Do you suffer from…
- Frequent Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis flare ups?
- Abdominal pain and inflammation?
- Frequent or urgent bowel motions?
Hi, we are a Naturopathy clinic located in Melbourne. We specialise in helping people suffering from gut issues such as inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
“Helena is a great listener. She spends the time to get to know her clients and really tries to understand what’s causing their ailments. I started seeing Helena to get a 3rd opinion after having symptoms for 12+ months that weren’t being resolved by visits to my usual GPs. In the end it turned out that Helena knew more about what was actually going on than anyone else I had seen. After an eventual trip to the ER, my recovery was supported by Helena’s food and supplement advice. I am continuing to visit Helena from time to time as a way to keep my health in check. Currently feeling great, and I couldn’t recommend Helena highly enough. Also a shout out to Tess for always being super helpful." ~ Stephanie
What is Inflammatory Bowel Disease?
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is an umbrella term used to describe disorders that involve chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. The two different types of IBD are Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). Both conditions affect the bowel, but in slightly different ways. Crohn’s disease causes inflammation of the full thickness of the bowel wall, in any part of the gastrointestinal tract from the mouth to the anus, although most commonly affects parts of the small intestine or colon. Ulcerative colitis is inflammation of the inner lining of the colon and rectum.
Both types of IBD; Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, are usually characterised by diarrhoea, rectal bleeding, abdominal pain, fatigue and weight loss. IBD can be debilitating and sometimes leads to life-threatening complications.
What Can Cause Inflammatory Bowel Disease?
The exact cause of ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease is unknown; but the pathogenesis is probably multifactorial and may include infectious, genetic, immunologic, psychologic, environmental, and nutritional factors. In those with a genetic predisposition, ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease may be triggered by an infectious agent or toxin leading to stimulation of the inflammatory response in the body.
Signs and Symptoms of Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- Frequent and urgent need to pass stool
- Diarrhoea
- Blood in bowel movements
- Abdominal pain or distention
- Fever
- Nausea and vomiting
- Poor appetite
- Weight loss
- Fatigue
- Low iron (anaemia)
- Fast heart rate
- Joint pain
Natural Solutions For Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Due to the multifactorial nature of ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, a holistic approach alongside medical intervention helps you to achieve better results with less flare ups. This encompasses controlling inflammation, replenishing lost nutrients, supporting your gut barrier, improving beneficial gut flora, reducing any gut infections, supporting digestive health, eliminating environmental contributors and looking at various ways to manage stress.
Our Naturopaths work with you to help you address all of these factors and what’s driving any flare ups, to help you to restore your gut health and wellbeing. This can include dietary interventions, herbal medicine, nutritional medicine, exercise recommendations and lifestyle changes. It’s also essential for you to work alongside your Gastroenterologist or Doctor to help you manage IBD. Referrals to other practitioners such as hypnotherapy, osteopathy or remedial massage will be done if deemed beneficial.
Would you like to have…
- Less IBD flare ups?
- Less bowel inflammation and pain?
- Less blood and mucus in your bowel motions?
If you are looking for great advice and long term solutions, we would love to help you out. Book an appointment today!