Alternative Medicines

This part of TWC is for the discussion of alternative medications, such as herbs. To contribute, send your experiences or questions about alternative treatments to me.

Questions and Inquiries

Send in your questions to be answered!

Acupuncture

Ayurveda

• Wolfgang says: It is strongly recommended that anyone with Crohn's research carefully natural treatments.  It is possible to find natural doctors that work but often there is no coverage from ohip or health card.  Some alternative medicines may be covered by an insurance from a parents work.  I believe acupuncture can be if your insurance accepts it and if the acupuncturist is a Certified Conventional doctor.  One treatment that can particularly of help to people like us with chronic digestive problems such as Crohn's is a treatment becoming very popular here in Canada and the US.  It originates from India and is called Ayurveda.  Dr. Deepak Chopra is a good source to look into for this type of alternative medicines.  He has written numerous books and many libraries carry them.  I highly recommend any one who has Crohn's or other digestive disorders to look him up.

Aromatherapy

• Hannah says: Using different oils (oil of clove, oil of lavender, oil of basil and more...only the best- the fake ones don't work) a women i know who has Crohn's rubbed these oils into my feet and shins.  She put drops on her hand (one oil at a time) held her hand in front of my stomach, then around my nose and sinuses, then she rubbed a little on my hand to smell while she massaged my feet.  She would talk in between and very slowly rub each oil into my feet and toes one at a time.  When she put the oil of basil on my feet, she also rubbed some on my stomach ( i was having a flare-up) and in like ten minutes my stomach felt great!! And the smells are wonderful!! The whole thing took about an hour.  She told me that the reason the oils were put on your feet was because your biggest pores are on your feet so your body can absorb these helpful oils more quickly.  Certain spots on your feet represent your intestines (the arch basically).  It feels great and really works!! Yu can write to me if you have any questions about it or how to do HB8699@aol.com  Warning: Beware of allergies to these different oils.  Do not put oils on face or near eyes.

General Information

• Cappy says: I have been using a powerful herbal parasite killing program found in Dr. Hulda Clark's book called, "The Cure for all Diseases" for the past four years that has successfully rid me of my intestinal inflammations and pain. Although parasites where not found in my intestines upon testing, this treatment has helped enormously.  (My guess is that it is killing yeast in my intestines.)  It consists of a once-a-week intake of 7-Wormwood Capsules, 3-Clove Capsules, taken with  2-teaspoons of Extra Strength Black Walnut Hull Tincture in 6-8 oz. of water.  If I can't stomach the tincture at some point in time, I will try the black walnut hull capsules (one cap. = 1 teasp.).  I get these herbs from the Self Health Resource Center in Chula Vista, California.  (They have a toll free number.)  Once I rid myself of the inflammations after a few weeks of taking this program, I stopped eating chicken which prevented the frequency of reoccurring inflammations between the weekly intakes.  On rare occasions, I eat lamb and turkey, but usually do not eat meat or poultry.  Also, I have read that the powerful tincture, Turkey Rhubarb, works well to relieve intestinal blockages, yet, I have not tried it.  I do keep an unopened bottle in stock just in case.  All opened tincture bottles I keep in the refrigerator.
  
  My latest use of alternative approaches has included following some of the diet found in the book, "Eat Right For Your Blood Type". From this book, I have discovered that I can eat wheat germ bread, but not, wheat bread.  The loaves come frozen in the natural food markets and stores.  I have also been enjoying the new rice pastas on the market (but eat it without the tomato sauce which causes arthritis in my hands).
  
  Additionally, I  have been using a natural, sublingual, micronized progesterone (taken at night because it causes drowsiness) and a bi-estrogen transdermal gel for premature menopause most likely caused by the Crohn's disease, or, due to the previous long-term use of Prednisone which shrinks the adrenal glands (located on top of the kidneys) that are involved in the production of hormones.  I obtain the prescription hormones from the College Pharmacy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, which is one of the first pharmacies in the US to produce natural hormones.
  
  Oh yes, one last item to note.  Since I have been drinking distilled (Poland Spring) bottled water, I have not had any kidney stone pain.  However, I also stopped taking calcium and potassium supplements which I've read can contribute to the formation of kidney stones.  So can high doses of vitamin C.  However, I do take 1,000 mg. of Vitamin C twice a day, (not on an empty stomach because it is an acid).  I increase my intake to 3,000 in divided doses per day during allergy season.  If anyone would like to compare notes ... please feel free to send me an e-mail.

Heating Pads

• Anonymous:  A golden tip that I had read somewhere is to use a heating pad to help ease spasms.  I used to sleep with one every night and I can not explain how much it helped!

Meditation

• "PixieDancer": I know it sounds silly (at least, I used to think so) but I have recently found that meditation and yoga significantly ease my pain. I'm in the middle of a severe flare-up, and if I am forced to swallow another pill I'll scream! But I received a book for Christmas on the ancient art of meditation and yoga, so I decided to give it a try. I found immediately that it gave me a sense of peace and hope where I had once been angry and on the verge of suicide. Prednisone and TPN have been making me feel very lethargic and ugly, but after trying a few simple yoga exercises I actually felt physically stronger and had more energy. The breathing techniques especially have helped me learn how to handle severe cramping and pain.  It's not promised to completely take away your symptoms, but it definitely improves your mental attitude, which they say is 90% of getting better.

Stress Reduction

• Matt F.: First I should say I'm not a teenager, but rather 34 (so as you see it effects even older people). Though I've never had severe IBS I've been troubled with varying degrees of it all my life. One thing I've found, which I'm sure you've heard, is that it's a combination of diet and I think most importantly stress (usually the "Irritated" from "Irritated Bowel Syndrome" is really "Stress Irritated").
  
  Anyway, the point I'm getting to is given that stress is a key factor for me I found the biggest help was a combination of regular therapy and behavioral therapy, the latter being the big win. Most of us believe that the stress levels we live at are a "fixed" part of our psyche. Many times it's so inherent to us that we don't even really notice it. The truth is it's far less fixed than we think and you'd be amazed with the proper technique (behavior change) just how much you can reduce it. In particular behavioral medicine can:
  
  a) Make you aware of your everyday level of stress so you can work to change it, which as noted above can be so internalized as to be unnoticeable even though it may be technically "elevated". 
  
  b) Show you how reduce stress and most importantly calm yourself  when the stress starts to build. 
  
  c) Show you how to break the cycles that lead to stress (for instance help break the cycle of focusing on bowel issues and related fears).
  
  Together these can aid considerably in the reduction of IBS not to mention your general well being (it definitely helps sleep too!).
  
  Certainly I still suffer some, but I highly recommend taking the steps necessary to see a professional. Being bathroom fixated isn't normal at any age and parents should see this. It only gets harder to change the "habits" as you get older so the sooner it's dealt with the better.

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