Are Probiotics an Effective Colitis Treatment Option?

If you suffer from colitis, you can expect to have a series of painful episodes throughout your lifetime. The culprit is your body’s immune system which causes inflammation and eventually open sores to form in the colon. Loose, frequent bowel movements, abdominal pain, painful diarrhea and bloody stools are common symptoms.

Episodes relapse and recur, and depending on the frequency, patients seek treatment to keep symptoms under control. Colitis treatment options often include:

• Medications like aminosalicylates, corticosteroids and immunosuppressants to suppress intestinal inflammation.
• A diet plan that eliminates foods which aggravate the condition.
• Surgery to remove the colon. Approximately one quarter to one third of patients don’t respond to pharmacological treatment so they opt for a colectomy and illeostomy to manage their bowel continence.

While these are the most common approaches to colitis treatment, there are other things patients can do to reduce the severity of symptoms. One option is including probiotics in the diet.

What are Probiotics?

Generally speaking, probiotics are bacteria that aid in digestion and the breakdown of food. They are found in For colitis patients, probiotics provide several benefits that serve to reduce inflammation:

• Probiotics act as a barrier by lining the intestinal tract close to the brush border, thus keeping luminal bacteria from stimulating a response from the immune system.
• Probiotics can enhance mucus production so patients have a thicker layer of mucus in their guts, which protects against invasive bacteria.
• Probiotics change the makeup of the mucus and alter the way bacteria adhere to the intestine.
• Probiotics cause patients’ immune systems to secrete protective immunoglobulin, protective defensins and bacteriocins into the intestinal tract.
• Probiotics alter the way the immune system responds, making it more anti-inflammatory and less like to become react to bacteria within the lumen.

Even with incorporating probiotics into your diet, you will likely continue to have flare ups, but they can help lessen the severity of symptoms. And probiotics can help increase the length of time between episodes.

While probiotics may be beneficial for some colitis patients, many opt for colectomy surgery to eliminate the painful symptoms all together. If you’re considering this surgery for colitis treatment, discuss your options with Dr. Don Schiller. Dr. Schiller has perfected a surgical procedure called the Barnett Continent Intestinal Reservoir that provides patients freedom from accidents, external bags and embarrassment.