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Modern Treatments for Crohn's Disease
Modern science and medicine feel there is no actual cure for Crohn's Disease,
so treatments attempt to manage symptoms instead. There are many different
treatments used to try and control or reduce the symptoms of Crohn's disease
and the complications it can create within other areas of the body.
Which treatments are chosen depend on the specifics of a given Crohn's disease
case. How severe the disease is for instance, or where it's located in the
body are two considerations. Others treatment factors to consider include what
complications are already in progress, and how the patient has responded to
previous treatments.
Much of the treatment for Crohn's disease revolves around correcting vitamin
and nutritional deficiencies, controlling or stopping the bleeding, controlling
inflammation, and relieving other symptoms such as pain and diarrhea. Crohn's
disease treatment methods usually involve the use of drugs, nutritional
supplements, or surgery. In some cases a combination of these treatments is
used.
Modern medicine currently feels it's possible to use treatments to control the
disease, but there is no known official cure. Some people can go into
remission from Crohns disease though, and sometimes that remission can last
for years. Unfortunately the sporadic remission patterns make it difficult to
know if any one individual or combination of treatments caused the remission.
When drug treatments are tried for Crohn's disease, there can be a variety of
different medications involved. Many attempt to reduce inflammation, and some
of these contain a substance known as mesalamine. Unfortunately there are side
effects from these drugs, some of which are the same as the disease symptoms.
Side effects from drugs containing mesalamine can include diarrhea, nausea,
vomiting, heartburn, and headaches.
An herbal anti-inflammatory option which doesn't have these common side
effects is White Willow, but this is not known to be used by most modern
medical professionals. We'll go into further detail about herbal remedies and
treatments later in this series.
Another type of prescription drug which seems to be more effective on active
Crohn's disease are those which contain corticosteroids. These unfortunately
can leave you more susceptible to infections though, and they too contain some
unpleasant side effects.
Then there are immune suppressing drugs used for treating Crohn's disease as
well. These drugs attempt to suppress the immune system which causes
inflammations to occur. The problem herbalists see with this approach of
course, is that suppressing the body's immune system is suppressing one of it's
primary defense mechanisms. And this leaves your body more susceptible to
additional infections or diseases.
Doctors often treat Crohn's disease with antibiotics however, because of the
common problem with fistulas becoming infected. Bacterial overgrowth is also
found to be quite common with Crohn's disease sufferers, and these bacteria
again can create additional infections or other health problems.
The diarrhea and stomach pain is often reduced or eliminated with the
reduction of inflammation, but sometimes doctors will prescribe additional
medications to treat these symptoms, as well as fluids and electrolytes for
those who have become dehydrated from the chronic diarrhea.
Surgery is sometimes used to remove part or all of the intestines.
Unfortunately this will help with the disease, but not fully cure it. It's not
uncommon for the area right next to a previous inflammation, to become
inflamed itself.
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