HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Thoughts on GLUTEN FREE / NATURAL AIDES to help Crohn's ???

Support Forums
>
Crohn's Disease
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 8/11/2012 2:44 AM (GMT 0)
HI everyone!

I have read a lot on going Gluten free to help with Crohn's...

Does anyone find this has made a drastic change in their symptoms? Is it hard to stick to? Favorite GF foods?

Are there also any particular probiotics / supplements / etc. to help out our guts?

I am currently taking Humira once a week and Imuran 150mg a day and they are not helping me as much as they used to...

I have read so many articles / posts on gluten free, probiotics, vitamins, natural remedies and I am just confused on maybe everyones ''top 10'' of what seasoned Crohnies rely on confused

thanks!

Posted 8/11/2012 4:17 AM (GMT 0)
I have been gluten free for about 14 months and it has helped me feel a lot better. But I won't say that it has affected my Crohn's. I just think that I was having a lot of problems with gluten in general (due to whatever - perimenopause, side effects of the Crohn's, age, bad luck) and the symptoms it caused were mainly gut issues. But the most important reason I stuck with it was because of the improvement I had in my ability to concentrate - that became obvious about 10 days after being gluten free. The gut improvements were obvious about 2 weeks after being gluten free.
Posted 8/11/2012 4:44 PM (GMT 0)
did not work for me. going dairy free did though
Posted 8/11/2012 4:53 PM (GMT 0)
Didn't work for me, either. But worth a shot! You never know.
Posted 8/13/2012 2:28 AM (GMT 0)
Going gluten free really helped me. It was difficult to distinguish whether something I ate that contained gluten, next to a non-glutenous food had actually effected me. A few weeks ago I had the worst joint pains ever and I made a few different changes to try and help myself, but once I saw my doctor and decided to get serious about going gluten free 100%, I've not had anymore pains! I also started taking Zyflomend which has helped me alot.

Carrie, aside from all of my blathering, there are tons of natural remedies to help crohns and colitis. The research and findings are ongoing, and resources are abundant. If any of your meds are keeping you fully stable, thats terrific, but supplements can also aid in the healing process.

Supplements like L-Glutamine, Fish Oil(Omega 3), Probiotics, Curcumin(turmeric), Licorice Root, Slippery Elm, etc. So many to list. And of course, trying out a strict gluten free diet for a few weeks may be of benefit to you!
Posted 8/13/2012 2:28 AM (GMT 0)
Going gluten free really helped me. It was difficult to distinguish whether something I ate that contained gluten, next to a non-glutenous food had actually effected me. A few weeks ago I had the worst joint pains ever and I made a few different changes to try and help myself, but once I saw my doctor and decided to get serious about going gluten free 100%, I've not had anymore pains! I also started taking Zyflomend which has helped me alot.

Carrie, aside from all of my blathering, there are tons of natural remedies to help crohns and colitis. The research and findings are ongoing, and resources are abundant. If any of your meds are keeping you fully stable, thats terrific, but supplements can also aid in the healing process.

Supplements like L-Glutamine, Fish Oil(Omega 3), Probiotics, Curcumin(turmeric), Licorice Root, Slippery Elm, etc. So many to list. And of course, trying out a strict gluten free diet for a few weeks may be of benefit to you!
Posted 8/13/2012 10:04 AM (GMT 0)

Carrie5975 said...
HI everyone!

I have read a lot on going Gluten free to help with Crohn's...

Does anyone find this has made a drastic change in their symptoms? Is it hard to stick to? Favorite GF foods?

Are there also any particular probiotics / supplements / etc. to help out our guts?

I am currently taking Humira once a week and Imuran 150mg a day and they are not helping me as much as they used to...

I have read so many articles / posts on gluten free, probiotics, vitamins, natural remedies and I am just confused on maybe everyones ''top 10'' of what seasoned Crohnies rely on confused

thanks!

Posted 8/13/2012 11:03 AM (GMT 0)
First of all, if you are on humira and immuran, I assume that you are in remission and are having no symptoms.  Then my queston to you is....how will you ever know if changing your diet really helps you or not?   The only way for you to know this is to stop taking the drugs after being on the diet awhile and see what happens, and I know that no doc in this country will allow you to do that, especially if you tell them you want to try the diet approach instead of drugs. 
Posted 11/27/2012 4:36 PM (GMT 0)
Try to eat gluten free for a couple of weeks to see if your symptoms lessen. Gluten and dairy are the usual suspects but any food can cause problems. So I prefer a food diary or journal to isolate dietary triggers. For example, I always tried to eat healthy for years with generous amounts of cruciferous vegetables, etc. Now I find that cruciferous such as kale and broccoli trigger flare symptoms.

As far as other alternatives go, you can almost say that rectal meds such as mesalamine enemas are alternative since so few doctors prescribe them unless specifically requested. But they have an excellent reputation for effectiveness with relatively few side effects.

