Diverticulosis
My mother has just come out of hospital where the doctors diagnosed diverticulosis. Can you tell me exactly what this is, what causes it and what she can now do to control it. Is there an alternative cure?
This is a disease of the colon which is most common in people over the age of 50. It is triggered by a lack of fibre in the diet and the pressure of trying to pass hard stools - which causes tiny pouches or diverticulae to form. When waste becomes trapped in these pouches, it can cause pain, alternating constipation and diarrhoea and a bacterial infection which inflames these pouches and causes this disease.
You can relieve the symptoms by making changes to your diet. Avoid seeds, which can get trapped in the pouches exacerbating the pain and take up regular exercise to increase blood flow through the colon and help regulate the bowels.
Eat more high fibre foods to soften the stools and drink eight glasses of water a day, which will also help. Pineapple and papaya are both good sources of digestive enzymes which can also help reduce inflammation of the colon. You can also buy digestive enzyme supplements to take with food. I recommend Nature’s Gold Digestive Enzymes Plus Six. 60 vegetarian capsules cost £11.25 plus £1 p&p. For mail order call 0171-736 1600.