Has anyone healed their crohns with strict diet(SCD)??

[Ihurt]

Hi everyone,

I am kind of stuck in limbo right now. I started having intestinal issues back in 2012. It started with just severe intestinal pain and cramping. I did Not have any bowel changes at the time, just severe pain. I had tests and they were normal so my GI dx me with having severe IBS( which I found odd because I definitely did not have typical IBS symptoms which are diarrhea or constipation). Back in July of last year I started having issues again( this time I was getting very soft pudding like stools but once a day only). I also had intestinal pain. I had a Calprotectin stool test and it came back slightly elevated (348.5) normal should be 160 and under. When I presented my GI with this he said it was not a concern. He said IBS can cause some microscopic inflammation that can slightly elevate this level. I had that test like 6 months ago. I just had another one done the other day and am waiting for those results.

Well about three weeks ago I got an abscess on my labia. It started out as a small hard lump under the skin that did not bother me at all and did not hurt at all. I thought it was an ingrown hair or a cyst. After weeks of it just being there one day it got bigger and started bothering me. I ended up going to my dermy and she said it was an abscess likely from an infected oil gland and she lanced it and drained it. It seemed to heal within a week. Well now this morning I noticed it was kind of irritating me in the area a little bit after I showered. When I looked I saw a tiny red spot, like a opening or crack. I asked my husband to look with a magnifying glass and he said it looked just like a tiny crack in the skin. Of course my first thought was " OMG is this a fistula". My husband said when he looked at it up close with the magnifying glass he did not see any holes though, only like a crack like the skin got irritated or something. I have been putting straight hydrogen peroxide on the abscess or the area where it was while it was healing twice a day after I would shower. I wonder if that could have irritated things? Anyhow, I immediately after seeing the tiny crack this morning started putting the antibiotic cream I had that I was given to put on the abscess after the dermatologist lanced it three weeks back. The crack seemed to close up after a couple hours and now there is just a red tiny spot there.

Anyhow, I called and have an appointment with my GI doc May 13th. He keeps saying I have IBS. I just dont know. I also have pain in my anal canal lately. I do have some hemorrhoids but I did not think they cause to much pain unless they get thrombosed or something like that.

Anyhow, I have a friend who her hubby has ulcerative colitis and she got him in complete remission doing just diet and supplements. I am wondering if anyone on here has been able to heal their crohn's with strict diets such as SCD diet or paleo diet where you avoid All carbs and sugar? I am thinking about trying this. My friend swears by it. She said her functional practitioner has completely healed crohn's patients with strict diet and key supplements. She said most people do not stick to it because they feel it is to strict and that is why they do not heal. Is this true? I am willing to do anything to heal myself but wanted to see if anyone else on here has had great results with diet?

 

[ronroush7]

The disease can go into remission but not healed.

 

[aypues]

I wouldn't trust anyone saying "diet" put them in compete remission unless they had proof: i.e., diagnostic tests showing absence of disease - normal labs and iron, normal fecal calprotectin, normal MRE enterography, and normal colonoscopy. Then, and only then, would I even consider doing that "diet". And dietary restrictions vary from person to person with Crohn's....that's why no MD will put you on a specific diet, and there isn't proof it does anything.

 

[Beach]

If looking at trying a diet idea, another program you might examine is Dr John Hunter's. His dietary program for Crohns seemed similar to me to the SCD diet. The exception being that instead of focusing on carbohydrates and "starving" growth as is done with the SCD, Dr. Hunter theorizes that different foods can cause Crohns in patients. He has patients work to discover food triggers. Every Crohns patients trigger food(s) is different.

I have not looked up the studies and read them, but Dr. Hunter's work with patients reportedly has been published in the British Medical Journal, and the Lancet.

Curiously the doctor mentions that once remission is achieved, after a period of years of following the elimination diet around half his patients are able to return to a normal diet. Previous trigger foods became safe to eat.

A couple of Dr. Hunter's patients were on this board awhile ago. If I remember correctly one said she had success with controlling her Crohn's with diet. The other patient reported her condition was improved after avoiding suspected trigger foods, but that she still required medication.

To learn more about Dr. Hunters program here is a write up on him, and his web sight:

http://www.crohns.org.uk

&

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1076594/How-tackle-Crohns-Disease-help-drugs.html

 

[Ihurt]

Thanks for the replies!

