Naturopath? Who Knew
In my over 36 years of Crohn’s “experience” I have seen doctors, nurses, specialists, surgeons, nurse practitioners, pharmacists and even a naturopath - to name just a few. And after all of that, I have learned that there is a lot of trial and error to getting the right treatment, as we all know not one treatment works for everyone. Maybe one day, but not now. It took me many years to realize that, even though 99 percent of my treatment was through doctors and specialists, it involved a combination of Western and naturopathic medicine.
So, to those who say they would not use a naturopath… you might already and don’t even realize it.
Keeping in mind of course that everyone reacts to treatment differently, some things may work and some may not. Some people may only respond to naturopathic medicine while others may only respond to Western-style medicine. While others, like me, respond with a little bit of both.
This or That
Do you include complementary or alternative methods as part of your treatment?
Elimination diet
This is one simple naturopathic technique that I started doing 36 years ago when I was first diagnosed. It seemed a natural thing to do and I did it for many many years. Basically, an elimination diet is a way to try and figure out food that may cause inflammation or may cause adverse effects to a person and then slowly reintroduce the food one at a time. I kept a food diary for a long time and kept track of food and drink daily.
The trick with this though with IBD is figuring out a pattern while in a flare and not in a flare. Some foods react differently, depending on flares. Having said that, an elimination diet is a great way to get an idea of what you can tolerate especially for the newly diagnosed.
Stress management
I always chuckle when people (including doctors, etc.) tell me that I need to “relax” and de-stress because that will help with my symptoms. Really? I did not know that I sarcastically tell myself. What is that saying? Easier said than done. I have tried different relaxation techniques, stress balls and even aromatherapy but nothing seemed to work for me other than simply deep deep breaths.
It is not easy to relax while going through a flare, work, or even just life in general. But yes, stress management is key to reducing symptoms. It won’t eliminate them, but I find it does help.
Vitamins and minerals
With Crohn’s and colitis, we learn fast that malabsorption is secondary to IBD. Your body just can’t get the vitamins and minerals it needs thus we need to take supplements to compensate. It seems redundant to me because your body has difficulty to absorb so with that understanding, how can my body absorb the supplements? It’s a vicious cycle but even if your body can absorb a little, it’s better than nothing. You might, like me, need to have injections to help boost what you need. In my case B12 injections every month.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is one naturopath tip that I personally have not tried but I know some who have and swear by it. I think it depends on your severity of the disease but without any experience I cannot give a definite answer to this.
If anyone has had success please comment below.
Naturopath
Whether that be only western medicine or naturopath or combination of both keeping in mind that Western medicine combines naturopath techniques so really you are using it whether you knew it or not. The take away is this: you need to do what works for you and your situation, and always consult with your doctors. Try it, you just never know what works.
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