When I was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease 6 years ago, I was told there was really nothing I could do to manage my condition apart from take the appropriate drugs. That was fine except the drugs didn't stop the symptoms and after a while they just weren't doing the job at all and I was faced with using steroids long term. I figured there had to be a better, more natural way of combatting the disease. And there is - but it took a long time to find out what worked and what didn't and I was frustrated by having to look for answers in so many places. So my aim here is simply to put down in one place what I have learned - so that it might help you to get on top of your condition quicker.
Disease or dis-ease can be a blessing in disguise, at least that is how I have come to regard it. It comes to us as a message, a wake up call that all is not right in our world and its time to do something about it.
Many of us choose to hand the responsibility for getting well to another, and indeed modern western medicine encourages us to do just that. However, I have learnt that we have to take full responsibility for our own situation. Taking things into your own hands is not easy and it can be lonely. It is certainly not a quick fix, but its worth it just to feel well again!
Ironically, behind many people's decision to take responsibility for their own health, is an experience where they have been failed by traditional medicine and have just given up in despair. Often it's at that very point when they despair and let go of the outcome that their bodies then takeover the healing process. The same energy that keeps our heart beating and our nails growing wants to restore the body to its natural healthy state. We just need to let it do its work and believe in our own well being.
Suggested Reading: Michael Greenwood & Peter Nunn: The Paradox of Healing
In conquering Crohn's I found that there were 4 broad areas of my life that I needed to address:
Nutrition
Exercise
Environment
Emotional
NUTRITION
There is a growing body of research that shows there are certain foods that are detrimental to those with IBD
Avoid:
Dairy - the particular problem is lactose. Try soy, goat or sheep products instead.
Grains- in particular wheat. Oats, spelt and rice seem to be reasonably well tolerated by many
Sugar - processed sugar (sucrose). Raw organic honey is a good alternative
Alcohol - should be avoided. Time after time I find that alcohol makes symtoms worse, and this is pretty common amongst suferers. The key is strict moderation. Spirits are apparently better because the distilling process purifies the liquor. If you must drink wine try to stick to organic, preservative-free wines.
Fried foods - very irritating for the gut
Caffeine - also irritating to the gut
Spicy Foods- unsurprisingly, also irritating
The Acid /Alkaline balance:
This is probably the single most important thing I have learned in managing the disease, yet sadly it is one of the least well understood.
Our bodies try to maintain a delicate chemical balance between acidity and alkalinity (a pH of around 7). The main influence on this balance is our diet and the modern western diet of processed food is highly acidic, throwing our pH balance out and causing disease. A disease such as Crohns or Colitis is often a sign of a body in crisis, where the body is very acidic and unable to correct the pH balance. You can test this by getting some pH testing paper at your healthfood store. Wet the paper with spittle or urine - you may be shocked at the result- I was.
Everything we ingest is either acid or alkaline forming in our body. And its not all that intuitive for example a lemon is alkaline forming whereas milk is acid forming.
What is alkaline forming?
Almost all fresh fruit and vegetables.
What is acid forming?
Processed foods
Animal products (fish to a lesser extent)
Alcohol
To restore our pH balance (and our health) we need to have a diet that consists approximately 80% of alkaline forming foods/ 20% acid forming.
Theodore Baroody's book Alkalize or Die is excellent and rates every food so that you can calculate and manage the alkalinity of your diet.
Supplements:
Crohn's typically results in poor absorption of nutrients due to the inflammation in the bowel. The following supplemets help the digestive process, reduce inflammation and top up some of the vitamin and minerals that are often lacking.
Digestive Enzymes: help the gut properly break down food.
Probiotic: Keeps the intestinal flora healthy. An absolutely outstanding product is In-Liven by One Group (www.onegrp.com) which can be purchased direct or in healthfood stores.
Also very good is Lactobac by Nutrition Care
Slippery Elm: stir into water and drink before meals - very soothing
Green Barley powder: a fabulous health tonic that is also highly alkaline
Natural anti inflammatories include Omega 3 fish oil (Promega by Blackmores) and Quercitone (good product by Bioceuticals)
Immunity help - a blood test will show if your immune system is OK - often with IBD it is not and you can get good natural products to help.
