Crohn’s Disease, a Treatment Summary: The consumption of a diet based on whole, unprocessed foods which include whole grains, legumes, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds. It further would include the ELIMINATION
of alcohol, caffeine and sugar consumption. Include regular exercise.
The adaptation of of some form of relaxation exercise like deep breathing, meditation, visualization performed on a daily basis. Great relaxation programs are Edmund Jacobson: Progressive Relaxation (JPRT), and Wolpe’s Abbreviated Progressive Relaxation (APRT).
The consumption of at least 48-oz, or six 8-oz glasses of water each day. The daily fluid consumption can be easily tracked these days. The average size of a bottle of water is 16-oz. Put three bottles (48 oz) where they are visible and let them serve as a reminder, that before the day is over, the water has to be consumed. I exercise regularly, and I put five bottles of water out every day and consume them throughout the day. It works like a charm.
Nutritional Supplements:
Throughout this series of posts on Crohn’s disease I referred to studies using some sort of nutritional supplementation regime in the treatment of IBD. Here again a quick summary.
A High potency multiple vitamin and mineral formula. Vitamin C: 3,000 to 8,000 mg per day
Vitamin E: 200-400 IU per day Zinc: 30-45 mg per day
Flaxseed oil: 1 Tablespoon per day
Pancreatin (8-10x): 350-700 mg three times a day between meals.
And most importantly, a fact I can not stress enough. Find a healthcare provider who is willing to listen to you and your concerns and is open to adopt a Complementary and or Alternative approach to your health problems (I call them “System Imbalances”). This would be somebody who is willing to teach you and support a specific approach based on mutual respect and which is acceptable to both of you, and not someone who is inflexible in the implementation of a treatment plan YOU, the patient has to stick to.
A word about the information: Most information about IBD and Crohn’s disease for this series was adapted from the book:
Murray M. N.D., Pizzorno J. N.D. Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine, Revised 2nd Edition. (1998) Three Rivers Press, New York, New York. Pages: 587-601
While there are many different approaches to tackling a system imbalance, I believe the best approach is an educated patient about the ailment. This education can not come solely from your health care provider. Whilst they are hopefully very knowledgeable, it is impossible for them to know every approach to a certain imbalance nor will most of them have the time to educate you, even if they wanted to. Hence, in order for a patient to give “Informed Consent” to a specific treatment, I believe it to be an imperative responsibility of the patient to “hit the books” him/ herself and then decide on the most suitable treatment plan in concert with the healthcare provider.
More on the subject of clinical ethics and patient rights in later posts. I hope, that with this series on Crohn’s I was able to inform you, dear reader, about the possibilities and drawbacks of alternative approaches to IBD.
Beste Gesundheit,
Werner