Tag: crohn’s disease

Life on the go with Crohn’s – Natural Management

Overview

Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory bowel disease(IBD) or irritable bowel disease that causes inflammation and swelling of the lining of the entire digestive tract especially in the last segment of small intestine called ileum and the colon part of large intestine, leading to symptoms like severe diarrhea and blood in the stool, fissures, abdominal pain and cramping, fever, mouth sores, weight loss, and malnutrition. Crohn disease  can even lead to life threatening complications if proper treatment is not done on time.

Crohn's disease symptoms

Crohn’s disease can affect anyone at any age as it is completely unpredictable and chronic disorder. Diet, stress, weak immunity and genes plays an important role in making a person susceptible to Crohn’s disease. A combination of psychological, genetic and bacterial infection plays a key role in Crohn’s disease.

There is no known cure of Crohn’s disease in alopathic science they just advise antibiotics, steroids, immunosuppresants, etc that leads to various complications. But certain natural remedies, diet, therapies definitely help in managing the symptoms and in bringing long term remission for the patient. Natural treatment is also referred to as alternative, complementary or integrative methods.

Diet Changes for Crohn’s disease:

  • People with Crohn’s disease react differently to different food groups depending on the level of intestinal inflammation that they are going through, the digestive enzymes produced by their bodies and the different medicines they are taking.
  • Always eat well balanced diet as nutritious food is needed to manage the symptoms. It is highly recommended to eat smaller meals, more frequently throughout the day.
  • It is recommended to limit dairy products, stay away from gassy foods and opt for low fat foods, low salt diet and low fiber food. Spicy and oily foods should be avoided completely. The patient should refrain from alcohol and limit the intake of caffeine.
  • All processed foods, sugary foods or with artificial sweeteners, grains should be avoided as they inactivate the digestive enzymes and alter gut bacteria.
  • To manage the flare ups, it is advised to stick to bland foods like dry toast, rice, eggs, bananas, applesauce, boiled chicken. A high fiber diet is helpful but during active stages of illness, raw fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts will irritate the digestive system, so they should be taken with care.

Probiotics and Prebiotics:

  • Taking a good probiotic supplement is a good way to optimize the ratio of good to bad bacteria in the gut. This lowers the inflammation gradually. Probiotics include sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, kombucha and yogurt.
  • Prebiotics helps in improving the function of normal intestine bacteria. They are found in artichokes, asparagus, bananas, onions, garlic, honey and oats.Both probiotics and prebiotics, help in the growth of healthy bacteria and combat bad bacteria.
  • Daily intake of some herbs keeps the remission time longer and prevents flare ups. Some very useful herbs are listed below:

1. Curcumin (found in turmeric):

  • Polyphenol Curcumin is the age-old remedy for any kind if inflammation in the body. It has anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties. The regular intake of turmeric in food, not only helps in managing the symptoms, but also reduces the flare ups.

2.Useful Herbs

  • Aloe Vera, Ashwagandha and Boswellia are also very useful herbs and safe for treating symptoms  of Crohn’s disease.

3.Peppermint:

  • Peppermint helps to relieve cramping associated with Crohn’s disease. It calms the stomach muscles and soothes the inflammatory pain in the gastrointestinal tract.

4.Slippery Elm:

  • Slippery Elm is a demulcent which protects the irritated tissues and promotes their healing. It may be taken in the form of gruel. A spoon of slippery elm powder mixed with a spoon of sugar and stirred in boiling water is a good remedy to manage symptoms of Crohn’s disease. One may add some cinnamon for flavor. This can be taken twice a day during illness.

5.Essential oils

  • Essential oils like Frankincense and Lemongrass are very useful in Crohn’s disease. They promote the secretion of digestive enzymes, increase the urine production and soothes the digestive tract.
  • They relieve pain and help in diarrhea. A drop of essential oil is mixed in full glass of water and taken on empty stomach is a great remedy for Crohn’s disease.

6. Anti-diarrheal Medication

  • Anti-diarrheal Medication pain relievers are often prescribed to control the symptoms. Iron supplements, Vitamin B12, Vitamin D, calcium, Omega 3 fatty acids, glutamine and fish oil are also recommended for the patients.

Lifestyle Management

  • It is possible to live an active, normal lifestyle inspite of Crohn’s disease. One has to be prepared incase of emergency. It is always good to keep a kit (of things you might need in case of sudden attack), ready when you travel.
  • Anxiety, stress, depression, poor sleep all triggers the inflammation. So, one needs to relax and try to stay stress free.
  • Practicing Yoga, meditation and deep breathing is effective and helpful in faster recovery as it gives relaxation.
  • It is recommended to do regular exercise to overcome the fatigue and it controls  the flare ups . Long term fasting is also helpful.
  • Quit smoking as it can trigger or  flareup.
  • Stay hydrated:Drinking herbal tea (caffeine free), bone broth and kombucha are great choices as they provide the needed water along with electrolytes, amino acids and probiotics to the body.
  • One should only eat when one is hungry.

