Crones Disease needs long term medication with often severe side effects on the long term. It is possible to avoid this, improve your overall health and boost your immune system.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 If you would meet Antonio, the drummer of our band, you would instantly like him. He is one of those people, who makes a friendly remark to people he meets, even if he does not know them. It might be because he was born in a little town in Spain, where everybody knows everybody, everyone is family to everyone, and no one can keep a secret for the neighbors. Antonio is still young, he had his 32nd birthday last July. Five years ago, Antonio was in a bad state. He was having a bad diarrhea, very painful tummy aches, sores in his mouth and he constantly felt like having a bad flu. We, the other band members, started to be worried about his health, because he was losing weight very fast. He used to be a stubby, round square boy, and he turned into a shadow of himself in a couple of months. One night, we were going to play on a local Summerfest in one of the nearby villages, Antonio disappeared during our shared dinner. When he came back, he looked terrible. He did not eat anything, and he had a hard time playing the drums. The next day we pushed him to go and see the doctor, which he finally did. The diagnosis was a surprise to us all: Crones Disease. We had never heard of it, but we would learn fast about the consequences and complications of this seemingly incurable disease.

 

Crones disease is a chronic inflammatory disease which causes stomach pains, diarrhea, and weight loss.The disease typically begins between the ages of 20 and 30, and is characterized by periods of activity and remissions: It often remains quiet and easily controlled for long periods of time.

The symptoms of Crones disease vary and depend on the severity and location of the disease, and many patients only have mild symptoms for a long time and have often had the disease for several years before it is diagnosed.

Common symptoms are:

  • Periods of mild fever, sometimes with blood in the stools, and pain in the lower right part of the abdomen.
  • Loss of appetite.
  • Unintentional weight loss.
  • Boils (cavities containing pus) and fistulas (formation of small passages that connect the intestine with other organs or the skin).
  • General malaise.



Some problems, outside the bowel, can occur. Arthritis, eye and skin problems, and - in rare instances - chronic liver conditions may develop. Bleeding and iron deficiency, reduced bowel mobility, or obstruction (partial or complete blockage of the intestine), and skin rash. Problems with digestion of food, either due to extensive scarring in the intestine, or because the intestine has become too short after a number of operations can also occur. When Crones disease has been present for many years there is an increased risk of cancer.

 

 

The treatment of Crones Disease depends on the severity and extent of the disease, as well as the effect of the disease on the patient. Medication is used to control the inflammation, keep the symptoms down, and reduce the probability of relapse. Severe attacks require treatment in hospital. Surgical removal of the affected areas is sometimes necessary, but it does not eliminate the disease, and it is not uncommon for people with Crohn’s Disease to have more than one operation, as inflammation tends to return to the area next to where the diseased intestine was removed.

 Aminosalicylate or corticosteroid enemas or suppositories are used to reduce inflammation in the acute stage of mild to moderate attacks of the disease affecting the rectum or lower part of the intestine. If the disease is higher up in the intestines, tablets will be used. Severe attacks will lead to admission to hospital and treatment with intravenous corticosteroids. Furthermore doctors will sometimes use immunosuppressants for very severe symptoms that do not respond sufficiently to intravenous corticosteroids. Antibiotics will often be given to treat bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine caused by stricture, fistulas, or prior surgery, and medicines against diarrhea will be used if necessary.

It is clear that all these medicines do have side effects, one more than the other, and most probable even more so if used over prolonged periods of time. That medication does not cure the disease, is clear if we realize that two-thirds to three-quarters of patients with Crohn’s disease will require surgery at some point in their lives. Surgery is used either to relieve symptoms that do not respond to medical therapy or to correct complications such as blockage, perforation, abscess, or bleeding in the intestine. Surgery to remove part of the intestine can help people with Crohn’s disease, but it is not a cure. Surgery does not eliminate the disease, and it is not uncommon for people with Crohn’s Disease to have more than one operation, as inflammation tends to return to the area next to where the diseased intestine was removed.

 

 

 If we have a look at the side effects that the different medicines can have, we encounter the following:

  • Diarrhea
  • Headache, dizziness
  • Increased risk of bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract
  • Indigestion, nausea, gas
  • Hair loss
  • Rash
  • Decrease in white blood cells
  • High blood pressure
  • Mood swings, psychosis, insomnia
  • Weight gain, moon facies
  • Acne, increased facial hair, stretch marks
  • Increased risk of infection
  • Osteoporosis
  • Headaches
  • Vomiting
  • Cough
  • Sinus infections
  • Sore throat





What actually causes Crohn's disease, is not yet clear. Many theories exist, but none have been proven. The most popular theory is that, in people with Crohn's disease, the body's immune system mistakes bacteria, foods, and other substances for being foreign. These perceived "invaders" will be attacked by the immune system. White blood cells will start to accumulate in the lining of the intestines, producing chronic inflammation, which leads to ulcerations and bowel injury.
 



If we make a drawing of the intestines, it would look like this.

Whether this abnormal reaction of the immune system on harmless substances is the cause or rather the effect of the disease, even scientists do not know. Research shows that the inflammation seen in the gastro- intestinal tract of people with Crones disease involves several factors: the genes the patient has inherited, the immune system itself, and the environment. Substances to which the body reacts as invaders, are found in the environment. Not known is whether the body's reaction to these antigens is the cause for the inflammation, or that the antigens themselves are the culprit. Some scientists think that a specific protein produced by the immune system may be a possible cause for the inflammation associated with Crones disease.
If we recap what we have discovered until know, it is clear that traditional mainstream medicine does not offer a long term solution to Crones Disease. Whilst it is advisable to take your prescribed medicines as long as necessary, I am convinced that there is a more logical and more effective approach to this all.

As we read that scientists are more and more convinced that Crones Disease is caused by a problem in the immune system, it is also clear that we can approach the disease from an altogether different angle. While traditional medicine tends to focus on diminishing the problems and symptoms, we could take another stance. If we accept the viewpoint that an immune system which has problems need attention and help to become effective again, would that not make sense? If our rose bush is wilting, do we spray it with chemicals and fertilizer, or do we cut it back, give it new earth in it's pot and water it well? I think that stepping back and having a fresh look on our problem brings us the message we were looking for.
Improving our immune system is not as difficult as we think. Obviously diet will play a role, I will write about that later. Cutting out the dead branches and cleaning out the pot of our rosebush can be done for our own body too. If we cut down on food and activities which are not good for our body, and if we stimulate our body's own healing power, we probably hit the road straight to our goal and our healing.
A program I discovered which helped me a lot to regain my strength and improve my body's natural healing power, is The Healing Codes. You can take a free testdrive, but before you decide, have a look at the video first.














(source: www.gicare.com

photo's:http://www.sxc.hu/profile/claudmey ).