Crohn’s Disease is on the Rise
Stress and Bowel Disease go hand in hand
Addressing the gut microbiome is critical to healing the digestive tract in patients with Crohn’s Disease. An imbalance of the good bacteria in the gut is associated with Crhon’s Disease as well as ulcerative colitis, celiac disease and colorectal cancer.[3] Research shows there is a strong conection between antibiotic exposure and Crohn’s Disease and that exposure during the first year of life is positively correlated with pediatric onset of CD.[4],[5] While supporting healthy flora is paramount to repairing the gut and healing the CD, making sure the DC patient is not sensitive to harmful flora is also crucial. In working with CD patients, I like many other “natural” doctors have found significant improvement by eliminating Saccharomyces cerevisiea (brewer’s yeast or baking yeast) from their diet. Research shows that between 60-70% of individuals with CD make IgA or IgG antibodies to S. cerevisiea, versus only 10-15% with Ulcerative Colitis and 0-5% in healthy controls.[6] It is also worth noting that ASCAs is associated with proximal disease (gastroduodenal and small intestine involvement) rather than solely colonic disease (P <0.001) and elevated ASCA levels were shown to progress to a more severe phenotype and need for surgical intervention.[7]
Crohn’s Disease Can be Managed with Strict Diet and Supportive Supplements
Crohn’s Disease (CD) is an auto immune disease where the colon becomes damaged and inflamed from eating the wrong foods. Medical treatment is classic drug therapy consisting of immunosuppressants and steroids. Both classes of these drugs have many dangerous side effects especially with long term use as in Crohn’s Disease so to be able to handle Crohn’s Disease naturally with diet and supplement support is a blessing. There are a variety of effective herbs to ease the inflamed lining of the intestines. Aloe, slippery elm root (Ulmus fulva), marshmallow root (Althaea officinalis), deglycyrrhizinated licorice root (DGL, Glycyrrhiza glabra) are great demulcents that provide a calming, mucilaginous coat to irritated epithelia.
Replenishing deficient nutrients is very important for people with Crohn’s Disease. Individuals with CD have an increased likelihood of having multiple nutrient deficiencies including zinc, magnesium, folate and vitamin B12 as well as low levels of thiamine, vitamin B6 and vitamin A. Good whole food or pharmaceutical grade multivitamins is a good base, in my practice I use Pharmanex Lifepak Nano for the highest absorption possible. No other brand that I have found is absorbed as well as the “Nano Pak” it uses patented technology to ensure the best delivery to the cells themselves, all natural and highly efficient. Then I add specific whole food supplements from the Standard Process and NutriWest lines to personally tailor a “Program” that we check weekly until the person is stabilized. Keeping a Diet Dairy is essential in addition to specific lab and muscle testing. Once a person knows their food sensitivities and removes them for their diet the supplement support goes much faster with respect to gut healing.
Being aware of everything that goes in your mouth is tough. As Tina Beaudoin, ND teacher at Emerson Ecologics relates about one of her patients with Crohn’s Disease. “One of my patients with CD told me a great story about her experiences with food sensitivities. She had just snuggled onto her couch with a good book and a cup of herbal tea. Within a few minutes, she said she felt a wave of anger. She was very puzzled as she relishes these quiet moments as a mother of two teenage boys. She quickly hopped off the coach and read the ingredients in her new herbal tea blend. She quickly found the offending ingredient; pepper. She has avoided baker’s yeast and her other food sensitivities (identified via specialty labs) for over two years and was able to get off the medications (which she had to take three times a day) and feel great again. This anecdote highlights that food sensitivities are diverse and even the smallest of exposures can have profound effects for patients with CD.”
Stress It’s Killer
Ah one of my favorite lines from the Disney Classic, Anastasia, that little Bat Bartock was so right! Stress it’s a Killer”. We all die form stress overload one day hopefully after a long and high quality life. If you don’t address the physical and emotional stress in a CD (all patients) life you will never get this disease under control. Nutrition and food sensitivities are huge but so is stress management and regular exercise. These are just as vital as the food and supplements. Patients with high stress levels have higher rates of relapse.[8] I use different approaches to explain the importance and ways to address stress management, depending on the patient. With some patients, explaining the physiological effects of chronic stress is motivating while others will have their eyes glaze over if you mention anything technical and just want to know that it will impede their recovery. And for the non-healthcare professional reading this it should be obvious that a person with CD must have a good nutritionist to help them get through this.
Dr. Demetrios Kydonieus, Chiropractic Nutritionist
Online/long distance nutritional coaching available upon request. Email for details: DrD@totalchiro.net
[1] Molecules. 2014 Dec 16;19(12):21127-53
[2] Gaby, Alan. Nutritional Medicine, (Concord: Fritz Perlberg, 2011).
[3] Nutrients. 2015, 7, 45-73.
[4] Gut. 2011;60:49–54.
[5] Am J Gastroenterol. 2010 Dec;105(12):2687-92.
[6] Clin Exp Immunol. 2004 Mar; 135(3): 490–496.
[7] Clin Exp Immunol. 2004 Mar; 135(3): 490–496.
[8] Dig Dis Sci. 2014 Nov 19.
