Diverticulitis - a cause of lower abdominal pain
[UPDATED JUNE 2022]]
Introduction
Diverticulitis occurs when diverticulae (small pouches) of the large bowel become inflamed.
These small pouches are unheard of except in the "civilised", constipated Western cultures. The large bowel is wrapped up in muscle: the circular muscle is continuous but the longitudinal muscle is in three strips. Between these strips there is an area of weakness and the pouches herniate out here. The hernias are called diverticulae.
The trouble with these diverticulae is that faecal material can get stuck in them and cause a local bacterial overgrowth which stretches up the diverticulae causing symptoms of "left sided appendicitis".
Diagnosis
Clinically an acute attack of diverticulitis looks like a left side appendicitis. See Wikipedia:Diverticulitis. It may be diagnosed with a CT scan.
Diverticulosis is often diagnosed at colonoscopy or barium enema.
Treatment
The acute attack of diverticulitis is treated with antibiotics. The idea here is that one of the little pouches has become infected, which results in formation of an abscess. Antibiotics kill the bacteria which cause the abscess. The worrying complication is that this abscess may rupture the gut causing peritonitis. If I have a patient with a known episode of diverticulitis so that they clearly recognise the symptoms of an attack, I make sure they always have a supply of antibiotics to use should early symptoms arise.
Prevention
- Eat the Ketogenic diet - the practical details.
- See My book - Paleo-Ketogenic: The Why and The How - new and improved!
- Do not allow yourself to become constipated - see Constipation
- Feed the friendly bacteria bacteroides - bacteroides ferment vegetable fibre to short chain fatty acids which nourish the lining of the gut directly. Do not eat sugar and refined carbohydrate which feed the unfriendly microbes that result in disease. See Fermentation in the gut and CFS
For more details see also -
- The Paleo Ketogenic Diet - this is a diet which we all should follow
- The Paleo Ketogenic Diet - meals which require no cooking or preparation
- The Paleo Ketogenic Diet - PK Bread
- The Paleo Ketogenic Diet - PK Dairy
- Diet - what you need to eat to slow the normal ageing process
Related Articles
- Constipation
- Ketogenic diet - the practical details
- My book - Paleo-Ketogenic: The Why and The How
- Fermentation in the gut and CFS
- The Paleo Ketogenic Diet - this is a diet which we all should follow
- The Paleo Ketogenic Diet - meals which require no cooking or preparation
- The Paleo Ketogenic Diet - PK Bread
- The Paleo Ketogenic Diet - PK Dairy
- Diet - what you need to eat to slow the normal ageing process
External Links
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