Popular supplements are fish oil and getting your blood levels of vitamin D, iron, and B12 checked to correct any deficiencies. Some like me use soluble fiber such as psyllium (Metamucil or psyllium seed). Others swear by herbal demulcents like slippery elm. You can search the forum for these topics.

Probiotics are probably the most popular supplement for IBDers. There are numerous research studies showing that certain probiotics, such as Saccharomyces Boulardii and Culturelle, are effective for maintaining remission. VSL#3 is shown to prevent pouchitis. Benebiotic and RenewLife Ultimate Flora are also very popular choices. But we are all different and certain probiotics are more compatible than others.

Another alternative might be LDN:
www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=17&m=2270240

Our individual signatures indicate what foods we avoid and which meds and supplements we are using.
Posted Yesterday 1:23 AM (GMT 0)
I went on gluten free fall of last year and have broke alittle bit over this holiday and a move..I have been trying to get back on board..I don't do dairy in an active flare, and cruciferous veggies popcorn ect there are some items that I don't ever tolerate..Some people on the board swear by SCD...You can always try it just see if it helps..Just like Kazbern, it helped me with other symptoms that were not CD related..My last flare I went into I was strict on gluten free for awhile so for me it was not a cure all..I did not eat specialty products just stuff that was naturally gluten free except I did indulge in Van's waffles & gluten free pasta..The texture of most of the products and price kind of turned me off..I just read the labels and studied the manufacturer websites..Meat, veggies, and fruits I tried to stick to mostly.. rolleyes
Posted Yesterday 9:50 PM (GMT 0)
I am Dairy Free and Gluten Free. Hard for me to say if the Gluten Free is working, really hasn't been long enough for me, however I am pretty sick and eat very little anyway. But it's worth a try.
Posted 12/1/2012 12:07 AM (GMT 0)
Hello

I went Gluten Free and processed Sugar Free about 8 months ago. (I have been LActose free for almost 15 years)

I can certianly tell you that the sugar free was the biggest difference (flatulance completely stopped)

Also, I had Canker Sores that had persisted for over 8 months that cleared up within 2 weeks of going Gluten and Sugar Free.

What I can tell you is thta I lost almost 50 pounds and feel really good.

I can also tell you that Gluten free has not helped my Crohns.

I have had 2 significant GI bleeds in the past 6 months, so it is definitely not helping the healing process in the terminal Ileum, but I am sticking with it.  I feel really good, and am losing weight.  80% of my diet was gluten based in the past - (I was the biggest bread, pasta, cracker, cake, cookie etc eater you could imagine).  I missed those foods inititally, but have adjusted - Gluten free pasta is good with a primavera sauce on top.  My wife makes a bread almond bread (We make them like pancakes as if you make a loaf it is really shallow - Does not rise-  and looks like banana bread - you cannot really use it for sandwiches) -

I do a lot of Sushi, Steak, Chicken - Rice - Sauteed vegitables with the skin peeled off (I like to cook the vegetables until they melt in your mouth - Makes digestion very easy) - I eat non fibrous fruits (Peeled Apples) and chew them well or I drink Fruit Purees -

I do lactose free cheeses and milks (Soy and Lactade) but they both tend to make me gassy - so I do them every other day or so to ensure I get calcium.

I hope this helps

Posted 1/29/2013 5:03 AM (GMT 0)
Going Dairy and Gluten free drastically helped me.. but I had destroyed my gut so much by that point I needed to additionally go grain free and sugar free. The sugar and dairy are my biggest triggers. I said goodbye to them the same week I said goodbye to the GI and the drugs.

A week into the gluten and dairy free diet my joint pain started subsiding and I had hope for the first time in my life. Ive been dealing with this since I was 5. I still dealt with the inflammation until I cut the grains and sugar.. im now 7 months into finally healing. I got a bit overjealous with my joy about that and slacked in the sugar department over the holiday. Not terribly but enough to feel effects. Im barely starting to heal so it was stupid.. but its so hard to function in social situations. Ive got such fantastic friends too who went to the trouble to make me glutenfree/grain free things so I wanted so badly to participate in that way of connecting with people. Food just to be one of my greatest joys. What a cruel irony.

Anyway, I dont think this diet is a way of life instead, I hope the takeaway is moderation, something I was never very good at, but I do think it is necessary to heal.
Posted 1/29/2013 9:05 PM (GMT 0)
Gluten/dairy/sugar/fructose free did not help my daughter with UC. I think it's worth a shot as it will help some a lot, some a little and some not at all. What did help my daughter was grain/dairy free (paleo). She was doing very well (clinical remission at least) but we've been thrown off track by the flu. Whether we can get back on it or not remains to be seen but our entire family now eats this way to support her and I can say that I feel like a light has been switched on. I didn't realize that I had "brain fog" but I do, I also suffered from extreme anxiety and depression. These are all much improved and were noticeable almost instantly. I also have much more energy and have lost a lot of weight. So, it may not be a cure (though it might) for your CD but it may help it and your general health/well being.
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply