Diet vs Drugs

[AllanH]

Hi all,

Now I'm pretty new to the forum, and still not diagnosed with Crohns or any other IBD for that matter, but I can't help but feel that an awful lot of people are relying solely on drugs to aid them. There appears to be a massive drug-culture attached to this condition, and having done extensive reading over the last 6 weeks, along with my own personal experiences up to this point (I've had various investigations inc Pillcam upcoming in about a week) that diet & exercise play such a vital part in controlling IBD's that drugs could in fact (for many people, not all) be the over-riding factor in taking control.

We're all products of our environment/culture/upbringing/social standing, and have all made personal choices regarding lifestyle, food intake, exercise regimes and the choices we make over drug ingestion over the course of our lives, and once you fall ill I am all too aware that these things play a part. It's also a whole lot easier to take a pill or two, and sit & wait for them to fix you.

I have never been one to do this, and have always felt that diet & exercise are what govern the way our bodies work. The input/output method if you will.

Now I understand that there are levels of severity attached to IBD's, and that my experience may not be the same as the next person, but it appears to be true, especially in the US from what I can gather, that drugs are almost always given as a first port-of-call before anything else is considered.

Even on a simple, functional level I find that when I eat if I sit still, I don't feel comfortable. If I eat, and move around, take a walk, do some stretches etc that I feel so much better on every level. Why is this aspect not pushed more as an effective treatment regime for people with IBD's? It seems that people are so hung-up in the drug culture that they really do miss the point of being able to help themselves.

I guess it's indicative of society as a whole that drugs are pumped into people without a real thought for the individual or their circumstances, which is a real shame because diet is clearly the most important aspect of keeping yourself healthy. If you over feed your cat, it will get fat and go out less - go figure.

I've found that by taking liquid vitamin supplements, digestive enzymes and probiotics (all natural plant based versions), coupled with a regimented regime of controlled diet, exercise, stretching/breathing exercises and staying busy (not cooped up at home watching TV) that my symptoms have dropped off massively compared to when I wasn't doing these things. I appreciate that for people undergoing surgery etc that some of these things are out of the question, but for anyone just starting out or indeed for anyone latter-stage who can still be mobile, that this is the way to handle things.

I've even read stories of doctors telling people diet has nothing to do with IBD's which I find staggering.

 

[mikeyarmo]

Hi AllanH,

I am glad to read that you are effectively controlling your condition through diet, exercise and stress management. I think that a lot of sufferers would agree that these all have an important role in managing one's condition; however this is not something our medical practitioners always focus on themselves.

When an expert in their field of study (like a doctor) tells you that diet is not something to be concerned with, it seems logical to follow their advice as they are the expert with experience in that field after all. It is typically only based on ones upbringing about the importance of diet on health or through personal research do people start to question what their doctors are telling them.

Additionally, there are times when a person's condition is at a state where a more aggressive treatment plan is required. I know personally that I tried the Specific Carbohydrate Diet when my condition was really bad overall and within 2 weeks of strict compliance I had to go to the hospital. This likely does not say anything about the effectiveness of the diet as my condition needed to be controlled using a more aggressive treatment option at that time. Sometimes it is too late for diet or natural remedies to be attempted and more aggressive drugs do need to be used to manage a person's condition.

I personally now do my best to control my condition without medication and I think most sufferers would prefer to as well as there is nothing fun about dealing with the various side effects that common IBD medication (or all medication for that matter) comes with. That being said, there are times when medication is required due to a person’s condition and at other times it may not clear to everyone what they can do to improve their condition more naturally. Based on my initial experiences with the doctors who diagnosed me, I was not made to believe that my lifestyle (diet, how I handled stress, etc.) had a very large impact on my diagnosis. It was only after doing personal research did I come to believe that it was important for me to modify these things to better manage and control my condition.

Thanks for posting and hope my response makes some sense .

 

[David]

Hi Allan

I am an enormous proponent of diet and lifestyle changes, probably to the point of annoying many members here. However, diet and lifestyle changes are not a cure and I think IBD is a sort of evolving disease. I wish it was as simple as cutting out gluten and meditating 20 minutes a day. And for 5 out of 100 people with IBD, that may make all the difference in the world. Unfortunately, IBD is incredibly complex; there are probably countless unknown variables to science, and we're in essence shooting blind.

