Cure Crohn's by going vegan?

[sabin]

Hello felllow chroneys!

I have been seeing a bunch of posts in different forums and ads about this vegan solution and i find it extremly hard to believe that the "cure" for Crohn's Disease could be so easy as to switching to complete vegan diet.

Sure its not easy becoming full vegan but if it would cure me i would turn away from meat products and never look back but i just don´t buy it.

Could there be any truth to this has anyone here tried it?

The link is to a "Dr" in Hawaii that seems to live on selling this vegan diet to people with Crohn's.

http://www.colitis-crohns.com/

 

[Crohn's 35]

There is no "cure" for Crohns but diet can help some but not everyone. Same as drugs. When there is a cure, I am one of the first who will know lol.

 

[Keona]

There are vegans on this forum.. I dont believe they would admit to being even remotely "cured"

 

[sabin]

Im on Remicade now it helps a bit (getting 3rd treatment the 22nd).

But the problem is that so far the Remicade makes me feel very well for a week and than it starts feeling like crap again and on top of that because of Remicade i get very bad canker sores in my mouth which hurts very much and
as we all know we who suffer from Chrons already have bad apetite most of the time and wirh the canker sores my willingness to eat is crappier than ever.

And the above mentioned things is what is making me wanting to try something extra besides the Remicade and also the diet is the first thing i want to change.

 

[Crohn's 35]

I get canker sores, and I havent been on remi over 2 or 3 years. It is crohns related. You made to up your dose or closer together. I know I know, no one likes drugs, I avoid it as much as I can but I have done a few strict diets, and I was miserable and still in pain. Good luck, thinking outside the box is a good idea!

 

[sabin]

@Hi Keona

Thanks for the fast answer!!
So turning Vegan is not the answer i suppose.

It would be awesome to have you as a facebook friend and chat with sometimes i have no one that i know who has chrons to discuss the disease with. Sending you a message now.

 

[sabin]

I get canker sores, and I havent been on remi over 2 or 3 years. It is crohns related. You made to up your dose or closer together. I know I know, no one likes drugs, I avoid it as much as I can but I have done a few strict diets, and I was miserable and still in pain. Good luck, thinking outside the box is a good idea!

How often do you get the canker sores?

 

[mizgarnet]

Well, my theory is this- we need the animal protein. I do think veggies and fruit are very important as well as healthy oils. I do best when I avoid bread, potatoes, pasta, and rice. Do I think there is a cure? Yes I do, I just don't think the right path to the cure has been stumbled on yet. Wish I knew where the path is.:lol:


Wendy

 

[Crohn's 35]

I get them at least once a month, have on coming up right now. Mine are from taking flagyl , could be coincidence dunno. Some have used peroxide and water rince to get rid of them. I have not. Sometimes acidic foods can cause them too. How many do you get at a time and how bad and where. I usually get them on the one side of my tongue or tip, only once I have had 2 at once in 40 some odd years.

 

[sabin]

I get them at least once a month, have on coming up right now. Mine are from taking flagyl , could be coincidence dunno. Some have used peroxide and water rince to get rid of them. I have not. Sometimes acidic foods can cause them too. How many do you get at a time and how bad and where. I usually get them on the one side of my tongue or tip, only once I have had 2 at once in 40 some odd years.

Youre lucky than compared to me.

I have big and small sores all over inside the mouth very seldom the tounge, and they last 7-15 days it hurts very very bad and eating turns into a nightmare and searching for places to chew where it doesnt hurt.

And this really pisses me off since i truly love food.

 

[Keona]

hey
Im not really saying that turning vegan is not the answer. I am sure it helps people - I just don't think its a "cure". If it were, the specialists would be prescribing it instead of the powerful medication. I also think that most vegans ought to have a dietician while doing this and not on their own... mostly b/c of what mizgarnet said.
I find that when the links claim to provide "a cure" ... they are also wanting money for this cure... I think a lot of the sites are money making schemes...

I do believe that the answer has a lot to do with a mixture of diet, medication, surgery though (which the doctors and research has been saying) ... I also believe it is a different combination for each individual.
Im new to all of this and Im no expert so this is just my belief at this moment.

