Crohn’s disease occurs when the digestive tract gets inflamed. This long pathway of inflammation may start at the mouth and end at the rectum – including the oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, and large intestine. Crohn’s disease has the potential to affect the entire digestive process, though most of the painful digestive attacks take place in the lower small intestine.
In a flare-up of Crohn’s disease, the affected area swells. Unpleasant, chronic symptoms will result – like pain and diarrhoea.
Crohn’s disease symptoms are difficult to live with and can compromise quality of life.
Symptoms can range from mild to severe and may include:
- Stomach pain (most common)
- Diarrhoea (most common)
- Weight loss
- Rectal bleeding
- Skin irritation
- Eye irritation
Instances of Crohn’s disease are on the rise, especially among young people. There are over 8000 new cases diagnosed each year. Crohn’s disease affects roughly one in 1000 people. Crohn’s disease is also likely to run in the family. Up to 20 per cent of people diagnosed with Crohn’s also have a blood relative with inflammatory bowel disease.1
People of all ages can develop Crohn’s disease. However, the condition is most often diagnosed between the ages of 20 to 30. As Crohn’s disease progresses, it affects the health of the colon. This greatly increases the risk of colon cancer.
One in 20 Crohn’s disease sufferers will develop colon cancer within 10 years after the condition is diagnosed.1
INVASIVE MEDICAL TREATMENT FOR DIGESTIVE DISTRESS
Crohn’s disease is hard to treat. The digestive disorder is marked by widespread inflammation that is difficult to control. With medical intervention, Crohn’s can be managed in the short-term. More invasive long-term treatment is often recommended.
Up to 80 per cent of Crohn’s disease sufferers will undergo surgery to control symptoms, repair the digestive system, and treat complications of the disorder.1
It should go without saying that surgery should always be a last resort option for a health issue. Since Crohn’s disease is related to digestive inflammation, digestive health before surgery is agreed upon. The most common medical “prescription” for Crohn’s disease is a combination of nutritional supplements, drugs, and surgery. This medical protocol attempts to offer long periods of remission from the digestive condition with no guarantee of long-term recovery.
Medication for Crohn’s disease should not be taken lightly. Nutritional supplements are highly recommended, but typical Crohn’s medication will suppress the immune system in an attempt to calm inflammation. Suppressing inflammation may help to suppress pain, fever, and diarrhoea to allow the digestive system to heal – temporarily.
Crohn’s disease medications are complex and can come with an even longer list of side effects. Aminosalicylates, corticosteroids, immunomodulators, biological therapies, and antibiotics are recommended by medical professionals. For many patients, these aggressive meds further compromise health with mild to severe side effects – corticosteroids to control inflammation can only be taken in the short-term as they cause facial swelling, acne, hair growth, and excessive weight gain.
It would be an understatement to say that long-term, aggressive medication use is a burden for patients of Crohn’s disease. Doctors are quick to prescribe drugs to control symptoms, and diet is often overlooked at the root of the disorder.
TARGET THE INFLAMMATION
Recovery and rehabilitation for Crohn’s disease hinges on one simple principle: Control inflammation through diet. Inflammatory bowel disease may run in the family for some sufferers of Crohn’s, but lifestyle is a much more important factor to take into account. Lifestyle choices can impact health and are always within your must be addressed first control. Genes load the gun, and lifestyle pulls the trigger.
Many sufferers of Crohn’s disease are simply unaware that the majority of foods they eat each day are highly inflammatory. Starchy carbs like breads, pastries, cookies, cereals, potatoes, and pastas are all inflammatory triggers. Processed foods and milk products add to the burden.
Inflammatory foods sabotage digestive health and worsen a condition like Crohn’s. Healing will be next to impossible if you don’t cut inflammatory foods out of your diet. Really healthy foods and grain alternatives are recommended to nourish a wounded body and heal the gut: fresh or frozen vegetables; beans, nuts, and seeds; dark-skinned fruits; hemp, krill, and olive oil; and quinoa, millet, and buckwheat instead of processed carbs.
There’s more. Cutting inflammatory triggers out of the diet is the first step. Healing the gut with an anti-inflammatory enzyme offers hope for true recovery. The errapeptase enzyme, derived from the intestine of the silkworm, is renowned for its ability to digest inflammation and offer pain relief. Serrapeptase has been supported in a clinical setting for over 25 years as a safe, effective alternative to over-the-counter and prescription drugs – like ibuprofen and NSAIDs.
The Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America describes Crohn’s disease as a “chronic, life-long condition [that] can be treated but not cured.” We know now that cure is a medical term, and the medical community cannot offer any cures, or they would be out of business.
However, pain relief and rehabilitation are still possible. A non-inflammatory lifestyle is the first and most important step to allow your body to repair itself. You can support tissue regeneration and recovery with critical nutrients, like the anti-inflammatory enzyme Serrapeptase, to regain your digestive health.
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“Useful Statistics about Bowel Disease.” St Marks Foundation.