Can't afford meds or doctors, what herbal supplements actually produce results

[klgrmchl]

I've had Crohn's disease for 18 years now. I was diagnosed at 15, lived on a feeding tube for 3 months, then had an illeosecal resection of my small bowel, 2ft. I was taking Remicade for a year, in the mid 00's, and I also took Imuran. In the past I had taken Pentasa, and a few other things. However, I'm in a situation where I am unable to afford any medications, or see a doctor. In Sept. 2014 I was hospitalized with an obstruction in my lower bowel. I spent a week in. I got out, couldn't afford the steroids they gave. I was able to get some Turmeric and St. Johns Wort. I found a noticeable difference in my inflammation which is active anytime I eat, no matter what I eat. Then, a few months later in December, I was hospitalized again with an obstruction.

Could it have been the Turmeric that caused a return to the ER so soon? Also, what herbs does anyone take that helps them? I was thinking about trying Bosweilia...money's just tight these days and I can't afford to throw it around and what if's.

 

[Robrich]

Doubt you will get the results you want from herbs.
You might do better on an elemental and or GAPS diet.
Have you looked into LDN?
lots of info on this forum
Also. Prednisone is dirt cheap as opposed to budesonide which is what they probably gave you for steroids.

 

[nogutsnoglory]

I also don't think you'll get results from herbs. It might be helpful for people with mild disease but sounds like your case is aggressive.

Many of the drug companies have charitable programs and you can get the drugs for free. You also can see about a sliding scale clinic. Supplements are expensive so it may be cheaper and safer to go the medical route.

 

[klgrmchl]

Right now, sliding scale under my wage is too high. $65 dollars a visit might not sound like a lot, but it is this place in my life. I've lived without medications for the past 8 years. I've only had two serious trips to the er, and several semi-serious, but not really in comparison to other times.

I appreciate the replies. I've never reached out too others in this type of setting. Feels good to just say what's going on, and other people know, or kind of know what's going on.

Also, the steroids make me feel horrible. I can't work while taking them, and that's just not an option, to not work. They make me hungry all the time, and I don't have the means to eat whenever I want to eat at this time either. It's a form of torture to me.

 

[SmellyMelly]

Could it have been the Turmeric that caused a return to the ER so soon? Also, what herbs does anyone take that helps them? I was thinking about trying Bosweilia...money's just tight these days and I can't afford to throw it around and what if's.

I have chronic UC and have had it for 15 years. Herbs and diet are the only thing keeping me well and sane!

But herbs are fairly expensive too. A three month supply of several liquid herbs has just cost me $300. But I am happy to pay because I am buying herbs of exceptional quality and they work extremely well. Then I have to pay my herbalist for the appointment.........so soon adds up.

 

[UnXmas]

I'm very sorry you're in this situation. Unfortunately, I do not think it possible to do much at all for Crohn's with herbs.

The best thing I can think of that may help, is to try a very soft, bland, low-fibre, low-residue diet. A low-fibre/low-residue diet can help prevent bowel obstructions, and may reduce symptoms in some people.

Many of the foods suitable for this diet should be available very cheaply. Let me know if you're interested in it and want some suggestions for foods.

It's no substitute for medical care though. I hope you'll be able to find a way to get the help you need.

Also, what symptoms are you experiencing day-to-day at the moment?

 

[wild_one353]

A fecal transplant can also induce a pretty powerful remission without maintenance drugs. Recently in medical journals some reports of people being cured also exist. follow the link below this post for more info. email if you have any questions or would like to hear about my experiences with this treatment.


