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'Keep warm' is important?

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Posted 5/28/2011 7:24 PM (GMT -5)
Hi,

I recently got a slight flare, besides stress, I found out that 'not keeping warm' may also be a reason. I do not drink cold water, take cold food. 'cold' means the temperature of food is lower than that of body. And I often have more clothes on than others. 'Keeping warm' to me means I have sweater on even in summer. But last week, I took some not-too-warm food and sat on 'cold' chair.

Is keeping warm very important? Thanks.

Posted 5/28/2011 7:49 PM (GMT -5)
My body can react badly to strong air conditioning-- for example, if I've been outside in very hot weather, perspiring, and then enter a building that has been cooled so much it actually feels like a change of season. I usually carry a cotton sweater with me so that I can quickly put it on during the summertime, when the situation is pretty common where I live. Do you feel so cold that you start to shiver? (During warm or hot weather.) In that case you might have a vitamin or mineral deficiency. Be sure that your doctor tests your blood chemicals 2-3 times a yr. / Old Hat (30 yrs with left-sided UC; presently in remission taking brandname Colazal)
Posted 5/28/2011 8:49 PM (GMT -5)
Agaisntodds, 

The only time that I am that cold is when my iron is extremely low, then I am freezing all the time.  Have you had you iron checked?

Posted 5/28/2011 11:07 PM (GMT -5)
I'm easy to get sick if I'm cold. So, for me, yes.
Posted 5/29/2011 7:53 AM (GMT -5)
I've alway been a "cold bird". It can be due to several reasons. First I'm anemic, secondly I get cold chills while having a bowel movement. The colon is our colling system and when it gets outta wack we can feel cold.
Posted 5/29/2011 9:30 AM (GMT -5)
Staying warm is very important for me also.

Eating too much cold food can cause diarrhea even in normal people because our intestine has to work harder to digest it and keep it at our body temperature.

And since I feel that I have somewhat weakened intestines and absorption issue, I tend to stay away from cold food/drinks and try to keep my body warm as much as I can.

Weather matters a lot for me too. I started to realize that I can't function in cold weather very well.
Awhile ago I visited one of my cousins in Michigan, I literally felt the change in my appetite, more pain, and cramping when it was really cold. Blood circulation is an issue for me.

I live in New York but when I was in California last year for three months, Oh man. I loved the freaking weather there! I felt more energetic and had the best BM's in years. Didn't change my diet or anything. And honestly, I wasn't even on any meds b/c of bad reactions to some meds so I had to go off of it. Maybe just a coincidence but being able to go out with just a T-shirt on and staying warm all day is one of the best feelings when I'm not feeling so well.
Posted 5/29/2011 3:15 PM (GMT -5)
If its warm it means I am outside alot. That is always better.
Posted 5/29/2011 4:30 PM (GMT -5)
The only person to say this to me was my accupuncturist (sorry for spelling?). He would tell me never to have anything to eat or drink that wasn't room temp. Although I'm not sure I agree for myself.
Posted 5/30/2011 2:15 AM (GMT -5)

BeachGirl808 said...
The only person to say this to me was my accupuncturist (sorry for spelling?). He would tell me never to have anything to eat or drink that wasn't room temp. Although I'm not sure I agree for myself.

Having lived in a Chinese family, I've heard that it is not good to drink anything cold. I don't know if it is true or not, but cold beverages do make me feel cold. So I always drink hot beverages to warm me up.

Post Edited (subdued) : 5/30/2011 2:12:02 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 5/30/2011 5:42 PM (GMT -5)
I'm always too hot. I don't understand it because most people with UC or any chronic illness are always freezing. I cannot tolerate heat. I know we're told that cold drinks are bad for us but I always want lots of ice in my drinks. I try to drink it slowly to reduce the shock to my insides.
Posted 5/30/2011 5:59 PM (GMT -5)
Traditional Asian beliefs about ingesting cold food and drinks probably date back to when they had to be boiled to kill germs. Now it's mostly superstition. My Chinese wife and I argue about it all the time. She and her parents won't let our 1-year-old daughter drink even room-temperature milk. The belief that being cold or wet can make you sick is also a debunked myth.

Anyway, I digress. Temperature is unlikely to affect your colitis, and I've never heard of such a thing. If you're looking for correlations one way or another, I always feel hot and want to cool off. My last flare was in South Florida where it's hot and muggy year-round, and we keep the A/C around 80.

Post Edited (James_) : 5/31/2011 8:05:59 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 5/30/2011 6:56 PM (GMT -5)
It all comes down to what ONE feels.
Everyone's different. Before I got sick, my body used to heat up so quickly and couldn't tolerate any warm/hot drinks at all. I was like this for 18 years of my life until my symptoms started getting worse. I was having ice creams in the winter at least 3 times a week b/c Baskin Robbins was right next to my HS and no problems whatsoever.

Even during the winter times, I always drank cold stuff and couldn't eat hot/warm meals b/c they always made me so uncomfortable. I'm not even fat. Just an athletic/normal kid at 175lb 5'11".

Just drink/eat whatever the body wants you to take.
Posted 5/31/2011 2:12 AM (GMT -5)
All kinds of cold bothers me and always has. I avoid and dislike ice, cold water, air conditioners, fans, cold food (especially deli meats) etc. I never noticed the correlation until you mentioned it, so no I do not like cold stuff. Thanks for pointing it out.
Posted 5/31/2011 11:23 AM (GMT -5)
Cold or warm has never affected my UC. I hate feeling cold unless I'm hot...
I loathe humidity, I feel like I'm being smothered, especially if it's warm.

I usually drink filtered water at home at room temp, I sometimes need a shot of cold, however.

One thing, if I'm trying to get to sleep and I'm cold...It's impossible. My feel are like bricks of ice, no matter what time of the year...thankfully, my husband is like a furnace and very tolerant!

q
Posted 6/1/2011 7:08 PM (GMT -5)
Ditto for me on heat with high humidity-- so fatiguing! That's a temptation to drink or eat something cold, but in general my colon hates cold stuff-- so I only sip a limited amount of cold liquids or eat small amounts of chilled food during hot weather. Room temperature swallows keep my intestines more comfortable. / Old Hat (30 yrs with left-sided UC; presently in remission taking brandname Colazal)
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