Crohn's Disease & Ulcerative Colitis Support Group

Crohn's disease is a systemic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) of unknown cause, that results in chronic inflammation of the intestinal tract. It can affect the entire gastrointestinal tract from mouth to anus, and can also cause complications outside of the gastrointestinal tract. There is no known medical or surgical cure for Crohn's disease, but there are many medical...

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Alternative Treatment Options?? HELP!

JustSimplyMe
JustSimplyMe
About a month ago I posted in the discussion forum asking people's experiences with marijuana.
Now I am asking everyone what are the best natural herbs/supplements/vitiamins/minerals for treating Crohn's. I do NOT want diet advice, as I've already figured out what works for me and what doesn't in that area. I just want to know about supplements. I do not have a ton of money, so I would appreciate if everyone could just give me their top 3-5 most effective treatments.

When I last saw a GI doctor last month I was told my only options were to go on a highly dangerous drug or else I was going to have to have my entire colon removed. I decided against both. While I do plan on seeking a new GI and possibly taking some other medication, I would like to treat my disease as naturally as I possibly can. I was diagnosed at age 3 and have now had Crohn's [officially anywayz] for 21 years. The last thing I need right now is to have to worry about my kidneys giving out.

My conditions- Crohn's disease, osteoporosis, anxiety/depression, bad/weak veins.
Symptoms- Chronic diarrhea, Chronic pain centralized in my abdomen and mid spine, severe panic attacks, gas/bloating, rectal bleeding, NO energy, mild insomnia, veins that are hard to find, weak, blow easily.
Current treatments- potassium, iron, vitamin D, xanax, norco, multi-vitamin, vitamin B complex. [Just bought today and plan to start taking tomorrow- probiotic, vitamin C, vitamin B 12, folic acid, bromelain, horse chestnut, and pancreatin]

I'm so overwhelmed. I need help badly as I feel if I have to continue on this way much longer I may try killing myself. I've been sick for over a year with little relief and I'm on my last few ounces of hope here. Any suggestions are much appreciated. Thank you all in advance. You guys on dailystrength are the best!
deleted_user
deleted_user
I agree with vitamins only I've tweeked the Bcomplex to B6on the advice of a nutritionist. Supposedly it is good for increasing blood supply to the nerves but really who knows for sure?I went thru along period of thinking I might also try the proven permanent solution to what may well be a temporary problem. I'd like to know if anyone has tried Digesta-Cure which I've heard cures UC and offers substantial relief for crohn's sufferers. I don't have the money to experiment either. Stick around JustSimplyMe- I know how you feel absent the week veins, and osteoporosis. Every morning I feel like I've given birth to a 300lb elephant with 2-3hrs. of labor. I have to take a pain pill and lay down for up to 2 hrs. Please keep sharing.mm
rmb
rmb
If this is the route you'd prefer to go, I'd suggest seeing a naturopathic or homeopathic practioner who has some experience in this area.
deleted_user
deleted_user
Have you thought about going to a homeopath? Really good ones are worth their weight in gold. They can assist you with a less invasive plan that uses natural treatments AND monitor your progress along the way too.

Good luck.
anxietymc
anxietymc
Along with 3200mg asacol daily I take:

monthly b12 injections at my doctor's office
1000iu of vitamin D daily
(I have learned from recent blood tests that I am deficient in both due to Crohn's).

I am also taking
a daily multivitamin as well as
1000mg Omega-3 fish oil daily.

I think since I added the fish oil things have calmed down a bit. Not sure if it's a combination of all of the above or just one thing, but I definitely am noticing more mental clarity, a bit more ease within my gut.

Two weeks ago I went to a patient seminar hosted by three of the top doctors at University of Chicago's IBD Clinic. I was already considering this prior to this seminar, but they confirmed my thoughts by recommending adding Omega-3/fish oil supplements daily as complimentary therapy. There is evidence that suggests the anti-inflammatory aspects of fish oil may possibly help calm crohn's symptoms.
deleted_user
deleted_user
I would highly encourage you to get help. You mentioned you may try to kill yourself. There are lots of treatment programs to help people that are discouraged or depressed and privacy laws protect people getting such help. The national suicide prevention hotline is 1-800-273-8255. I had ulcerative colitis and felt very down at times. I had surgery and am much happier now. I do take vitamins, but they aren't a cure, they just give me more energy. I tried several types and settled on the one that worked the best for me.
rmb
rmb
I agree. I think asking folks here for the best natural supplements/ vitiamins for treating Crohn's will render more anecdotal advice vs anything proven to actually work. I sometimes think loading up on all kinds of vitamins and supplements can actually make you feel sick. Just because something is natural or a supplement doesn't mean it's automatically safe. That's why you'd want to have a professional weigh in.
ashley906
ashley906
Okay here's Ashley906 broken record advice (turn away those who have heard it).

