How does smoking affect patients with ulcerative colitis?
Research papers have shown that nicotine is effective for ulcerative colitis. In fact, there are many reported cases of “ulcerative colitis flared up after quitting smoking.
In my case, I quit smoking on New Year’s Day 2006 and stopped smoking at all. Then, at the end of 2006, I developed ulcerative colitis. My friend, who is also an ulcerative colitis patient, had a flare-up after she quit smoking as well.
There may indeed be some effect. Nicotine’s inflammation suppressing action may be working to prevent ulcerative colitis from worsening.
Smoking can cause flare-ups after quitting, so ulcerative colitis patients who smoke should be careful when they quit smoking. However, it is hardly a cure-all, since smoking has a negative effect on other organs as well.
In my case, thanks to “Indigo naturalis,” I have managed to overcome both smoking and ulcerative colitis, so I don’t think there is any need to force myself to smoke at all.