Rounroush7: Thanks, that makes sense.

Aypues: I am just looking into the diet because I do know that diet can do wonders for some diseases (i.e. eating organic versus not). Our foods these days are loaded with toxins( pesticides, GMO's etc..). Also, most MD's are not very well versed in diet. They only usually prescribe drugs, that is all they know.

Beach: Thanks for the info! I am going to do my research. It sounds interesting. I think my biggest hurdle with diet will be finding what I "can" eat. I have so many restrictions already due to many foods cause me bladder issues ( I have IC as well) and gut issues and allergies. I am limited to very few foods now. I can eat chicken, turkey, and occasional lamb and occasional fish, Green beans cooked very soft, zuccini cooked soft, squash, potatoes, occasional peas cooked soft, and eggs and gluten free cookies as a treat. I know I would have to take out a few of the foods I am eating in order to do any diet similar to SCD which is really going to limit my diet. This does not bother me really, just I do not want to lose too much weight as I am already small. Thanks again for the links, I am going read up on this!

 

[Charlotte.]

@Beach:

I have tried so many different diets, including vegan, no grain, gluten free and many more (also SCD),
then been on EEN on Dr. Hunter's protocol in the UK, followed by full elimination diet and relapsed again, and again, and again... They told me it's not a miracle cure and it's not effective fore everyone. I don't know where you live, but if you can, go to Addenbrooke's in Cambridge, they also treat international patients there, also in the private hospital there. It's the hospital where Hunter worked, they have a wide knowledge though. I stayed on partly remission (still inflammation leading to long term damage in my joints and reoccurring pain in my terminal ileum) when I only ate carrots, courgettes, some rice and that's pretty much it, so if that was what I wanted I would need to drink elemental028 or other formula all day and have a bite or two apart from that. That's not the life I want to live and I was advised to stop being on elemental with so little food etc. and try azathioprine (intolerance unfortunately) or try other medication as that regimen was nothing they could recommend in the long run.
Basically, it did not lead to any improvement. It just covered my symptoms, as I was not eating and the food was broken down already.
In Cambridge I was told that EEN+lofflex/EEN+elimination diet is mainly for those who don't have a chronic active form so are symptom free for a while then. That does make sense to me as well, but my Crohn's is active all the time, same with my arthritis which both haven't been in remission since diagnosis.

 

[Beach]

Thanks Charlotte for sharing your experience with diets and Dr. Hunter's ideas. It sounds like you have been through a lot. Sorry that you have not seen positive results. Good luck in the future. I agree, that is the opinion I have also. The diet ideas help some in some circumstance but not everyone sees improvement with the ideas.

Many that try taking a dietary approach to see if it helps do so after medications tried do not help. That is what happened with me. The medications I was prescribed did not improve my form of colitis.

I've personally had some success in the past and of late with dietary ideas. In the past I could get a diet to work decently but frustratingly my energy levels would not improve. Basically I would hit a rut. Of late I've been trying a new dietary idea. The idea being that if an animal was fed a potential allergen, such as soy or synthetic vitamins (which seem to be a problem for me), the soy allergen can show up in the eggs, dairy, or possibly meats. Just a theory but it has been working for me, with finally some improved energy seen. At least greater energy seen sometimes. This morning I'm running on fumes but yesterday I was doing well. Grrr.. Fingers crossed that I heal and improve further, with the gut and with improved energy.

Thanks for the invite to the UK, even if it is to a hospital. I say that jokingly. I'm in America. I have a nephew that will be at Oxford over the summer, getting a feel for the University there. I'm not much of a traveler so I'm looking forward to hearing his impressions of the UK and school life.

 

[Ihurt]

Charlotte: Thanks for sharing your story. I am sorry to hear diets did not really work for you, that stinks. I also have a bladder condition called Interstitial Cystitis which is dreadful and so painful. I have exhausted all treatments for it and they all failed, or I had such nasty side effects.

I have not even been diagnosed with Crohn's. I just keep having issues that keep popping up. I probably will have to go through tests again sometime in the near future to see what is going on. I just did another fecal calprotectin level and am waiting for those results. I am looking into diet mainly because I know there is No drug I will be able to tolerate if I do indeed have crohn's. My body is Severely chemical sensitive. I have reactions to ALL medications I take and end up having to stop taking them. I cannot tolerate hardly ANY antibiotics and that is scary since lots of people with IBD usually need antibiotics at some point. I have no clue what I would do.

