Autoimmune conditions are becoming more and more prevalent today. They are illnesses characterized by the body’s immune system marking a particular organ as the enemy and attacking it. Many types of autoimmune diseases exist, such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, Crohn’s disease, and multiple sclerosis. Despite the different symptoms, there is often a common thread in all of these disorders – the immune system becomes abnormally reactive to a particular organ in the body. Autoimmune sufferers usually have had a series of toxic insults to their system, either subtle or obvious. Some of these include physical injuries, psychological stress, food sensitivities, parasites, viruses, fungi, vaccinations and heavy metal toxicity.
WHAT IS CROHN'S DISEASE?
Crohn’s disease is an autoimmune inflammatory bowel disease. Like most autoimmune diseases, it has active periods followed by remission. It is characterized by inflammation that can affect any part of the digestive tract from the mouth to the anus, not just the small intestine. However, it usually effects the ileum and the colon, causing ulcer-like lesions of the gastrointestinal tract’s mucous membrane lining.
Most cases occur before age 30 with a rise in incidence between the ages of 14 to 24. It is more common in families where one person has already been diagnosed. If a sibling has Crohn’s disease the risk increases to 30% of also being diagnosed with it.
SYMPTOMS OF CROHN'S DISEASE
- rectal bleeding
- malnutrition
- inflammation anywhere from the mouth to the anus
- ulcers and scar tissue in the intestinal tract
- anemia
- gas and bloating
- fever and high white blood cell count
- weight loss and loss of appetite
- diarrhea and stools that have fat or blood in them
- lower abdominal pain
CAUSES AND TREATMENT
Autoimmune conditions are difficult to treat and there is no overnight cure. Seek the help of a professional when taking any remedies. There can be interactions between prescription medications and natural supplements.
There is no known single cause of Crohn’s disease; many factors can contribute to the development of a faulty immune system that turns on itself. Some of the main factors that contribute to autoimmune conditions include imbalanced intestinal flora, dysbiosis, leaky gut syndrome, improper diet, hygiene hypothesis and external toxic insults.
Crohn’s Disease is a condition with a great deal of individuality; some may have a severe case and others a very mild one. Food restrictions are very individual as well. At the Caruso Homeopathic Clinic, everyone is usually prescribed a diet, outlined in Chapter Three of my book called Your Drug Free Guide to Digestive Health, because it reduces inflammation, dysbiosis, and prevents many other diseases.
Food allergies are typically tested for, in addition to implementing a healthier diet. Typical offenders include wheat, dairy, citrus, gluten, peanuts, corn, soya or sugar. In practice, wheat and dairy are the top two culprits because people tend to overeat them, which creates sensitivity.
GENERAL SUPPLEMENTS
With serious illness, often a liquid or powdered supplement is more readily absorbed than a tablet form. If a pill is taken, a capsule is preferred to a tablet.
Antioxidants
Antioxidants are useful for Crohn’s disease sufferers because they do not assimilate nutrients well, and they have an increased risk for cancer. Antioxidants prevent oxidative damage, which helps slow the cycle of cellular destruction. They also help to heal the gastrointestinal lining.
- Vitamin A: helps to heal the lining of the gastrointestinal tract, aids in immunity and helps the lining of the mucous membranes. It is necessary for the maintenance and repair of the mucous membrane lining, thus it heals ulcers. Typical dosage is 10,000 IU per day. Taking more than 100,000 IU has been known to cause liver damage.
- Vitamin C: is a powerful antioxidant that helps with tissue growth and repair. It attacks free radicals that can cause cell destruction. This wonder vitamin protects the blood vessels, decreases cholesterol, decreases inflammation and enhances immunity. It also helps one to absorb iron, L-glutamine and B vitamins. Use an “Esterified” vitamin C because it is easier on the stomach, not as acidic, and is more readily absorbed than a regular vitamin C. Typical dosage is 500 mgs and up, per day.
- Vitamin E: helps to heal the mucous membrane lining of the gastrointestinal tract and is good for the cardiovascular system and the skin. It helps selenium become absorbed more readily. Typical dosage is 200 to 400 IU per day. (Vitamin E in the form of mixed tocopherols is recommended.)
- Selenium: is a trace mineral helpful for inflammatory conditions, maintaining proper immune function, protecting the liver, preventing heart disease and cancer. Typical dosage is 200 to 400 micrograms (mcgs). Do not take selenium in doses higher then 40 mcgs if you are pregnant.
