The mind and the body are extremely complicated and very mysterious! We know that a positive attitude helps a lot, but it rarely by itself is enough to cure any serious condition. Also, we know that "Western" doctors do now know everything. We also know that the big money is in "drugs" that are developed by huge drug companies that are trying to make money. On the other hand, they know that if they can find a drug that will control symptoms and even cure a condition, then they can make a lot of money. So indirectly, they really do have our best interests at heart! So where is this leading? I don't know, I'm just rambling at this point. But seriously, there is room for taking the "holistic" approach to medicine which looks at "Western" medicine, "Eastern" medicine and the mind/body connnection.

I wish that there was more evidence that herbs can be used to control IBD, but it's just not there. However, there is some anecdotal evidence that indicates that sometimes, herbs and other alternatives can have benefits. It's up to you as a patient to educate yourself and sometimes it's worth a try! Let us know if you have some success. Here are some ideas based on information shared at our meetings.

• Probiotics - This is NOT an alternative approach nor is it controversial. According to Wikipedia Probiotics are live microorganisms thought to be healthy for the host organism(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Probiotic). There is every indication that probiotics are good for you, even if you don't have IBD! There are literally hundreds of options out there to choose from. Talk to your doctor, dietitian or a friend and find one that is right for you. VSL3 is a popular brand, but there a host of others!
• Herbs - As I mentioned above, there is some anecdotal evidence that herbs can help. One of our group members has a stake in this company and is a big advocate. http://www.getwellnatural.com/
• Margaret Oppenheimer [margaretoppenheimer@verizon.net] is a CCFA member and author of a recently published book about a rarely used dietary treatment for Crohn's disease. Patients drink special liquid formulas for a few weeks, instead of using steroids to stop a flare. Alternately they take smaller amounts of the formulas alongside regular food and beverages to help maintain remission. The therapy is clinically tested, and is valued in Europe and Canada, but has fallen out of use in the US. If you’d like to know more, you can find some comments by doctors and patients, the table of contents, and an excerpt from the first chapter at this URL: www.solutionsbooks.us/ibdbook.html. The title of the book is "Beat Crohn’s! Getting to Remission with Enteral Nutrition".
• How about Crohn's without ANY drugs. Check this out: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1076594/How-tackle-Crohns-Disease-help-drugs.html
  • Here is the recipe for a bulk batch of the bath salts from Andrea. It can be scaled down. You only need about 1/2 cup of the salts per bath. Baths shouldn't be longer than 20 minutes, because the baths help detox your body, but after about 20 minutes you could start re-absorbing the toxins that were drawn out into the bath water.
  • Bath Salts
  • 1 - 4 lb carton Epson Salts
  • 2 - 1 lb boxes Baking Soda
  • 1 - 26.5 oz Sea Salt
  • To help stop hemorrhoid bleeding, add several drops of Sandalwood Essential Oil (it is important to use a high quality therapeutic oil; we get ours from youngliving.com) to the 1/2 cup of salt and shake up in a container to mix before it goes in the bath water. You can mix in other essential oils according to other health goals or personal preference.
  • We have some information that people might be interested in also. We have these Chia Seeds that are supposed to be really beneficial for the digestive tract and has many good things in them that are really beneficial for the body. You can check out this site, "nutsonline.com" for Chia Seeds. You can put them in about everything, just a scoop in tea, coffee, water, oatmeal....they have no flavor.
  • Check it out, you might find it interesting.

Fecal Bacteriotherapy (From Another Person):

I'm writing to let you know that I have published a brief memoir about treating my daughter's ulcerative colitis at home with fecal bacteriotherapy. The title of the book - written in a lighthearted but not inappropriately funny tone - is Ulcerative Colitis from the Bottom Up: A memoir of home treatment with fecal bacteriotherapy. This treatment has become an essential part of successfully managing my daughter's condition. It's been working very well for us and we are hopeful about an eventual cure with continued use of the therapy.

I wrote this book primarily because I want to share our private struggle with IBD and offer a ray of hope to those afflicted with it. I truly believe - and scientific studies increasingly suggest - that this therapy has the potential to help others avoid colectomy and the severe side-effects of prescription medicines. Please do forward this information to anyone you know who is suffering from IBD and has expressed an interest in fecal bacteriotherapy.

You can sample the book and read more about it at: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/247467

Fecal microbiota transplantation as therapy for inflammatory bowel disease

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1873994614002438

Viatimin D3 (Cholecalciferol)

Cholecalciferol is a form of Vitamin D, also called vitamin D3 or calciol.[1]

It is structurally similar to steroids such as testosterone, cholesterol, and cortisol (though vitamin D3 itself is a secosteroid).