I have tried turmeric and believe resveratrol is better then turmeric, i have been taking 1/8th of as pill and it helps quite alot.
http://www.iherb.com/Doctor-s-Best-...=0&lc=en-US&w=resveratrol&rc=434&sr=null&ic=1

I think a better source of resveratrol would be grape polyphenols though because its a natural food source, but i havent switched yet though. you would have to take 4 of these pills to get the same amount of resveratrol I get from the other source which is a medicinal plant, but since grapes are natural food source you would likely be able to take much larger amounts without experiancing side effects. you could try whole grapes but sugar content would likely cause issues. http://www.iherb.com/Doctor-s-Best-...en-US&w=red wine extract&rc=1610&sr=null&ic=1

manipulating your omega 3/6 ratio could also influence the inflammatory response, shoot for a 1:1 ratio or omega 6 to 3 fats. canola oil is 1:2 o3/o6 fats, and is the closest to what you would want. Omega 6 fats are used to make inflammatory signaling molecules, and omega 3's make anti-inflammatory molecules like alpha linoleic acid, DHA and EPA. Fish oil contains the best omega 3's by combining canola oil and fish oil as the sole source of your dietary fats you could manipulate the inflammatory process to only produce anti inflammatory molecules 5 grams a day of fish oil and one tablespoon of canola would be a good place to start. Avoid corn oil which contains the most omega 6 linoleic acid.


anthocyanins(red black pigments polyphenol) have been show to induce a remission in IBD in one study using bilberry. another high source of anthocyanins are black beans, if you eat black beans that have been cooked and broken down into a refried mexican beans style, you would be able to get the same quantity used in the studys that induced remission. about 2 cups of well mixed black beans would give you this amount of anthocyanins.

reducing your refined sugar intake would also help control symptoms to some degree, this is something i learned from the SCD diet, which i have followed for some time with good results. read the book breaking the vicious cycle for more info.

ginger helps me alot and i also like that better then turmeric. use fresh ginger and make it into a tea. use about a fist full cut into small pieces.

other promising and most likely safe herbs are celery seed and mexican oregano. They are extremely high in compounds that have been shown to inhibit mouse models of colitis/IBD. these spices have been used safely for a long time its worth a shot, make it into a tea using at least one teaspoon each. I have yet to verify that these help though.

bowsellia has been proven to be just as effective as mesalamine at inducing remission and has less side effects. its not something thats usually ingested though so im just not sure about long term use of that, but could be usefull.

 

[SmellyMelly]

bowsellia has been proven to be just as effective as mesalamine at inducing remission and has less side effects. its not something thats usually ingested though so im just not sure about long term use of that, but could be usefull.

They make Bowsellia supplement tablets and also herbal liquids for ingesting.

But these are normally sold in a complex (mix) rather than a singular.

http://www.mediherb.com/product_pdf/BoswelliaComplexLR.pdf

 

[InkyStinky]

Hi! So sorry to hear of your struggles!!!

What about seeing if you qualify for a research trial? CCFA says this one is going on in Chattanooga:
http://www.ccfa.org/research/partic...-and-clinical-trials/red-hill/RHB-104-21.html

Study Objective:
A potential cause of Crohn's disease (CD) is infection with Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis. RedHill Biopharma is currently enrolling the MAP US study to investigate RHB-104, a new antibiotic treatment for CD. RHB-104 combines clarithromycin, rifabutin, and clofazimine - in a novel treatment regimen for CD. These three antibiotics are active against MAP, and may provide an innovative therapeutic option to patients with CD. The purpose of the study is to investigate the efficacy and safety of 26 weeks of oral RHB-104 therapy vs. placebo in inducing remission in patients with moderately to severely active Crohn's disease.
...
Explanation of Participation:
If a participant qualifies and decides to enroll in the study, lab tests and evaluations will be provided free of charge.

Here's a recent thread about success with anti-MAP therapy (If you search the forum for "map" you'll pull up a bunch more): http://www.crohnsforum.com/showthread.php?t=69505

 

[mnsun]

I have found, in over 8 years without pharmaceuticals (except LDN for 3 years) that I need to take fish oil, probiotics, D3, and digestive enzymes to keep all symptoms to an absolute minimum.

