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[Gutsii]

Hello Fellow Crohn's Forum Members!


My name is Boris (since you couldn't tell by looking at my profile on the left ) and I a 23 year old entrepreneur.

I was diagnosed with Crohn's November 2011 even though I had symptoms before (and my doctor dismissed them twice).

The good thing is I live a great life and am here to share any insight/experience with this community.

The only med's I took was flagyl for about 1 month after diagnosis to get rid of all the bacteria.



After that I have gone through a lot of natural treatments:

- Chinese tea's (yes the worst tasting things in the world)

- I have worked with 2 naturopaths

- Isopathy (pill form treatments)

- Yoga/exercise programs designed for Digestive system healing

- Quantum Medicine/Energy Healing (I did this recently in Europe as it was much cheaper, and it was really a great and awesome experience)

- NLP

- Different 30-day challenges with regards to diet (Break the viscous cycle, paleo etc. etc.) --> I have always been active in health and fitness, so I knew a lot about nutrition beforehand which helped tremendously.

- Sought out the best supplements (although I don't believe in most of them other then fish oil + probiotics)

- Consulted with 3 of the best doctor's with regards to Crohn's In Toronto



Just so you have an overview of the things I have gone through, here is a list:

1. Developed narrowing where the small intestines meets the large(colon).

2. Peri-anal fistula (which I cured within 1 week - if you have this problem don't hesitate to ask how )

3. I had 5 hospital visits due to overeating. Basically because of the narrowing , when I would overeat, The food got stuck and I had to throw up. The problem was my intestines kept having spasms so my body kept trying to make me throw up even though there was nothing there. This led to extreme exhaustion.

4. Finished my last year of University while in the worst shape of my life and at the time,the disease was most active, and working 30 hours a week (if anyone is in a similar situation, again I am glad to lend some helping tips)

5. Sometimes got shivers, felt cold and I lost 35 pounds!



Alright I think that sums it up for now!

If you guys have any questions or would like me to talk more about certain experiences I have gone through, I will be more than happy to do so (Just post a comment below and I will get right on it)

 

[Beatit]

That pretty much sums up the disease as in symptoms and things naturally to try and get rid of it. I lost alot of weight like you said before. Been in the hospital a few times due to medicine not working. I never had a fiscula.

Welcome to the forum Boris. Can I ask you what your taking now? I never was able to complete Senior year of college because of money mixed with crohns.

 

[SarahBear]

Welcome to the forum, Boris! I'm glad to hear you've been doing well in spite of this disease.

Like Beatit, I'm curious about what you're doing now. You've listed the things you have tried, but not how much they did or didn't help you. Does that mean you're still doing all of these things and feeling good? Are you experiencing any symptoms now?

I'd also like to hear your tips on working and going to school while sick. I'm currently working 40 hours a week (supposed to be) and taking 12 hours of online classes (can't do on campus because of the full time job and illness). It's very frustrating. How did you deal with it?

 

[Gutsii]

That pretty much sums up the disease as in symptoms and things naturally to try and get rid of it. I lost alot of weight like you said before. Been in the hospital a few times due to medicine not working. I never had a fiscula.

Welcome to the forum Boris. Can I ask you what your taking now? I never was able to complete Senior year of college because of money mixed with crohns.

Thank you for the welcome

Right now I am not taking anything in regards to western medication.

What I do take everyday though is cod liver oil + a probiotic. On top of that my diet is very good and I get in my exercise.

I recently had 9 treatments of quantum healing (approx 1 month ago) and I am on a specific blood type diet for it as well.

I am going to have a colonoscopy tomorrow to see how it's going.


Sorry to hear about senior year (but I wouldn't sweat it, over-rated anyway imho )


Hope that helps!

 

[Beatit]

Thank you for the welcome

Right now I am not taking anything in regards to western medication.

What I do take everyday though is cod liver oil + a probiotic. On top of that my diet is very good and I get in my exercise.

I recently had 9 treatments of quantum healing (approx 1 month ago) and I am on a specific blood type diet for it as well.

I am going to have a colonoscopy tomorrow to see how it's going.


Sorry to hear about senior year (but I wouldn't sweat it, over-rated anyway imho )


Hope that helps!

Yeah the mind is more connected to the intestines then we know. Thanks for the support hope the colonoscopy goes well.

