Natural Cures, Remedies and Treatments for Pancreatitis

Forms of Pancreatitis

The pancreas is an important organ of the digestive system, performing both endocrine and exocrine functions. It is located below the stomach near the left kidney and the spleen. Once the pancreas swells, it will cause problems and normally results in the disorder known as pancreatitis. There are two forms of pancreatitis; acute and chronic.

Acute pancreatitis is a sudden attack of the disorder and only lasts for shorter periods. People who have experienced the disorder feel a sudden pain in the upper part of the abdomen and may last for hours or few days. This form can be treated by dietary changes, herbs and supplements.

On the other hand, chronic pancreatitis is the more serious form of the disorder and requires immediate medical treatment as it causes severe damage to the organ and is often accompanied by infection that worsens the problem. Unlike the acute form, this won’t resolve easily and lasts for longer periods. The worst case scenario, if the disorder is left untreated, is the occurrence of diabetes and other digestive disorders.

Upon discovering the symptoms of the disorder, patients will undergo thorough physical examination plus stool and blood testing. ERCP (endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography) is also used to diagnose pancreatitis.

Main Causes and Symptoms of Pancreatitis

Generally, the main cause of pancreatitis, both acute and chronic, is excessive intake of alcohol. If you consume too much alcohol and frequently experience acute pancreatitis, it is better to stop alcohol intake before it becomes chronic in form.

Other causes are:

• Metabolic issues
• Viral and bacterial infections
• Obstruction of the bile duct
• Swelling or tumor
• Effect of duodenal and peptic ulcers that damage the pancreas
• Pancreatic pseudocysts, cystic fibrosis, hyperparathyroidism, high cholesterol, and Sjogren’s syndrome (all of these are for the chronic form)

The symptoms of pancreatitis are abdominal pain and tenderness, vomiting, and nausea are common to both chronic and acute form.

Courses of Action:

• Fast and take only water until the acute symptoms subside. Food in the stomach triggers the pancreas to start working, and this you do not want just now.

• After coming off the fast because the acute phase is over, eat a low carb/calorie, low fat diet. In chronic pancreatitis, the organ often no longer produces lipase normally. Without it, fats cannot be properly handled by the body. So eat a low fat diet for the rest of your life.

• Go on a low sugar diet. A diet heavy in refined carbohydrates can help bring on pancreatitis.

• Say good-bye to all alcoholic beverages, and also to caffeine.

• Avoid overeating. This also overworks the pancreas.

• There are no medications which can solve this problem. Indeed, it can be medications that may have led to it; continuing to take them may only intensify the disease.

• Give charcoal internally, and apply it as a poultice over the affected area. Place the person on a strict program of what he eats and drinks.

Herbs, Vitamins and Supplements

Certified nutritional consultant Phyllis Balch, author of “Prescription for Nutritional Healing,” notes that there are many vitamins, herbs and supplements that may help treat pancreatitis. Vitamins B3 and B5 are important for fat and carbohydrate metabolism; vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant; and vitamin E (use a complete form with all 8 types) is important in tissue repair. Helpful herbs for this condition include milk thistle, red clover, burdock root, dandelion root, olive leaf, garlic and licorice. Important non-herbal supplements for the treatment of pancreatitis include chromium picolinate, calcium and magnesium and pancreatin.

Highlighted Supplement

Dandelion root is an herbal supplement that is commonly used to help treat pancreatitis. Balch notes that dandelion root helps stimulate and strengthen your pancreas and may improve the function of other organs, too, including the kidneys, spleen and stomach. The root of the dandelion plant contains many phytochemicals and nutrients and is the part of the plant most often used in herbal preparations, although the leaves and flowers may also be used. Dandelion may help cleanse the blood and liver and increase bile production.

First, get on a low-fat diet and avoid fried foods, saturated and hydrogenated fats, and refined sugar. Drink no alcohol, not even herbal tinctures. Turn to pills, tea or glycerite herbal extracts instead. A particularly good herb for this condition is dandelion root (Taraxacum officinale) because it improves the digestion of fats by increasing bile production. So does licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra), which is also an excellent anti-inflammatory. (If you have high blood pressure, then look for deglycyrrhizinated licorice, or DGL.) Whatever the source of your problem, cramp bark (Viburnum opulus) will ease inflammation, cramping, and pain. Also helpful are antioxidant-rich foods such as blueberries—a traditional pancreatitis remedy. Just eating the berries is helpful, but you’ll find an even stronger antioxidant in anthocyanosides derived from bilberry fruit, which is available as a supplement. Pancreatitis is promoted by oxidative stress and the resulting production of free radicals. As a result, low levels of antioxidants can make you more prone to developing pancreatitis, and taking antioxidants (vitamins A, C, and E and selenium) helps to rid the body of free radicals and also helps reduce the pain and encourage recovery. To treat pancreatic disorders, practitioners of traditional Ayurvedic medicine prescribe Indian gooseberry (Emblica officinalis), probably because it is the richest natural source of vitamin C.

Home Remedies and Natural Cures for Pancreatitis

• Olive Leaf Extract – The extract from this herb is an excellent anti-inflammatory agent in curing the swelling of pancreas.
• Dandelion (Taraxacum) – The root from this plant supports on improved bile production as well as on the wellness of the pancreas.
• Curcumin – This substance is found in turmeric herbs and known to cure swelling of the pancreas.
• Supplements: L-glutamine, L-methione, selenium, silica, N-acetylcysteine, and probiotics should be taken to reduce the pain and restore the normal function of the pancreas.
• Add a quality, whole food multivitamin/mineral supplement
• Add chromium to control blood sugar levels and enhance insulin effectiveness
• Use lipotrophic agents—vitamin B6, vitamin B12 (sublingual), folic acid, choline, betaine, and methionine
• Take pancreatic enzymes with meals
• Follow a diabetic diet and keep blood sugar under control
• Make raw foods the base of your diet…but do limit sweeter fruit intake
• Drink pure organic Aloe Vera juice
• Avoid alcohol consumption
• Limit intake of hydrogenated/saturated fats, sugar, and highly processed foods…nothing deep fried!
• Increase intake of yellow and orange fruits and dark-­green vegetables

It is clear that pancreatitis is accompanied and worsened by a too acidic body system. Taking baking soda is a cheap and effective way to change body pH.

See this article for more:

http://blog.imva.info/medicine/the-pancreas-bicarbonate-and-diabetes#arrive

Tags: natural, pancreatitis, remedies, supplemental, treatment