Glossary: Crohn's Disease



Definition of Crohn's Disease
Chronic inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract. The most common symptoms are abdominal pain, often in the lower right area, and diarrhea. Rectal bleeding, weight loss, and fever may also occur. Bleeding may be serious and persistent, leading to anemia.

Also: Crohn's




Topics Related to Crohn's Disease
Colon CleansingAs A Treatment
"...Counter-Indicators and Warnings: Colonic irrigation should not be used in people with diverticulitis, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, severe or internal hemorrhoids, tumors in the rectum or colon, or soon after bowel surgery..."

Crohn's Disease

The Condition
"...Crohn's Disease causes inflammation in the small intestine..."


Our Question about dairy product consumption quantity
"...Forty million Americans have irritable bowels and over 500,000 have gone on to develop Crohn's disease..."


Relationship to Ankylosing Spondylitis
"Bowel inflammation is somehow tied to the development of ankylosing spondylitis and this is the reason why people with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis are at increased risk of the illness..."


Relationship to Small Intestine Cancer
"...For those with Crohn's disease, the risk of developing small intestinal cancer is 6 times greater than for those without it..."


Relationship to Bacterial Dysbiosis
"...Little progress has been made in confirming or disproving this theory, although bacterial overgrowth of the jejunum has been found in 30% of patients hospitalized for Crohn's disease, in which it contributes to diarrhea and malabsorption..."


Relationship to Helicobacter Pylori Infection
"Drug therapies used to fight the ulcer-causing bacteria Helicobacter Pylori may help treat Crohn's disease..."


Relationship to Vitamin B12 Requirement
"Crohn's disease can lead to malabsorption of vitamin B12..."


Recommendation Essential Fatty Acids
"A study by Japanese researcher Kuroki found that, compared with control subjects, Crohn's patients had lower concentrations of Omega-3 essential fats and higher concentrations of the monounsaturated fatty acids Omega-7 and Omega-9..."


Recommendation Superoxide Dismutase
"A study from France demonstrated the use of an antioxidant called superoxide dismutase and desferoxamine (an iron chelating drug) which allowed 82% of severe Crohn's patients to go into remission..."


Recommendation Sugars Avoidance / Reduction
"Elaine Gottschall, author of Breaking the Vicious Cycle, has proposed that gut dysbiosis is a major cause of Crohn's disease, with small and large bowel fermentation being a key component..."


Recommendation Tobacco Avoidance
"A study of 474 smokers with Crohn's disease found that patients who stopped smoking for more than 1 year had similar rates of flare-ups as patients who never smoked, and both groups had fewer problems than current smokers..."


Recommendation Slippery Elm
"...It is part of the herbal combination called "Robert's Formula", which is widely prized by naturopathic physicians for such intestinal inflammations as gastritis, Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis..."


Recommendation Robert's Formula
"See the link between Crohn's and Slippery Elm..."


Recommendation Dairy Products Avoidance
"Mycobacterium paratuberculosis (Para-T) RNA (a bacteria causing Johne’s disease in cows) was found in 100% of Crohn's disease patients, compared with 0% of controls..."


Recommendation Test for Helicobacter Pylori Infection
"Drug therapies used to fight the ulcer-causing bacteria Helicobacter Pylori may help treat Crohn's disease..."


Recommendation Zinc
"Tissue damaged by Crohn's disease has an enhanced recovery rate with adequate zinc..."


Recommendation against Glutamine
"Although glutamine is known to play a role in small intestine function, in Crohn's disease at least two studies have shown it to be mildly harmful..."


Recommendation Gluten-free Diet
"See the link between Crohn's and Sugar Avoidance / Reduction..."

Diarrhea

The Condition
"...ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease..."

Elevated Homocysteine Levels

Relationship to Ulcerative Colitis
"Because people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), like ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, have a much higher risk of both thromboses and osteoporosis, a team of researchers from McGill University in Montreal explored the idea that homocysteine excess may play an..."

Enteritis

The Condition
"...coli enteritis Bacterial gastroenteritis Radiation enteritis Crohn's disease / regional enteritis Enterocolitis involves the colon as well as the small intestine, and gastroenteritis includes stomach inflammation..."

Fish Oils

As A Treatment
"...Evidence is mixed on whether fish oil can help prevent flare-ups of Crohn's disease, a condition in which parts of the digestive tract are highly inflamed..."

Gastritis

Recommendation Slippery Elm
"...It is part of the herbal combination called "Robert's Formula", which is widely prized by naturopathic physicians for such intestinal inflammations as gastritis, Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis..."

