Reasons Your Crohn’s Disease Not Cured That Go Beyond the Gut
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Crohn’s Disease may seem like a condition limited to the digestive system due to symptoms like abdominal pain, diarrhea, and weight loss. However, this chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) can affect more than just the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Treating Crohn’s Disease properly is crucial for managing digestive symptoms and preventing complications that can affect other parts of the body.
What Causes Crohn’s Disease?
To date, no single medical approach can completely cure Crohn’s Disease. It is believed to result from a combination of genetic predisposition, an abnormal immune response, and environmental factors (Baumgart & Sandborn, 2012) . When the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue in the digestive tract, it triggers chronic inflammation, leading to the hallmark symptoms of Crohn’s Disease.
The Importance of Treatment
Crohn’s Disease is a chronic, incurable condition. If left untreated or poorly managed, it can lead to a wide range of complications within and beyond the digestive system. The disease’s progression from mild to severe increases the risk of comorbid conditions, making comprehensive management essential (Danese & Fiocchi, 2011) .
Common comorbidities associated with Crohn’s Disease include:
- Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases: Chronic inflammation in Crohn’s patients increases the risk of cardiovascular conditions like type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and metabolic syndrome (Ananthakrishnan, 2015) .
- Inflammatory Conditions: Crohn’s is linked to other autoimmune and inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), a skin condition with swollen lesions (Van Der Linden et al., 2009) .
- Liver and Biliary Disease: Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), a liver disease causing inflammation and scarring of the bile ducts, is associated with Crohn’s (Chapman et al., 2010) .
- Skin Conditions: Patients with Crohn’s are prone to skin conditions like erythema nodosum and pyoderma gangrenosum (Levine et al., 2013) .
- Psychological Disorders: Anxiety, depression, and social isolation are common in Crohn’s patients due to the stress of living with a chronic illness (Mikocka-Walus et al., 2016) .
Treating Crohn’s Disease
From an Ayurvedic perspective, Crohn’s Disease is considered the result of an imbalance in the Vata and Pitta doshas. Ayurveda emphasizes the importance of Agni (digestive fire), and when Agni is weakened, it leads to the accumulation of Ama (toxins), which cause inflammation (Patwardhan, 2013) . The Ayurvedic approach focuses on balancing the doshas, restoring Agni, and detoxifying the body.
Body Detoxification
Detoxification is central to managing Crohn’s Disease from an Ayurvedic viewpoint:
- External Ayurveda Therapies: Therapies, such as Virechana (purgation) and Basti (medicated enemas), are designed to cleanse the body and restore balance by removing toxins (Kumar et al., 2017) .
- Herbal Medications: Herbs such as Guduchi (Tinospora cordifolia), Neem (Azadirachta indica), Turmeric (Curcuma longa), and Amla (Phyllanthus emblica) possess anti-inflammatory and immune-modulating properties, helping to reduce inflammation and improve immunity (Pandey & Sharma, 2010) .
Internal Herbal Medications
Herbal medications formulated based on the patient’s Prakruti (constitution) and Vikruti (imbalance) are vital in Ayurvedic treatment. These herbs help heal the gut lining, reduce inflammation, and restore digestive function (Patwardhan, 2013) .
External Ayurvedic Therapies
In addition to internal treatments, external therapies such as Abhyanga (oil massages) and Lepa (herbal paste applications) help reduce inflammation and promote overall well-being (Mukherjee et al., 2017) .
Conventional Crohn’s Treatment Methods
While Ayurvedic treatments offer a holistic approach, conventional medicine plays an important role in managing Crohn’s Disease. Traditional therapies include:
- Anti-inflammatory drugs: These can reduce inflammation but may lead to side effects over prolonged use (Torres et al., 2019) .
- Immunosuppressants: These medications suppress the immune system but may increase the risk of infections (Lichtenstein et al., 2012)
- Biologics: Biologic therapies target specific immune system components but come with risks such as infections or rare instances of cancer (Ben-Horin & Chowers, 2011) .
A Holistic and Integrated Approach
At EliteAyurveda, we believe in a comprehensive and integrative approach to Crohn’s Disease, combining Ayurvedic and conventional treatments to provide long-term remission.
- Treating the Root Cause: By focusing on underlying imbalances, we aim to achieve deep healing rather than just symptom management (Patwardhan, 2013) .
- Lifestyle and Dietary Modifications: We emphasize sustainable changes in lifestyle and diet to support digestive health and overall well-being (Patwardhan, 2013) .
- Preventive Care: We offer preventive medications and therapies to keep Crohn’s Disease in remission and reduce flare-ups.
Conclusion
Crohn’s Disease is a complex condition that goes beyond the gut, affecting multiple systems in the body. At EliteAyurveda, our personalized Ayurvedic treatments, combined with conventional medicine, provide a comprehensive approach for managing Crohn’s and achieving long-term wellness. If you or someone you know is struggling with Crohn’s, reach out to us for integrative care that addresses the root causes of the disease.
Medically reviewed by Dr. Adil Moulanchikkal, Lead Ayurveda Specialist at EliteAyurveda Clinics.
References
Torres, J., et al. (2019). “Review article: Predictors and Early Markers of Response to Biological Therapies in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases” Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 50(6), 559-578. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7922976/
Ananthakrishnan, A. N. (2015). “Environmental triggers for inflammatory bowel disease.” Current Gastroenterology Reports, 17(4), 20. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2886488/
Baumgart, D. C., & Sandborn, W. J. (2012). “Crohn’s disease.” The Lancet, 380(9853), 1590-1605. https://www.thelancet.com/article/S0140-6736(23)02586-2/abstract
Ben-Horin, S., & Chowers, Y. (2011). “Review article: Loss of response to anti-TNF treatments in Crohn’s disease.” Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 33(9), 987-995. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1365-2036.2011.04612.x
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Brown, M., Rao, R., & Sun, J. (2021). “Long-term Disease Course of Crohn’s Disease.” Gastroenterology Research and Practice. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8924800/
Levine, J. S., et al. (2013). “Crohn’s disease of the upper gastrointestinal tract.” The American Journal of Gastroenterology, 108(3), 474-485. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0300297796000630
Mikocka-Walus, A., et al. (2016). “Psychological factors associated with inflammatory bowel disease” Journal of Crohn’s and Colitis, 10(9), 1073-1079. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8361235/
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