Natural Remedies for Diverticulitis
6 natural cures for diverticulitis
Just received a diagnosis and are now looking for a natural remedy for Diverticulitis? Here’s 6 natural remedies for Diverticulitis to get you started on the path to health.
- Adopt a low fiber diet
A low fiber diet is one of the ways of easing diverticulitis symptoms. Some low-fiber foods include cooked or canned fruits without seeds or skins, well-cooked vegetables without seeds or skins, eggs, dairy products, white bread, white pasta, white rice, and well-cooked or ground meat. When symptoms start easing, which usually happens within around 2–4 days, you can gradually begin taking fiber. However, if there is no symptom flare-up, don’t remove fiber from your diet because fiber prevents constipation.
- Increase vitamin D uptake
Some studies claim that low vitamin D levels may increase the risk of suffering from diverticulitis and its complications though researchers have not verified this claim in further studies. Vitamin D can be obtained from foods such as fatty fish, such as tuna, salmon, mackerel, beef liver, eggs, cheese, some mushrooms, including those grown under UV light, fortified foods, such as breakfast cereals, plant milk, and margarine. Sun exposure is also a way of getting vitamin D because UV light helps convert compounds in the skin into vitamin D.
- Use a liquid diet
If you experience intense and sudden symptoms; you can try a temporary liquid diet such as water, coffee, and tea without milk, soft drinks, or sports drinks. To ensure that you do not miss out on essential nutrients, you should strictly follow a liquid diet if your doctor recommends it. When symptoms ease, you should begin to start doing a solid diet slowly.
- Try probiotics
Probiotics contain beneficial species of gut bacteria, which in some cases, can help with digestive conditions. A review done in 2016 suggests that probiotics can reduce symptoms and recurrence in diverticular disease. However, there is no sufficient evidence to show that probiotics are an effective treatment for diverticulitis. Some fermented foods that contain probiotics include live yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, miso, kimchi. It is good to test probiotic foods in small amounts if you are not used to them because people tolerate different foods and probiotic strains differently.
- Get more exercise
Exercise can mitigate the pain caused by diverticulitis because exercise releases endorphins, which are the body’s natural pain relievers. Studies recommend that adults should get at least 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week. The forms of moderate-intensity exercise include brisk walking (at least 2.5 miles per hour), water aerobics, dancing, gardening, tennis, cycling (slower than 10 miles per hour). Exercise also prevents constipation.
- Apply a heating pad
You can get relief from painful stomach cramps by applying heat. Different heat pads can help include electric heat pads and hot water bottles. Always ensure that electric devices have a low setting and are covered with hot water bottles with a towel to prevent burns.