Crohn disease

Complications of Crohn’s Disease

  • Women with Crohn’s have healthy pregnancies and babies, though they have a little higher risk of complications. The disease affects the sex lives of the patients as they feel less libido due to self-consciousness of the disease.
  • Crohn’s inflammation may lead to ulcers in the digestive tract, it may scar and narrow the intestinal wall leading to blockage and may also lead to the formation of fistulas around the anal area. Crohn disease is a precursor for colon cancer. It may lead to skin disorders, osteoporosis, arthritis, eye problems, and liver disease

Terminal Iletis Treatment in Ayurveda : Symptoms, Diagnose & Herbal Remedies

Terminal Iletis is a chronic inflammatory disease of one or more sections of the intestine that involves only the end of the small intestine or terminal ileum. The ileum is the last, longest and narrowest part that make up the small intestine.  The term “ileitis” means “intestine inflammation”. Crohn disease can affect any part of the Gastrointestinal tract, but terminal ileum is the most frequent localization that gets inflamed.  It is rare condition which may be chronic which means it has lasted a long time and may be acute which means it has occurred suddenly. There are periods of remission and exacerbation.

terminal-ileitis

The disorder is common in young adults under the age of 40. It may result from infection of small intestine, obstruction, severe irritation due to some specific substance that causes some abnormal reaction, or faulty absorption of materials through the intestinal walls. Complication of surgery may also lead to ileitis.

Terminal ileitis causes small scattered shallow crater like areas called aphthous ulcers in the inner surface of bowel . These ulcers get deeper and larger in size with time leading to scarring and stiffness of the bowel . The narrowing of bowel, further leads to obstruction.

Deep ulcers may puncture holes in the bowel wall and cause more infection in the abdomen.

Symptoms of Terminal Ileitis

  • Pain in the lower right quadrant of the abdomen or belly along with swelling of the belly.
  • Loss of appetite leading to loss of weight.
  • Anemia or low haemoglobin levels.
  • Diarrhea and constipation happen together side by side.
  • Fever and vomiting

The advanced stage of Terminal Ileitis is characterized by hardening, thickening and ulceration of the parts of the bowel lining . The obstruction may also cause development of fistula.

Diagnose of Terminal Ileitis

The techniques used by the doctors to diagnose terminal ileitis is colonoscopy , barium enema and barium x rays of the small bowel.

Stool culture is performed.

Terminal Iletis Treatment in Ayurveda

The Treatment for Terminal Ileitis requires medication to relieve the symptoms , to fight the bacteria causing infection and also to decrease the inflammation. Treatment involves special diet along with proper rest . Surgery is done if there is obstruction.  Surgery removes the damaged area of the ileum but does not eliminate the condition as is.

According to Ayurveda, the treatment for Terminal Ileitis is focused on pacifying the aggravated Vata and Pitta energy in the body. Ileitis roots back to sensitivity towards stress and anxiety so the medication is given to relieve stress.

Planet Ayurveda offers a complete and Effective Treatment for Terminal Ileitis in the form of 4 powerful herbal formulations listed below.

Kutaj Ghan Vati : This is a pure Ayurvedic product that works wonderfully on the intestines . It helps in managing symptoms like dysentery and diarrhea.  The medicine has excellent results in treating ulcerative colits , irritable bowel syndrome and terminal ilieitis.

terminal-ileitis-pack2

The recommended dosage for Kutaj Ghan vati is 2 tablets two times a day with plain water after meals.

Belgiri Churan: The medicine in the powdered form is prepared from Bael or Bilwa fruit. The medicine is known to help in fighting against a wide array of ailments and illnesses.  It is used to treat diabetes, peptic ulcers, skin cancer , cardiac disorders along with treating terminal ileitis. The ripe fruit ,bael, itself has laxative properties. It helps in treating constipation. The unripe fruit helps in treating dysentery, diarrhea and other gastro intestinal disorders.  The medicine helps in fighting all kinds of bacterial infections in the body.

The recommended dosage of Belgiri Churan is 1 teaspoon once a day with plain water.

Pitta Balance: The Pitta balance capsules from Planet Ayurveda is a great product in balancing Pitta dosha which is the root cause of various infections and disorders. The medicine has cooling effect on the body . It contains an important herb called giloy which is very useful in boosting body’s immunity and providing strength in fighting against infections. The other ingredients are praval pishit, akik pishti, Jahar mohra pishti, kamdudha ras, mukta pishti and giloy satva.
It is advised to take 1 to 2 capsules of Pitta balance , two times a day with plain water after meals.

Vaska Capsules: This product is formed from the standardized extract of pure Malabur Nut . The product is known to support healthy respiratory system, along with managing symptoms of Terminal Ileitis. This product helps in balancing the Pitta and Kapha dosha in the body which is needed for proper liver functioning .  The medicine also acts a blood purifier .

The recommended dosage of Vaska Capsules is 2 capsules two times a day with plain water after meals.

The treatment offered by Planet Ayurveda involves the following steps :

  • Agni Deepana or stimulation of appetite
  • Digestive or pachana medicines that help in digesting and eliminating ama
  • Grahi or digestive and retain food formulations
  • Vrana ropana which means healing ulcers
  • Stambhana which means the medicines work towards stopping the movement of elimination when there is bloody diarrhea

All the medicines offered by Planet Ayurveda are free from any kind of side effects. They are made using pure herbs without any chemicals, preservatives, binders , fillers etc. The processing and packaging of products is done using the best technology.