Is there help available for Crohn’s disease?
Do you know what Crohn’s disease is? Do you know how it affects the body? Do you know who it af fects and why? It is always a good idea to learn more about our bodies and how they work, so let’s take a closer look and learn about Crohn’s disease.
If you’ve heard about
IBS, or Irritable Bowel Syndrome, then you may have heard about IBD, which stands for Inflammator y Bowel Disease. This is another name for Crohn’s disease. It is a condition that lasts the person’s whole life, and causes many similar symptoms to IBS. A person who suf fers from Crohn’s disease experiences belly pain and cramping, as well as diarrhea, but the similarities end there. A person who has Crohn’s disease can develop painful ulcers within their digestive system. Sometimes, their bowel movements can be bloody. This is alarming and should always be reported to your healthcare professional just to be safe.
Some less common symptoms that a person with Crohn’s disease may experience are sores, which develop in the mouth, as well as small tears around the anus. The anus is the name for the opening in your bottom where your bowel movements leave your body. Small tears around the anus can be painful and feel as if they are burning, especially if your bowel movements are acidic. Some people with Crohn’s disease can have episodes of diarrhea up to 20 times per day. If they have tears on their anus, it can be agonizingly painful each time they visit the restroom. They also might experience bowel blockages, which is where your bowel movements are prevented from exiting your body. If you suf fer a bowel blockage, you will need to be seen by your healthcare professional so they can help to resolve it.
Doctors are not always sure what causes Crohn’s disease. This can be frustrating for the person who has it, because they feel powerless to stop or correct whatever is causing them such pain and inconvenience.
Doctors think that Crohn’s disease might be either a response to a virus or bacteria, which invades the body, or perhaps it is an abnormally strong immune system response in the intestines to ever yday bacteria that are present in the bowel. This response causes the swelling, pain and ulcers that Crohn’s sufferers have.
The doctors are not sure what causes some people to have such a response, but not others. They do know that it tends to run in families. This means that if you have family members who suffer from Crohn’s disease, there is a greater chance that you, too, will have the condition as well. If you are of Eastern European Jewish (also called Ashkenazi Jewish) descent, you have an increased chance of having Crohn’s disease, and it turns out that smoking can also increase your risk of developing the condition.
Do you know someone with Crohn’s disease or have you been told that you have it? You probably have many questions and it is easy to forget them at your appointment. Write down all your questions and bring a support person along, so that you can learn more about Crohn’s disease and how it can affect your body. Call a chiropractic acupuncturist for your appointment today.
God bless America and all of our troops! Yours in good health.