Other minerals that are often lacking (again, get a blood test to check):
Iron, B12 and folate, particularly in women
Zinc
Calcium and magnesium
I keep coming back to the simple observation that Crohn's disease is in the gut so it makes sense to be mindful of one's diet. The proof is in the pudding - of the people I know that have conquered Crohn's, none have done so by neglecting nutrition.
Reading Suggestions:
Christian Allan & Wolfgang Lutz: Life Without Bread
Theodore Baroody: Alkalize or Die
Elaine Gottschall: Breaking the Vicious Cycle
EXERCISE
Exercise works for a few reasons
1. It helps us get rid of toxins in the body. Those with disease have an excess of toxins.
2. It makes us fitter and thus better able to combat disease
3. Exercise is critical to our emotional well being - it helps us stay emotionally balanced. This is particularly important for Crohn's sufferers who will often feel their emotions and stress in their gut.
It doesn't really matter what you do - walk, run, swim, cycle as long as you do it regularly. The best thing is when you do it, you really enjoy it because your body releases feel-good hormones. Then it's easy to make it a regular habit.
Just try it for a couple of weeks and see what a difference it makes.
Yoga, tai chi and qigong are also great for Crohn's and Colitis. Linking breathing and postures or movements is very therapeutic as it focusses and quietens the mind, so it is quite meditative in nature and thats great for stress. Also these eastern-world practices are all about enhancing life force/chi/prahna. This 'life force' is exactly the same energy that we need to heal.
ENVIRONMENT
To give our bodies the best chance to heal naturally it is important that we remove toxins from our environment where possible. Our bodies are incredibly sensitive and absorb energy from our surroundings as well as the products we put onto to our largest organ, the skin, and the air that we breathe.
Have a good hard honest look at your environment and try to identify where there are toxins or poisons. And I am not just meaning substances - you can have a toxic environment due to bad relationships and conflict.
Your Home:
What is the environment like- is it happy and relaxed or full of tension and conflict?
Is there beautiful music playing or is the TV blaring constantly?
Is it clean and tidy or filthy and full of stuff you dont need anymore?
How do you feel when you walk into your home after a few days away?
Your answers to the above will help you identify whether you are choosing to live in place that is helpful or detrimetal to your well being.
Your Workplace:
Do you have exposure to natural light? If not do you ensure you get time outside every day for a walk in some fresh air?
What's the culture like - purposeful and fun or aggressive and political?
Do you have the right resources to do your job comfortably and safely?
Are you treated with respect?
Don't underestimate the impact that an unhappy or stressful environment can have on your health.
Your Products:
Have a look at the labels on your shampoo, moisturiser, deodorant, soaps etc. Many of the products you buy at the supermarket contain known carcinogens. Don't be fooled by labels like "natural" or "for baby". Read the small print and remember that our skin is our largest organ, so everything we put onto it is absorbed into our system.
Also be aware of your house-hold cleaning products, many of which contain harmful chemicals that are absorbed by your skin or breathed in as fumes.
The following is a list of the ones to avoid:
Sodium laurel sulfate (SLS)- harsh detergent very detrimental to skin and eyes
Propylene Glycol- used in brake fluid, anti-freeze, paints and beauty products. Highly toxic
DEA- an emulsifier often in lotions. Is a carcinogen.
Aluminium - linked to Alzheimers Disease. Often in deodorant. Also avoid using aluminium pots and pans and foil in cooking.
Formaldehyde - used to disinfect and preserve cosmetics. Is carcinogenic
Mineral Oil - petrocheical used in baby oil. Hinders skin respiration and locks in moisture and toxins
Talc- linked to ovarian cancer
Here are some links to some providers of excellent natural personal products:
www.safe.com.au
www.aubrey-organics.com
www.neways.com
Your relationships:
When we are in conflict we often feel it in our gut. You know that sick feeling you get when something has gone badly wrong or the anger you can feel heating up inside you like a pressure cooker. When we feel this, our body is pumping out adrenalin (the fight or flight hormone) and unless we resolve the situation in a physical way (ie hit someone or literally run away) we end up with the hormone circulating through our body unused. This is very aggravating for our intestines. So we need to be aware that even in our relationships we can be exacerbating our condition and our failure to address these issues may be a block to our healing.
Here are some things to think about:
Do you have any people in your life who have wronged you? Can you work at forgiving them?
Are there people whom you have hurt or let down or with whom you have unfinished business. Can you apologise or bring matters to a close?
Do you feel conflicted in anyway? Are you expected to behave in away that just doesn't feel right?