I personally have a form of IBD called Lymphocytic Colitis. My worst symptom is LRQ pain that feels like I've swallowed crushed glass. Here I am, an enormous proponent of diet and lifestyle, I spend hundreds of dollars on organic food per month, I grow as much of my own organic foods as I can, I do yoga, I have a low stress lifestyle, I'm training for a triathlon, I'm on specialized diets I adhere to rigidly, I utilize self massage, I get more natural vitamin D than the majority of people in this world, I regularly meditate, and the list of healthy habits goes on and on. And despite all of this, my average pain has gone down about 2 points on the 1-10 scale in the last 18 months. Now, I'm grateful for that 2 point reduction but the vast majority of people are not in a position to lead a life like mine. I'm very lucky. And let me tell you, when my gut kicks into overdrive, there isn't a moment that goes by that I don't think about finally giving in and going on Entocort and enjoying that big bag of M&Ms from Wal Mart.

And all of this for inflammation that is microscopic in nature. I simply have a bunch of tiny lymphocytes that make my life hell on occasion and somewhat annoying most of the time. I don't have ulcerations, I don't have blood diarrhea 15 times a day, I don't have strictures, I don't have fissures, I don't have fistulas, I don't have terrible arthritis (I had terrible costochondritis but have that pretty well tackled) and I don't have any of the other countless terrible symptoms so many with IBD have to deal with. So when I hear the stories of many here I feel untold levels of compassion and I want dearly for them to do whatever it takes to get to a point where life is not just bearable but enjoyable.

I personally think the best option is a well-educated, well-thought out balance of diet, lifestyle changes, and medications that are based upon current symptoms and pathology as well as helping to ensure that things don't get out of control. All while taking quality of life into account. And if what allows someone to have the optimum quality of life is just taking pills, injections, or infusions and spending the rest of the time on the couch and they're ok with that, then more power to them. No judgment here. Everyone has to do what is best for them.

What this site is for is to provide people as much quality information as possible so they can make the best educated decisions they can and then support them through those decisions without judgment.

 

[Beach]

I recall the first time a physician mentioned to me that diet didn't play a part in IBD and bowel conditions. More or less I responded, you have to be joking, all major health conditions are reported to be effected by what we consume - heart disease, cancer, diabetes, etc, but the very organs that digest our foods are not effected by the foods we eat?

I've come to learn that physicians have little training in dietary learning in the US. I've seen several articles on the topic, but recall this doctors mention about her time in medical school. Most doctors have less than 25 hours of training in nutrition.

"Teaching Doctors About Nutrition and Diet"

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/16/health/16chen.html?_r=2

As a result, by and large I believe hospitals have a bias toward expensive procedures and prescribing drugs. I personally do not have a problem with this, when it helps. (Other than it is placing our nation deeper into debt.) These treatments can be helpful for many. It is just that I do not believe most people are aware of this leaning away from helpful diet advice. So we are pretty much on our own when it comes to learning about dietary prevention and nutrition. I think this is where chat rooms like this can be wonderful places, where we can share our experiences when it comes to diet and nutritional supplements on what works and what does not.

 

[KWalker]

There's a lot of threads like this coming up lately. I personally think its all about severity and each individual. For some drugs are a blessing for them and it could be either prolonging surgery or meaning not having to have surgery because they can manage with medicine. I have always wondered too whether or not crohns can "weaken" over time. I put it in quotations because I don't have a better word for it. But like, I wonder if because of the fact long term sufferers have been on a lot of meds (like myself) that it kind of kills off the disease rather than just maintaining a certain level of relief. I don't take any medicine and I don't even follow a diet. I literally eat whatever I want (mind you I actually like most healthy foods) but I still enjoy fast food here and there and don't notice a difference when eating it. I wonder if it could be because I've had crohns for so long that the medicine has really impacted it.

I was always told that with crohns, if you stop medication your symptoms will just come back, and I pretty much proved the doctor wrong.