-NOW Ultra-Omega Enteric Coated Fish Oil, two caps twice a day.
-Healthforce Nutritionals Friendly Force Probiotic Powder, 1/2 tsp before bed or empty stomach once daily in water. This can last about 3 months per bottle.
-Healthy Origins D3 5,000iu twice daily in Winter and once daily in summer.
-Healthy Origins Digestive Enzymes, one per large meal (especially helps me tolerate large meals and lettuces, spicy food, and caffeine. There may be cheaper ones, but these have been the most effective over long term use for me.)
-Amazing Herbs Black Seed Oil, three caps a day on empty stomach in morning. (This I take to keep my joint pain away, you may not NEED this)

Other supplements may be necessary to correct any other deficiencies we may individually have, but these are my need-to-take-daily list. It's probably best to take a B complex with B12 (in methylcobalamin form) or sublingual B12 pretty often if you've had some of your terminal ileum removed.

However, it is more important for ME to only eat real whole food ingredients and to exclude milk/yogurt (cheeses are okay for me) while drinking 100+ ounces of clean water daily. I also limit red meat to once a week or less.

As for boswellia, I think you need almost 1.5-2 grams a day and high AKBA concentrations. This may or may not interfere with mineral absorption and might cause arm rashes in some people. I'm only going off memory about boswellia but to say it compares to mesalamine isn't saying much. Do your own research on boswellia, as well as my above thoughts. Good luck.

 

[wild_one353]

I have found, in over 8 years without pharmaceuticals (except LDN for 3 years) that I need to take fish oil, probiotics, D3, and digestive enzymes to keep all symptoms to an absolute minimum.

-NOW Ultra-Omega Enteric Coated Fish Oil, two caps twice a day.
-Healthforce Nutritionals Friendly Force Probiotic Powder, 1/2 tsp before bed or empty stomach once daily in water. This can last about 3 months per bottle.
-Healthy Origins D3 5,000iu twice daily in Winter and once daily in summer.
-Healthy Origins Digestive Enzymes, one per large meal (especially helps me tolerate large meals and lettuces, spicy food, and caffeine. There may be cheaper ones, but these have been the most effective over long term use for me.)
-Amazing Herbs Black Seed Oil, three caps a day on empty stomach in morning. (This I take to keep my joint pain away, you may not NEED this)

Other supplements may be necessary to correct any other deficiencies we may individually have, but these are my need-to-take-daily list. It's probably best to take a B complex with B12 (in methylcobalamin form) or sublingual B12 pretty often if you've had some of your terminal ileum removed.

However, it is more important for ME to only eat real whole food ingredients and to exclude milk/yogurt (cheeses are okay for me) while drinking 100+ ounces of clean water daily. I also limit red meat to once a week or less.

As for boswellia, I think you need almost 1.5-2 grams a day and high AKBA concentrations. This may or may not interfere with mineral absorption and might cause arm rashes in some people. I'm only going off memory about boswellia but to say it compares to mesalamine isn't saying much. Do your own research on boswellia, as well as my above thoughts. Good luck.

yes i agree, higher doses of vitamin d beyond rda will reduce some symptoms.
anywhere from 2000- possibly 10,000 iu if you have fat mal-absorption issues(stools will float). there is at least one study demonstrating a reduction in symptoms for IBD with higher vit d doses, in addition to my own testimony.

 

[ganesha]

Colostrum seem to work for some persons - some reported elsewhere on this forum as well - in addition to different supplements (e.g. the ones mentioned by wildbill_52280). There is an interesting article - How I beat Crohn's disease - and I found reports of clear improvements based on the recommendations made by the author. Sorry I am new to the forum and cannot post links to other sites. Still, the supplements are pretty expensive but looks promising and worth a shot.
Good luck!

 

[Extremebat2]

Ok this suggestion comes from personal experience, before I was diagnosed with crohns I was experiencing all the pain from the inflammation in my small intestine, and when I found out about Cat's claw I started taking it. the Cat's claw helps decrease the inflammation in the intestine. I am taking pentasa right now and it almost has the same effect. For me it worked and some doctors ignore it's existence, When I asked my doctor he didn't know what it was. ***very important the only side effect I experienced was dizziness a very mild one***.