The main symptom of ulcerative colitis is diarrhoea. You might see blood or pus in your poop, due to ulcers which form on the lining of the large intestine.

Abdominal pain and frequently needing to poop is also common.

During flare ups, you might experience non-digestive symptoms – mouth ulcers; red, irritated eyes; sore bumps under the skin (known as erythema nodosum). Your bone health may also be affected, causing osteoporosis or arthritis.

Experts aren’t sure what causes ulcerative colitis.

It’s theorised that it’s an autoimmune condition – that immune cells mis-identify good bacteria in the gut for infection, attacking it.

Or, it’s thought that after ridding the body of an actual infection, the immune system doesn’t downregulate, causing immune cells to keep attacking the gut, even when the infection has gone.

Stress and dietary factors are known to aggravate the condition, but aren’t the cause.

Food intolerances that aren't identified can also trigger ulcerative colitis.

Our naturopaths can identify the right tests to assess inflammation levels, and the health of your gut microbiome.

Our naturopaths can test you for food intolerances or allergies that may be aggravating your condition.