Anyhow, thanks again for your reply and sharing your story. I live in Chicago IL so I am nowhere near the UK sadly. It is very corrupt her in the United States when it comes to medicine. Lots of greed and money grabbing. It is not really about the patients here, more about how much $$$$ they can make off of you. For instance, to get a simple test like a CT scan it will cost you or your insurance( which usually will only pay a portion of it) upwards to $6000. Some medications like Humira are like $6000 for one injection. It is unreal. Some people go broke here if they get a chronic illness. My good friend who also has the same Bladder disease I have lost her home, her car, everything due to medical bills. That should never happen to anyone.

 

[ronroush7]

Charlotte: Thanks for sharing your story. I am sorry to hear diets did not really work for you, that stinks. I also have a bladder condition called Interstitial Cystitis which is dreadful and so painful. I have exhausted all treatments for it and they all failed, or I had such nasty side effects.

I have not even been diagnosed with Crohn's. I just keep having issues that keep popping up. I probably will have to go through tests again sometime in the near future to see what is going on. I just did another fecal calprotectin level and am waiting for those results. I am looking into diet mainly because I know there is No drug I will be able to tolerate if I do indeed have crohn's. My body is Severely chemical sensitive. I have reactions to ALL medications I take and end up having to stop taking them. I cannot tolerate hardly ANY antibiotics and that is scary since lots of people with IBD usually need antibiotics at some point. I have no clue what I would do.

Anyhow, thanks again for your reply and sharing your story. I live in Chicago IL so I am nowhere near the UK sadly. It is very corrupt her in the United States when it comes to medicine. Lots of greed and money grabbing. It is not really about the patients here, more about how much $$$$ they can make off of you. For instance, to get a simple test like a CT scan it will cost you or your insurance( which usually will only pay a portion of it) upwards to $6000. Some medications like Humira are like $6000 for one injection. It is unreal. Some people go broke here if they get a chronic illness. My good friend who also has the same Bladder disease I have lost her home, her car, everything due to medical bills. That should never happen to anyone.

Ihurt, I took myself off Remicade the first time because it was too expensive. Then, I ended up with an obstruction.

 

[Charlotte.]

I'm so sorry to hear that healthcare is so extremely expensive over in the U.S. Here in Europe it's way cheaper actually but the quality of health care or at least the waiting times for appointments and MRIs, CTs etc. also depend on insurance, otherwise it's the NHS everyone is left with.
Have you been on Humira for another condition, as you know the exact price? Has it changed anything for your suspected IBD/your condition? Have you been on prednisolone for a while for another condition maybe? It was my first drug and I was symptom free for a few days, but then symptoms reoccured and inflammation returned.

@Ronrush: So sorry to hear that as well, ronrush. It's ridiculous that health is an issue of just money!

 

[Ihurt]

No I have never been on Humira, a friend of mine was. I have not been on any meds for my gut issues as my GI thinks I have IBS. They will not prescribe biologics unless you have a documented IBD case or another health issue that would entail a person to take a biologic. Yes, I have heard about the wait times in the UK when it comes to getting in to see a specialist or for tests, that sucks. Here you can get in to see a doctor or for tests fairly quickly, but cost is usually very high. When I got my MRE 4 years ago ( my primary care doctor ordered it as I asked her to) it cost over $9000. My insurance picked up most but we have a HUGE deductible with our insurance and have to pay the first $2000. That is why they will not ever cover a drug like Humira or Remicade unless you have documented Crohns or IBD because insurance would never pay for it otherwise due to the cost.

Ronroush7: Wow, that is terrible, but not surprising. That is thing about being in the US, I mean yeah, there is easy access to doctors and stuff, but the cost is unreal. It is like being robbed without a gun. I had some blood tests done for allergies and had to pay over $1800. My insurance decided not to cover it. Sorry, but no blood test should cost over a grand!!!

