Dr. Whitaker on Crohn's Treatment Options

I mentioned that Dr. Whitaker recently commented in his newsletter on the latest treatment options for Crohn's. I thought I would post that here:

A reader wrote in and asked:

Would you supply me with whatever information you have on dealing with Crohn's disease? I have had it for 36 years and they want to do surgery and remove my large bowel. I don't want to go that route. Any nutritional information you can give me would be helpful. --Pastor David, NE

Dr Whitaker wrote back:

The first thing I would recommend isn't a nutrient but a safe, effective drug that your doctor probably doesn't know about: LOW-DOSE NALTREXONE (LDN). In a recent pilot study, Jill Smith, MD, of the Pennsylvania State College of Medicine treated patients with Crohn's disease with 4.5 MG of LDN at bedtime for 12 weeks, and then followed them for an additonal month. Eighty-nine percent of the participants responded to LDN, and 67 percent went into remission. Dr Smith is now conducting a large phase II placebo-controlled trial of LDN involving children with Crohn's. To learn more vist lowdosenaltrexone.org

Diet modifications are also helpful. But now, you likely know what foods exacerbate your symptoms. If you aren't sure, try eliminating common problematic items such as milk, gluten, citrus, tomatoes, additives, preservatives, sugars, and starches.

Crohn's is associated with poor nutritional status, which means a good daily multivitamin is essential. Correcting vitamin D deficiencies alleviates symptoms in some patients, so make sure you get adequate sun exposure and talk to your doctor about testing your blood level of vitamin D (25(OH)D). If its below 50 ng/mL, take enough supplemental vitamin D to bring it into the optimal range.

Other supplements with proven benefits for Crohn's disease include aloe vera (I've heard good things about AMP Floracel and Digestinol), the amino acid glutamine, fish oil, curcumin extract (10% of tumeric is curcumin and 90% something else), and probiotics. Look for these supplements in your health food store or call (800) 810-6655 to order.

To read more about Crohn's, visit the Subscriber Center at drwhitaker.com. I truly hope these suggestions will improve your condition. Give them a try and let me know how you're doing. -- JW

To list those out:

• Low Dose Naltrexone
• Diet modifications
• Daily multivitamin
• Vitamin D
• Aloe vera
• Glutamine
• Fish oil
• Curcumin extract
• Probiotics