Pseudomembranous colitis is an inflammatory condition of the colon which usually occurs after receiving a prolonged course of antibiotics. The risk factors for this condition include antibiotic usage, elderly individuals, an immunocompromised system, irritable bowel disease, colorectal cancer, intestinal surgery, and cancer chemotherapy. This condition has a tendency to recover, and dehydration may cause complications like circulatory collapse, toxic megacolon and kidney failure. The common symptoms of this condition include watery, loose motions, abdominal cramps, high fever, urgency for bowel movement, nausea, dehydration, and the presence of blood, pus or mucous in the stools.
Ayurvedic herbal treatment for pseudomembranous colitis is aimed at giving symptomatic treatment for the common signs and symptoms of this condition, correcting the damage to the mucosa and muscular wall of the colon, improving the immune system of the body, and providing treatment to prevent a recurrence of the condition. In the acute stage of the condition, Ayurvedic herbal medicines which have a digestion action are used in high doses, in order to treat indigestion, abdominal cramps, and loose motions. The presence of blood, pus or mucous in the stools has to be treated with medicines specific for the presentation of these symptoms. Herbal medicines which have a soothing action on the intestinal mucosa are also used in order to repair the damage to the mucosa of the colon. These medicines heal the damage to the intestines and help in absorption and assimilation of food particles and liquids.
Immunomodulating herbal agents are also used to improve the immunity of the body so as to prevent a recurrence of the condition. Specific herbs which act on the colon are used in progressively increasing doses, so that the colon becomes immune to the adverse effects of antibiotics and other diseases and can function properly. Most individuals affected with pseudomembranous colitis require Ayurvedic herbal treatment for about four to six months in order to get a complete cure from this condition. Ayurvedic herbal treatment thus has a significant role in the management and treatment of pseudomembranous colitis.
The writer, Dr. A. A. Mundewadi, is available as an online Ayurvedic Consultant at www.ayurvedaphysician.com
