"Diverticulitis", do you have it?

Okay . . . so the past few days we've been discussing fiber and its relationship with a bowel movement. So today we're going to talk about "diverticulitis".

Did you know . . . When the large intestine becomes clogged and you find yourself constipated . . . if not treated properly . . . over time you can form "diverticulosis". Which is the formation of small, bulging pouches called "diverticula" in the digestive tract. When one or more of these pouches become inflamed or infected, the condition is now called "diverticulitis".

"Diverticulitis" is the infection or inflammation in that pouch.

Now . . . normally these pouches at the stage of "diverticulosis" are harmless. And are developed when a weakness in the colon occurs and gives way under pressure. This causes marble-sized pouches to protrude through the colon wall unknown to the average person.

And "diverticulitis" occurs when the "diverticula" tears resulting in inflammation and in come cases infection.

So now you ask . . . how do we get a weakness in the intestinal wall?

Well . . . this occurs when a "low-fiber" diet leads to constipation, which in turn . . . increases the pressure within the digestive tract wall, which strains during a bowel movement . . .

Or, lack thereof one. . .

Now, once the small pouches of "diverticulosis" occur . . . science states there's no way to reverse them. But people can live for years with them and have no symptoms at all.

You see . . . it's not the pouches that cause you pain and discomfort . . . it's the infection and inflammation that can occur "in" them.

So first . . . how do we prevent the intestines from forming these pouches?