 

[Gutsii]

Welcome to the forum, Boris! I'm glad to hear you've been doing well in spite of this disease.

Like Beatit, I'm curious about what you're doing now. You've listed the things you have tried, but not how much they did or didn't help you. Does that mean you're still doing all of these things and feeling good? Are you experiencing any symptoms now?

I'd also like to hear your tips on working and going to school while sick. I'm currently working 40 hours a week (supposed to be) and taking 12 hours of online classes (can't do on campus because of the full time job and illness). It's very frustrating. How did you deal with it?

Hey Sarah!

Thank you for the welcoming

I did answer Beatit in the comment above on what I am doing now, but I will expand on how things did/didn't help me.

- The Chinese tea's I took for about 6 months and it got to a point where I did not need them anymore because my immune system was functioning very well (the purpose of the tea's was to fight inflammation and boost the immune system + boost other organs) --> btw, the tea's cured the fistula and bleeding within 1 week (note: I did start taking flagyl 4 days after the teas as well, and after 7 days of being on the tea I had a checkup and my doctor was very impressed by the results- he didn't know that I took the chinese tea's though, he thought flagyl did it in 3 days ahaha)

- The naturopaths were good, but I knew almost 90% of the information they were giving me (not to say that I didn't learn anything + I have studied nutrition for 6+ years on the side) --> either way I think it's good support and a new perspective is always the best thing you can get because it opens up opportunities you hadn't thought were available.

- Isopathy -> I don't know what effect it had because I did not take it long enough. I had to travel and thus kind of messed up the routine.

- Quatum medicine was really cool because they could read things from my past that I never told them about (i.e. complications at birth, trauma when I was 3 + 7 etc.) -> funny thing is they told me my intestines were perfect the first day of testing, which was 5+ hours! However, my first treatment I had ate some bad food right before and I got a reaction to the treatment = me getting nausea (naturally upsetting my stomach and intestines a bit) However I will know more after my colonoscopy tomorrow (since I did this about 1 month ago)

- NLP (best thing you can learn) I have been active in learning about psychology+social dynamics, which gave me greater understanding of how and why some of my health problems arose. Understanding how your brain functions makes anything possible, because you know how you would apply yourself to getting it resolved.

- Different diets all helped, mainly because you cut out the junk and eat more alkaline/nutrious foods. I have been customizing and trying different things to see if they work ( a lot of people ask me, Boris, do you think it will work though?) my answer is always the same " I have no idea, but that is why I am going to try it and see the results" after that I look at how I felt, what I liked an didn't like etc. Then I modify and move on.

- Supplements -> that industry is horrible on so many levels. I used to take supplement because I was into body building, played competitive basketball etc. etc. There is no regulation and it's a pure for profit industry. I take Carlson cod liver oil in liquid form (by far the best one) and I have tried different forms of probiotics (I feel liquid is still the best way to go) --> Kambucha for example

- Consulting with 3 doctors. When talking about western MD's, they are all more or less the same. They don't like to even talk about anything other then the med's avaliable. A lot of people get pissed of by this and I understand that (one of my doc's actually had a pharmaceutical rep sitting in on our discussion), but I also know why they are like that. I can write a whole lot about this and I probably will in the future, so for now my takeaway is to respect their time, however if you disagree with their opinion to stand your own ground as well.



Now with regards to you school question:

The #1 piece of advice I would give on this topic is to stop considering yourself sick.

I don't mean this from a new age hippie perspective, but rather from a psychological standpoint.

The reasoning behind this is that every time you call yourself sick you are telling your subconscious mind that you are sick. The subconscious takes this in as 100% true and makes sure you remain that way.

In fact, I would even recommend not talking about illness or reading too much into it.

You already know the things that are going to help you get better/make your life easier.

Things like drinking lots of water and diet, focusing on solving problems instead of on the problems, surrounding yourself with positive people etc. etc. should become second nature.

I want to clarify that I do not advise for you to ignore your health problems, but what I am advising is to not focus on them (while still taking care of any situations that arise promptly).

As a last note, I want to share a little story about one of my advanced courses.

I had a huge and brutal exam coming up at one point and I studied really hard. However, I managed to over eat (by a lot) and had to throw up roughly 9 times that night. I was dead/exhausted and malnurished. I still got out of bed and said I am going to write the exam. The thing is I could have gotten a doctors note and wrote it another day sure, but I knew that would take more of my time and other hassles.

