Natural Homeopathic Medicines For Crohn’s Disease

Excessive diarrhea, unexplained weight loss, and persistent abdominal pain that does not go away with regular medication point towards a disease of the gastrointestinal tract known as Crohn’s disease. This disease can affect everyday life and can progress into a painful, debilitating condition. It is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that causes inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. It is one of the two conditions included under inflammatory bowel diseases. It can affect any part of the digestive system starting from mouth till the anus. This disease primarily causes ulceration of small & large intestine. Homeopathic medicines for Crohn’s disease provide long-term management by balancing the overactive immune system and helps heal the disease naturally. 

Homeopathic Medicines for Crohn’s Disease

Homeopathy offers a significant supportive role in the symptomatic management of Crohn’s disease. These medicines help in reducing the inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract. They also help manage the symptoms by moderating the immune system. The use of homeopathy for Crohn’s disease helps reduce the recurrence of the symptoms as well as their severity.

1. For Diarrhoea

Aloe Socotrina is a treatment for Crohn’s disease with diarrhea. Associated symptoms include loose stools, a feeling of constant bearing down in the rectum, and an urge to pass stool immediately after drinking or eating. Rumbling and gurgling in the rectum, yellowish, brownish, lumpy with excess water stools are other symptoms. An involuntary passing of stools while passing flatus and development of anal fistula is also noted in some cases.

2. For Loose Stool

Merc Cor is a treatment for Crohn’s disease where the person suffers from a loose stool with mucus. Mercurius corrosivus is chemically prepared with mercuric chloride.
The stools have a foul-smell, and the person may feel a constant ineffectual urge to pass stool despite having cleared the bowels repeatedly. Colic below the navel and a distended, sore abdomen are other symptoms.

3. For Weight Loss

China Officinalis is a treatment for Crohn’s disease with weight loss. It is used to treat Crohn’s disease in cases where there is weight loss along with diarrhea. Symptoms include loose stools, undigested food particles in feces, flatulence during excretion, weakness, bloated abdomen, weakness and frailty.

4. For Weakness

Arsenic Album is a treatment for Crohn’s disease with Weakness. It is used to treat Crohn’s disease where excessive weakness along with diarrhea is present. Foul smelling, profuse watery stools along with other symptoms like vomiting, nausea and a burning sensation in the abdomen, sores or ulcers in the mouth may be present.

5. For Abdominal Cramps

Colocynthis is a medicine used to treat Crohn’s disease when there are predominant, intense colicky abdominal pain/cramps. The abdominal pains tend to get worse from slight eating or drinking. In most cases, bending-over double or putting hard pressure provides relief. Other symptoms include a watery, sour-smelling, yellowish-greenish stool with vomiting of bitter fluid.

6. For Mouth Ulcers

Nitric acid is a medicine used to treat ulcers in the soft palate with sharp, splinter-like pains. It is also indicated for slimy, offensive diarrhea. Irritability and exhaustion may follow after stools. Bleeding from the bowels is profuse and bright red.

7. For Sharp Abdominal Pain

Phosphorus is a medicine indicated for sharp cutting pains in the Abdomen. There is very weak, empty, all gone sensation felt in the entire abdominal cavity. Diarrhea in the morning and discharge of blood from rectum while passing stool are other symptoms.

Crohn’s Disease: Types

1. The first type of Crohn’s disease is inflammatory and can cause simple erosions in the bowel walls.
2. The second type of Crohn’s disease leads to the formation of scar tissue within the walls of the bowel. The inflammation gets healed by the body, but scarring leads to obstructive symptoms and bowels are unable to move properly.
3. The third type of Crohn’s disease is penetrating in nature, under which the inflammation travels through the bowel walls and forms connections with adjacent organs.

Based on the involvement of the part of the alimentary canal, Crohn’s disease presents itself in many forms:

1. Crohn’s Colitis refers to the involvement of the large intestine.
2. When only the small intestine is involved, it is referred to as Crohn’s Enteritis.
3. Active disease of the Ileum (last portion of the small intestine) is known as Crohn’s Ileitis.
4. When the disease affects both small and large intestine, it is referred to as Crohn’s Enterocolitis or Ileocolitis.

Treatment with Homeopathy

A fairly common disorder, Crohn’s disease has no cure, and conventional medications (like steroids and immunosuppressants) are used to hinder the progression of the disease. Corticosteroid drugs are used to reduce inflammation that occurs in the active stage of disease, but prolonged use of these drugs can lead to ulceration of the stomach, making the person more prone to infections.
Another treatment option is to suppress the immune system with the help of immunosuppressive drugs, which tend to cause side effects like diarrhea, loose motions, and vomiting.
Remedies for intestinal inflammation can gradually reduce the inflammation of bowels and provide symptomatic relief. These work in the form of highly diluted chemicals that are charged to act as messages to stimulate the body’s restorative processes.

They are Safe

The medicines for colon diseases are taken in small doses over a continuous period, which helps improve the efficacy of the natural substances that m. This slow-healing action helps treat the problem on a long-term basis while also reducing the symptoms.

