what are some natural remedies for crohn's/stomach pains

by sara
(new london wi)

I have been on various different prescription drugs and nothing is working. I am looking into natural remedies to see if that works. Does anyone do that, does it work, what do you take? Also I have the worst stomach pains almost unbareable. Any suggestions. I have been eating barely nothing, because it doesn't matter what I eat I get pains. Please help!

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natural remedies NEW
by: Annette

Hello,

It’s good that you are seeking some alternative remedies for your crohn’s problem but be aware that although there are lots of suggestions and tips for healing this disease naturally, nothing has ever been proven. I am a firm believer though that that are natural cures for everything if we did but know it and so I am going to pass on some information that you may wish to try.

First of all stress has a negative effect on your disease so if you lead a stressful life – (yes even worrying about your disease will be enough to cause a reaction) so if you can look at stress management techniques to help alleviate the effects of any stress that is experienced, this is a step in the right direction. I would suggest gentle exercise by way of yoga which actually can help the body and some yoga poses do work on improving the digestive system. But also try learning meditation. Try to do a little of both each day and then monitor how you feel over a two week period for example.

You could also try aloe vera gel as I have heard some good feedback on this and also by increasing any fish oil in your diet. There are trials on vitamin D as scientists believe that this could help to alleviate some aspects of crohn’s disease.

Do remember however that everyone is unique and therefore, just because someone responds well to a natural remedy or medication, it does not mean that everyone will react in the same way.

There are some foods that are worth reducing or eliminating…

Dairy products
Spicy foods
High Fiber foods
You should also reduce or eliminate alcohol and smoking if you currently use either.

It might be worth going to visit a nutritionist and this is to just ensure that you have enough vitamins and minerals in your body. Some crohn’s sufferers find it harder to absorb these all-important nutrients so a check-up will ensure that you have everything you need. You must also ensure you drink plenty of water and keep hydrated.

Do avoid foods that are difficult to digest ad keep a food diary which should highlight potential triggers.

Other natural remedies that are recommended are garlic, ginger and peppermint. But to avoid upsetting your digestive track, I would only try one thing at a time and test it for a while to check for reactions.

I hope this helps.

Best wishes,

Annette Young
THANK YOU NEW
by: SARA

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR INFO. i REALLY APPRECIATE THE TIME YOU TAKE TO HELP ME OUT. i AM WILLING TO TRY ANYTHING AND HAVE HAD SOME GREAT IDEAS FROM ALL OF YOU THAT I AM GOING TO TRY. WISH ME LUCK
Natural remedies for stomach pain NEW
by: Adam

Hi Sarah,

I am 40. I was diagnosed with what they first thought was colitis when I was 17. I was getting sick every time I ate. I would have to throw up almost after every time I would eat. After going to the doctor, the put me on prednazone (a steroid. That seemed to help, but then about 6 months later I began bleeding internaly and had to have surgery. They removed over 2' of my small intestine & large bowel. They then determined I had Crohn's.

I was good after the surgery for about 10 years, then had another bleeding episode. I really didn't have any sympoms up until that time. They did another surgery & removed approx another 12" of my small intestine. After my surgery things were good again.
2 years ago my symptoms began creeping back up- every couple of months, I would get violently ill. It would start with light stomach cramps. The cramps would increase in severity until I couldn't do anything. I couldn't even lay down or sleep or anything. It is always the same, I would have to throw up 2-3 times in a 3-4 hour period, then the cramps would slowly go away. usually 24 hours after it started, it would go away.

January 2011 I had another bleeding episode. My GI doctor wanted to put me on medication. I believe it was Pentassa. It suppresses your immune system, causes cancer, screws up your liver. I decided to try natural supplements.
There was a study in Canada done that suggested vitamin D deficiency contributed to Crohn's. They get less sun( source of vitamin D) in Canada, and have higher rates of Crohn's. I also did some research for probiotics- the good bacteria in your gut that fights off & balances out with the bad bacteria. I began taking that also, along with omega 3 fish oil, and Calcium w/ magnesium & zink. Since I started on all of those, I haven't had a flareup until last night- 1 year & 3 months. I am not sure which one is doing any good- I have a tendancy to think the fish oil and Pro-biotic are doing the job. I feel for you, and know what you are going through. There is a website that I would like you to look at. It has very good explanations of what effect different foods do to your intestional walls, and how they can irritate the intestine.

http://www.karenhurd.com/pages/healthtopics/specifichealthconcerns/ht-shc-thewhitediet.html

Hopefully this helps

Adam
Natural Options NEW
by: Alycia

Hi,

I was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease 8 years ago and tried different medications to try to alleviate my symptoms but nothing worked for me either and I looked into natural options.

It took a lot of years of trial and error, but I found that Aloe Vera gel, homeopathy, reiki healing and also keeping a food journal and eliminating the foods that made my symptoms worse were all beneficial for me.
It's a case of trying things and see what helps you, everyone is different.

I'm no doctor, so I'm in no place to give medical or professional advice. But as a fellow sufferer of Crohn's Disease who came to a point in my life when I was desperate for an alternative to steroids, I feel that it's helped me to lead a relatively 'normal' life.

I've had no medication for over 6 years, have had no surgeries, no hospitalizations. I have had a couple of quite bad flare ups that I've been able to control with food. If I had a deficiency in something, I just found an alternative that had the vitamins that my body needed to heal. I will admit it does take longer for your body to heal itself through food, but it can be done!

