A reader wrote in and asked:Would you supply me with whatever information you have on dealing with Crohn's disease? I have had it for 36 years and they want to do surgery and remove my large bowel. I don't want to go that route. Any nutritional information you can give me would be helpful. --Pastor David, NEDr Whitaker wrote back:The first thing I would recommend isn't a nutrient but a safe, effective drug that your doctor probably doesn't know about: LOW-DOSE NALTREXONE (LDN). In a recent pilot study, Jill Smith, MD, of the Pennsylvania State College of Medicine treated patients with Crohn's disease with 4.5 MG of LDN at bedtime for 12 weeks, and then followed them for an additonal month. Eighty-nine percent of the participants responded to LDN, and 67 percent went into remission. Dr Smith is now conducting a large phase II placebo-controlled trial of LDN involving children with Crohn's. To learn more vist lowdosenaltrexone.orgDiet modifications are also helpful. But now, you likely know what foods exacerbate your symptoms. If you aren't sure, try eliminating common problematic items such as milk, gluten, citrus, tomatoes, additives, preservatives, sugars, and starches.Crohn's is associated with poor nutritional status, which means a good daily multivitamin is essential. Correcting vitamin D deficiencies alleviates symptoms in some patients, so make sure you get adequate sun exposure and talk to your doctor about testing your blood level of vitamin D (25(OH)D). If its below 50 ng/mL, take enough supplemental vitamin D to bring it into the optimal range.Other supplements with proven benefits for Crohn's disease include aloe vera (I've heard good things about AMP Floracel and Digestinol), the amino acid glutamine, fish oil, curcumin extract (10% of tumeric is curcumin and 90% something else), and probiotics. Look for these supplements in your health food store or call (800) 810-6655 to order.To read more about Crohn's, visit the Subscriber Center at drwhitaker.com. I truly hope these suggestions will improve your condition. Give them a try and let me know how you're doing. -- JW
To list those out:
- Low Dose Naltrexone
- Diet modifications
- Daily multivitamin
- Vitamin D
- Aloe vera
- Glutamine
- Fish oil
- Curcumin extract
- Probiotics
Dr. W sounds remarkably forward-thinking in comparison to many physicians as it relates to Crohn's.
ReplyDeleteI would also opine that there is one tactic that is rarely examined in Crohn's, and that is strict sugar restriction. A few older references describe how Crohn's can be put into remission by withholding sugars; Lutz in "Life Without Bread" has an excellent chart where some 90%+ of patients were put into remission and kept there for up to three years (!) simply by cutting carbs back to no more than 72 grams per day. Even twice that amount (150 grams/day) is pretty good, and many folks (about 50-60%) find relief at that level.
It's tough, but it beats the heck out of the pills and injections.
Good luck, all.
RELIV is what saved my life from chron's. And it also made me practically healthier than the average person! My blood tests proved it.
ReplyDeleteDr. W. My son is 19 years old and was just diagnosed with crohns disease. I read what you recommeneded up above on this page. does that still stand or is any updates. As for we go to see the doctor this week for him to start taking medication of some sort and i want to be prepared when we go in. Thanks for your time
ReplyDeleteMike
Thank you for providing such a valuable information and thanks for sharing this matter.
ReplyDelete