Crohns and Colitis Exchange

For people to accept healthier eating lifestyles and exercise more and not be dependant on medication to hide their bad eating habits. We wouldn't need medical reform if people took better care of themselves.

I vote for all of them!!

Amen! If the food we put in our bodies were the only thing holding us back from being healthy, that would be GREAT!!! Crohn's is an auto-immune disease; we don't have control over what it does to our intestines. Completely insensitive comment; we struggle so hard on a daily....hourly basis sometimes. Now, I'm irritated:(

I guess now my answer has to be a better understanding from the public on what we go through. It's NOT just a belly ache!

I apologize. I should have stated for those who do not practice good eating habits. Forgive me for being insensitive. I have had digestive problems and eating whole foods, no dairy, no sugars, no white flours and excercising has helped me tremendously. I also take mastic gum and recently heard about Halofuginone and blue evergreen hydrangea. I try the natural remedies before a prescription and so far they have worked for me but if your condition is life threatening, take the prescription. Once again, I apologize.

Unfortunately, IBD is not diet or health habit related . (In fact, oddly-smoking helps UC, but not Crohn's and worms have been looked as a treatment) It is an autoimmune disease with a probable genetic component. Some people are helped by a very strict diet and probiotics-but even those people often only manage remission for a number of years before a flare-even if only eating on their diet items- since this is a chronic disease with no cure but only remissions.

IBD does kill, can be debilitating-and the only thing they know for sure is that diet doesn't cause it.

Amen! Thanks for putting that info out there Louise.

So, Christistheonlyway777 I have to ask... do you have crohns? I appreciate the fact you apologized. But maybe you can help me. I have a family member who thinks the same way you do, whole foods, fresh veggies and fruits etc. But I have at least one stricture (most likely 2) I can't have surgerical fixed. And in order to avoid a blockage I have to avoid fiber. This family member is alway making recommendations of blueberries or juicing, etc. I actually tried juicing, and of my goodness. It ran right through me, I felt like it was in and out in a matter of minutes.

How do I explain to this family member while I know and realize sugars and fatty foods are not good for me, fatty foods take longer for me to digest which means I spend less in the bathroom. For the first time in 3 years I have solid bowels. So avoiding the fiber which is all fruits, veggies, grains, and eating protein, cheeses, and yes sugars I feel better.

Thoughts would be appreciated. What is mastic gum?

Thank you..
Gin

First of all, no, I have not been diagnosed with colitis. But I was going through phases of some symptoms including the runs, stomach pain, lethargy, no energy etc. so the whole food diet and exercise did wonders for me and I feel better than I have for years. Your relative is on the right track as far as the nutritional value but it also depends on the condition of our bodies that will determine if the diet will work. They need to realize there are problems with the body that are preventing the body from functioning properly first of all, mainly digestion. Do not give up hope. Don't think that an MD(with all due respect) knows all there is to know about the human body. Many diagnoses have been incorrect even if we have symptoms. Our bodies can be thrown out of whack by all of the junk out there (and other) and many are more sensitive to it than others which is why some can eat anything they want and not be affected most of their lives while others can eat anything for years and then suddenly the body starts rejecting all foods because of the junk fed to it. We need to try and see if the root of the problem(s) can be found first, naturally. People hundreds even thousands of years ago didn't have the conditions we have today. Why? Because the world didn't offer such junk for our diet. Nothing was processed. Start slow. Mastic Gum is an old remedy used to treat digestive problems like heart burn, stomach aches and cure ulcers. It also kills the H-Pylori which is a bad bacteria in the stomach that can cause stomach cancer. Four to eight before breakfast for one month and and after, as needed at the onset of stomach pain (try it anyway). Also, try curcumin, from the cumin spice which is a natural anti inflammatory before you eat so the strictures can relax. Eat small amounts of fiber with lots of water. Before whole wheat try apples without the peel for a few days along with your current diet. Slowly start introducing more and more fiber and less and less of the dairy. Be careful of too much sugars and fats, they can cause coronary problems and contribute to diabetes. Wean your body into whole foods. Exercise al little every day even if you don't have the energy until you can get through 1/2 hour a day( if not already). Even walking. Be strong, don't give up. If you are taking medication, find out if they can interact with the curcumin. I know this is a sensitive issue for many in the world but I have to say, last but greatest and as a witness, God has helped me through it all, cured or not. If I die, I know where I will be. That's the most important thing for all of us. Pray for guidance, wisdom and healing if it is His will in your condition. If you don't know Him ask Him and seek a true bible believing place of worship, not religious (man made, grace through works) but a Truth in Christ place of worship and they will even help you through what you are going through. I pray for healing for you. Most importantly, The healing of our spirit and soul is a promise He has already made to all who believe, our bodies are just temporary. God bless.

