I've been recently diasgnosed with Crohn's Disease and I'm just wondering how many out there have it also. How long have you had it? How are you dealing with it? Raw milk and kefir and other probiotics will help. Click here to find sources or raw milk. http://www.realmilk.com
When I think of crohns disease, the first though that comes to mind is "Jordan Rubin". This is a young guy that got struck down with crohns disease when he was just 19. When he finally got a diagnosis, he was told he had stage 4 crohns/colitis disease meaning that both is small and large intestine were inflamed. His blood work looked like that of a dead man. He dropped from 180pds to 104pds at 6ft 2. His resting heart beat was over 200 beats per minute. The interesting thing is, he went to over 70 different health professionals all over the world and took over 200 nutritional products every day. He had many alternative therapies including chelation, injections with live sheep cells, intravenous therapies and more. But this was to no avail. Fortunately, he got help with the 71st doctor he went to. He recommended that Jordan go back to the basics of eating and quit taking all of his supplements. He recommended that Jordan eat as PURE a diet as possible (I will give you suggestions in a moment) and only get on one supplement. The supplement was a type of probiotic that grows in the soil on organic fruits and vegetables. They are called Homeostatic Soil Organisms (HSO's). So, he changed his diet to include the following:
Grass-Fed animal products (www.grassfedorganics.com)
DHA-Enhanced Eggs (Gold Circle Farm)
Mercury-Free Fish (very hard to get)
Free-Range Poulry
Fresh organic NON-STARCHY vegetables
Raw Dairy products including yogurt, kefir, butter and cream
The best imported Olive oil
Real Sourdough Breads (made from sprouted grains)
Certain fruits such as berries
His diet was almost void of grains, legumes, nuts, starchy vegetables. After about 1 month on this diet and the HSO supplement, he began to gain weight. Now, at age 26, he shows no signs of the disease and weighs in at 180pds. He looks like a bodybuilder now!
Grains and legumes must be soaked or sprouted before cooking and nuts must be soaked/roasted before consuming. These foods have anti-nutrients that damage the GI tract. At first, it is better to eliminate these foods from your diet. This type of diet is called, "The Specific Carbohydrate Diet" and can be found on the web. They allow you certain starches but I wouldn't eat them. I would focu on fats, proteins and non-starchy vegetables with some raw dairy foods like yogurt, kefir, butter and cream. Don't consume pasturized dairy. Also, Jordan consumed lots of real fermented vegetables like raw saurkraut. NOT the type you can get in stores. Luckily, there is a product available in healthfood stores that is excelent. It is called "Zing". This is the only acceptable substitute for homemade lactofermented vegetables.
See, Jordan's immune system failed because he lived on a diet of junk food while in college. This type of eating opened the door to an intestinal environment condusive to poor gut ecology (LGS/CR-S). By changing the diet to include ONLY whole natural foods and by supplying the intestinal tract with lactic acid and probiotics, the intestinal terrain changes so that bad bugs just CANNOT live there. Don't focus on the bugs. Focus on the terrain. Take this very seriously. Your only chance to heal crohns is with a VERY STRICT whole foods diet like the one I described, consuming HSO's (There are a few products out there---Primal Defense, Nature's Biotics), and practicing daily SR and whatever exericse you can tolerate. Here are some websites for you to read:
http://www.westonaprice.org
http://www.realmilk.com
http://www.makershealth.com/jordanrubins...
http://www.crohns.net I have it. I have had numerous surgeries and have an ostomy after having my colon removed. It is very hard to deal with. It is frustrating to have to take medication everyday and run back and forth to the doctor all the time, but you have to deal with it and make that a part of your life so you can be the healthiest you that you can be.
Had my first surgery at 12. Am 35 now. Going for surgery again tomorrow.
The first thing I would recommend is to go here:
http://www.ccfa.org/
and get the title of every book they list and then take yourself to the library and check them out.
Then find meetings in your area and talk to people that have been through it. There are things to consider that I am not going to post for content.
Then find a qualified Gastroenterologist. One that is world class. The Texas Medical Center has some of the best in the world.
And don't do what the doctors say blindly. Talk to them and ask questions. Know your medications and side effects. And if you aren't comfortable trying something because of side effects, speak up and ask them to find something different. But do your research and find out what the meds really do to your body. Because it is you and your body for life. Not your doctor and your body. At the end of the visit, you go home alone with your body and have to deal with it. If your doctor isn't able to sit and discuss things in detail, get another one. Your body, your right.
And one thing no one told me, pack a hospital bag. Make sure you have a bag packed and ready to go with a copy of your id and medical info. When you are doubled over in pain and puking you can't very well pack. Make sure whoever it is, your mom, dad, husband, wife, whatever keeps a copy of your id and insurance card and your doctors phone numbers and your meds too. They need to have it in their wallet in the event you are not able to give the info. This could save you needless procedures and time.
And keep good records. Dates and times of procedures and medications. No one is going to keep up with this like you can. And after you have thirty surgeries or procedures, it is really hard to remember exact dates, they start running together. During a flare up, keep a diary of what you eat and dont eat, bm's, pukes, temps, etc. Take it with you to the doctor. Document, document, document. This is your life and you have to be the manager of it.
If you start getting stressed or depressed, talk to your doc. Stress is bad bad bad on Crohn's. Find ways to manage stress. If it is family stress, walk away. Work stress, take a deep breath and think of something peaceful and try to resolve it. The less stress the best you. |
