Hi,
I am new to the forum and had some general questions. I am a 28 year old man and I've had Crohn's Disease for about 13 years. I've been on alot of different medications throughout this time. I recently stopped taking Entacort just last week (which is a steroid like Prednisone) and am currently still taking Pentasa (16 pills per day) and Remicaide every 6 weeks....so as you can see my medication is still quite intense.

I am lucky though because my girlfriend has been very supportive of helping me manage my Crohns...she is actually the one who told me about Jini. I ordered the book a couple of weeks ago and have really enjoyed reading it...it is giving me alot of hope to get off my medications.

I had a colonscopy on Thursday and my GI told me that I have inflamed polyps which is probably the cause of my recent discomfort. Do you think that Jini's dietary changes will help control these polyps? I was a little bit discouraged and feeling bad because I mentioned Jini's book to him and possible herbal/dietary changes and he did not seem supportive of these alternatives at all, which bothered me at the time. Has anyone else encountered this lack of support from their GI?

My GI also suggested that I start taking Boniva. This concerns me a bit because I was under the impression that Boniva is more for woman who are going through menopause...and I wasnt sure if men should be taking it as well. Does anyone here have any input on if there should be any concern for a man taking Boniva?

I apologize if these questions seem a bit silly, but there is so much information out there it is a bit difficult to get a handle on everything. I've been a bit lazy about my health for all these years and now I am just trying to be proactive so I can lead a healthier life and reduce some of the worries of my girlfriend.

Any insight into those questions would be greatly appreciated!

thanks,
Mo

Hi, Mo.

Yes, holistic therapy for IBD can be extremely effective, but the catch is that the best results come from a multi-pronged strategy. That doesn't mean you need to start implementing everything at once - this can be done incrementally - but you need to have in your mind the commitment successful holistic healing requires.

I'd look for a naturopath who has experience with digestive issues to be on your team while you wean from medications (assuming this is what you want to do).

Yes, it is very common to experience a reaction like your doctor's - medical doctors don't have training in natural therapies for one thing, even a lot of medical schools receive a significant amount of funding from pharmaceutical companies, so you can see where their emphasis lies. Additionally, most doctors probably see people who try to implement an herbal therapy the way they would a drug.

Holistic healing does not work that way. If you take an herb for a particular symptom but don't support its actions by eating well, getting sufficient rest, addressing any stressors, etc., well, you're not going to see the same results as if you're implementing the full strategy.

You can check on Boniva by doing some online research. A couple of websites are www.webmd.com and www.drugs.com. Another one is www.askapatient.com.

Hope that helps.

Nicole

Hi, Mo. Welcome to the forum!

Just wanted to comment on your question about GI doctors in general. YES, I have found them to be extremely un-supportive when it comes to holistic therapies. I've had four GI doctors and only one of them has expressed even the slightest interest in the holistic approaches I have tried. Even when I tell them they have WORKED for me! You would think they would want to know, but I have found that they are so one-tracked in their thinking, (and snobbish about allopathic medicine), that they won't give you the time of day. Of course, I am speaking in general and from my experiences- I am sure there are some excellent GI's out there who are open-minded.

My approach is to take everything the GI says with a grain of salt, then decide for myself what's right for my body. Sometimes I am wrong, but at least I am making the effort to listen to my body.

Hang in there- and as Nicole says, if you can find a naturopath it would be a great thing.

Tara

thanks Nicole and Tara for the responses, I appreciate it! I think I will look into Naturopaths. I did a brief google search and found quite a few that are actually pretty close to where I work...I had no idea I'm not sure if they specialize in stomach related issues but I guess that will be the next step by contacting them.
Thanks again for the good info!
Regards
-Mo

Hi, Mo.

Do make sure you research the particular naturopaths, as well.

A couple of good places you can check their credentials are:

The American Association of Naturopathic Physicians
www.naturopathic.org

American Naturopathic Medical Association
www.anma.com

One doctor I have consulted with personally, who is both an MD and an ND is Carolyn Dean. You can learn more about her at www.carolyndean.com.

Take care,
Nicole