Holistic/Alternative Medicine Recommendation?

Hi!

Do any of you have any suggestions for alternative medicine? Couple questions

1) I looked into Omega 3s and the web says it doesn't help. Any others or should I still take them?

2) Probiotics actually upset my stomach, is that possible?

I want to attack the disease from as many fronts as possible, with eastern/western/alternative/prescription tactics. This would definitely help me with your advice. Thanks!

thanks so much for you response

seems like it has lactose in it, but it's very interesting...i think i'm lactose intolerant too lol....

for the most part, i bleed sometimes in my lower intestines

I think that diet is the best tool we have for helping ourselves. Diet has helped many people, but it is hard to get right. I agree with GK about the processed food - they tend to add gums and other assorted thickeners (they sound OK because they are vegetable source, but our gut does not digest them and they cause bacterial growth) as one of the most common additions. In addition, there is commonly starch or sugar added that also causes similar problems. I am using the SCD (Specific Carbohydrate Diet) plan and avoiding a very few other foods that disagree with me. I found out that I just did not like most of the foods that I am supposed to avoid, so that made avoiding them no problem.

After diet, there are several vitamins that I add to my diet. Vitamin D is important - I take 2000 IU a day. Vitamins E and C also are helpful in reducing inflammation generally. Of course, a multivitamin with no iron and a calcium/magnesium supplement is automatic because of the common problems with absorption due to gut inflammation from Crohn's.

Other than probiotics, I have not found any other things that I take for a longer term. One trick that seems to work for handling an uptick in symptoms is a one-day fast followed by the more easily digested foods on my diet, gradually working back to my normal diet.

As for the probiotics, I have tried many different brands and had just as many different results. You need to find the one that works for you. But two things to consider. You do get what you pay for, so don't go bottom of the barrel. You don't have to buy the most expensive, but the cheaper ones will probably not be the best for you. Also, my doctor told me that at some point you may need to switch brands for a month or so because your body gets used to the strains in one brand, then you can switch back. So if you find that the effectiveness is not what it used to be, try switching it up for a month.

1) salmon is an excellent food...I buy the refrigerated, vacuum packaged thin sliced or the smoked (its already expensive enough so dont buy fish oil for omega 3s, just get it direct from the salmon). I prefer the refrigerated salmon any day over canned tuna.
2)probiotics just like any other product is processed so you dont have much control over whats in there but Ive read posts that show it has helped them, I have not tried it.

As far as your overall question...keep a file on your computer with your information from the categories requested. There are so many different meds /approaches that the computer is a great way to organize them. for example i read one day that mexican yams might be beneficial, so when i has some extra bucks in the store I might consider something from such a list. I found some the regular yams so I peeled and cut 1 with potatoes and mashed it. I thought it agreed well ok so I will keep getting them.

I was recently reading something that said the Evening Primrose Oil is more effective at reducing inflammation then the straight omega 3's in it were by themselves. it also said that it was more effective than most other sources of omega 3.

Dagger makes a good point. I'm pretty sure no studies have been able to show any specific benefit of Omega 3s for Crohn's. However, they do so many great things for the body that they might be worth considering.

Culturelle is a pretty good probiotics supplement. We found that even commercial yogurt helped to balance the gut, but prefer to make yogurt at home, aged at least 24 hours, because it is far more powerful, "pure" (no additives), and because the lactose has been broken down by bacteria.