Are there people in your life that just make you feel uncomfortable when they are around?
Suggested Reading:
Brandon Bays: The Journey
The Secret - DVD
EMOTIONAL
We are what we feel. Our bodies reflect our emotional history or, put another way, biography becomes biology . So if you are ill with something as serious as Crohn's or Colitis, chances are you have some emotional issues that need to be resolved....
When we get into the realm of emotional stuff its very personal and specific, but there is some great research that can suggest where we might start looking for issues:
In Caroline Myss's book, Anatomy of the Spirit, she draws a link between physical ailments and the chakras or energy centres of our body. The gut tends to correlate with the 2nd and 3rd chakras, so digestive illnesses may indicate a blockage in these energy centres.
2nd Chakra
Location: Lower abdomen / navel area
Energy connection to physical body: large intestines, appendix, bladder, sexual organs
Emotional/ mental issue: Blame & guilt, money, sex, power & control, creativity
3rd Chakra
location: Solar plexis
Energy connection to physical body: stomach, pancreas, adrenals, upper intestines, gall bladder, liver
Emotional/ mental issue: Self esteem, trust, responsibility for making decisions, sensitivity to critisism, personal honour
If any of the above "ring a bell" for you then its probably a good place to start doing some personal work.
What to do next?
Well some people, having recognised they have an issue that causes them angst, manage to work through it on their own. However, often it helps to have some external, objective assistance, such as:
Courses such The Journey with Brandon Bays (www.thejourney.com) are really powerful and very effective for helping us identify and clear out stumbling blocks in our lives and realise our true potential.
Body Work, such as Reiki, chakra clearing and balancing, energetic healing and acupuncture can be useful in clearing energy blockages that are causing or aggravating illness.
Psychology, particularly cognitive behavioural therapy. This helps you identify destructive behaviour patterns and replace them with other behaviours. This is useful because it breaks the link between an event or a thought and the emotional response. David Burns' excellent book, Feeling Good, gives you the tools to self treat if you dont fancy the idea of visiting a shrink!
Suggested Reading:
Caroline Myss: Anatomy of the Spirit
Louise Hays: You Can Heal your Life
David M Burns: Feeling Good
Brandon bays: The Journey
_____________________________________________________________
As stated at the beginning the aim of this blog is simply to share knowledge so that we can all get on the path to better health sooner.
If you have anything to add please do so and share your wisdom with others.
Good luck!
Disease or dis-ease can be a blessing in disguise, at least that is how I have come to regard it. It comes to us as a message, a wake up call that all is not right in our world and its time to do something about it.
Many of us choose to hand the responsibility for getting well to another, and indeed modern western medicine encourages us to do just that. However, I have learnt that we have to take full responsibility for our own situation. Taking things into your own hands is not easy and it can be lonely. It is certainly not a quick fix, but its worth it just to feel well again!
Ironically, behind many people's decision to take responsibility for their own health, is an experience where they have been failed by traditional medicine and have just given up in despair. Often it's at that very point when they despair and let go of the outcome that their bodies then takeover the healing process. The same energy that keeps our heart beating and our nails growing wants to restore the body to its natural healthy state. We just need to let it do its work and believe in our own well being.
Suggested Reading: Michael Greenwood & Peter Nunn: The Paradox of Healing
In conquering Crohn's I found that there were 4 broad areas of my life that I needed to address:
Nutrition
Exercise
Environment
Emotional
NUTRITION
There is a growing body of research that shows there are certain foods that are detrimental to those with IBD
Avoid:
Dairy - the particular problem is lactose. Try soy, goat or sheep products instead.
Grains- in particular wheat. Oats, spelt and rice seem to be reasonably well tolerated by many
Sugar - processed sugar (sucrose). Raw organic honey is a good alternative
Alcohol - should be avoided. Time after time I find that alcohol makes symtoms worse, and this is pretty common amongst suferers. The key is strict moderation. Spirits are apparently better because the distilling process purifies the liquor. If you must drink wine try to stick to organic, preservative-free wines.
Fried foods - very irritating for the gut
Caffeine - also irritating to the gut
Spicy Foods- unsurprisingly, also irritating
The Acid /Alkaline balance:
This is probably the single most important thing I have learned in managing the disease, yet sadly it is one of the least well understood.