I wrote the exam and it went pretty well, on top of that I e-mailed my professor at the time and told them what happened so they were aware of it. Problem solved.

The thing is I know I will be dealt some rough moments in life, but it's up to me on how I respond to them. That is the one thing I have complete control over.


Hope that is helpful and do let me know if you need anything else clarified or more specifics on the school/work issue

 

[SarahBear]

The #1 piece of advice I would give on this topic is to stop considering yourself sick.

I don't mean this from a new age hippie perspective, but rather from a psychological standpoint.

The reasoning behind this is that every time you call yourself sick you are telling your subconscious mind that you are sick. The subconscious takes this in as 100% true and makes sure you remain that way.

In fact, I would even recommend not talking about illness or reading too much into it.

You already know the things that are going to help you get better/make your life easier.

Things like drinking lots of water and diet, focusing on solving problems instead of on the problems, surrounding yourself with positive people etc. etc. should become second nature.

I want to clarify that I do not advise for you to ignore your health problems, but what I am advising is to not focus on them (while still taking care of any situations that arise promptly).

As a last note, I want to share a little story about one of my advanced courses.

I had a huge and brutal exam coming up at one point and I studied really hard. However, I managed to over eat (by a lot) and had to throw up roughly 9 times that night. I was dead/exhausted and malnurished. I still got out of bed and said I am going to write the exam. The thing is I could have gotten a doctors note and wrote it another day sure, but I knew that would take more of my time and other hassles.

I wrote the exam and it went pretty well, on top of that I e-mailed my professor at the time and told them what happened so they were aware of it. Problem solved.

The thing is I know I will be dealt some rough moments in life, but it's up to me on how I respond to them. That is the one thing I have complete control over.


Hope that is helpful and do let me know if you need anything else clarified or more specifics on the school/work issue

I definitely think that the mind plays an active role in things - but I still think there are other contributing factors. It's slightly difficult to not consider yourself sick when you're dealing with an illness such as this - although I do think of "sick" as a temporary thing, because I expect to feel better. I think that makes a difference, too. We can get caught up on "chronic" and forget about remission. A positive outlook does help.

I usually just don't allow myself to use it as an excuse - much like you, in your story. There are times when I need a break, though.

Thank you.

 

[Gutsii]

Yeah the mind is more connected to the intestines then we know. Thanks for the support hope the colonoscopy goes well.

Yeah I always encourage people to read up on the subject (not only for health reasons, but because it helps with overall life skills).

 

[mnsun]

I was wondering if you could elaborate on NLP in regards to a healing modality. As I try to understand it, this has to do with motivational language or, I guess, like cognitive behavioral adjustment? Any pointers on literature for us laymen?

 

[Gutsii]

I definitely think that the mind plays an active role in things - but I still think there are other contributing factors. It's slightly difficult to not consider yourself sick when you're dealing with an illness such as this - although I do think of "sick" as a temporary thing, because I expect to feel better. I think that makes a difference, too. We can get caught up on "chronic" and forget about remission. A positive outlook does help.

I usually just don't allow myself to use it as an excuse - much like you, in your story. There are times when I need a break, though.

Thank you.

Totally agree that there are many contributing factors and that it is difficult, but that's the good thing!

If it was simple and easy, then everyone would be happy and fulfilled. Most things worth having are hard and difficult. However, at the end of the day when you get there, the feeling is amazing because you know what it took to get there.

Here is a 7-day challenge if you are up for it:

-Try to go 7 days without having a negative thought. If you have one, you have to restart. I did this twice before and it was really tough but I learned a lot from it!

If you are up for it, let me know because I would be super excited to follow your process


Also, of course we all need a break from time to time. Everyone can burns out if they are overworked. I have studied productivity for some time and have a very good system down if you are interested?


cheers!

 

[Gutsii]

I was wondering if you could elaborate on NLP in regards to a healing modality. As I try to understand it, this has to do with motivational language or, I guess, like cognitive behavioral adjustment? Any pointers on literature for us laymen?

Hey Sun,


I generalized NLP because not a lot of people know about it and the principles you learn from it can be applied to all situations, mainly because it teaches you how to use the "words of the mind" to achieve specific goals.

For example, if you keep asking yourself "why am I so stupid" your subconscious mind will always come up with an answer. Whereas if you started to ask yourself "how can I figure this out", your subconscious mind will start figuring ways out.



The same thing can apply to illness. If you keep saying "omg I am so sick" then you keep re-affirming that you are sick. But, if you kept saying "wow, I am constantly getting better" (while actually taking the proper actions to get better), then your subconscious will take that as the truth and act accordingly.

For specific literature I feel a good starting point would be any of the old Tony Robbins stuff, Jim Rohn etc. but ideally I would recommend taking a course (Empowerment Partnership comes highly recommended from me personally)

 

[mnsun]

Ah, yes. Frames, anchors, models, sensation words, chunking up concepts, reptilian buttons, archetype shifting. Uncover the hidden persuader within, eh? We should all strive to raise myths, visualize and individuate toward alignment of body, mind, soul, spirit.

All joking aside, this is good stuff.

 

[Gutsii]

Ah, yes. Frames, anchors, models, sensation words, chunking up concepts, reptilian buttons, archetype shifting. Uncover the hidden persuader within, eh? We should all strive to raise myths, visualize and individuate toward alignment of body, mind, soul, spirit.

All joking aside, this is good stuff.

ahaha, indeed it is my friend, indeed it is.

 

[SarahBear]

Totally agree that there are many contributing factors and that it is difficult, but that's the good thing!

If it was simple and easy, then everyone would be happy and fulfilled. Most things worth having are hard and difficult. However, at the end of the day when you get there, the feeling is amazing because you know what it took to get there.

Here is a 7-day challenge if you are up for it:

-Try to go 7 days without having a negative thought. If you have one, you have to restart. I did this twice before and it was really tough but I learned a lot from it!

If you are up for it, let me know because I would be super excited to follow your process


Also, of course we all need a break from time to time. Everyone can burns out if they are overworked. I have studied productivity for some time and have a very good system down if you are interested?


cheers!

I'll certainly give it a shot, but I think trying not to think negatively will only make me think about it.

I'm not typically all that negative, in the first place. A little more so lately than usual, because I've been under a lot of stress and feeling bad. When things get real rough, I set aside time to feel sorry for myself - which really goes against what you're suggesting, but I've found that it helps me to let it out. Then it doesn't interfere with my life. It's worked for me thus far.

Productivity tips are welcome. I'd love to find ways to get things done more efficiently.

 

[David]

Hey there Boris and welcome to the community It seems as though you have a lot to offer. Hopefully we can return the favor over time.

All my best to you and please keep us updated as to what the results of the colonoscopy are.

 

[Gutsii]

I'll certainly give it a shot, but I think trying not to think negatively will only make me think about it.

I'm not typically all that negative, in the first place. A little more so lately than usual, because I've been under a lot of stress and feeling bad. When things get real rough, I set aside time to feel sorry for myself - which really goes against what you're suggesting, but I've found that it helps me to let it out. Then it doesn't interfere with my life. It's worked for me thus far.

Productivity tips are welcome. I'd love to find ways to get things done more efficiently.

ahahah, of course it will make you think about it, you won't be able to stop the thoughts from coming. The trick in the exercise is to not indulge into those thoughts.

If you are not comfortable or don't want to try the exercise, that is 100% fine. I just wanted to share that when I did it, I learned a lot about myself and considering your situation, I thought it was fitting.

That being said, I will only support you if it is a 100% yes or no. The choice is all yours :ybiggrin:

Everyone has different tactics and having emotional releases are a natural part of progress.

It is actually fantastic that you do release:congratualtions:, because lots of people just keep building it up (which tends to end up causing health problems, let alone social ones).

The point I was trying to make earlier is that if you start training your brain to not feel sorry for yourself and focus on the direction you want to go, "the build up" will be less and less because you are not stacking up as much baggage or negative triggers.


Since there is a lot to talk about on productivity, I will be making a thread on that by itself during this week

 

[Gutsii]

Hey there Boris and welcome to the community It seems as though you have a lot to offer. Hopefully we can return the favor over time.

All my best to you and please keep us updated as to what the results of the colonoscopy are.

Thank you for the welcome David!

I am glad you have found value in my posts, and I am sure, that I will learn a lot of things from you and this forum as well


Will post results tmr ... but for now I still have like 17 litres of gatorade to drink lol...

