Crohn's Disease

	What is Crohn's Disease
	Symptoms of Crohn's Disease
	Treatment of Crohn's Disease
	Relief from Crohn's Disease using Aloe Vera

What is Crohn's Disease

Crohn’s Disease is a chronic disorder that causes swelling and pain to the digestive tract (also known as the gastrointestinal tract – GI tract). The condition can affect any part of the GI tract, from the mouth to the anus, but usually manifests itself in the lower part of the small intestine (the ileum). The inflammation extends into the walls of the affected organ, causing pain and usually resulting in severe diarrhea.

The condition is classed as an Inflammatory Bowel Disease and its symptoms are similar to other disorders in the same family, such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Ulcerative Colitis, making accurate diagnoses of the condition difficult.

Crohn’s disease affects men and women in similar proportions and does seem to have some congenital roots. Approximately 20% of Crohn’s sufferers have a family history of Inflammatory Bowel Disease. The condition affects people of all ages, although it seems most common in the 20-30 age brackets.

The exact causes of Crohn’s Disease are the root of much speculation and several theories have been put forward. The most popular of these holds that the body’s immune system mistakes ingested foods, bacteria and other substances as “foreign” matter and attempts to overcome these by stacking white blood cells in the walls of the intestines, in an effort to rid the body of this “foreign” matter. These white blood cells produce the chronic swelling so characteristic of Crohn’s Disease, leading to ulcers and bowel complications.

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Symptoms of Crohn's Disease

The usual symptoms of Crohn’s Disease include abdominal pain and severe diarrhea. Many sufferers also exhibit weight loss, arthritis, skin conditions and can even show bleeding from the anus. These symptoms can degenerate into more serious conditions such as Anemia. Children in particular suffering from Crohn’s Disease are at increased risk as the condition can lead to stunted growth and delayed development. In the event the symptoms appear, immediate medical advice should be taken. Diagnoses will involve a thorough physical examination and more often than not a blood test to measure the white blood cell count. A colonoscopy is another method used to diagnose the condition as is an intestinal x-ray.

The complications of Crohn’s disease are varied. Most commonly the intestine becomes blocked, as the intestinal wall thickens, due to the swelling. This narrows the intestinal passage considerably effectively causing a blockage. Ulcers are another common complication which can burrow through to other organs such as the bladder, reproductive organs and skin.

Nutritional factors are common amongst individuals suffering from Crohn’s Disease. Deficiency in proteins and vitamins combined with inadequate calorie intake are common denominators amongst sufferers.

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Treatment of Crohn's Disease

Treatment for Crohn’s Disease often includes medication, nutritional supplements, invasive surgery, or combinations of these options. Treatments aim at controlling the swelling and correcting any nutritional deficiency, to relieve the abdominal pain associated with the condition and minimize the diarrhea and any anal bleeding. Whilst there is no cure for Crohn’s Disease, modern treatments can help control the condition and reduce the number of occurrences. The disease can go into long periods of remission, although it usually re-appears at various stages of a person’s lifespan.

A person suffering from Crohn’s disease may require long periods of medical help with frequent hospital visits to monitor the condition.

Whole lists of drug therapies are available. These should only be considered after consultation with a qualified medical professional.

• Sulfasalazine
• Asacol
• Dipentum
• Pentasa
• Corticosteriods
• Azathioprine
• Infliximab
• Antibiotics

Between 60% and 75% of people suffering from Crohn’s Disease will require surgery at some stage in their lives, when medications become ineffective in controlling the condition.

People with Crohn’s disease often go through a decrease in appetite, which affects their ability to ingest the nutrition necessary for proper health. One of the symptoms of Crohn’s Disease is diarrhea, making the nutritional aspect all the more important as the diarrhea causes ingested nutrients to pass through the system too quickly to be effective. Although there are no hard and fast diet rules to follow, changes to nutritional habits and in particular avoiding any foods which increase the symptoms can prove beneficial. Again, seek medical advice before making any dietary changes.

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Relief from Crohn's Disease using Aloe Vera

One woman's story and her plight with Crohn's Disease was recently highlighted in "Prima Magazine" in the UK. After living with Crohn's Disease for over 20 years and being in almost constant pain,  Jean Heal changed her life around, when, in desperation, she turned to less mainstream methods for help. Read Jean's full story from Prima Magazine. (PDF file, opens in new browser window). After 20 years of suffering, she finally found relief through using an Aloe Vera product, AloeRide.

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