttar 150472 question, "What is a healthy lifestyle?” repparttar 150473 common answer seemed to be, "Don't smoke, don't drink, eat only vegetables and protein, and make sure to exercise every day."

My first thought was, "You can give that crap right back to repparttar 150474 birds." I was 21, loved to party, and absolutely chock full of testosterone.

The ideas, practices, and benefits a healthy lifestyle provided sounded great for managing my diabetes, but I sure didn't like repparttar 150475 idea of my social life falling off repparttar 150476 face of repparttar 150477 planet. Believing in repparttar 150478 power of moderation, I made some compromises with my disease:

1. Smoking

I quit smoking cigarettes and only smoked cigars on special occasions such as bachelor parties, Super Bowls, or repparttar 150479 birth of my first child. That last part was a joke. After many years of searching, special occasions are repparttar 150480 only reason I can find to put nicotine or smoke of any kind in your body.

2. Drinking

For me, this was a big one. I'm not really repparttar 150481 type of guy that likes to meet girls at church, and school was not really an option for me, but drinking was all my friends and I did. As a result, drinking alcohol (sadly enough) was a major component of my social life. From that day forward, I laid down some basic rules.

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