Our bodies try to maintain a delicate chemical balance between acidity and alkalinity (a pH of around 7). The main influence on this balance is our diet and the modern western diet of processed food is highly acidic, throwing our pH balance out and causing disease. A disease such as Crohns or Colitis is often a sign of a body in crisis, where the body is very acidic and unable to correct the pH balance. You can test this by getting some pH testing paper at your healthfood store. Wet the paper with spittle or urine - you may be shocked at the result- I was.
Everything we ingest is either acid or alkaline forming in our body. And its not all that intuitive for example a lemon is alkaline forming whereas milk is acid forming.
What is alkaline forming?
Almost all fresh fruit and vegetables.
What is acid forming?
Processed foods
Animal products (fish to a lesser extent)
Alcohol
To restore our pH balance (and our health) we need to have a diet that consists approximately 80% of alkaline forming foods/ 20% acid forming.
Theodore Baroody's book Alkalize or Die is excellent and rates every food so that you can calculate and manage the alkalinity of your diet.
Supplements:
Crohn's typically results in poor absorption of nutrients due to the inflammation in the bowel. The following supplemets help the digestive process, reduce inflammation and top up some of the vitamin and minerals that are often lacking.
Digestive Enzymes: help the gut properly break down food.
Probiotic: Keeps the intestinal flora healthy. An absolutely outstanding product is In-Liven by One Group (www.onegrp.com) which can be purchased direct or in healthfood stores.
Also very good is Lactobac by Nutrition Care
Slippery Elm: stir into water and drink before meals - very soothing
Green Barley powder: a fabulous health tonic that is also highly alkaline
Natural anti inflammatories include Omega 3 fish oil (Promega by Blackmores) and Quercitone (good product by Bioceuticals)
Immunity help - a blood test will show if your immune system is OK - often with IBD it is not and you can get good natural products to help.
Other minerals that are often lacking (again, get a blood test to check):
Iron, B12 and folate, particularly in women
Zinc
Calcium and magnesium
I keep coming back to the simple observation that Crohn's disease is in the gut so it makes sense to be mindful of one's diet. The proof is in the pudding - of the people I know that have conquered Crohn's, none have done so by neglecting nutrition.
Reading Suggestions:
Christian Allan & Wolfgang Lutz: Life Without Bread
Theodore Baroody: Alkalize or Die
Elaine Gottschall: Breaking the Vicious Cycle
EXERCISE
Exercise works for a few reasons
1. It helps us get rid of toxins in the body. Those with disease have an excess of toxins.
2. It makes us fitter and thus better able to combat disease
3. Exercise is critical to our emotional well being - it helps us stay emotionally balanced. This is particularly important for Crohn's sufferers who will often feel their emotions and stress in their gut.
It doesn't really matter what you do - walk, run, swim, cycle as long as you do it regularly. The best thing is when you do it, you really enjoy it because your body releases feel-good hormones. Then it's easy to make it a regular habit.
Just try it for a couple of weeks and see what a difference it makes.
Yoga, tai chi and qigong are also great for Crohn's and Colitis. Linking breathing and postures or movements is very therapeutic as it focusses and quietens the mind, so it is quite meditative in nature and thats great for stress. Also these eastern-world practices are all about enhancing life force/chi/prahna. This 'life force' is exactly the same energy that we need to heal.
ENVIRONMENT
To give our bodies the best chance to heal naturally it is important that we remove toxins from our environment where possible. Our bodies are incredibly sensitive and absorb energy from our surroundings as well as the products we put onto to our largest organ, the skin, and the air that we breathe.
Have a good hard honest look at your environment and try to identify where there are toxins or poisons. And I am not just meaning substances - you can have a toxic environment due to bad relationships and conflict.
Your Home:
What is the environment like- is it happy and relaxed or full of tension and conflict?
Is there beautiful music playing or is the TV blaring constantly?
Is it clean and tidy or filthy and full of stuff you dont need anymore?
How do you feel when you walk into your home after a few days away?
Your answers to the above will help you identify whether you are choosing to live in place that is helpful or detrimetal to your well being.
Your Workplace:
Do you have exposure to natural light? If not do you ensure you get time outside every day for a walk in some fresh air?
What's the culture like - purposeful and fun or aggressive and political?
Do you have the right resources to do your job comfortably and safely?
Are you treated with respect?
Don't underestimate the impact that an unhappy or stressful environment can have on your health.
