I have UC…I have learned how to control it with some over-the-counter homeopathic stuff, but I realize it varies in severity from person-to-person. QtM may have something to say about this, but my personal experience is that my UC is based in some bad flora in my gut.
My UC started a month or so after a course of Zithromax when I was 27 (nearly 11 years ago). I’m not sure of how much of what I’m about to say would hold up under medical and scientific scrutiny, but here’s what I’m GUESSING happened:
The Zithromax wiped out a certain strain of bacteria in my large intestine. This allowed a particularly nasty strain to thrive, especially in the presence of sugars that weren’t digesting well (again, possibly due to some other flora in my gut not being there in sufficient quantities anymore to process sugars correctly). These “bad” flora THRIVED on the sugars that weren’t being processed higher up in my system, and I wound up with a super-colony of these buggers. Because these buggers were over-active, my immune system kicked in and tried to do something about it, but instead started attacking the lining of my colon (why it got “confused” I’m not sure). PRESTO! Ulcerative Colitis…
I was on a “traditional” treatment of prednisone and colazal and imuran for years trying to keep it under control, with varying success and varying doses of prednisone (at one point I was on 40mg/day for nearly 4 years). Eventually, I started some research on my own looked into some homeopathic stuff. I was desperate, since I traveled for a living, and airports and airplanes and all of the times when a bathroom was not convenient were starting to take their toll. First, I tried an aloe mucilaginous polysaccharide. I had immediate success with this at first, getting my diarrhea under control, then the bleeding and cramping stopped, and I was down to a reasonable number of trips to the bathroom each day (3 or 4). This lasted for about 6 months, and then I had a flareup again, and it came back with a vengeance. It was during this time that I was on the high dose of prednisone for 4 years.
Eventually, I came across another source that indicated that I needed to get my digestive system back in check, and that the UC would start to take care of itself. I started taking a digestive enzyme supplement with every meal, and almost completely eliminated corn syrup and corn sweeteners from my diet (i.e., sodas and colas). I also made a point of eating at least one active-culture yogurt each week in the form of a fruit smoothie I made in the blender. I started this regimen over two years ago, and within 2 weeks after starting, I was in nearly complete remission of my UC. Today, I can eat pretty much anything I want, including nuts and fruits and vegetables, popcorn (in moderation) and even a few sodas a week, as long as I stick with my digestive enzymes with every meal. If I get short of enzymes or I overdo the sugars, then I have a diarrhea attack, but I haven’t had blood in nearly 20 months, I have normal trips to the bathroom, and I haven’t taken prednisone in over a year.
YMMV of course, but this worked very well for me. I realize my cause/effect is anecdotal, but I’ve read and heard enough other similar cases that I think there might be something to it…
Quadgop, I respect your opinion, and please feel free to chime in - I merely wanted to relate my own personal experience…
Did you squeek when you walked? 
Just to chime in on what to mix Fleet’s PhosphoSoda in…
I took care of a 6 year old boy in the hospital, who had to have a bowel prep for surgery. I had to give him that shit, and he cried because it tasted so bad and wouldn’t take it. I tried mixing it in several things (pop, juice), nothing worked. On a whim I tried cranberry juice (the cocktail stuff). I even tasted it myself. It really covered up the taste. It was just the slightest bit salty. The little boy drank it up without a problem. Success!
When my girlfriend had to take a recent colonoscopy prep, her doc advised her against mixing the prep with anything with red dye… so no red or purple drinks. He said that the red dye can cause problems reading the results. Is that true?
They also caution against strawberry or cherry jello… both red as well. I guess their reasoning is that if you want them to give you an accurate assessment of your colon’s health, it’s best not to arrive with it looking bloody as that of a stuck pig.