Inflammatory bowel disease should be managed by an expert
Dr. Keith Roach
Question: I am 59 and recently received a diagnosis of mild to moderate Crohn’s disease. Having been quite healthy my entire life, I fifind the treatment options to be overwhelming. It seems as if drug treatment — e.g. Humira — has as many detractors as supporters, and I’ve read plenty of horror stories about folks who have used it. The same can be said of Remicade and some of the other treatments. I have family members who are pushing me to consider natural treatments, such as diet modifification, essential oils and the like. What course of action would you recommend? — T.T.
Answer: Crohn’s disease is an inflflammatory bowel disease of unknown cause. Unlike ulcerative colitis — the other form of inflflammatory bowel disease, which affffffffffffects only the colon — Crohn’s disease can affffect the gastrointestinal tract anywhere from the lips to the anus.
The variability of the disease is immense. I trained in an institution with special expertise in IBD and saw the full spectrum of the disease in the days before medications like inflfliximab (Remicade) and adalimumab (Humira) were introduced, and I promise you that for many people, these medications are literally lifesaving. However, they clearly are not for everyone and should be used only for carefully chosen patients after a thorough evaluation by an expert. Inflflammatory bowel disease should be taken very seriously, and I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to have an expert managing this condition.
Initial treatment certainly does consist of dietary modifification. Lactose is so frequently a problem in people with Crohn’s disease that a trial of a lactosefree diet usually is recommended. Many experts also recommend an elimination diet, meaning removing the likely triggers for IBD flflares and then slowly adding them back in to see whether they cause a problem. Probiotics have been shown to be benefificial in some people with Crohn’s disease.
Since you asked specififically about natural or complimentary treatments, I would advise you to use these in addition to, not instead of, the standard therapies recommended by an IBD expert. They can help reduce perception of discomfort and side effffffffffffects.