About to begin an herbal treatment

[JUSTINtime.]

about to begin an herbal treatment

hello everyone,

i have been on plenty of medicines, and i can say that most of them were flops. some were nice for a while but then just faded away. i just stopped my Humira which was bi-weekly, after 8 months. i'm 100% sure it doesn't work anymore.

so, i have been doing tons of research on more alternative/herbal options and have found a few things im going to try.

1. Boswellia - an indian herb that is known to fight inflammation pretty well. some crohn's sufferers have reported positive results with it and there was a clinical study done at Penn State-Hershey that showed promising results.

2. DGL (Deglycyrrhizinated Licorice Extract) - pretty much what the name says. derived from licorice roots. it is good for the stomach and the lining of the intestines. some colitis sufferers find this to help greatly with ulcers and inflammation. also, an herbalist at my local GNC praised it and told me that after 6 weeks or so a majority of my inflammation could pretty much be gone.

3. Aloe Vera Juice - very good all around for your health, can benefit crohn's and colitis sufferers greatly.

*also i am going to be taking daily supplements which cater to my lack of iron, b-12, and omega-3, but it also includes green-tea extract, aloe extract, and a bunch of other cool things. i also will be taking a pro-biotic capsule.

i'm just writing this to hopefully give other people a good idea of how it might be able to help them (if they are looking into alternatives). i will be posting my results every week and i can hopefully help anyone out if they have any questions. and i'm open to advice as well!

**I am currently 5'11'', 125 lbs, usually 6-7 unhealthy BMs per day, maybe more.

hope this works, i just got a new job, a new apartment with friends, and i want my life back.

wish me luck!

 

[gt91]

hey Justin,

our situation is very similar, same height and weight (only few pounds heavier), and even the same # of BM/day. May I ask you how old are you? I'm 28.
I just ordered some Bowellia. I'm also trying Bee Propolis and Psyllium Seed Husk. Hope things work out for you. Good luck with the new job.Let us know how things go

 

[e13 boy]

Hi Justin,

I wish you every success with the treatment you are going to try.
Like yourself,the drugs i took failed to keep the CD under control.
I faced the knife 9 times in my long battle.The ops took me from severe CD to moderate CD & the same cycle started again.

If you would like to read more about Aloe Vera this link will help youhttp://aloereviews.com/research/aloebook.pdf
This is where i first read the research of Dr Ivan Danhof PHd MD into the fundamental healing properties of Aloe Vera Mucopolysacarrides.
I hope you find it helpful.

Best Wishes

 

[JUSTINtime.]

@ gt91:

i'm going to be 20 soon.

@ e13 boy:

thanks! i'll read up on the aloe. i need to know more about it.

to everyone. the DGL i bought are chewable. i didn't know until just now that they must be chewed and mixed with your saliva to activate things properly. this is not what i had hoped for. the DGL tastes terrible! i ate one and felt sick to my stomach and couldn't even smell the second one. then this morning i tried to break it in half and swallow it, but it only kept getting caught in my throat. after that i tried to crush one up into powder and drink it in juice. which worked best but i'm not sure if i should do this. people have said that the DGL must be chewed but they only state this for the throat healing reasons, i am using it for my intestines, would this make any difference? any advice would be appreciated.

thanks.

 

[D Bergy]

I couldn't eat it either. I would gag on it, so I abandoned that treatment

Dan

 

[KaLa]

Good luck, Justin. I drink aloe vera juice (George's) 3 times a day, about 3 oz. each time. It really works for my heartburn. It is supposed to be better than some other brands because all of the irritants have been taken out. Be careful with the DGL. I was "prescribed" some by a naturopathic doctor, and had to stop taking it because it made me really hyper and made it hard to sleep. I am really sensitive, so it may have just been my system. I can't drink coffee either. I hope that the natural remedies work for you!

 

[JUSTINtime.]

thanks KaLa.
and yeah D Bergy, i keep trying to take the DGL but its so terrible. I'll keep trying to get used to it though.

 

[JUSTINtime.]

Okay, so i thought i would give an update now as things have changed.

i began this whole regiment on 4/20 (April 20th). since then i hae discontinued to aloe juice because it's just not for me.

i have been taking the boswellia twice a day and the DGL once or twice per day ground up and put into juice.

since then i have actually notcied changes, it may be to early to say much yet but ill tell you what has changed.

i went from 6-7 unhealthy BMS per day, these were diarrhea and very gassy. i also had terrible straining and urgency.
i now have about between 3-4 BMs per day and they are actually somewhat formed (more like a wet clay). and the urgency and straining has reduced but not disappeared.

the gas is just from me eating gas producing foods which i decided to quit just after easter because i need to indulge sometimes people. we all do. but the gas has been significantly reduced!

could this be working? i hope so. could it be a placebo effect? maybe. but it has produced benefits in just 4 days. i'll keep updating for you all every few days. thanks for reading (if you are).

 

[JUSTINtime.]

UPDATE***

ok so things have changed greatly since my last post.
i have discontinued the DGL and aloe for good and continue with everything else.
i have been gaining some weight (i can feel it) an my BMs have solidified pretty well. i am only "going" 3-4 times a day but there is a lot of gas, im cutting out the fruit juice which is already showing positive results.

i truly believe that boswellia is something to look into, it is amazing how fast this is working. please try it. i am not lying to anyone.

if anyone has any questions please do not hesitate to ask.