Sorry about your cankers I hope you find something to heal them soon

 

[sabin]

Well, my theory is this- we need the animal protein. I do think veggies and fruit are very important as well as healthy oils. I do best when I avoid bread, potatoes, pasta, and rice. Do I think there is a cure? Yes I do, I just don't think the right path to the cure has been stumbled on yet. Wish I knew where the path is.:lol:


Wendy

Well your theory is not far from mine.

I also believe that we need meat just not in the amounts we eat it today.

And milk and all the products made from it i believe is the biggest culprit, in Sweden we had Milk with every meal in School and we eat alot of cheese and we have cream in basically everything.

A Sabin tidbit:

Im not Swedish by "blood" im Aramean which means i speak the same language that Jesus and the people of his time did.

 

[jecoll]

the specialists would be prescribing it instead of the powerful medication

I don't know if that's entirely true. Doctors are educated to treat this disease in one of two ways 1) FDA-approved medications and/or 2) surgery.

My girlfriend is currently attending an Ivy League med school (so you'd assume it's a pretty good school), and they don't take one class about diet or nutrition. I think it's an elective that they can take in the last year ...but that's it.

When I ask my GI about diet, it's always a quick shrug-off like "yeah, it works for some people" etc...

I believe you really have to try things out for yourself. Going meat-free, dairy-free, and wheat/grain-free for a period of time is worth trying out. And then slowly working foods back in to see what causes you grief. It's definitely a lot of work and takes a lot of willpower, but if you'd prefer to try and control your condition with diet rather than medications, then I think it's worth it.

 

[Keona]

Jesse,
I think you are taking my comment too literal....
I understand what you are saying.. and I also agree that medicine is a big business however I use to work in ICU and we had every speciality going from bed to bed to manage care - including a dietician. I think a lot of people here have been referred to a dietician (for some guidance).
I agree - specialists aren't trained for dietary needs (which is why they are called "specialists" and not "generalists") - thats a nutritionists or dieticians job - but I also stand by the fact that it is controlled by a combination of things - just read the threads - there are a lot of people who have struggled with diet and most if not all (including yourself) have still had to turn to more conventional methods.

My response was in reference to the initial post... the link he provided. I think it is a money making scheme. Plus, if you notice, the person who has claimed to have the cure IS a "Dr".....

 

[Keona]

and you can pay the 139.00 they are asking for blood work (plus you have to contact your physician anyway for this..so include that on your bill) and then there is the cost for the book...lol...

unfortunately....the doctors are the only ones who have access to the MRI's and CT's, etc.. Im not sure I would be judging them too harshly..

 

[sabin]

You can always try the diet, different things work for different people. Unfortunately, the cure for crohns will never be known if we depend on medical doctors for it. Doctors and pharmacies would lose too much money if they actually found cures for diseases. Treating people so they come back and refilling prescriptions is much more profitable.

It´s probably true to an extent but here all medical treatments are free and its a bit harder for me to see it that way.

To understand how much actually is free here, since transexuality is classed as psychological disease because it´s people who feel they were born into the wrong body. They get the Man---->Woman surgery fully paid for. Which i think is great.
And that I imagine is one of the most expensive surgery's you can have.

 

[ThanksP]

Nothing is free in this world.

 

[Lydia]

I tried it for 9 months, strictly. I felt tired and hungry at first (first couple weeks)and then I started feeling better and more energetic (for about 3 months). I assume this is because a vegan diet is very detoxing. However I gradually spiralled into a severe flare and needed remicade to pull me out of it. So that is my experience with going vegan.

I now focus on whole foods in combination with remicade to keep me spry and in remission. I eat vegetarian meals about 3-4 times a week. That way I can afford good quality pasture raised meat. I also get the detoxing, antioxidant benefit of all the fruits and veggies I eat. Best of both worlds.

I am going to do a gluten free experiment but I wont start that till after my 10 day road trip at the end of May. I cant do gluten free while travelling.

 

[AndrewEsq]

bangarang said:
You can always try the diet, different things work for different people. Unfortunately, the cure for crohns will never be known if we depend on medical doctors for it. Doctors and pharmacies would lose too much money if they actually found cures for diseases. Treating people so they come back and refilling prescriptions is much more profitable.

