Sure Cures for Crohn’s Disease and Colitis

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Avoid gastrointestinal surgery or harmful Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) drug treatments; treat Crohn’s disease symptoms naturally, safely with home remedies.

What is Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)?

Inflammatory Bowel Disease is an autoimmune disease that causes severe damage to the digestive tract.  Illnesses that fall under IBD include Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

What is Irritable Bowel Syndrome?

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), however, is not a disease, but rather a condition also referred to as spastic colon. IBS does not cause any damage to the colon.

Symptoms of IBD include:

• Anemia
• Bleeding
• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Flatulence
• Fever
• Loose irregular stools
• Bloody stools
• Inflamed colon
• Stomach cramps
• Swelling
• Ulcers

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Crohn’s Disease Suggested Dinner Menu, plus Recipes

Natural remedies for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis:

1) Probiotics- Lactobacillus (L. acidophilus) is one of the most popular types of “friendly bacteria” used to treat digestive problems such as ulcerative colitis.  Probiotics decrease the amount of unhealthy bacteria in the gut, quell inflammation, and aid in protecting the stomach lining.  Good sources of lactobacillus include yogurt, fermented soy products, and nutritional supplements.

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2) Diet- The best way to avoid Crohn’s disease flare-ups is by following a restrictive diet.  Some popular diets for IBD include the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) and the Low Residue Diet (LRD). Read more about treating Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis through diet: Ten Foods to avoid if you have Inflammatory Bowel Disorder.

3) Blond psyllium- Blond psyllium is an herb that is used as a gentle stool softener for patients who have undergone anal surgery, in addition to sufferers of hemorrhoids, IBS, and ulcerative colitis.  Blond psyllium is a natural alternative for the drug mesalamine (Rowasa), a common prescription medication for IBD.

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4) Indian frankincense- Frankincense, or olibanum, refers to the resin that seeps from the Boswellia serrata plant.  Naturopathic medicine practitioners use frankincense to treat arthritis pain, but it is also used for relieving ulcerative colitis, stomach cramps, and menstrual pain.

Natural Treatments for the Symptoms of Crohn’s Disease

5) Glutamine- Glutamine is an amino acid that boosts the immune system and protects the digestive system.  Glutamine is effective for treating individuals with Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and stomach ulcers, in addition to people undergoing radio-chemotherapy for cancer of the esophagus.

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6) Wheatgrass- Wheatgrass contains many essential vitamins and nutrients, including vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, iron, calcium, and magnesium.  Many wheatgrass juice enthusiasts claim that wheatgrass significantly reduces swelling associated with ulcerative colitis symptoms.

7) Acupuncture- In a controlled study, Crohn’s disease patients who received regular acupuncture treatments experienced significant relief from the symptoms of IBD, in addition to an improved state of well-being.

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Related reading:

Gastrointestinal Surgery for Crohn’s (IBD) and B12 Warnings

101 Helpful Sites for Kids ‘n Teens with Crohn’s (and their Parents)

Sources:

Common Vitamins and Supplements to Treat Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)

Herbs and Supplements for inflammatory bowel disease

Natural Remedies for Ulcerative Colitis

Crohn’s disease: Alternative medicine – MayoClinic.com

How to Eat after Weight Loss Surgery

Dumping Syndrome or “rapid gastric emptying” is what occurs after a gastric bypass surgery when the food you eat moves through your digestive system too quickly.  Swallowed bits of food are unceremoniously “dumped” through your stomach and into your small intestines without proper digestion, leading to unpleasant side effects, such as nausea.

Dumping syndrome can happen quickly, only thirty minutes after eating, but it can also occur several hours later.

Within the first hour of eating, dumping syndrome symptoms may include:

• Diarrhea
• Nausea
• Lightheadedness
• Stomach cramps
• Fatigue
• Belching
• Heart palpitations

When dumping occurs about three hours after a meal, then symptoms may include:

• Perspiring
• Tiredness
• Light-headedness
• Jerkiness
• Anxiety
• Heart palpitations
• Fainting
• Muddled thinking
• Diarrhea
• Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)

10 Mistakes Gastric Bypass Patients Often Make

Dumping syndrome is painful and often embarrassing, with strict adherence to a few simple dietary rules, you can avoiding experiencing it in the future.

