Project Description
What is Crohns Disease?
Crohns Disease belongs to a category of diseases known as Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD). Crohns is an autoimmune disease where the bodys own immune system attacks the gastrointestinal tract. Crohns Disease primarily affects the small intestine but can also affect other areas of the gastrointestinal tract. There is a patchy distribution of lesions that can affect the deeper layers of the intestinal wall.
What are the common signs and symptoms of Crohns Disease?
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Abdominal pain and bloating
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Diarrhea, bloody stool
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Bowel obstruction
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Nausea and vomiting
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Flatulence
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Fatigue
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Anemia
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Weight loss
How is Crohns Disease diagnosed?
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Blood tests
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Colonoscopy
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Barium X-rays
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CAT scan can be used to diagnose complications of Crohns Disease
How is Crohns Disease commonly treated?
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Mesalazine
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Corticosteroids
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Targeted immune suppressing drugs
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These drugs can have serious side effects including bone loss, cancer, and diabetes
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If these drugs do not work surgical removal of portions of the intestines may become necessary
Is Crohns Disease a genetic disease?
No, Crohns Disease is not a genetic disease. There are certain gene variations that can increase a persons risk of developing an autoimmune disease like Crohns Disease. However, it is important to remember that just because someone may have these gene variations does not mean that they will definitely develop Crohns Disease. Important factors that affect “gene expression” play a significant role and are discussed below. Your genes are not your destiny.
What causes Crohns Disease?
According to conventional american medicine the cause of Crohns Disease and other auto-immune diseases is unknown. However, a careful analysis of the peer reviewed scientific literature reveals a number of important factors that can lead to the imbalanced and malfunctioning immune system seen in Crohns Disease. It is these important factors listed below that will ultimately determine whether or not you will develop an autoimmune disease like Crohns Disease.
What are these important factors?
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Vitamin D deficiency
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Increased gastrointestinal permeability (Leaky Gut)
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Gastrointestinal microbial imbalances (bacteria, yeast, parasites, etc..)
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Adrenal gland dysfunction (the adrenal gland regulates the immune system)
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Environmental chemical exposure (pesticides, herbicides, industrial pollutants, etc..)
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Toxic metal exposure (mercury, aluminum, arsenic, etc…)
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Nutritional deficiencies
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Over consumption of inflammatory or potentially antigenic food molecules (gluten, partially hydrogenated fats, omega 6 polyunsaturated fats, lectins, advanced glycation end products, etc…), Europeans refer to some of these molecules as food toxicants
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Over consumption of high sugar and high carbohydrate processed foods (cake, cookies, pastry, soda, juice, pasta, bread, etc…)
What should a Comprehensive Holistic Health Protocol for Crohns Disease include?
A Comprehensive Holistic Health Protocol should always be customized to meet the unique needs of each person. Not only do people have different genetic variations, but differ in important lifestyle factors that influence their overall health outcomes. A persons diet, stress levels, professional and family responsibilities, sleep patterns, exercise choices, as well as pre-exiting and concomitant medical conditions all must be considered in protocol design. Of the over 11,000 Customized Holistic Health Protocols we have designed in the last 27 years of clinical practice, no two have been exactly the same. An appropriate protocol should accomplish the following:
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Evaluate and Establish how many of the above factors are involved in each persons unique clinical situation
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Design and implement a Customized Dietary Plan (CDP) that will address the above factors involved in each persons condition
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Design and implement a Targeted Nutritional Supplementation (TNS) strategy that will address the above factors involved in each persons condition
