Ulcerative Colitis

Ulcerative Colitis

Q: A 40-year-old woman has suffered from ulcerative colitis for eight years and has been taking mesalazine enteric-coated tablets continuously. On January 9, 2015, a colonoscopy revealed polyps 40 cm from the anus. The doctor said that because the inflammation is active, surgery cannot be performed. To date, no surgery has been done. Does this mean that inflammatory polyps will eventually become cancerous if left untreated? What good TCM methods are there for treating ulcerative colitis?

Answer: Polyps can indeed become cancerous, but the rate of malignancy is very low. Don’t assume that polyps automatically turn cancerous—most polyps remain benign even without surgery. The key here is ulcerative colitis itself. Unlike ordinary colitis, it has an autoimmune component, and Western medicine often fails to eliminate the inflammation. TCM treatment based on syndrome differentiation is relatively effective.

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