 

[newlymarriedtocrohns]

Boris, welcome! I didn't realize you were new to the forum too.
Thanks for posting so much info about what you've done and what has worked for you. It really is inspiring that you've managed to keep off of medication now. I'll have to look into some of the sources you suggested. I hope diet, exercise, and energy healing continue to make you feel better!

 

[Gutsii]

Boris, welcome! I didn't realize you were new to the forum too.
Thanks for posting so much info about what you've done and what has worked for you. It really is inspiring that you've managed to keep off of medication now. I'll have to look into some of the sources you suggested. I hope diet, exercise, and energy healing continue to make you feel better!

ahahah thank you I guess I am pretty new aren't I?


No problem at all, I am here to help in any way I can.


Lots of people have helped me in my life and it's one of the parts of success.


I will post some sources for you, but I have been really busy this week (my apologies)


Also, I appreciate you wishing the best for my health, naturally I do the same for you and your husband. It might be tough now, but look at the other side of the picture... once you guys get through this phase in your life, your bond will be stronger.


Whoever was by my side whenever I was sick, is always going to have my friendship no questions asked. Surely, others feel the same

 

[wild_one353]

Hey Sarah!

- The Chinese tea's I took for about 6 months and it got to a point where I did not need them anymore because my immune system was functioning very well (the purpose of the tea's was to fight inflammation and boost the immune system + boost other organs) --> btw, the tea's cured the fistula and bleeding within 1 week (note: I did start taking flagyl 4 days after the teas as well, and after 7 days of being on the tea I had a checkup and my doctor was very impressed by the results- he didn't know that I took the chinese tea's though, he thought flagyl did it in 3 days ahaha)

-

are you saying that you started the teas, then started taking flagyl on the 4th day of starting teas? then on the seventh day of teas, which is the 3rd day of flagyl

with so many changing variables, how certain can you really be that the teas were solely responsible for the fistula healing?

the report of your experiance is exciting, but it doesnt like we can draw the irrefutable conclusion that the teas were solely responsible, but they very well could be responsible for the healing.

please give more detailed information about how you came to this conclusion, because you may be right, but to be fair, it also seems there is an equal possibility that you could be wrong.

 

[Gutsii]

are you saying that you started the teas, then started taking flagyl on the 4th day of starting teas? then on the seventh day of teas, which is the 3rd day of flagyl

with so many changing variables, how certain can you really be that the teas were solely responsible for the fistula healing?

the report of your experiance is exciting, but it doesnt like we can draw the irrefutable conclusion that the teas were solely responsible, but they very well could be responsible for the healing.

please give more detailed information about how you came to this conclusion, because you may be right, but to be fair, it also seems there is an equal possibility that you could be wrong.

Hey Wildbill,

Thank you VERY much for pointing that out. I admit looking at the info from an outside perspective, this is worded in a way that is a bit confusing :yrolleyes:

I will now clarify

I want to start of by saying that, On top of the tea's I had already revamped my diet + water intake + sleep schedule.


This was just to put myself in a position to start the healing process and make it go quicker.


When I started taking the tea's, on the 3rd day of taking them, the bleeding in my stool (on paper to be exact) stopped.


After that day (the 4th day of taking the teas) I also started taking flagyl.


So now, 7 days after taking the tea's and 3 days after also implementing the antibiotic, I had a checkup.


The checkup was pre-ops. That means my doctor had already scheduled for me to have an operation to drain the fistula.


However, when he saw the results, he called off the surgery instantly.


So I wouldn't say the tea's did 100% of the work, but I would give them 60-70% of the total results produced(within that short period of time).


Of course, I don't deny that the flagyl wasn't part of the whole process for the month that I took it. I basically had the best of both worlds going to work on the bacteria in my gut (both worlds being eastern + western medicine).


I resumed the tea's(with diet+exercise+sleep) because they kept fighting inflammation and boosting my immune system. Naturally I got off flagyl as soon as I was able to because it had done it's job.


Once my immune system was functioning well, I stopped taking the tea's.



Note: I want to clarify on what tea means in this context. Naturally we think "tea" is a nice cup of some herbs steeped for a while. However, in this scenario the tea's are extremely difficult to swallow. You have to steep all kinds of herbs for 5-6 hours. Then you have to drink 500ml of probably the worst tasting stuff in this world (and it has to be hot).