Not sure how true this is. If someone discovers a cure for cancer, do you really think a pharmaceutical company will not buy the cure for billions of dollars and then sell it for more money? And if they were the ones to discover it, they would receive a ton of recognition (and future grant money for additional projects) on top of that.

If there is a conspiracy to deprive people of cures, then why are there vaccinations/i.e. cures for bacterial infections such as mumps, measles, chicken pox, rubella, polio, etc? Sure, there were treatments (i.e. sulfure drugs/general antibiotics, etc) before the vaccinations came out, but wouldn't the companies want to just keep sulfur drugs every time someone got sick instead of having vaccinations? They would make more money if someone got sulfur drugs instead of a one time vaccine...

I am the first one who would criticize a pharmaceutical company, but I think the bottom line is that these diseases are not simple to cure: they are very complex, including all forms of GI diseases and cancers. And there are people out there who do have agendas against the medical profession.

 

[nogutsnoglory]

Not sure how true this is. If someone discovers a cure for cancer, do you really think a pharmaceutical company will not buy the cure for billions of dollars and then sell it for more money? And if they were the ones to discover it, they would receive a ton of recognition (and future grant money for additional projects) on top of that.



If there is a conspiracy to deprive people of cures, then why are there vaccinations/i.e. cures for bacterial infections such as mumps, measles, chicken pox, rubella, polio, etc? Sure, there were treatments (i.e. sulfure drugs/general antibiotics, etc) before the vaccinations came out, but wouldn't the companies want to just keep sulfur drugs every time someone got sick instead of having vaccinations? They would make more money if someone got sulfur drugs instead of a one time vaccine...



I am the first one who would criticize a pharmaceutical company, but I think the bottom line is that these diseases are not simple to cure: they are very complex, including all forms of GI diseases and cancers. And there are people out there who do have agendas against the medical profession.

It would be interesting to see a breakdown of medications/vaccines that cure and whether they are from government research or pharmaceutical based.

I don't think there is an outright conspiracy but things are certainly slowed down by pharmaceutical companies because they have an interest in sick patients. If we are all cured, they have no business. Don't be fooled into thinking they care, it's all profit based. For example everyone knows new biologics will come out as soon as the current batch runs out on their patents. In the meantime people who may benefit from the new drugs need to wait, they have no interest in releasing them till they can no longer make money on the current ones.

I think we need government involvement which has no financial gain and is interested in solving the epidemic.

 

[rygon]

I can't believe you really think they have no morals NGNG. These companies are not machines but human beings. I'm certain that many people in these industries have died due to illnesses, and many more know of people dying, especially from cancer. Do you really believe that the people you join these companies to help others would sit back and see their loved ones suffer just to make money?

I think it's more to do with the paper trail that holds new drugs back. They know it, the government know it but with so many industries involved unfortunately it takes time to see this and make changes

 

[nogutsnoglory]

I can't believe you really think they have no morals NGNG. These companies are not machines but human beings. I'm certain that many people in these industries have died due to illnesses, and many more know of people dying, especially from cancer. Do you really believe that the people you join these companies to help others would sit back and see their loved ones suffer just to make money?



I think it's more to do with the paper trail that holds new drugs back. They know it, the government know it but with so many industries involved unfortunately it takes time to see this and make changes

Unfortunately I do believe it. I don't think it's one person with an evil grin behind a desk but rather our capitalist philosophy about money, greed and power. I don't want to argue politics here but one need not look far for examples about how mega industries don't care about people. Profit over people.

Insurance companies constantly deny claims for needed medications and procedures. It's about money and not about the patients suffering. The same is true for big pharma in my opinion. I don't suggest there aren't well intentioned individuals there too but the industry coupled with our corporate philosophy push away humanitarian interests.

 

[rygon]

yeh true, I wonder if if its a bit like the Milgram experiment effect (as long as you have procedures and others telling you what to do it takes the responsibility off yourself). I hope not.

I do know a fair few people who are working in research at all levels and they are all genuinely interested and excited in finding new ways of helping others