Taking care of the pancreas is very important for the overall health of the body. If you have been diagnosed with inflammation or acute pancreatitis, the importance increases. Making lifestyle changes, such as eating healthier diets, losing excess weight, and avoiding alcohol and tobacco, can help ease the pain caused by chronic pancreatitis and slow the progression of the disease. Your doctor will advise you to help your pancreas heal and prevent further complications.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Changing the Lifestyle
Step 1. Adopt a healthy, low-fat diet
Healthy eating can help reduce abdominal pain. In addition, it can lighten the workload on the pancreas, giving it the opportunity to recover from inflammation. A pancreatic-friendly diet should include vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, lentils, plus lean meats and dairy products. Frequent but light meals can also help speed healing.
- The foods most indicated for pancreatic health include dark green leafy vegetables, blueberries, sweet potatoes, carrots, grapes and nuts.
- Try to supply the body with a sufficient amount of omega-3 fatty acids of animal origin, which are contained for example in salmon and oily fish.
- Garlic and probiotic-rich foods, such as yogurt, can help reduce inflammation, as well as facilitate digestion.
- The Mediterranean diet is one of the most suitable for accelerating the healing of the pancreas.
- Aim for 6-8 small meals a day with a high protein content, instead of 3 large meals.
- Once you have recovered from pancreatitis, your doctor may provide you with specific information about the foods that you will need to include or exclude from your diet.
- For the well-being of the pancreas and the body in general, you must avoid too restrictive diets. Losing weight too fast is not healthy.
Step 2. Avoid foods high in fat or sugar
Foods that are high in fat or simple sugars can increase blood fat levels and therefore the risk of pancreatitis. Since the pancreas processes most of the fat ingested, avoiding foods that contain a large amount of it gives you the opportunity to reduce the workload on the organ and accelerate its healing.
- Try to limit your fat intake to a maximum of 30 grams per day.
- Limit your consumption of red meats, offal, French fries, mayonnaise, butter, candy, white bread, pasta, and sugary drinks.
- Avoid deep-fried, industrially processed, or high-fat foods.
- Try to limit caffeine as much as possible.
Step 3. Lose weight in an effort to reduce the stress on the pancreas
The pancreas produces insulin, a hormone that controls the level of sugar in the blood. Obesity makes the body less sensitive to insulin, so the pancreas is forced to produce more for the same workload.
- Losing weight is not easy requires commitment and determination, but losing 2-5 pounds may be enough to lighten the workload on the pancreas.
- Losing weight is also helpful in reducing the risk of gallstones, which are one of the possible causes of pancreatitis.
Step 4. Limit alcohol
If you really want to safeguard the health of your pancreas, you should completely eliminate them from your diet. If you don't want to completely give up alcoholic beverages, at least try to consume them in moderation. This means that you should not drink more than 2 drinks per day if you are a man or 1 drink per day if you are a woman.
- If you have been diagnosed with acute or chronic pancreatitis, you should completely give up alcohol.
- If you have been diagnosed with acute pancreatitis, continuing to drink alcohol could trigger other episodes and lead to chronic pancreatitis.
- Drinking alcohol can cause serious complications and even death for people with chronic pancreatitis.
Step 5. Do your best to quit smoking in order to reduce the risk of pancreatitis
Smoking increases the risk of pancreatitis, especially in combination with alcohol. If pancreatitis is already ongoing, it is even more important to make an effort to quit smoking to prevent your condition from worsening.
- If you have been diagnosed with pancreatitis, smoking can increase your risk of developing pancreatic cancer. To prevent it, it is therefore very important to do your best to quit smoking.
- Taking a digestive enzyme supplement may help to relieve symptoms such as steatorrhea, bloating, and abdominal pain.
Method 2 of 2: Treating Pancreatitis
Step 1. See a doctor right away if you have symptoms of pancreatitis
Disorders that may signal acute pancreatitis include severe pain or tenderness in the abdomen, nausea, vomiting, fever, rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, and yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes. These symptoms can be caused by a severe infection, inflammation, or blockage of the pancreatic duct.
Step 2. Fast under the supervision of your doctor
If you have been diagnosed with pancreatitis, your doctor may recommend that you fast for a couple of days. During the fasting period, the pancreas will have the opportunity to rest and recover, so inflammation may decrease.
Your doctor may recommend that you only take clear liquids and light foods to break your fast before returning to a normal diet
Step 3. Consider taking a pancreatic enzyme supplement to aid digestion
If you have been diagnosed with chronic pancreatitis, you may need to take an enzyme supplement with every meal. This type of supplement helps the body absorb the nutrients contained in food.
Trust your doctor to decide if you need to take a pancreatic enzyme supplement
Step 4. Consider having surgery if pancreatitis is caused by having gallstones
Gallstones are the most common cause of pancreatitis. If your gallbladder (or gallbladder) is affected by stones, your doctor may determine that the best way to prevent other similar episodes in the future is to have the organ removed through surgery.
Surgery to remove the gallbladder is called a cholecystectomy. It is a common operation with a low risk of complications. You will likely be discharged a few hours after surgery and recovery will be quick (about a week)
Step 5. Ask your doctor if surgery is needed to treat the pancreas
In severe cases, the doctor may decide that surgery is essential, for example if antibiotics are not sufficient to relieve the infection or if there is damaged pancreatic tissue. Depending on the causes, the goal of the operation may be to drain fluids or remove damaged tissue.
Pancreatic surgery is complex and invasive, so your doctor will only consider it after trying all other possible treatments
Step 6. Consider removing the obstruction of the bile or pancreatic ducts with endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography (ERCP)
Your doctor might use this endoscopic procedure to remove stones blocking the bile or pancreatic ducts. This procedure is indicated for both acute and chronic pancreatitis.
In some cases, endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography (ERCP) could trigger acute pancreatitis
Advice
- If you've been diagnosed with acute pancreatitis, try to rest as much as possible to keep your symptoms under control.
- Try to relieve stress or pain with meditation or yoga.
