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Diverticulosis and Diverticulitis
by author Edward Leyton, MD, CCFP

Dear Dr Leyton:I am 77 years old and writing to you because I have diverticulitis. Why isn’t there more written about it to explain what it is? Is there anything I can do to treat this condition naturally?
-DF

Diverticulosis is a condition in which there are small extruding pockets in the wall of the large bowel. Most commonly they occur in the descending colon or sigmoid colon, which is the last part of the bowel prior to its exit from the body. Diverticulitis is an inflammation of those pockets, which can lead to symptoms of diarrhea, pain and bleeding. Diverticulosis is very common particularly in people over the age of 60, and about 10 per cent of those may have episodes of inflammation and diverticulitis. Both these conditions are caused by a low-fibre diet and have only been present in North American culture since the early part of the 1900s. This dietary connection was first hypothesized by Dr Dennis Burkitt, a surgeon working in Africa. He noted that almost nobody in Africa got diverticulitis, but that this was a very common condition in North America. In fact, he attributed a number of other diseases to poor fibre intake, including hemorrhoids, appendicitis, hiatus hernia and colitis. Because these diseases simply did not exist in Africa, he used to joke that the large amount of fibre consumed by Africans was the reason they had large stools and small hospitals, whereas North Americans with their low-fibre diet had small stools and large hospitals!

Fibre is the part of fruits, vegetables and grains that the body cannot digest. Some fibre dissolves easily in water (soluble fibre). It takes on a soft, jelly-like texture in the intestines. Other fibre passes almost unchanged through the intestines (insoluble fibre). Both kinds of fibre help make stools soft and easy to pass. What is also significant about fibre is that it provides fuel for the cells of the intestinal wall, keeping them strong and healthy. Fibre is also an important substrate for maintaining the balance of healthy bacteria that occur naturally in the bowel and may prevent cancer itself.

In order to help your diverticulitis, you must first treat any infection that is present. After the initial infection is over, you can then begin to build a healthy functional bowel that is less likely to flare up into an infection again. Do this by eliminating as many processed foods as possible. Be particularly careful to eat foods that are high in fibre such as fresh fruits and vegetables. Introduce these gradually into your diet if you are not used to them as they may cause some excess gas initially. If you need to add extra fibre on top of what you get in your diet from food, consider using two tablespoons of flax seed, ground fresh daily. Build up from one teaspoon to two tablespoons a day. Also add to your diet a good quality Lactobacillus acidophilus in the dose of about one-half teaspoon twice a day. When you buy the Lactobacillus acidophilus, make sure it comes from the fridge in your health food store, since the freeze-dried preparations should be "living."

Dr Edward Leyton has practised complementary and alternative medicine in Kingston, Ont. for more than 22 years. He is also a member of the Canadian Complementary Medical Association. Written requests for advice must contain your age, gender, height and weight and a good description of your present problem; any past medical problems and treatments; a list of drugs and supplements you are taking and any recent blood or other test results. Address letters to the medical advisor, 7436 Fraser Park Drive, Burnaby, BC, V5J 5B9. Please include a cheque or postal money order for $20 made out to Alive Publishing Group Inc. Expect at least six to eight weeks for a reply.

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