Your Products:
Have a look at the labels on your shampoo, moisturiser, deodorant, soaps etc. Many of the products you buy at the supermarket contain known carcinogens. Don't be fooled by labels like "natural" or "for baby". Read the small print and remember that our skin is our largest organ, so everything we put onto it is absorbed into our system.
Also be aware of your house-hold cleaning products, many of which contain harmful chemicals that are absorbed by your skin or breathed in as fumes.
The following is a list of the ones to avoid:
Sodium laurel sulfate (SLS)- harsh detergent very detrimental to skin and eyes
Propylene Glycol- used in brake fluid, anti-freeze, paints and beauty products. Highly toxic
DEA- an emulsifier often in lotions. Is a carcinogen.
Aluminium - linked to Alzheimers Disease. Often in deodorant. Also avoid using aluminium pots and pans and foil in cooking.
Formaldehyde - used to disinfect and preserve cosmetics. Is carcinogenic
Mineral Oil - petrocheical used in baby oil. Hinders skin respiration and locks in moisture and toxins
Talc- linked to ovarian cancer
Here are some links to some providers of excellent natural personal products:
www.safe.com.au
www.aubrey-organics.com
www.neways.com
Your relationships:
When we are in conflict we often feel it in our gut. You know that sick feeling you get when something has gone badly wrong or the anger you can feel heating up inside you like a pressure cooker. When we feel this, our body is pumping out adrenalin (the fight or flight hormone) and unless we resolve the situation in a physical way (ie hit someone or literally run away) we end up with the hormone circulating through our body unused. This is very aggravating for our intestines. So we need to be aware that even in our relationships we can be exacerbating our condition and our failure to address these issues may be a block to our healing.
Here are some things to think about:
Do you have any people in your life who have wronged you? Can you work at forgiving them?
Are there people whom you have hurt or let down or with whom you have unfinished business. Can you apologise or bring matters to a close?
Do you feel conflicted in anyway? Are you expected to behave in away that just doesn't feel right?
Are there people in your life that just make you feel uncomfortable when they are around?
Suggested Reading:
Brandon Bays: The Journey
The Secret - DVD
EMOTIONAL
We are what we feel. Our bodies reflect our emotional history or, put another way, biography becomes biology . So if you are ill with something as serious as Crohn's or Colitis, chances are you have some emotional issues that need to be resolved....
When we get into the realm of emotional stuff its very personal and specific, but there is some great research that can suggest where we might start looking for issues:
In Caroline Myss's book, Anatomy of the Spirit, she draws a link between physical ailments and the chakras or energy centres of our body. The gut tends to correlate with the 2nd and 3rd chakras, so digestive illnesses may indicate a blockage in these energy centres.
2nd Chakra
Location: Lower abdomen / navel area
Energy connection to physical body: large intestines, appendix, bladder, sexual organs
Emotional/ mental issue: Blame & guilt, money, sex, power & control, creativity
3rd Chakra
location: Solar plexis
Energy connection to physical body: stomach, pancreas, adrenals, upper intestines, gall bladder, liver
Emotional/ mental issue: Self esteem, trust, responsibility for making decisions, sensitivity to critisism, personal honour
If any of the above "ring a bell" for you then its probably a good place to start doing some personal work.
What to do next?
Well some people, having recognised they have an issue that causes them angst, manage to work through it on their own. However, often it helps to have some external, objective assistance, such as:
Courses such The Journey with Brandon Bays (www.thejourney.com) are really powerful and very effective for helping us identify and clear out stumbling blocks in our lives and realise our true potential.
Body Work, such as Reiki, chakra clearing and balancing, energetic healing and acupuncture can be useful in clearing energy blockages that are causing or aggravating illness.
Psychology, particularly cognitive behavioural therapy. This helps you identify destructive behaviour patterns and replace them with other behaviours. This is useful because it breaks the link between an event or a thought and the emotional response. David Burns' excellent book, Feeling Good, gives you the tools to self treat if you dont fancy the idea of visiting a shrink!
Suggested Reading:
Caroline Myss: Anatomy of the Spirit
Louise Hays: You Can Heal your Life
David M Burns: Feeling Good
Brandon bays: The Journey
_____________________________________________________________
As stated at the beginning the aim of this blog is simply to share knowledge so that we can all get on the path to better health sooner.
If you have anything to add please do so and share your wisdom with others.
Good luck!