would colonic irrigation be recommended for someone with diverticulitis

IS doing a colon cleanse a good thing to do while currently having a bloating / moderately painful attack? Or is that something I should do after my symptoms have subsided? Either way I believe it is a good thing to do in our situation I just dont know if it will do me more harm than good during an "attack". Please respond as soon as you can. Thank you for your thoughts

One thing you can try to help get things moving easier is take a magnesium supplement, as one of the symptoms of a magnesium deficiency if constipation, and one of the "side effects" of taking extra is slightly loose stools. Magnesium brings more water to the common, so it's kind of like an internal hydrotherapy, and it helps balance out the issues you can have with constipation caused by the antibiotics (a vicious cycle if ever there was one when the infection is caused BY constipation!). My favorite is called Natural Calm, it's a powdered drink mix. The Raspberry Lemonade actually tastes pretty good; you can follow the directions and mix it with a full bottle if water, or you can do what I do and put it in a shot glass with enough water to dissolve it and just shoot it! It's fizzy, so let it fizz out a bit before drinking so it doesn't come out your nose! Drink LOTS of water regularly, especially when on antibiotics.

I've had a colonic irrigation one time, and it wasn't unpleasant. I was healthy, though, and it was done by a licensed professional. Sine states dint require licensing, which is scary. The procedure took about an hour, and I can see where it would be dangerous for someone with a weakened colon. Best to wait until your doctor says your infection/ inflammation are under control. I had a client that had a perforated bowel from a robotic surgery screw up, and TRUST me, you don't know suffering until you've dealt with that!

i have diverticulitus and I eat a high fiber diet and have cut out all red meat from my diet as recommended. I continue to feel bloated and extremely uncomfortable. My decision to do a colon hydrotherapy is to cleanse my colon and start fresh. i'm not sure if this is possible with my diverticulitus. Please advise.

Joanne

I am a sufferer on diverticulitis and have the same question that I have been researching. From what I found it is not recommended to have colonic irrigation treatment with our condition. Diet seems to be the best treatment and trust me, take it seriously. I went through the meds and diet, started feeling better, then fell off the wagon and nearly ended up back in the hospital. Look up Sherry Brescia. She is a sufferer and nutritionist specializing in it now. She has a diet plan that might work for you. Weather you decide to do it or not there is a lot of great advice

Best of luck

I had one additional thought: what does your primary doctor (who is treating your diverticulitis) recommend?

I was just reading that diverticulitis can lead to bleeding, infections and small tears/perforations in the colon. That concerns me that you would possibly introduce water (or other liquids, as is sometimes used in the irrigation) into your colon that could have perforations or tearing--not sure if that procedure would cause further damage to an already-susceptible area??

Hi,
Can you tell us more about your diverticulitis? Is it being treated, and if so, how?

We are not able to recommend any treatments to anyone, as only your doctor and you have the information (your current and past health history, for instance) necessary to deem what is appropriate for your condition.

What you can find here is current research on the best treatment options (both "traditional" and "alternative") for a particular condition. Others may also share their advice and stories if they have tried a treatment.

With that said, I did not find any information in the literature regarding a treatment option for diverticulitis being a colon irrigation. Was this recommended or suggested to you by a friend or a doctor?

From my understanding, diverticulitis is an inflammation, and may require antibiotics and/or a change in diet to be resolved.

Also, from my understanding, colonic irrigation has many risks associated with it, and under the best circumstances, it is used to prepare the colon for surgery. I did not see it being recommended for use as a "toxin cleansing" treatment in any of the relevant medical journals. The other concern I personally have with colon irrigation is that it is not a treatment that is overseen by any health organization, and can be performed by individuals without licenses or certifications. Some people do not mind this, and only care about the person's experience---that is the choice you would have to make.

However, the medical journals just provide one piece of the puzzle. If a colon irrigation is not being used to prep for surgery, then it may fall under the "complementary and alternative" medicine category. The NCCAM (National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine) discusses hydrotherapy as a low-risk, possibly beneficial treatment, but distinctly states that they are not referring to colon irrigation or other internal water treatments.

- Would you like more information on the pros/cons of colon irrigation?
- What do you hope to gain from this procedure?
- Can you tell us more about your current condition?
- Do you already have a person/clinic/organization chosen to perform this treatment? If so, what are their credentials?

Hope to hear back from you soon!