Here are four basic rules for preventing gastric bypass dumping symptoms:

1) Eat slowly.

Eating or drinking hurriedly is a certain way to cause dumping later.  Because your body no longer has the control mechanism that regulates how quickly food enters your small intestines, it is up to you to make sure that your stomach receives food to digest at a slow, steady pace before sending it on through your gastrointestinal tract. So eat at a leisurely pace, chew your food carefully, and take small bites.

2) Avoid simple sugars.

Certain foods, such as ice cream, cakes, and cookies (the very things that got you fat in the first place) are likely to cause the unpleasant side effects of dumping, such as dizziness, hypertension, nausea, and diarrhea.  Check food labels, and avoid anything that lists sugar, glucose, or dextrose (or anything ending in –ose) as one of its first three ingredients.  Study: Gastric Bypass as a Cure for Diabetes?

3) Sip water throughout the day, and lots of it.

Never drink liquids while eating, as that causes dumping, especially nausea and vomiting.  Always leave a no-drinking window of thirty minutes before and after eating.  Additionally, drinking during a meal will cause you to eat less, which can lead to malnutrition.  To avoid dehydration, remember to drink small sips of water between meals, amounting to 64 ounces per day. Don’t rush- the same rules apply for eating as they do for drinking water.

4) Eat protein with your meals.

Half of your dinner plate should include a source of protein, such as lean beef, chicken, fish, eggs or dairy.  Because it takes longer to digest protein, you’re less likely to overeat or eat too quickly.  In addition, protein foods are high in vitamin B12, a nutrient that you should be including in your daily supplements, as well as in your regular diet.  B12 Deficiency: Don’t Ignore the Symptoms

Related Reading:

Weight Loss Surgery: What 50 Post-Op Patients have to Say

Teens and Weight Loss Surgery: Worth the Risk?

Gastric Bypass Surgery: Good for the Heart

Sources:

Gastric bypass diet- MayoClinic.com

How to Prevent Dumping Syndrome After Weight Loss Surgery | eHow.com

Gastric Dumping Diet | LIVESTRONG.COM

Dumping Syndrome: Unpleasant Gastric Bypass Side Effect. Avoid It!

Dumping Syndrome: The Dirty Secret Gastric Bypass Patients Keep

Intrinsic factor is a protein produced by the cells of the stomach, parietal cells, which also produce the acid (gastric juice) for digestion. The intrinsic factor is the compound which facilitates and allows the absorption of vitamin B12 from food in the stomach and the intestines.

Once ingested the B12 becomes bound to a binding proteins present in the hydrochloric acid of the stomach. In the less acidic environment of the small intestine, these proteins separate from the vitamin, enabling it to bind to intrinsic factor and enter the bloodstream.

 The intrinsic factor is an enzyme-like unidentified substance secreted by the stomach. It is present in the gastric juice as well as in the gastric mucous membrane. The optimum pH for the action of the intrinsic factor is 7 and it is inactivated at temperatures above 45^oC.

In pernicious anemia, an autoimmune disease, autoantibodies direct themselves against the intrinsic factor and/or parietal cells themselves and lead to an intrinsic factor deficiency, which results in malabsorption of vitamin B12. Atrophic gastritis, an inflammation of the mucous membrane of the stomach, can also cause intrinsic factor deficiency and anemia through damage to the parietal cells. Pancreatic exocrine insufficiency can interfere with normal dissociation of vitamin B12 from the proteins, as well preventing its absorption via the intrinsic factor structure. Bariatric surgery is a known risk factor in the development of pernicious anemia, other risk factors include stomach tumors, gastric ulcers, and excessive consumption of alcohol.

Patients experiencing an insufficiency in their intrinsic factor levels cannot benefit from a low dose oral vitamin B-12 supplement, because it will not absorb through the wall of the small intestine. Historically, the disease was thought untreatable before the discovery that it could be managed with regular injections of vitamin B-12, thus bypassing the digestive tract. Other options are available nowadays if injections are not the desired method of supplementation.