- B Vitamin Complex: is useful for people who suffer from autoimmune disease. It aids in toning the muscles of the gastrointestinal tract, nourishes the nerves, and acts to reduce the effects of emotional stress. Certain medications such as steroids deplete vitamin B. Typical dose is 50 mgs of B Complex daily.
Essential Fatty Acids
Essential fatty acids, mainly flax and fish oil, are good for pain, inflammation, dry skin, gas, bloating, gastrointestinal function and secretion, and immune system deficiency. Be sure to keep your liquid EFAs in the fridge to prevent rancidity. An enteric coated fish oil capsule is advantageous because it releases in the intestinal tract, not the stomach. This would ensure that you would be getting the maximum EPA into the intestinal tract. The stomach may degrade some of the EPA before it reaches the colon.
Probiotics
Every person has billions of bacteria in their intestinal tract. Most bacteria are beneficial and maintain health. A small percentage of bacteria in our intestines are harmful if they spread. If these bad bacteria overgrow, they may have negative health consequences such as immune dysfunction, infections, constipation and/or diarrhea.
Good bowel bacteria help to maintain the immune system and displace the bad bacteria in the gut. They also help to sustain normal arrangement and function of the intestine’s cells.
The most popular beneficial bacteria are lactobacillus acidophilus and bifidobacteria. The lactobacilli can be found in fermented foods such as yogurt, miso, tempeh and kefir. However, the number of bacteria in these products is not standardized, and the bacteria may not be an active culture if stored improperly.
It is best to use standardized probiotic formulas. (Ed note: Recommended brands include St. Francis Herb Farm’s Go Probiotics, Bio-K International’s capsules or fermented milk, or New Roots Herbal’s Acidophilus Ultra Plus.) These products should be stored in the refrigerator which helps ensure that they contain a live culture. Follow the directions on the package. Typical dosage for a probiotic supplement is one to ten billion cells per capsule. One to three capsules can be taken daily. There are no known side effects from probiotics.
HOMEOPATHIC REMEDIES FOR CROHN'S DISEASE
There are many homeopathic remedies for Crohn’s disease. Some of the more common remedies are listed with their symptoms here. If you cannot find a remedy suited to you, or find you are not improving or your symptoms get worse, seek the help of a professional homeopath or your medical doctor. It is always a good idea to use professional advice when a disease as serious as Crohn’s is involved.
- Aloe Socotrina. Common indications include: urgent stools; jelly-like stools that contain lumpy mucous and blood; involuntary stool while urinating or passing gas; hot sensation when passing gas; early morning sudden diarrhea
- Arsencium Album. Common indications include: abdominal distension with a burning sensation; burning diarrhea after anxiety, cold drinks and fruits; offensive and putrid discharges; cold and clammy with the feeling one can never get warm enough; great thirst yet only takes small sips of water; tongue is discoloured white; mentally restless, anxious and fearful of diseases; worse after midnight, after eating, cold, during rest; relieved by hot drinks, warmth, motion and exercise
- Mercurius Corrosivus. Common indications include: urging for elimination; gums may be swollen, purple, spongy; bloody stools; constant urging without remission on passing stools; great deal of perspiration and salivation.
HOMEOPATHIC CASE STUDY
A girl in her first year of university had been feeling really fatigued. She’d been having frequent stools with bloody diarrhea. Her stomach gurgled, and when she had a bowel movement her stools were mixed with blood, water and mucous. She had been getting some leg cramps and heart palpitations as well. With all of the stress of university, these symptoms couldn’t have come at a worse time. To top it off, she couldn’t go far from the washroom because she was fearful that she wouldn’t make it in time! Her anxiety turned to desperation.
She was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease and started on a drug called Salfasalazine (and steroids were recommended if her condition didn’t improve).
Then she came to the Caruso clinic and was prescribed a high quality liquid multi-vitamin, vitamin B12, calcium, magnesium and acidophilus bifidus and lactobacillus. As well, she was to take one teaspoon of liquid fish oil with a good quantity of EPA. A homeopathic medicine called Aloe 6 CH was prescribed because of her urgency for stools.
In school she had been eating a lot of take-out and fried foods, which her Homeopath told her to avoid in the future. She started to eat low glycemic foods and avoided anything fried. She was tested for food sensitivities through an electrodermal screening test which found that wheat and sugar were problematic for her. These items were difficult for her to imagine living without, but at this point she was willing to do whatever it took to get better.
After one month of following these recommendations, she felt an amazing improvement in energy. She had no more blood in the stools and diarrhea was down to once a week, instead of daily. Her heart palpitations and leg cramps disappeared after the first week of treatment.
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