 

[Mtchflknr]

Hello im Mitch 20yrs of age its nice to see that you are taking natural meds as they worked for me i am 5'10" and am now 175lbs of mostly muscle and i got this way on only natural meds 8 months ago i weighed 115lbs and was in the hospital for 4 weeks then i went to natural meds because the nes i was on in the hospital only masked the problem for a little wile then it got really bad. i am doing very well now
i strongly sugest you start the aloe juice as it is very very good for the healing of your intestines it doesnt really make a difference you can notice but it heals the infected area alot better, and if you drink cows milk cut it out of your diet (cheese, yogurt, butter ect. are ok though) just give it a try your gas should get cut down quite a bit.
i am very glad you are doing well though keep on track it is very important but also dont hesitate to give your self a little treat once in a wile when you are feeling better as your body shouldnt be affected because it is not used to it and will just flush it through.

I have a lot of knowledge in the natural direction to getting better with crohns so plz ask questions

 

[e13 boy]

Glad to see you are doing well with natural supplements only.
My battle with CD started when i was 1 year younger than you are now.
I had 21 years of hell before i found the help i needed.

Best Wishes

 

[Rugrat]

Does Aloe Vera Juice help you? I tried it once and it didn't seem to do anything for me, maybe I should drink it for a longer amount of time?

 

[dale0607]

Most of the time when you introduce herbal supplements into the body, they're accumaltive and take time to fully work.

My wife used to work in an Alternate-Medicine pharmacy and she says that results for any new treatment are usually 1.5-2wks

For me, I just started Boswella Extract, Probiotics, Slippery Elm, Folic Acid, & GNC Multivitamin. I have noticed a difference and will be coming up on Week 2 this coming Monday. So I can't wait for new results.

 

[JUSTINtime.]

UPDATE

I am still taking Boswellia 450mg 3X daily. along with fish oil and a multi vitamin.
I only go to the bathroom 2-3 times daily, almost fully formed, very little gas, no cramping, no strianing. I have gained some weight and i feel amazing. My GI is amazed how well this herb has worked for me and has given his support for my treatment.

Please people, try Boswellia, it can only help you!

 

[JUSTINtime.]

I must also add that i only drink water now. I dont know what effects this will have on my health but as i figure it, the old humans only drank water so oh well. Carbonation, fruit juice, and milk give me apocalyptic gas anyway.

 

[M2M]

I just got my daughter some Boswellia from Standard Process last week; she started taking it last Friday; the other vitamins she has been doing for quite a while in includes doing Omega 3; OPC 3 from Marketamerica and Isotonix multi vitamin...as of last friday she got to reduce her entocort from 3 down to 2 pills; she began that in mid february... so I believe that these are making a difference with her. and careful w/diet. she did eat too much watermelon last friday night.. so she is still learning

 

[LisaMM]

hey justin, your posts have made me very hopeful. I just got dignosed in May and have not stated any meications but they are definatly being pushed on me. im definatly going to try the boswellia and fish oils. I may have a partial obstruction and my dr already mentions surgery to have it removed but im not in any pain and really want to avoid surgery. If anyone has had experience with this i would love to hear from you.

 

[M2M]

LisaMM; as much as I believe the supplements are helping my daughter; I would have to say listen to your doctor too. My daughter didn't have any obstructions; just inflammation..she is currently doing the 2 Entocorts a day. She has been on boswellia and omega 3 and the other vitamins I mentioned earlier. The boswellia has been about a month now. She is doing very well; we are waiting to hear from doctor from her test she had last friday to check her inflammation rate. Our goal is to keep her from needing remicade. I think these supplements have been a big help to her. she is 24 and is only about 50 min away.. but I am a PIA mom and text her often to remind her to make sure she is taking her supplements daily.
I would hate to see anyone go thru surgery & am surprised you don't have the pain with an obstruction..I hope you have a doctor you trust completely; that helps. good luck

 

[Crohny]

hey justin, your posts have made me very hopeful. I just got dignosed in May and have not stated any meications but they are definatly being pushed on me. im definatly going to try the boswellia and fish oils. I may have a partial obstruction and my dr already mentions surgery to have it removed but im not in any pain and really want to avoid surgery. If anyone has had experience with this i would love to hear from you.

Hi Lisa,
I too am surprised you don't have pain with the obstruction.
Sounds very similar tho, I have a partial obstruction and the GI pushed meds down my throat (pentasa, immune suppressant, and prednisone) and wanted to start me on Humira right away- he also wanted to do a bowel resection surgery very soon.
I told him no to everything, and needless to say, I am in line with a new GI to get a second opinion.
I have been eating healthy and taking tons of supplements in the meantime, and I feel GREAT. I'm going to consult with the new GI in Sept. and see what he says about me quitting my meds.
Get a very good probiotic and omega fish oil! Those 2 things alone have done wonders on me. Right now I use Advanced Flora "immune defense" in the refrigerated section (take 2x day). It was recommended in 2 digestive disease books I read.
It's pricey, but well worth it! I also take aloe, slippery elm, vit D, vit C, vit B complex, tumeric, garlic, calcium, green tea, multi vitamin, and folic acid.
I also cut sugar, lactose, gluten/wheat/yeast, alcohol, and hard to digest protein from my diet... Haven't felt this great in a long time, so I'm sticking to it.
This is just my personal opinion, but I think of the dr as a safety net, I would avoid meds and surgery unless I absolutely needed them.

 

[Crohny]

Justin,
Thanks for sharing, and posting updates.
I am going to try the Boswellia, along with the rest of my supplements, and ween off my meds.
Can you buy this at local health food stores?