I'm so sorry to hear that healthcare is so extremely expensive over in the U.S. Here in Europe it's way cheaper actually but the quality of health care or at least the waiting times for appointments and MRIs, CTs etc. also depend on insurance, otherwise it's the NHS everyone is left with.
Have you been on Humira for another condition, as you know the exact price? Has it changed anything for your suspected IBD/your condition? Have you been on prednisolone for a while for another condition maybe? It was my first drug and I was symptom free for a few days, but then symptoms reoccured and inflammation returned.

@Ronrush: So sorry to hear that as well, ronrush. It's ridiculous that health is an issue of just money!

 

[eleanor_rigby]

I have crohns and was told a normal calproctin result was anything under 50. Your result is certainly not normal to me. My result was 65 and at colonoscopy I had lots of ulcers at my terminal ileum and withered small bowel.

 

[Ihurt]

The lab I used said 160 and under as a ref range. I think different labs have different ref ranges. Still, mine was elevated. My GI doc said it was not concerning to him. His claim was that IBS can cause slight elevation in calprotectin level. Not sure what to think about that though.

So your calprotetcin was low and you still have active disease? That tells me this test may be useless then and not reliable at all.

I have crohns and was told a normal calproctin result was anything under 50. Your result is certainly not normal to me. My result was 65 and at colonoscopy I had lots of ulcers at my terminal ileum and withered small bowel.

 

[eleanor_rigby]

I think it can be useful for some people but for a true picture of what's going on you would need a colonoscopy.

 

[aypues]

Thanks for the replies!

Rounroush7: Thanks, that makes sense.

Aypues: I am just looking into the diet because I do know that diet can do wonders for some diseases (i.e. eating organic versus not). Our foods these days are loaded with toxins( pesticides, GMO's etc..). Also, most MD's are not very well versed in diet. They only usually prescribe drugs, that is all they know.

That isn't true at all. What diseases are verifiably helped by organic vs non-organic food? MD's absolutely will tell you to stay away from certain foods for Crohn's like raw vegetables with high insoluble fiber content. If you had scurvy they'd have you eat oranges! Drugs are not all they will prescribe you either. They have put me on B-12 injections as my previous surgery removed the section that absorbs it from food. I've also been told to take vit D3 and Metamucil. Doctors will only tell you to do things or take things that actually work and are proven to do so. If these holistic treatments actually worked it would be called medicine.

 

[Beach]

aypues,

Unfortunately I wish the situation in medicine was more straight forward and better. There is a good deal of problems seen in medicine these days. Many individuals are raising alarms over it. Hopefully someday someone will straighten the situation out, creating a better system. As some examples on this:

https://drmalcolmkendrick.org/2015/08/27/the-augean-stables/

excerpt:

...We do not know which trials would have been positive, or which negative. Yet we have based the entire edifice of drug treatment, of hundreds of millions of people, on unreliable nonsense. The study in PLOS is only the latest demonstration of this fact. The database of medical research – everything until at least 2005 is a gigantic festering mess. It needs to be stripped out and cleansed.

Do you think this is too strong?

Well I shall now quote Dr Marcia Angell, Dr Richard Horton and Dr Richard Smith. Editors of, respectively, the New England Journal of Medicine, the Lancet and the British Medical Journal. The three highest impact factor journals in medical research.

‘It is simply no longer possible to believe much of the clinical research that is published, or to rely on the judgement of trusted physicians or authoritative medical guidelines. I take no pleasure in this conclusion, which I reached slowly and reluctantly over my two decades as editor of the New England Journal of Medicine.’ Marcia Angell.

‘The case against science is straightforward: much of the scientific literature, perhaps half, may simply be untrue. Afflicted by studies with small sample sizes, tiny effects, invalid exploratory analyses, and flagrant conflicts of interest, together with an obsession for pursuing fashionable trends of dubious importance, science has taken a turn towards darkness.’ Richard Horton

‘The poor quality of medical research is widely acknowledged, yet disturbingly the leaders of the medical profession seen only minimally concerned about the problems and make no apparent efforts to find a solution.’ Richard Smith

Who, in a position of power, will finally wake up and realise that the vast database of medical research stinks of bias and manipulation. Who can we call upon to take up the gigantic and painful task of clearing out the Augean stables?