One gram of pure vitamin D3 is 40 000 000 (40x106) IU, or, in other words, one IU is 0.025 μg.

Dose

There are conflicting reports concerning the absorption of cholecalciferol (D3) versus ergocalciferol (D2), with some studies suggesting less efficacy of D2[2], and others showing no difference[2] [3]. At present, D2 and D3 doses are frequently considered interchangeable, but more research is needed to clarify this. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cholecalciferol)

Inflammatory Bowel Disease

The active form of vitamin D, 1,25(OH)2D3, has been shown to inhibit development of inflammatory bowel disease and play a critical role in the response of the colon to chemical injury. (http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/science/research/vitamin-d-and-inflammatory-bowel-disease.shtml). Current research has implicated vitamin D deficiency as a major factor in the pathology of at least 17 varieties of cancer as well as heart disease, stroke, hypertension, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, depression, chronic pain, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, muscle weakness, muscle wasting, birth defects, periodontal disease, and more.

SUNSHINE AND YOUR HEALTH

If well adults and adolescents regularly avoid sunlight exposure, research indicates a necessity to supplement with at least 5,000 units (IU) of vitamin D daily. To obtain this amount from milk one would need to consume 50 glasses. With a multivitamin more than 10 tablets would be necessary. Neither is advisable.

The skin produces approximately 10,000 IU vitamin D in response 20–30 minutes summer sun exposure—50 times more than the US government's recommendation of 200 IU per day!

HOW TO GET ENOUGH VITAMIN D

There are 3 ways for adults to insure adequate levels of vitamin D:

• Regularly receive midday sun exposure in the late spring, summer, and early fall, exposing as much of the skin as possible.
• Regularly use a sun bed (avoiding sunburn) during the colder months.
• Take 5,000 IU per day for three months, then obtain a 25-hydroxyvitamin D test. Adjust your dosage so that blood levels are between 50–80 ng/mL (or 125–200 nM/L) year-round.

http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/

The peculiar geographic distribution of inflammatory bowel disease is a puzzle for researchers. A low vitamin D status has now been linked to several Th1-mediated autoimmune diseases, including multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis, with the strongest evidence for the vitamin's protective role in multiple sclerosis. Sunlight and vitamin D may be potent immunomodulatory agents by down-regulating Th1-driven immune responses and inducing the synthesis of antimicrobial peptides considered as natural antibiotics of the immune system. Similarly to multiple sclerosis, we propose in CD the so-called north-south gradient may be partly explained by variations in the degree of sun exposure, with vitamin D being a "seasonal stimulus". These observations may yield a better understanding of the pathophysiology of Crohn's disease and pave the way for developing new therapeutic approaches for an incurable disease. Whether a low vitamin D status is associated with an increased risk of Crohn's disease in the general population and whether vitamin D and heliotherapy may be effective in treating Crohn's disease will require additional investigations. PMID: 19269107 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19269107

New Probiotic Combats Inflammatory Bowel Disease

CHICAGO --- You know the probiotics in your peach yogurt are healthful, but now it appears they may also be a powerful treatment for disease.

A genetically tweaked version of a common probiotic found in yogurt and cheese appears to be an effective therapy for inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. It may also prove to be useful in colon cancer, another disease triggered by inflammation.

Northwestern Medicine researchers deleted a gene in the probiotic Lactobacillus acidophilus and fed the new form to mice with two different models of colitis. After 13 days of treatment, the novel probiotic strain nearly eliminated colon inflammation in the mice and halted progression of their disease by 95 percent.

http://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/stories/2011/01/probiotic-inflammatory-bowel-disease.html?utm_campaign=&utm_medium=email&utm_source=enews

Slippery Elm

Slippery elm coats the digestive system. It is recommented to drink a slippery elm tea about 3-4 times a week or more. It can help with pain, it's not known how but whatever pain/discomfort is felt from bowel movements is lessened after taking this.

Here is a link about slippery elm from the University of Maryland:

http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/slippery-elm-000274.htm

Here is a user comment thread about what some are trying with UC and Crohn's. Not sure how accurate any of this information is but it has some insight from others:

http://www.earthclinic.com/CURES/ulcerative_colitis.html

Cannabis: http://www.cghjournal.org/article/PIIS1542356513006046/abstract

Aloe Mucilaginous Polyasccharide

Aloe Mucilaginous Polysaccharide or AMP, a natural component of aloe vera. AMP is an anti-inflammatory and has been reported to reduce the inflammation of ulcerative colitis when a high-quality product is used.

Scientists find key to growth of "bad" bacteria in inflammatory bowel disease

http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/publish/news/newsroom/7462