Alpha  Health Education

Crohn's Disease as Food Allergy

The Gastrointestinal Center

Topics from the

Book of Food and Digestive Disorders.

Introduction to Crohn's Disease

Using Alpha ENF in Crohn's 

Nutritional Rescue

Crohn's Nutritional Rescue Starter Pack.

Crohn's Home Page

More on Food Allergy

Alpha Nutrition Formulas

Crohn's is associated with European and North American diets and is on the increase. As third world countries adopt our food choices, they report an increasing incidence of Crohn's disease in young people.  Crohn's disease can be explained as a complicated food allergy process. Patients with this disease usually have many other symptoms which suggest that diagnosis. Once the small intestine is inflamed, it becomes increasingly permeable. This "leaky" GIT  produces all the downstream effects of food allergy. Among these whole-body effects are various muscle aching and arthritic patterns, brain disturbances and psoriasis.

Malabsorption is characteristic of inflammatory gastrointestinal disease and requires adequate nutrient supplementation and careful monitoring of the diet. Seriously ill patients often require prolonged treatment with an elemental nutrient formula and a carefully selected, safe-food list, usually limited to Alpha Nutrition Phase 1 and 2 foods for months to years.

Braegger and MacDonald reviewed the immune mechanisms in inflammatory bowel disease. They stated that "All these observations suggest that Crohn's disease may be caused by hyper-reaction of the local cellular immune system to numerous microbial and nutritional (food) antigens, normally present in the intestine." Although "bowel rest" with TPN or elemental formulas are recognized forms of treatment, few physicians are willing to explore the idea that food antigen exclusion may be a key factor in controlling the disease.

Diet Revision Therapy, rigorously implemented and closely monitored, is essential in inflammatory bowel diseases and has, in our experience, produced clinical remission in responsive patients.

Looking for a Solution? The Alpha Nutrition Program  

You can order An Alpha Nutrition Manual with the Book of Crohn's in a Nutritional Starter Pack. The Book of Crohn's describes the features of Crohn's disease and explains how the inflamed digestive tract is injured and does not work well. You have to assume that your body is damaged and must heal. Often a food holiday on Alpha ENF is the best way to begin recovery and the Alpha Nutrition program is an ideal way to design a safer, healthier long-term diet.