Glutamine

As A Treatment
"...Glutamine is a "brain food"; it helps build and maintain muscle; useful in weight loss and bodybuilding; used to treat arthritis, autoimmune diseases, fibrosis, intestinal disorders (such as Crohn's disease, irritable bowel disease, ulcerative colitis), lupus, connective tissue disease and tissue damage from radiation treatments, fatigue, impotence, schizophrenia and senility..."

Heartburn / GERD / Acid Reflux

Relationship to Crohn's Disease
"Crohn's disease is a chronic ailment that causes inflammation and injury in the colon and other parts of the gastrointestinal tract, including the esophagus..."

High/Increased Fiber Diet

As A Treatment
"...Water insoluble fiber assists in maintaining regular bowel movements, but may have an adverse or detrimental effect on irritable bowel syndrome and Crohn's disease..."

Hypercoagulation (Thickened Blood)

The Condition
"...This list currently includes CFS/FMS, myofascial pain syndrome, osteonecrosis of the jaw, fetal loss, multiple sclerosis, Crohn's disease, Sjogren's syndrome, IBS, Lyme disease, autism, gulf war illness and ADD..."

IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)

The Condition
"...No link has been established between IBS and inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis..."


Recommendation Dairy Products Avoidance
"Mycobacterium paratuberculosis (Para-T) RNA (a bacteria causing Johne’s disease in cows) was found in 100% of Crohn's disease patients, compared with 0% of controls..."

Intestinal Malabsorption Syndrome

The Condition
"...Causes and Development: The many possible causes of malabsorption include ... Crohn's disease..."

Iritis

The Condition
"...These are called connective tissue diseases and include: rheumatoid arthritis, sarcoidosis, lupus, scleroderma, Behcet's disease, anklylosing spondylitis, Reiter's disease, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, and B-27 disease..."

Lactose Intolerance

The Condition
"..." [Townsend Medical Letter, May, 1995] Milk is linked to Crohn's disease..."

Lipase

As A Treatment
"...People with a tendency to pancreatic insufficiency and cystic fibrosis may benefit from a lipase supplement as well as those with celiac disease, Crohn's disease, as well as those suffering indigestion and heartburn..."

Magnesium Requirement

The Condition
"...The loss of magnesium through diarrhea and fat malabsorption usually occurs after intestinal surgery or infection, but it can occur with chronic malabsorptive problems such as Crohn's disease, gluten sensitive enteropathy, and regional enteritis..."

Ozone / Oxidative Therapy

As A Treatment
"...disease such as stroke, obstructive arteriopathy, venous insufficiency, cancer, acute and chronic viral diseases, ulcers, infected wounds, gangrenes, burns, inflammatory bowel disease such as Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis and spinal disc problems..."

Steatorrhea

The Condition
"...Increased fecal fat levels are found in cystic fibrosis, malabsorption secondary to other conditions like Whipple's disease or Crohn's disease, maldigestion secondary to pancreatic or bile duct obstruction, and "short-gut" syndrome secondary to surgical resection, bypass, or congenital anomaly..."

Ulcerative Colitis

Our Question about vaccinations
"...5 times higher (3 times higher for Crohn's) compared to an unvaccinated group..."


Relationship to Ankylosing Spondylitis
"See the link between Crohn's Disease and Ankylosing Spondylitis..."


Recommendation Tobacco Avoidance
"Smokers have lower than average rates of ulcerative colitis, but higher than average rates of Crohn's disease..."


Recommendation Slippery Elm
"...It is part of the herbal combination called "Robert's Formula", which is widely prized by naturopathic physicians for such intestinal inflammations as gastritis, Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis..."

Vitamin B12 Requirement

The Condition
"...Crohn's disease) or shortened by surgery (usually to treat bowel disease)..."

Vitamin B6 Requirement

The Condition
"...It is known that B6 is actively transported to the fetus and concentrated up to 4 times the normal level Malabsorption: Celiac disease, Crohn's disease, etc..."

Vitamin D Requirement

Our Question about removal of a portion of small bowel
"Vitamin D malabsorption reflects the extent of distal small bowel resection in Crohn's disease patients..."

Vitamin E

As A Treatment
"...DeLiz treated an advanced case of Crohn's disease (severe ileum or colon inflammation and ulceration with bloody diarrhea), another incurable disease, with remarkable results using 16,000 IU of vitamin E daily..."

Weakened Immune System

The Condition
"...include, but are not limited to, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, autoimmune disorders in general, primary chronic polyarthritis, chronic candidiasis, cancer, neurodermatitis, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, food and other allergies, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and chemical sensitivities..."






Last updated: Dec 30, 2011