My dad was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. is there anything he can do to alleviate the symptoms?

UC: Your dad should see a gastro doctor and be followed that way. He or she will reccomend best treatment.

Yes: There is good medical treatment available for ulcerative colites, the exact treatment depends on the severity, extend of intestines involved and the duration of his illness...This assessment and management is best determined by a gastroenterologist. Hope this helps.

See your GI: The most important thing you can do is make sure your disease is well controlled with medication. The only thing that you can do at this point is to have a careful discussion with your GI doctor to weight the pros/cons of various treatment options.