Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that causes irritation and ulcers in the lining of the colon, often resulting in abdominal pain and bloody stools. "Ulcerative colitis can happen at any age, but it usually starts between the ages of 15 and 30," according to the National Institutes of Health. If your child has been diagnosed with the disease, you may find yourself wanting to avoid the traditional treatment options of drugs or surgery. You're not alone---Mayo Clinic staff say that about half of all people with IBD seek an alternative or complementary therapy.
Acupuncture
"Several studies have found acupuncture to be of benefit to people with ulcerative colitis," reports the Mayo Clinic. Some children might get scared at the thought of having fine needles inserted into their skin, but acupuncture usually does not hurt; in fact, it stimulates the body to release natural painkillers and promotes a feeling of well being.
"Lots of kids will be saying to us, 'I don't want needles'; however, after careful explanation and demonstration, kids do very well with acupuncture," says Dr. Yuan-Chi Lin, an acupuncturist at Children's Hospital Boston, which has used the therapy to treat hundreds of young colitis patients since 2000. If you'd like to try acupuncture with your child, you can help her relax during the process by giving her a favorite toy or book to look at, or a music player with songs she enjoys.
Specific Carbohydrate Diet
"If there is no clear history of lactose (milk sugar) intolerance, eliminating dairy products from the diet is seldom suggested," according to the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA), which fears the move might cause calcium deficiency in kids. However, parents looking for an alternative nutritional therapy can cut out lactose while continuing to feed their children healthy sources of calcium. The Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) was created for people with IBD, and is based on the theory that if a food is known to cause digestive issues in some people, then avoiding it will help the digestive system heal; because of that, lactose is eliminated, but yogurt that has been fermented for 24 hours to remove lactose, and aged cheeses that contain very little, are allowed. The SCD, developed by Sidney Haas, MD, and biochemist Elaine Gottschall, MD, also requires that starches, sugars and all other complex carbohydrates (disaccharides and polysaccharides) be avoided. This includes grains, breads, rice, corn, potatoes and pasta. But monosaccharides, like honey, fruit and many vegetables---which have a single-molecule structure and are easily digested---are fine, although it should be noted that babies under 12 months old should not eat honey. Also encouraged on the diet are pure proteins like eggs, nuts, meats that haven't been processed or had fillers added and legumes that have been soaked before cooking.
Dietary Supplements
Fish oil, rich in omega-3 essential fatty acids, may bring relief to kids with colitis by reducing inflammation, according to the information website ulcerative-colitis.org. The Mayo Clinic agrees that fish oil is an anti-inflammatory, and points out that, while never concretely proven, "one study that included large doses of fish oil---15 or more capsules a day---suggested a possible benefit." It also mentions a small trial that showed that taking aloe vera gel daily may help, and acknowledge that probiotics might help combat IBD by adding beneficial bacteria to the gut.
