Book suggestions for crohn's?

[cassimw]

Looking for book suggestions that my recently diagnosed teen (15) can read. Nothing too technical, but something with some good info. Only 19 titles at our very large county library, and most are diet books.

 

[hugh]

The Paleo Approach: Reverse Autoimmune Disease and Heal Your Body
"Sarah D. Ballantyne, Ph.D., draws upon current medical research and her own battle with an autoimmune disorder to show you how you can become completely symptom-free—the natural way."
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/19...=1936608391&linkCode=xm2&tag=wwwthepaleomo-20

 

[JMC]

The Paleo Approach: Reverse Autoimmune Disease and Heal Your Body
"Sarah D. Ballantyne, Ph.D., draws upon current medical research and her own battle with an autoimmune disorder to show you how you can become completely symptom-free—the natural way."
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/19...=1936608391&linkCode=xm2&tag=wwwthepaleomo-20

Crohn's is not an autoimmune disease, so unfortunately despite the title this will not contain any information about current research or how to cure the disease.

 

[JMC]

Looking for book suggestions that my recently diagnosed teen (15) can read. Nothing too technical, but something with some good info. Only 19 titles at our very large county library, and most are diet books.

Unfortunately, I don't think there are any good books, the best and most up to date advice tends to be freely available on websites. Your local, national IBD organisation is probably the best place to start if you want to understand the condition and the conventional treatment options:

http://www.ccfa.org/what-are-crohns-and-colitis/newly-diagnosed/
http://www.crohnsandcolitis.org.uk/about-inflammatory-bowel-disease/crohns-disease

These sites are generally very little use however, if you want to learn about the latest progress on curing the disease.

 

[hugh]

Crohn's is not an autoimmune disease, so unfortunately despite the title this will not contain any information about current research or how to cure the disease.

While crohn's is not an autoimmune disease the book is still quite valuable as it focuses on how to develop a nutrient rich diet devoid of foods that irritate the gut and which nourish a healthy gut microbiota. This along with other lifestyle changes (stress, sleep and excersise) can have a huge effect on affect the immune system and how disease can express itself.
So, to be clear, the diet is primarily about healing the gut by removing irritants and increasing nutrition, and is a valid resource for anyone with digestive disturbances of almost any type.
The diet is a very well though out elimination diet, and the rational behind it is solid (as far as theory based upon research ever can be)
I managed to get it through my local library so it cost nothing, and found the explanations of how the immune system functions (and how dysfuncion is related to gut health) to be very useful in my healing and understanding of health in general and IBD in particular

 

[JMC]

While crohn's is not an autoimmune disease the book is still quite valuable as it focuses on how to develop a nutrient rich diet devoid of foods that irritate the gut and which nourish a healthy gut microbiota. This along with other lifestyle changes (stress, sleep and excersise) can have a huge effect on affect the immune system and how disease can express itself.
So, to be clear, the diet is primarily about healing the gut by removing irritants and increasing nutrition, and is a valid resource for anyone with digestive disturbances of almost any type.
The diet is a very well though out elimination diet, and the rational behind it is solid (as far as theory based upon research ever can be)
I managed to get it through my local library so it cost nothing, and found the explanations of how the immune system functions (and how dysfuncion is related to gut health) to be very useful in my healing and understanding of health in general and IBD in particular

If you are looking for that type of book, then I have read Inflammatory Bowel Disease: The Essential Guide to Controlling Crohn's Disease, Colitis and Other IBDs by Prof John Hunter. It is quite a good book (for the same reasons given above), but I would add a word of caution, this book is very, very unlikely to provide you with a cure and strict elimination diets are very hard to follow and many people who see their disease improve, flare up again as they try to return to eating a "normal" diet.

 

[my little penguin]

There is no cure for Crohn's disease
Diet has been proven to sometimes help as an adjunct therapy to medications

 

[JMC]

There is no cure for Crohn's disease
Diet has been proven to sometimes help as an adjunct therapy to medications

I think you need to read Prof John Hunter's book to understand the context of my statement. He claims to have patients who have been in long term remission purely through use of diet. He provides a theory and explanation for that, not everyone agrees with it and as per my previous comments few people are willing or capable of following a long term exclusion diet.

I also do not agree with the statement "There is no cure for Crohn's disease", as it makes the situation sound so helpless. "There is no cure for Crohn's disease, which has been clinically proven" would be a fairer statement and I also would argue we are much closer to fully understanding the aetiology of the disease than we were even just a few years ago. As always though, new views are slow to make their way into mainstream medicine and if you ask your gastro you will get one answer, but if you go to pubmed and read the latest research, you will get another.

 

[irishgal]

Cassiemw - Firstly, I'm so sorry your son and you have to deal with Crohn's. It hurts to see so many young people struggling with this, knowing that was me 25 years ago. As for books, I've seen many diet books, but while diet can be supportive and possibly healing for some milder cases, I don't think it hits at the core of the issue in Crohn's. The only book I know of, which may be more helpful for you than for your son, is Dr. Gilles Monif's ebook The Prevention of Crohn's:

http://www.amazon.com/Prevention-Crohns-Disease-Gilles-Monif/dp/1504923103

I know you said you didn't want anything too technical, which is why it may be better reading for you, though it's accessible enough for a layperson. I think Dr. Monif is on to something here, and the future research will likely show a pathogenic trigger or cause of Crohn's. As JMC mentioned above, Crohn's is not an autoimmune disease, so anything telling you otherwise is likely out of date.

Don't want tear down diet and lifestyle, but I think it's frustrating for some Crohn's patients who follow all of these specific and limiting instructions, but remain sick. Bad diet can certainly exacerbate Crohn's, but a good diet will probably not heal it. Just my two cents! Best of luck to you, and I hope your son finds healing and relief from his disease.