A Holistic Approach

Crohn’s disease is often an autoimmune disease, and homeopathy aims to treat the problem by moderating the immune system. With homeopathy the symptoms are not suppressed; instead, the cause is identified through the presentation of symptoms. Colitis treatment associated with Crohn’s disease involves moderating the over-active immune system that prevents further aggravation of the inflammation. Steroids used in conventional treatment tend to suppress the symptoms of inflammation, and do not help resolve the underlying problem.

Natural Remedies

An ancient 200-year-old medical science, homeopathy uses cures found in nature to help restore the natural healing processes of the human body. Remedies for intestinal inflammation are made of natural substances. Unlike conventional treatment where immunosuppressants are used to manage the symptoms, homeopathy focuses on long-term, natural treatment of the same.

Individual Treatment

Every individual who turns to homeopathy is treated according to their specific symptoms. Homeopathy works in synchrony with the body’s natural restorative processes to treat a disease.
For example, a person who develops a risk towards Crohn’s disease as a result of smoking needs to quit smoking while taking treatment for Crohn’s disease, while a person genetically predisposed to develop the condition may require a separate set of medicines along with adequate lifestyle changes.

Causes and Risk Factors

The exact cause of Crohn’s disease is not clearly understood, though the following factors are said to contribute to the manifestation of the disease:

Autoimmune origin: In cases of autoimmune diseases, the immune system misdirects a response, causing the cells to destroy healthy body tissues. In Crohn’s disease, the body’s immune cells begin to damage the GIT (gastrointestinal tract) that results in inflammation and ulcers.

Heredity: Crohn’s disease has a tendency to run in families through hereditary factors. Therefore chances of developing Crohn’s disease increases if there is a family history of Crohn’s disease.

Environmental Factors: Environmental factors such as pollution and an inadequate diet (lacking in nutrition) plays a significant role in the development of Crohn’s disease. The disease is more common among people residing in urban areas.

Smoking: A family history of Crohn’s disease coupled with smoking habits puts a person at an increased risk to develop the disease. Research suggests that Crohn’s disease develops more commonly in smokers as compared to non-smokers. Stress & infections tend to worsen the condition.

Age: People between 15-30 years of age are more susceptible to developing the disease.

Crohn’s: Signs and Symptoms

Crohn’s is a chronic disease, so a person may experience symptoms during the active phase of the disease, and no symptoms at all when the condition is in remission phase.
The main symptoms of Crohn’s disease include:

Persistent diarrhea as a result of the disease varies from mild to severe level. The person may have mucus discharge or blood in the stool.

Abdominal pain due to Crohn’s disease varies from person to person. The pain is felt in the lower right side of the abdomen.

Anemia: Since the disease causes loss of blood through stools, it can lead to anemia.

Loss of appetite: An unexplained loss of appetite can be a result of Crohn’s disease. Similarly, weight loss becomes a symptom resulting from loss of appetite.

Ulcers: The inflammation caused by Crohn’s disease leads to the formation of ulcers in the gut. These may bleed, and the blood shows up in the stools.

Arthritis: Research shows that chronic inflammation in the intestines or colon (main characteristic of Crohn’s disease) can trigger the body’s immune system to start an inflammatory process in the joints or tendons.

Other symptoms include:

• mouth sores
• inflammation of eyes (uveitis) and skin
• fever and fatigue

Complications of Crohn’s Disease

Certain complications linked with Crohn’s disease include:

• Inflammation of the eyes
• Rectal bleeding
• Anal fistula
• Anal fissures
• Arthritis
• Pyoderma gangrenosum
• Osteoporosis
• Intestinal stricture
• Bowel obstruction
• Colon cancer

Management of Crohn’s Disease

No substantial evidence identifies the food products that cause inflammatory bowel diseases, but avoiding certain foods and beverages can help manage the symptoms and overall health during the active stage of the disease.

• Eating periodic small meals rather than big meals is highly recommended for people who have Crohn’s disease.
• Fluid intake, especially water, should be increased.
• Multivitamins and nutritional supplements can also be added to a doctor’s recommendation.

Foods to Avoid with Crohn’s Disease

Fatty Foods: During the active stage of the disease, the intestines are unable to absorb fat. Consuming fatty food during the active phase of the illness can diarrhea, and so a low-fat diet should b maintained.

Dairy Products: Since Crohn’s disease damages the digestive tract, it can lead to lactose intolerance. People who develop lactose intolerance are not able to digest lactose (milk sugar) found in dairy products. A treatment diet for Crohn’s disease involves increased fluid intake and a decrease in specific food groups.

Alcohol: Alcohol is not safe for anyone with inflammatory bowel disease as it can cause further complications.

Spicy foods and caffeine should be avoided as they can trigger gastric symptoms like pain, bloating and gas.

Fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains that have high fiber content should be avoided as they are difficult to digest when the gastrointestinal tract is inflamed.