Crohn’s Disease & Ulcerative Colitis
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Crohn’s Disease?
- What are the Causes of Crohn’s Disease?
- What are the Symptoms of Crohn’s Disease?
- What are the Complications of Crohn’s Disease?
- Diagnosing Crohn’s Disease
1) What is Crohn’s Disease?
Crohn’s disease is a chronic inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract or “bowel”. It primarily causes ulcerations in the small and large intestines, but can affect the digestive system anywhere between the mouth and the anus. Crohn’s disease is also called Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). Another type of IBD is ulcerative colitis. While Crohn’s disease can affect any part of the digestive system, ulcerative colitis occurs more commonly in the ileum (part of the small intestine) and colon (large intestine).
Crohn’s and colitis can affect people of any age group. Most cases of Crohn’s disease are diagnosed before the age of 30. Once the disease begins, it tends to be a chronic, recurrent condition with periods of remission and disease exacerbation. It isn’t usually fatal, but it can be a lifelong inconvenience.
By and large the medical community has found no definitive cure. Though Michelle’s Crohn’s program has significant benefits and results working with her Crohn’s, colitis and IBS patients.
2) What are the Causes of Crohn’s Disease?
The exact cause of Crohn’s disease is unknown. Although there is clearly an autoimmune component. That means the body’s natural defenses – which are normally supposed to fight infection – attack the body’s own tissue. In patients with Crohn’s disease, the immune system seems to react actively to a variety of substances and/or bacteria in the intestines, causing inflammation, bowel injury, and ulcerations.
Crohn’s disease is not contagious. Diet may affect the symptoms in patients with Crohn’s disease. It is also believed that a virus or bacteria may be involved, which may cause the initial damage to the lining of the GI tract. However, it is not yet known which organism might be involved.
3) What are the Symptoms of Crohn’s Disease?
The common symptoms of Crohn’s disease are;
- Abdominal pains
- Diarrhea
- Rectal bleeding
- Stomach cramps
- Abdominal tenderness or swelling
- Loss of appetite
- Weight loss
- Fever
Crohn’s disease symptoms have a tendency to come and go. Crohn’s sufferers can often go months without a symptom. During a flare-up, rectal bleeding can be quite severe. Other symptoms do not affect the digestive system including joint pain, eye inflammation or red eye, and skin problems. Some people with Crohn’s disease become anemic, leading to weakness and pale skin.
4) What are the Complications of Crohn’s Disease?
Crohn’s disease patients may have several complications, many of which are linked to the chronic bowel inflammation and to the abnormal immune system. Intestinal complications of Crohn’s disease include bowel obstruction, bowel perforation, formation of pus collections (abscesses), fistulae, cancer of the bowel and intestinal hemorrhage. Progressive scarring and inflammation of the bowel causes narrowing. Some common complications include:
- Partial obstructions of the bowel, leading to vomiting and constipation
- Fistulas are sores – often very painful – that tunnel through from the GI tract to other anatomy.
- Anal fissures, which are cracks in the anus that may be painful and cause bleeding
- Poor absorption of food, which results in nutritional deficiencies
- Strictures (abnormal narrowing of a portion of the intestine)
- Increased risk of colorectal cancer
- Arthritis
- Skin problems
- Inflammation in the eyes or mouth
- Stunted growth in children
5) Diagnosing Crohn’s Disease
The two main diagnostic tools are X-ray and colonoscopy. Colonoscopy involves inserting an endoscope, a flexible tube with a tiny camera on the end, into the anus to explore the inner walls of the intestine.
It is also necessary to give a blood sample to check for anemia, and a stool sample to eliminate the possibility of infectious colitis (a bacterial infection in the large bowel).
How can you improve or resolve your Crohn`s disease or Ulcerative Colitis?
Early detection will help in many cases, but lifestyle changes, particularly the diet will produce the quickest reversal and healing of intestinal aliments. Michelle Honda has a Ph.D. in Holistic Health Sciences. Her educational background includes 10 years of nutritional study and more. Her nutrition diploma, her bachelor’s degree, her master’s degree and her doctorate all focused on nutrition and the lifetime body of work of Dr. Bernard Jensen the pre-eminent clinical nutritionist of the 20th century.
Her knowledge of food and how it affects the body, but more importantly how it affects diseases is in rare company. Plus Michelle did her Doctorate on the major gastrointestinal disorders of Crohn’s, colitis, irritable bowel syndrome and diverticulitis, so she is an expert of experts on these disorders. These conditions are largely diet related, and Michelle has excellent results with her patients with these disorders.
If you are not local to the clinic, Michelle can conduct telephone appointments with you very easily. So if you have a phone, you can now successfully improve your Crohn’s or colitis.
Learn more: Michelle’s Crohn’s and colitis program>>
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Book an Appointment with Michelle>>
Our frequently asked questions page is very helpful in considering working with Michelle; Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)>>
Michelle Honda has the ability to help a very wide variety of health concerns. Persons who are particularly drawn to her are; 1) persons who have an incurable problem 2) persons who have a mysterious un-diagnosable problem or 3) persons who have a chronic problem that is not healing itself via other therapies or modalities. In general, persons who are interested in alternative health also like Holistic Medicine.
