The Alternatives

There is a growing trend in the use of alternative treatments for the care of those with digestive conditions. For some, conventional treatments don’t work, for others, they are concerned about the risks of side effects. WANTED: Crohn’s End explores the people and the alternative treatments they use to overcome their debilitating conditions. Some of these potentially revolutionary and life changing alternative treatments include:

Diet & Supplementation

For IBS, Celiac disease and Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, some people use specialized diets and supplementation plans. Those who take this approach embrace an entirely different way of living, foregoing fast and convenient food to embrace forgotten cooking methods to make homemade 24 hour fermented yogurt and 36 hour boiled soups from animal bones and chicken feet. In those with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, this is often done in the face of harsh skepticism or even down right disapproval from their Gastroenterologists, friends and families.

Selected Research:

• Coming soon

Helminthic therapy

For millions of years, humanity has evolved to live symbiotically with microscopic parasitic helminths. These helminths are used to modulate the immune system in those with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis and stop the inflammatory process. Because of its effectiveness in creating and maintaining remission, it’s becoming one of the hottest alternative treatments around, despite the FDA banning the sale of them within the United States.

Selected Research:

• Coming soon

Medical Cannabis

Illegal in many states within the US, people have to fight for access to Medical Cannabis. Shown to be a highly versatile treatment, managing pain, appetite and intestinal inflammation, many people who fail on conventional treatments and even have multiple surgeries believe Medical Cannabis to have unparallelled effectiveness.

Selected Research:

• Coming soon

Low-dose Naltrexone

Naltrexone has been used for decades in large doses to help narcotic abusers overcome their addiction. Today, naltrexone used in low doses (LDN) has been scientifically proven to promote healing of the intestines for those with Crohn’s disease and many achieve long lasting remission. However, funding for research studies on this non-pharmaceutical owned drug is difficult to come by and the medical journals are not particularly interested in publishing the promising data that’s emerging.

Selected Research:

• Coming soon

Bacteriotherapy

Inside your intestines right now exists a “rainforest” of microscopic life. This diverse ecological system of bacteria, viruses, fungi and more is so important to the health of its host that it is being called a separate and vital “organ” of the human body.

Poor diet and drug use, especially antibiotics are rendering bacterial species extinct. In those with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, the damage is so extensive that use of probiotics isn’t enough. Instead, the microbial community from a healthy donor’s stool can be implanted into the intestines of the recipient. For some with ulcerative colitis, this largely unknown treatment has proved to be a cure for an “incurable” disease.

Selected Research:

• Coming soon