Dear Christistheway,
I am all for the wisdom.. thank you.. However, while I do understand your intentions are pure and you only wish me well. I have great concerns with your advice, when you offer it without clear understanding of a stricture - it is not due to a musclular issue that can relax. I do not want this to come across rude, but I do want to make sure for anyone reading this with stricture issue to make sure they follow their doctors guidelines. I can not eat an apple, without or with the peel. Makes no difference.. An apple will make belly hurt, and then I have more bathroom issues. And an apple with or without the peel still has fiber in it.
And for those who has crohns you know we want to excercise, we try to excercise and we can get a program going and after about a week we are down and out for the count. For me, if I can just keep just keep up with "Normal" daily activities I am doing good.

Christistheway, I have my own beliefs and I say my own prayers. Trust me I do believe in God. But I do believe in Doctors also, they have saved my daughters life, and without my resection they might have saved mine.

Please remember while for you, your diet works well. And while I wish, I could follow it.. Its just not practical for me health wise. But I do appreciate your concern. Thank you.
Gin

Well said, Gin! I know what you mean about just making it through the day; let alone exercising for 30 minutes. If I can run the vacuum twice weekly I am doing good. A trip to the grocery store can take some serious planning. And of course, you are right...fiber is fiber, no matter how you try to take it in. It just doesn't work with strictures! It is painful and can be dangerous for some of us:)

Thanks for posting what I think many of us feel about this very touchy subject. While digestive problems are probably very frustrating, IT IS NOT THE SAME AS AN IBD!! I truly don't think that we should be on here defending our reasons for not eating from the food pyramid. We have been told to stay away from most of it for very specific reasons. We just have to take in what we can and hope that our bodies hold onto a little of it:)

Anyway, I liked the way you worded everything...very diplomatic. I tend to get irritated and I don't think it would have come across as nice:)

Wishing ALL good health!
Hugs-Mindy

All with Crohn's and IBD and others: Challenge- Try mastic gum and curcumin regardless of what you eat and exercise for 30 minutes a day no matter how hard it is then reply to me on how you feel in 60 days. We can't just lay down and die and expect precriptions and eating junk food to cure us. Prescriptions were designed to alleviate symptoms, not to be cures. They are just bandaids. Get to the root of the problem not just the surface.
I'm glad your daughter is well and I agree Doctors are needed in emergency situations but they aren't always right. There are several conditions with the same symptoms as Crohn's and we can't expect medication and the Doctors to do it all for us but many do and end up feeling worse from the side affects of taking the prescriptions than from the condition itself or dying from coronary artery disease or the affects of it from all of the junk. Are any of you on this discussion taking medication? Are any of the side affects diahrreah (mis-spelled)? Another thing, just a hypothetical question: Does anyone think that we may be addicted to junk food (any saturated fats) and that when trying to introduce whole foods, our bodies are rejecting it or going through withdrawals i.e. stomach pain, the runs etc?
There is a way. Just don't think it will come easy and pain free if you really want to experience the possibility of being healed completely. Get to the root. Do the research. Find healthy alternatives. Fell good again. Eat good again (or start). I wish you all well no matter what you choose.

I believe that everyone on this exchange has either tried non prescription alternatives. or uses them in conjunction with traditional western medicine and there are a few members who do not use medications at all-but do use things like the SCD, probiotics, oils, and herbs as well as acupuncture to control symptoms

I think that as a whole-the members of this board do the best they can to eat healthy whole foods. Some of us lack the parts of the digestive system to be able to digest many whole foods. (For example-the area of my intestine most damaged by Crohn's is the part that is responsible for handling foods with B-12 and Vitamin K-leafy greens can cause incredible bleeding and anemia in me. Others have intestinal blockages and fistulas that can make eating anything other than a low residue diet rather quickly fatal.)

But as I said-IBD is not caused or cured by diet and exercise. The root of the problem is a combination of factors-primarily an immune system that attacks the body itself. Ulcerative Colitis can be cured only one way-surgery (and even that is in doubt because of the systemic effects of the disease) . Crohn's Disease is a chronic inflammatory disease with the treatment goal being to control inflammation.

I encourage you to do some research on the differences between Inflammatory Bowel Diseases and other GI disorders with similar symptoms and indeed-much better, less poisonous, less invasive, choices for treatment.