As an example; once I had a blood test from my doctor that said I had a deficiency in B12 and he said I'd need injections every week for the rest of my life...I asked if he could give me a month to try it my way. He was very skeptical and told me that it wouldn't do much good but I could have a month.... So I went away and ate a tuna steak 3 times a week, went back for another blood test and was told that the results were off the charts and I wouldn't need injections.


Hope this helps you in some way,

Alycia xx

what are some natural remedies for crohn's/stomach pains NEW
by: Lydia D.


I had pancreatitis from 6-Mercaptopurine (6-MP aka Purinethol). If your son was on a cytostatic (6-MP, Methotrexate, Imuran aka Azathioprine), then pancreatitis is a known side-effect.

However, anyone on drugs can get hepatitis or pancreatitis, etc. Hepatitis is frequently seen with Crohn's. Pancreatitis directly attributable to Crohn's as opposed to drug induced is relatively rare. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1379504/

Be aware that aloe vera is used as a laxative. It could lead to malnutrition in your son's case.

I refer you to www.drugs.com or www.rxlist.com
alternative meds for chrons NEW
by: Anonymous

hi,my son is 10.he had pancreatitis in hospital and they think it is fron chrons.he had severe pain.what help so far for 3 months with no pain is multi vatamin,fish oil ,and pro biotic 25 billion fron gns.i start now serovers ,it is from alovera it is on line to order.140 dollrs.pro biotic is great,also acupacture and chiropracter does the tric.so far so good,and belive it or not,doctors want him to have meds which we do not give.,even if he has no pain.so do not give up,keep trying,you will get there.i went to 10 doctors,no one help,now we have dr.rosh from nj morristown and raritan,he is good.good luck
thank you NEW
by: sara

Thank you all so much for some new info. I will try some new things to see what might work for me. Good luck to all. God Bless.
Help NEW
by: nikki

I know its sounds weird but i have been on aloe vera for a month now and my pain in my cramps have reduced emensly.. i would advice trying aloe vera juice i get it from the health food store.. i cant promise it will help but i have found it helps me..

I also have been trying chinese remedies like herbs as well not sure about that its only new.. so i hope that it helps you too

ox nikki
I wish there was a pain remedy NEW
by: Denise Coker

For I have found none, sick of people telling us to watch what we eat, when we have gotten to the point of eating NOTHING , if freakin mashed potatoes aren't mashed good enough, I freak out and spit the hard potato out for the fear of how bad it's gonna hurt, this goes along with anything that has any hard texture, some of us can't do a dang diet cause we can't eat!!! Then to top it off they won't give a a dang thing for pain. Only prednisone, bentyl, or sulfa drugs, but let someone have a "backache" and they get pain meds and freakin disability. It is so hard to work and deal with this at the same time. It is so hard to get going in the morning and make it to work on time. But we're supposed to have a pain managable life . How? So to all those who tell us to watch what we eat, enjoy your red meat and greens. Any suggestions besides watch what we eat or it's because we don't eat crap!!!!
what are some natural remedies for crohn's/stomach pains NEW
by: Lydia D.

There are no proven natural remedies to cure Crohn's disease associated pain. Most natural remedies cause gut problems including diarrhoea, etc.

Vitamin and mineral deficiency will additionally cause stomach and gut pains. You are most likely making your pain worse by not eating. http://www.livestrong.com/article/478308-can-abdominal-pain-be-caused-by-a-vitamin-or-mineral-deficiency/ http://itoldyouiwassick.info/2011/03/06/common-causes-of-mystery-symptoms-%E2%80%93-part-3-%E2%80%93-vitamin-and-mineral-deficiencies/

Discuss your current diet with a nutritionist. You should be on a diet that ensures you have enough b-complex vitamins, vitamin C, the fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K - fish oil capsules) magnesium, iron, zinc, calcium, etc. You should be on ORS (oral rehydration salts) if you have severe diarrhoea and are not hydrated (high risk of stroke).

If they are stomach pains and not abdominal pains then you should have gastroendoscopy to rule out a peptic ulcer. I assume that you are taking your steroids with food and are taking a PPI (proton pump inhibitor) to prevent stomach ulcers.

Your disease is obviously not under control and you need to discuss all of this with your doctor and ask him/her for the necessary advice and change in therapy.

Try drinking Boost or Ensure or some other astronaut drink to get the necessary nutrients.

In addition to (mashed) potatoes (excellent and highly nutritious), eat mashed carrots/broccoli/pumpkin, broths, fine oat porridge, banana smoothies (half a lemon, a banana, yoghurt and water), finely ground or homogenised chicken, fish, etc. Base your diet on the BRAT (banana, rice, apple and toast/tea) diet and work out which foods increase your pain. Keep a food/mood/symptom - pain/medication diary. Use the following:

CDAI
http://www.ibdjohn.com/cdai/

Bristol Stool Scale
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol_Stool_Scale

The comparative pain scale (no pain 0, 10 excrutiating pain)
http://www.tipna.org/info/documents/ComparativePainScale.htm

Red meat and leafy greens/pulses are very difficult to digest and should be avoided. Do not eat fast food - unless as a really last resort - avoid artificial food flavourings, spices, pickles, etc.

Believe you me, I know what sort of pain you are in. I have the T-shirt in several colours.

Do some reading around the subject. I reiterate, you are not doing yourself any favours by not eating properly. I have included a few references to kick you off.

http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/list-VitaminsMinerals/

www.drugs.com
ex trucker NEW
by: Anonymous

i was on baked potatoes for months it was about the only thing i could tolerate

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