Colitis is an inflammation of the colon or large intestine. Ulcerative colitis is characterized by spells of bloody or mucus diarrhea, fever, an increased urgency to defecate, and mild to excruciating abdominal cramps. Crohn's disease affects the small and large intestine, producing fever, diarrhea, abdominal pain, bloody bowel movements and other symptoms. Growing evidence suggests that diet and nutritional supplements can help. Many people with inflammatory bowel disease also have IBS (abdominal pain and discomfort, abdominal bloating and swelling and diarrhea and/or constipation).

What wellness and selfcare measures have been found to help colitis and Crohn's disease?

*  Take acidophilus (from a health food store) daily to restore the overgrowth of Clostridia difficile, an organism that can cause relentless colitis.

*  Eliminate sweets, alcohol and caffeine. All can irritate your intestinal lining.

*  If you have a lactase deficiency, don't eat diary products. These can trigger an inflammation of your intestine.

*  Eat foods high in essential fatty acids. These substances can prevent an inflamed bowel and are found in green leafy vegetables, flaxseed, rapeseed and walnuts.

*  Eat oily fish such as sardines, salmon and mackerel or take fish oil capsules (health food store item). The oils in fish affect immune response and decrease inflammation.

*  Omit all cereal grains (wheat, oats, corn, rice, barley, millet) and limit sugars (sucrose, lactose, fructose) and yeast in any form (check labels).

*  Take a multi-vitamin tablet that contains zinc, selenium, magnesium, folic acid and other B-vitamins, and vitamin E. All of these vitamins and minerals help heal the intestines.

*  Take 4 ounces of aloe vera gel or juice (health food store items) after you eat to soothe your digestive tract. Fennel tea is also good.

*  Focus your food around soy (soy milk, soy burgers, tofu, tempeh, soy cheese, soy meats), some fresh fruit and loads of green leafy vegetables (kale, Swiss chard, escarole, parsley, spinach, etc). This kind of high vegetable protein diet (with no dairy foods) has been shown to reduce bowel inflammation in Crohn's disease.

*  Stress is usually a factor. Identify what's stressing you and eliminate it and learn relaxation techniques.

*  Use extra virgin olive oil for cooking and for salad dressings. Olive oil contains potent antioxidants to protect your intestines. Never eat fried foods, though, they irritate your digestive tract.

*  Consider taking oral zinc sulfate supplements of 110 mg three times a day for 8 weeks. One study found that tightens up the leaky gut syndrome in Crohn's disease, improving your intestinal function. Stop taking the zinc after 8 weeks because too much zinc can reduce your immune function.

What self-care measures have been shown to help IBS?

*Eat 5-10 fruits and vegetables daily, brown rice, peanuts, dried beans and peas to increase your fiber intake.

*Use psyllium powder daily to regulate bowel movements (health food item; follow directions on label).

*Avoid alcohol and tobacco, which irritate the linings of the stomach and colon.

*To relieve gas, use charcoal tablets (health food store item).

*Acidophilus (health food store item) to replenish the "friendly" bacteria in the gut.

*Aloe vera (health food store item) 3-4 ounces 3 times a day on an empty stomach to soothe the digestive track.

*Whenever possible, avoid the use of antibiotics, antacids, and laxatives which disturb the bacterial flora in your bowel. If you must take them, follow them with multidophilus (good bacteria for digestive tract) capsules or eat plain yogurt daily.

*Take a B complex capsule of 50-100 mg 3X a day with meals to help absorb and digest foods.

*Take Kyolic (garlic) in the liquid form (health food item) to aid in digestion and destroy toxins in the colon.

*Daily eat whole grain cereals, (especially oat bran, flaxseed and psyllium seeds), but avoid wheat, which has an irritating effect on the colon.

*If you have diarrhea, take a hypoallergenic multivitamin daily.

*Take flaxseed or primrose oil (health food item; follow label directions) to protect your intestinal lining

*Take proteolytic enyzmes, with high pancreatin and low HCL(health food store item) to aid in protein digestion and reduce inflammation.

*Take milk thistle (silymarin) to add in liver cleansing (health food item with no known side effects).

*Chew your food well and don't eat and watch TV or do work.

*Avoid eating after dinner. Let your food digest before lying down.

*Practice deep breathing exercises to improve bowel function.