1: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0132382

 

[Ihurt]

Not saying MD's do not offer any help besides prescriptions, I know they offer some other suggestions. I am just saying that Most MD's will not work with special diets. Your are correct in saying that they wont advise on this as there is no proof it will help. Sadly, when it comes to any chronic illness, doctors need to keep an open mind. Just because it is not in their textbooks does mean it will not be useful or helpful. Now some doctors do work with diet. I had a GI doctor a few years ago ( Man i miss him, he moved out of state and he was an excellent doctor!!). He looked outside the box. He told me that he was pretty sure that the foods we are consuming had a lot to do with the upkick in GI diseases ( GMO's, preservatives in foods, pesticides, insecticides, added hormones, antibiotics in the live stock etc..).

I am resistant to many antibiotics out there now. I have a really good infectious disease doctor and he said it was because of the antibiotics used in livestock. For the last 5 years, every UTI I have gotten is resistant to the antibiotic gentamycin. I have never even heard of this antibiotic and have never taken it( it is an IV antibiotic). I asked my ID doctor how my bacteria could have become resistant to it when I have never taken it? He said it is directly due to eating meats that were given this antibiotic. He said Infectious disease is seeing a lot of issues now with antibiotic resistance due to the use of antibiotic in our livestock. Also a lot of doctors over prescribe them and that is also adding to the issue of resistance.

So not all MD's are closed minded, but many are. I went organic due to being allergic to pesticides. I found an allergist who did loads of blood work on me and we discovered I had allergies to Carbamates( which is in a lot of the pesticides used on crops). Now I make sure to only eat organic when I eat produce. Most MD's will not look for a root cause but rather just cover the symptoms. Western medicine needs to change the way it works. Right now most doctors follow what is in the text only and sadly that is not enough when it comes to these orphan chronic illnesses that are being seen in higher numbers these days.

That isn't true at all. What diseases are verifiably helped by organic vs non-organic food? MD's absolutely will tell you to stay away from certain foods for Crohn's like raw vegetables with high insoluble fiber content. If you had scurvy they'd have you eat oranges! Drugs are not all they will prescribe you either. They have put me on B-12 injections as my previous surgery removed the section that absorbs it from food. I've also been told to take vit D3 and Metamucil. Doctors will only tell you to do things or take things that actually work and are proven to do so. If these holistic treatments actually worked it would be called medicine.

 

[my little penguin]

There are a lot of docs who now use diet as an adjunct therapy
Ds was placed on the crohns exclusive diet ( scd variation )
So it's not fair to say you only get prescriptions
Second drugs like humira are affordable with health insurance and drug company copay cards - Ds has been on humira for 4 years and we only pay $100 or less total for his humira for the year - making sure you have a low deductible and higher premium just makes more sense for chronic illness -at the end of the day you know you will max out of pocket so we just figure out which total cost ( deductible plus max out of pocket plus premium ) is cheaper

Agree colonscopy /mre /pill cam are really the only way to know what is going on
FC is great but honestly it doesn't tell you why
Minor Gi bugs /iboprofen / mild food intolerance etc can increase the number and it can change from stool to stool in the same day

Even Ibd folks still get "normal " stuff

It's hard when your looking for answers but sometimes just because on paper something fits doesn't mean that is truly what is going on.
We had egid (EOE) blinders on for years for ds
Convinced he had it
Some of his docs thought he had it others did not
On paper he fit like a T
Many tests showed he didn't have it but we kept thinking this was the dx he should have based on symptoms and history
Turns out never had egid
He had crohns which was so not on out radar


Remember to search for answers but try not to focus on one answer
Since many many things overlap in Gi land

 

[Ihurt]

Wow I am so sorry for what you guys have gone through trying to get a proper diagnosis. You are right, many diseases can overlap and have the same symptoms. It gets frustrating. I have multiple health issues so I may be a little bi-est when it comes to doctors as I have seen a lot of bad ones. Believe me, it took me getting chronically ill to realize that really good doctors are far and few between.

I have had doctors diagnose me with stuff I later found out that I did not even have. When I first started having issues with Interstitial Cystitis ( of course I did not know at the time that is what I had) I cannot even begin to tell you how many doctors totally dismissed me. I had one urologist tell me there was no such disease as IC( Interstitial Cystitis) and that only ladies over 50 get bladder issues! I ended up having to do all the research and finally diagnosed myself. Of course I finally found a decent urogynecologist at the time who I asked to test me for IC as I truly though this is what I had and he did test me and he said my assumptions were correct that I did have it. For me I have had to fight every step of the way to get answers and usually ended up finding them for myself before any doctor could. That is really sad when you have to go to the doctor and tell them what to do. It should not be that way.