Hope that clarifies the situation

Let me know if anything else is still uncertain and I will try my best to communicate it better

 

[GutlessWonder86]

is Chinese tea the same as green tea? Can you explain in layman's terms what is NLP and how does it work as well as Quantum Medicine? thanks.

 

[wild_one353]

boris berjan,

it seems to me you have some decent evidence that suggests the teas were helping.

what were the teas you were taking?

 

[Gutsii]

is Chinese tea the same as green tea? Can you explain in layman's terms what is NLP and how does it work as well as Quantum Medicine? thanks.

Will do, absolutely no problem


On top of my note in my last post " Note: I want to clarify on what tea means in this context. Naturally we think "tea" is a nice cup of some herbs steeped for a while. However, in this scenario the tea's are extremely difficult to swallow. You have to steep all kinds of herbs for 5-6 hours. Then you have to drink 500ml of probably the worst tasting stuff in this world (and it has to be hot). "

In order to get these "tea's" you have to go see a Chinese medical practitioner.


You cannot buy the tea's in a store, mainly because the Chinese practitioner has to exam you. (Mostly by pulse and checking your tongue)


Once they exam you, they tell you what they see is wrong with your body. You can then confirm (mine saw digestive problems).


After that, they write out a proprietary formula specifically tailored to your bodies problems.


You take the teas for 7 days and then you have to come for a checkup. You keep doing this until you feel you don't need them anymore (whether that is via feeling better, getting rid of symptoms, good test results etc.)


The teas take a long time to prepare and are VERY strong. It is best done in an environment with lots of ventilation (because the process takes 5-6 hours) . This should set you up for the whole week, however, everytime you drink them (2 times a day) they have to be hot (or else the process doesn't work).


I have attached a picture of what the process of making them looks like

@WildBill -> This should answer your question as well

 

[Ihurt]

Oh man, I have done the whole chinnese herbal teas, and Ughhhh, they are soooo nasty tasting!!! You think it would taste good they way it looks, but literally, it is hard to swallow. I can actually say that the bowel prep I had to drink 8 years ago before I had a colonoscopy and the crap I drank for my recent MRE was more palatable that the teas! lol

 

[Gutsii]

ahahah Ihurt!


Considering your description, I would bet my whole family if anyone asked me if you were lying or not...

The answer would be a unanimous (100% took the tea's lol)

That being said, they did the trick

 

[KWalker]

Hey, I'm not too far from you in St Catharines while studying at Brock University. I agree with a lot of what you said and the others I don't have any experience with. I've been off all medication since 2010 and doing pretty well and I too think it could have a lot to do with the fact that I don't focus my days on having an illness.

 

[Gutsii]

Hey, I'm not too far from you in St Catharines while studying at Brock University. I agree with a lot of what you said and the others I don't have any experience with. I've been off all medication since 2010 and doing pretty well and I too think it could have a lot to do with the fact that I don't focus my days on having an illness.

:congratualtions:

That is great news!

Don't sell yourself short, it absolutely has a lot to do with the fact that you don't focus on sickness.

Whatever you focus on you attract (be it good or bad), it's just the way the subconscious mind works.

Also, you guys party like crazy over there at Brock


Once again, congratulations!

 

[Gutsii]

is Chinese tea the same as green tea? Can you explain in layman's terms what is NLP and how does it work as well as Quantum Medicine? thanks.

Hey Gutless,


My apologies, somehow I missed your questions in this thread (please forgive me)


NLP = neuro logistical programming = using the words of the mind to get you specific outcomes/results

Basically, its the process of programming yourself to achieve something specific.


for example:

if you keep asking yourself the question of "why do I always get sick?", your subconscious mind will give you an answer.

if you keep asking "what are the things I need to do, that will prevent me from getting sick again?" then your subconscious will give you an answer.


Quantum Medicine is all about using the bodies energy to heal itself (or provide information about oneself)


Everything that you have experienced in your life is in your neurological system.

Quantum medicine is able to use this as analytics (i.e. when I got tested, they told me that they saw traumas when they I was 3 and 7) -> I did and I never told them that.

A lot of things like this came up.

In essence for treatment purposes, it uses the bodies energy and manipulates it to treat/cure disease.


Hope that clarifies things!