I am so happy to hear that you are planning a second opinion and people are saying to see an expert in natural medicine.
The FDA regulates, clinically tests, looks at post marketing reports (that's now they discovered Viagra) and carefully monitors the marketing and sales of every pharmaceutical pill that is rx'd by a dcotor. There is absolutely ZERO regulation on "natural" supplements.

With webmd and all the info that's out there its hard for me to remember that doctors are the experts. All the same there is no reason to not be informed and armed with as,much knowledge as you can.
raindown
raindown
I haven't had any marijuana in about 33 yrs. I was pretty sick as a child and started smoking marijuana when I was 17. Stopped when I became pregnant with first child and of course never went back to it.
Funny thing, I was never sick when I smoked marijuana. I am also considering research in this area. I think medical marijuana may have something about this. It has to have a certain ingredient in it other than the thc..and I certainly don't want to smoke it. don't need another problem to deal with. Will let you know if I go that direction..
rmb
rmb
Raindown, here's a recent discussion thread on the marijuana:
http://www.dailystrength.org/c/Crohns_Disease_Ulcerative_Colitis/forum/14966102-marijuana-pros-vs-cons
lucidbarrier
lucidbarrier
Bovine Colostrum - has antibodies against viruses, bacteria etc etc. Has lactoferrin to inhibit microbes from growing. Has small amount of a growth hormone that accelerates healing.

All that gas in your colon is an indication that you have an overgrowth of something. If you are eating sugars then ween off of them, especially fructose. Make sure your probiotic has lots of Bifidus if you want to repopulate the bacteria in your colon.

The Norco should be slowing down your diarrhea. I know you said you dont want diet advice but something in your diet is throwing your treatment off.
deleted_user
deleted_user
www.alternativehealthspas.info

I got diagnosed with UC 7 months ago. I know I can be healed. I believe your son can too. I had a free consultation yesterday and I was shocked. I'm so sick of being on and off of Prednisone and Remicade--two of the most powerful drugs in the country.
Good Luck!!
deleted_user
deleted_user
Please do try the natural supplements and don't be discouraged by people who try to warn you of their dangers. I totally disagree about the FDA 's supervision protecting us against the poisons in our drugs. If you do the research you'll see the FDA protects the pharmaceutical companies more than they protect us, so just because it's FDA approved does not mean it's safe. By contrast , natural supplements (though they can be potentially dangerous if misused) have WAY fewer side effects and rarely (if ever) cause emergency room situations (as opposed to the hundreds of thousands of deaths through prescription FDA-approved drugs). There are a few supplements I would suggest you research: Boswellia (at the top of the list), Curcumin, Slippery Elm, Bromelain,; all you have to do is a google search. A lot of these are natural anti-inflamatories. They all take time to become effective, but then, so do most pharmaceuticals.
rmb
rmb
Tara68, which do you have, Crohns or UC?
gustokitty
gustokitty
I totally agree with getting away from the deadly medicines offered by western med and trying more healthy options. Unfortunetly as we both know, sometimes we must use the western med in a pinch. But in a pinch, the GI docs have given me prednisone, prednisone, prednisone for 12 years! IT's CHEAP! I've learned how to use it against all the "expert" opinions. I found out accidently from my primary when he said "well if you were in ER with an allergic reaction to something, we still would give you prednisone!, so I'm not going to put it down as an allergy" WOW, I asked , can you do that? And squeezed out the knowledge that if taken under 7 consecutive days, the adrenals are not yet affected as in turned off. So, now, once I have continual loose stool of 8 or more a day for 3 days, I take my 40mg prednisone for about 3 days only, then take 20, 10 for a couple days, just to help with the excrutiating mental effects of coming off it. NOW I KNOW THAT DOESN:T ANSWER YOU QUESTION, but wanted to get that in. See before, I would allow myself to stay in severe flare for 3 months or so, until I just couldn't bare it anymore, and then would need to take my 3 month or more round of prednisone. Because all the GI's I had always told me, I had to be on it at least about 8 weeks.
gustokitty
gustokitty
Last year I took all kings of things. I drank an about an ounce a day of aloe juice, and I do no longer have bleeding. I took the Digest-a-cure that someone mentioned, daily, I took omegas daily, and a few more things. I did have improvement shown on my next colonoscopy after that. I also eventually went into remission, this was also after I learned how to use the prednisone to my advantage and hit thei inflammation immediately, and briefly. I also made diet changes. The biggest factor, I quit the part time job where I was getting harassed by lesser humans than myself, since I had lost my career to this UC illness. Now, I am going to a Chinese med doctor, who is giving me a sliding scale charge, and even though I can't afford any of it on my monthly ssdi check, I cannot afford not to try it, cause the western med model just has me miserable and headed for death.
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