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Alpha Nutrition Health Education |
Crohn's Disease The Gastrointestinal Center |
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| Topics Book of Food and Digestive Disorders.
Other Digestive Tract Disorders
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Crohn's disease usually begins in young people and tends to involve the end of the small intestine (ileum) in inflammatory swelling. The inflammatory active involves mostly the small bowel wall and often becomes chronic with thickening of the wall and sometimes perforation. The colon is sometimes involved. Crohn's disease affects males and females equally and appears to run in some families. About 20 percent of people with Crohn's disease have a blood relative with some form of inflammatory bowel disease. The Problem:Chronic immune-mediated inflammation of the digestive tract The Solution:
Many people with Crohn's Disease develop their first symptoms after a bout of "intestinal flu," "traveler’s diarrhea," after the use of antibiotics or anti-inflammatory medications such as ibuprofen. The majority of people with Crohn’s (about 80%) are smokers; there is evidence that smoking aggravates Crohn’s and smoking cessation should a high priority. Exposure to "second-hand" smoke has also been linked to Crohn’s Disease. Crohn's Disease covers a spectrum of illness from early, relatively mild bowel inflammation to more destructive and even life-threatening disease. We are advocating rigorous changes in life-style, diet and the conquest of addiction - no smoking and no compulsive eating. We acknowledge that self-responsible action is difficult and that heroic measures may be required to alter disease-causing conditions. We have seen special problems with Crohn's patients. As the disease progresses, patients have increasing contact with physicians hospitals and tend to become passive and dependent. Often, food choices are poor, eating patterns are irregular, nutrition is compromised. Energy is low and many patients become depressed. Often physicians tell their patients to eat anything they like and institutional advice often discourages self-responsible action. Diet revision is discouraged. The dogmatic advice of orthodox institutions is clearly wrong but that does diminish the impact of this negative thinking on the patient. An important task of the Crohn's patient, family, spouse and friends is to become well informed about the diet revision path we are advocating, confirm your right and ability to take self-responsible action and begin the process of constructive change. The inflamed digestive tract is injured and does not work well. You assume that your body is injured and must heal. Looking for a Solution? Do the Alpha Nutrition Program You can order An Alpha Nutrition Manual or the Crohn's Starter Pack. The book, Food and Digestive Disorders 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.
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