how i healed my CROHN’S DISEASE

Gut health is a huge part of reversing and preventing disease. Healing my own gut (digestive system) was the biggest root and the beginning of healing from Crohn’s and ultimately allowed my mind and body to start performing optimally.

I didn't grow up aware of how our lifestyle choices impacted our health and ability to live long and comfortable lives. Shortly after I graduated high school I was hospitalized for severe stomach pains that I'd never experienced before. They discovered an obstruction in my small intestine, which was caused by constant, out-of-control inflammation. After they removed the obstruction (with a tube up my nose and down my esophagus...yuck) I was prescribed steroidal anti-inflammatory medicine (Prednisone) and was told it would probably not happen again as long as I finished the prescription. The prescription was for four weeks.

Six weeks later all of that happened again.

Since we realized these weren't isolated events, my parents and I got further tests done and right before my 19th birthday I was diagnosed with a “textbook case” of Crohn's disease. Happy Birthday right?

Crohn's disease is an autoimmune disease that occurs in the digestive tract. Mine was specifically in my small intestine (the ileum to be really precise). Basically, ‘autoimmune’ means your body attacks itself because something has gone wrong and it thinks your own cells are actually unwanted invaders.

The result is a lot of pain, for one, and leads to many other interrelated issues over time.

Other autoimmune conditions include Ulcerative Colitis (close cousin of Crohn's), Alzheimer's, Celiac, Lupus, Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Type 1 Diabetes, Psoriasis, Fibromyalgia, MS, and many more. Autoimmunity can affect all parts of the body, gut, brain, skin, joints, bones and more.

I researched the effectiveness and side effects of the most commonly used long-term medications prescribed for Crohn's and quickly realized the doctors were playing a guessing game, and there was no conventional approach that involved getting to the root of the problem, much less solving it permanently. It was, and still is, all about managing symptoms. The specific medication recommended to me was Humira, and it does exactly that: mask the symptoms while the disease continues causing damage beneath the surface.

So after a difficult process of weighing the pros and cons of doing this on my own (if I knew then what I know now it would've been a much easier decision), I decided to politely decline the medication offered to me. That's NOT what I'm recommending anyone do if they find themselves in that position, I'm simply sharing my personal story and what worked for me. Everyone should make their own decision based on their specific situation.

It was a long process that I continue to learn more about, but today I'm healed and healthier than I was before my diagnoses. No, I'm not cured, because that would mean I can go back to living exactly how I did before I got sick. But that is what got me sick in the first place. I'm healed because I choose to eat and do things each day that build me up rather than tear me down. I'm no longer hindered by my disease. I've been empowered by learning about it.

But How did I

actually do it?!

I want to get specific, but I’m going to keep this part short and sweet. Ask questions if you have any. It's my favorite thing to talk about.

1. I started an elemental diet which allowed me to drink all of my nutrients in a form that didn’t require digestion. This gave my digestive tract a break from food to heal more quickly and more effectively.

2. I supplemented with Wild Oregano Oil daily. The only brand I've used is JoyOfTheMountains.

3. I supplemented with probiotics daily. The only brand I've used is Natren (Healthy Trinity).

4. When I started eating solid foods again, I cut out all processed foods. It took awhile, but anything with an ingredients list which included things that weren't actual foods didn't make the cut.

5. I cut out all grains, legumes and dairy. I still only eat these very rarely.

6. I cut out all vegetable and seed oils. For good.

7. I ate a lot of bone broth (homemade and store bought) and collagen. This is the only store-bought bone broth brand I've used - KettleandFire. There are other good ones out there. I've used both VitalProteins and GreatLakesGelatin brands for collagen.

8. I bought organic and grass-fed for meat as often as I could. I made sure to eat high quality meat (beef and chicken) at least several times a week. In the very beginning I ate it every single day.

9. I bought pacific and wild-caught for fish as often as I could. I made sure to eat fish at least several times a week, ideally everyday. Especially salmon and tuna. I eventually included sardines and mackerel as well.

10. I avoided eating too many raw vegetables. I always steamed or baked them. My staples were sweet potatoes, cauliflower, carrots, zucchini and yellow squash. (I couldn't eat many greens for awhile while my gut was first healing).

11. I supplemented with L-glutamine and Aloe Vera Juice. So far I've only used Source Naturals brand for L-glutamine, and George’s Aloe Vera Juice.

12. I ate a lot of healthy fats. Mainly coconut oil, hemp seeds, chia seeds, avocado, beef, chicken, fish and eggs.

13. I tried to walk after meals and get outside as much as I could. Walking barefoot on the earth under some sunshine goes a long way.

14. I made sleep each night an absolute priority. 7 hours was a minimum and 8-9 was always the goal.

15. I was intentional about relieving stress. Very intentional.

This is how I

started...

...from not being able to walk or think straight because of how much pain I was in, to being able to run and workout and remain active and alert on a regular basis. Some things on this list I still do exactly as it says, some I do some variation of, and some of them I don't need to do anymore. If you have any questions about how I healed from a chronic disease, I'm happy to talk about it. Hopefully my story can help you take control of yours.

RESOURCES

I’ve used many dozens of resources over the years since I was diagnosed, to learn about how to keep my mind, body and spirit healthy. In the breath of this post, to give you two of the resources that had the largest, earliest impact on my journey, they would be Listen to Your Gut by Jini Patel-Thompson, and Practical Paleo by Diane Sanfilippo. Both served me extremely well in the very early stages of learning how to become truly healthy.