I have been having gut issues for 5 years now. My old GI doctor moved out of state( ugh, he was the best!). He was the only MD I have ever had that was honest, and I mean he was truly honest. I had been suffering with upper gut issues for quite some time before I found him. I was told I had acid reflux ( which I did not), I was told I had Barretts esophagus( which later found I did not that the idiot GI doc took the biopsies from below the juntion which was incorrect). So I kind of starting losing faith in doctors completely until I found this GI doctor. He did the correct tests but even warned me beforehand that a lot of tests they have are not reliable. He also told me that Gastroenterology had WAYS to go in there learning and were only beginning to scratch the surface. When I told him of all the misdiagnosis's I had from previous doctors, he said it happens all the time. Unfortunately he left the state so now I am seeing another GI. He is very nice and is the head doctor of the GI department in one of the top hospitals here where I live in Chicago. When I started having the lower gut issues back 5 yrs ago he said right away I have IBS. After two years of suffering he finally did a colonoscopy which did not show anything. I also had my primary care doctor order an MRE of the small bowel which was normal at the time as well as some blood work and stool tests. So due to my test results my GI doc stuck with his IBS diagnosis even though I do Not have the typical IBS symptoms. I swear they just dx everyone with IBS if they cannot find out what is really wrong.

Fast forward to last year which was 2 years since my colonoscopy I started having other symptoms( some softer stools and lower gut pain and crampiness). I asked my primary care doc to order me the fecal calprotectin test and it was elevated ( 348.5) normal would be 160 and under according to their ref range. I brought this result to my GI doc and he was not even phased by it or concerned. Lately in the last month I have not been feeling to great. I got an abscess on my labia that the dermatologist said was an infected gland. She lanced it and drained it. It seemed to heal up but I still get odd pains in that area. I also have been having pain in my anal area, like up inside there. It is like throbby sore feelings. I asked my primary care to re-do the calprotectin level again and should get that result in a couple days. I have an appt with my GI doc in two weeks and plan to talk to him about this. I may have to eventually find a different GI doctor because I feel the one I have kind of just fluffs off my concerns. Everything I read says the fecal calprotectin test is supposed to be a useful marker for inflammation, yet my GI is not impressed with it at all. Not sure what to think. It is just frustrating when you feel awful and cannot get any real answers to what is happening inside your body.

There are a lot of docs who now use diet as an adjunct therapy
Ds was placed on the crohns exclusive diet ( scd variation )
So it's not fair to say you only get prescriptions
Second drugs like humira are affordable with health insurance and drug company copay cards - Ds has been on humira for 4 years and we only pay $100 or less total for his humira for the year - making sure you have a low deductible and higher premium just makes more sense for chronic illness -at the end of the day you know you will max out of pocket so we just figure out which total cost ( deductible plus max out of pocket plus premium ) is cheaper

Agree colonscopy /mre /pill cam are really the only way to know what is going on
FC is great but honestly it doesn't tell you why
Minor Gi bugs /iboprofen / mild food intolerance etc can increase the number and it can change from stool to stool in the same day

Even Ibd folks still get "normal " stuff

It's hard when your looking for answers but sometimes just because on paper something fits doesn't mean that is truly what is going on.
We had egid (EOE) blinders on for years for ds
Convinced he had it
Some of his docs thought he had it others did not
On paper he fit like a T
Many tests showed he didn't have it but we kept thinking this was the dx he should have based on symptoms and history
Turns out never had egid
He had crohns which was so not on out radar


Remember to search for answers but try not to focus on one answer
Since many many things overlap in Gi land

 

[aypues]

Most MD's will not look for a root cause but rather just cover the symptoms. Western medicine needs to change the way it works.

Lots of sweeping generalizations that aren't true. Any MD that knows anything will 100% treat the root cause of disease. E.g., with Crohn's the problem is the immune system, and biologics/immune modulators are treating the root problem.

