FIVE WAYS TO TREAT CROHN’S AND COLITIS

Crohn’s and Colitis are inflammatory bowel diseases that can severely affect the quality of life of the person suffering from them. Symptoms include abdominal pain, constant bloating, frequent bowel movements daily, diarrhea, chronic fatigue, anemia, vomiting, etc.

Good news is there are a lot of natural ways to reduce these symptoms and even relieve your self of them.

Here are five ways to treat Crohn’s and Colitis.

Get tested for food sensitivities – Knowing which foods are causing inflammation and triggering an immune response is critical for people suffering from Crohn’s and Colitis. You can be sensitive to ANY food, including foods that are usually considered to be healthy. Any Naturopath should be able to do an ‘IgG food sensitivity blood test’ for you.

Once you get the results, you want to eliminate the foods that stress or weaken your system.  Start rotating the foods you can eat, every 5 days. This will not only ensure you get a wife variety of nutrients, but also reduce risk of developing new food sensitivities.

Eliminate common allergens – There are certain foods, that are known to irritate the gut and cause inflammation. These include gluten, dairy, corn, soy and sugar. People with Crohn’s and Colitis should also avoid foods that contain lectins – a type of protein found in plants to defend themselves against animals and insects. These can cause damage to the intestinal wall leading to leaky gut and related auto-immune issues.

I recommend downloading this food list and sticking to it strictly along with results of your food sensitivity test.

Treat yeast and parasites – Dysbiosis is a common issue in people suffering from these inflammatory bowel disorders. Dysbiosis is the imbalance of gut bacteria; more yeast and parasites growing than good bacteria. This can cause hormonal imbalances, skin issues, autoimmune diseases, muscle and joint pain, food sensitivities and impair brain function.

Treating yeast and parasites can be a long process (8 – 16 weeks) but is worth it. You can read more about treating yeast in this blog.

Eat organic food – This is a simple yet very effective method to reduce symptoms of Crohn’s and Colitis. Hormones, pesticides, antibiotics, etc. are extremely toxic and cause a lot of damage to your gut. In fact, your reactions to certain foods (food sensitivities), could be because of these chemicals rather than to the food itself. 

Supplement to repair, rebuild and repopulate the gut – Supplementation is one of the easiest ways to treat Crohn’s and Colitis, when combined with the above steps.

Some of the supplements I use with clients are:

Glutamine – This is the most essential amino acid to repair and rebuild the gut lining. Clients will take anything from 30 – 60 grams daily.

Slippery Elm – This is a herb that turns into a gel when mixed with water. This helps soothe the mucus lining in the mouth, stomach and intestines.

HCL and Enzymes – People with Crohn’s and Colitis lack enough stomach acids (HCL) and enzymes, making it difficult to digest, absorb and eliminate food properly. Supplementing with these can greatly improve symptoms such as irregular bowel movements/diarrhea, bloating, abdominal pain. Word of caution here, some may not react well to HCL. Consult a qualified practitioner before taking these.

Probiotics – Replacing good bacteria in the gut is very important. A good probiotic works very well along with fermented foods such as kimchi, sauerkraut, coconut milk kefir, etc.

I have met people suffering with these inflammatory bowel diseases, who have been told there is no cure or that they have nothing to do with food. This is absolutely NOT TRUE.

Follow these strategies to treat Crohn’s and Colitis and share your progress with me – info@belite.ca