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Ulcerative Colitis : Prevention
   
Western Medicine Chinese Medicine

There are no known preventative measures for ulcerative colitis. However, approximately seventy percent of patients with ulcerative colitis are expected to experience relapse of the disease over a twelve-month period; acute attacks or flare-ups can be prevented by adhering to maintenance therapy with 5-ASA and azathioprine or 6-mercaptopurine.

Since ulcerative colitis has no definitive preventive measures, TCM's goal is to extend the remission period in affected individuals. An optimistic and calm emotional state and healthy life habits are crucial for preventing relapse or further aggravation. See "Good Life Habits and Mind Cultivation". In addition, TCM highly recommends dietary restraint - the diet should consist of easily digested foods. The intestinal symptoms may be alleviated by avoiding fresh fruits and vegetables, caffeine, alcohol, spicy and greasy foods.

For acute relapse patients who suffer from loose bowels with excessive amount of pus, mucus or blood, it is helpful to eat a certain amount of ingredients to clear the accumulated pathogens. For example, suggested foods for obvious mucus watery diarrhea are crucian carp, pepper, ginger, nutmeg and lesser galangal rhizome; foods for foul pus diarrhea are cucumber, purslane, hyacinth beans and rice beans; foods for dark bloody diarrhea are black beans, brown sugar, safflower, tangerine peel and hawthorn fruit .

For chronic ulcerative colitis sufferers, tonic foods like yams, hyacinth bean, poria, red dates, lily buds, coix seeds, euryale seeds, lotus seeds and wolfberry fruit can boost the weakened organs and help to restore normal bowel movements.

Below are sample recipes.

Clearing damp-heat
Purslane (fresh 120g / dried 60g), mung beans (60g); decoct and take once a day for one week.
Chinese pulsatilla root (50g), honeysuckle flower (30g) and silk cotton flower (30g); decoct and add sugar to taste; take once a day for one week.
Purslane

Arresting chronic and persistent diarrhea
Lotus seeds (30), euryale seeds (30) and rice (30g); cook into porridge, add sugar to taste and serve as breakfast.
Fresh yam (500g), mutton (250g) and glutinous rice (250g); first stew the yam and mutton to fully tender, and then add to the rice and water for further cooking into porridge.
Psoralea (10g) and one pig kidney; wash the ingredients thoroughly, stew for 2 hours on a simmering heat, add salt to taste. Drink the soup and eat the kidney.