 

[Ihurt]

Not true. If that were the case then when you stopped the biologic medicine you would be cured, but that is not so. MD's do not know the root cause of Crohn's at this time. They do not know the root cause of many chronic illnesses. They "think" it may be autoimmune ( which is may be), but the next question is what is causing your immune system to malfunction? ( Is it it because of a disruption to the microbiome of the gut? Is it a viral entity? Is it a toxin the body is regularly being exposed to? There are so many possible reasons).They do not have an answer right now, only medications that help suppress the illness which is important due to the nature of the disease. However, it would be great if they discovered the true root cause, the trigger. If they found that and fixed it, then we could be disease free. All they do now is suppress symptoms with various medications which sometimes help and sometimes do not, it depends on the individual.

Lots of sweeping generalizations that aren't true. Any MD that knows anything will 100% treat the root cause of disease. E.g., with Crohn's the problem is the immune system, and biologics/immune modulators are treating the root problem.

 

[Clash]

This thread is getting a bit off track. Ihurt I'm so sorry you've had a bad experience with doctors. I hope you find one that suits you well.

Your question may draw the attention of members that employ different diets if posted in the diet section and you could browse through existing SCD threads.

People are going to argue the benefits of western medicine when generalizations are made about it that don't correlate with their experience and the often needed medical intervention they require when dealing with Crohn's disease. That's not to say that many don't employ some form of diet as an adjunct therapy or that a few aren't able to treat with diet alone. The problem is this forum is going to draw those that aren't finding remission or are new to CD. Those that are in long term remission don't have need of a support forum.

It is true that the etymology of CD has yet to be discovered by Western medicine but it also hasn't been discovered by those practicing alternative means to healing. Same goes for a cure.

Again, I truly hope you find a doctor mainstream or otherwise that can help identify your ongoing issues so that you can soon find relief.

 

[Ihurt]

Thank you for your support. I agree with you, there is just no easy answer for these chronic illnesses. I will admit that I may be a bit biased when it comes to doctors due to all the negative experiences I have had over the years. Before I got sick( chronically) I would only need a doctor for acute situations and they always were able to help. Once I got chronically sick, well then I realized how hard it was to find an adequate doctor who could really help me. There just seems to be so little known about these illnesses. Also getting a diagnosis can be challenging in itself it seems.

I agree diet is Not the whole solution to any illness. It can help, but it is not a cure and I know that. I just am willing to try anything at this point that is more natural to help with things. I am one of those people who is severely chemical sensitive and have reactions to most all medications. This is a huge concern to me because if I do indeed have Crohn's( I am still trying to find out what is going on, been suffering on and off for last 5 years now with the intestinal issues) I have no idea what I will do to treat it since I really cannot take any meds without Bad reactions. I am prone to UTI's due to my IC and already I am resistant to most antibiotics that treat the infections and the ones I am not resistant to I just cannot take due to severe reactions. I am in a scary place and have no clue what to do. I did not mean to come off as being negative to western medicine, there are Good MD's out there. I have a really good primary care doc, heck she has worked with more more on my GI issues than my GI doc has. She just re-ordered the calprotectin test for me, my GI has never ordered one yet for me as he thinks they are not reliable. I am just at a loss and so tired of being sick and tired for the last 13 years with so many health issues.

This thread is getting a bit off track. Ihurt I'm so sorry you've had a bad experience with doctors. I hope you find one that suits you well.

Your question may draw the attention of members that employ different diets if posted in the diet section and you could browse through existing SCD threads.

People are going to argue the benefits of western medicine when generalizations are made about it that don't correlate with their experience and the often needed medical intervention they require when dealing with Crohn's disease. That's not to say that many don't employ some form of diet as an adjunct therapy or that a few aren't able to treat with diet alone. The problem is this forum is going to draw those that aren't finding remission or are new to CD. Those that are in long term remission don't have need of a support forum.

It is true that the etymology of CD has yet to be discovered by Western medicine but it also hasn't been discovered by those practicing alternative means to healing. Same goes for a cure.

Again, I truly hope you find a doctor mainstream or otherwise that can help identify your ongoing issues so that you can soon find relief.

 

[neonx305]

Diet plays a massive role in helping me stay healthy. That being said I also take supplements and meds which are another huge role. Exercise too. I did a very strict SCD diet for 1 whole year, I was also on Remicade which failed and ended up with a resection that year. Some people say they have healed it with SCD (why I tried it in the first place) but I have never heard anyone personally tell me it was the "magic bullet."