You’ve tried traditional IBD medicines prescribed by your well-meaning doctor. You’ve experienced toxic side effects and you’ve been told, “The benefit outways the risk.” And when these medications fail to work, the dosage gets increased or you get moved to stronger, more powerful drugs.

Let’s take steroids like prednisone.  Steroids have become a first line drug when IBD flares occur. Your symptoms might be masked for a while, but the side effects keep mounting.

According to PubMed Health, prednisone is not only unsafe to take during pregnancy, but it also has a host of awful side effects like mood and behavior changes, depression, round “mooning” of the face, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, and even trouble seeing. (1)

One of my clients, Amanda, came to me after her 3rd round of prednisone, each time dealing with raging fits of anger, irritability and depression.  For her and her family, this was more than they could take. Amanda felt like she was losing her mind, like her family didn’t even know the real her anymore. Things had gotten so bad, Amanda told me suicidal thoughts had crept up in the back of her mind. She knew this wasn’t her. Those side effects just weren’t worth the benefit she was getting while taking them. 

But if you’ve been part of the IBD community for a while, you’ve probably heard other women’s heartbreaking stories about the steroid rage, extreme mood swings, and even suicidal tendencies that creep up on these types of steroidal doses. It’s not unusual to hear moms say, “It’s not me, it’s the steroids!” 

When steroid side effects become too much to handle or they stop working, we turn to even more toxic drugs like immunosuppressive 6MP, Imuran or Stelara and Biologics like Humira, Entyvio, or Remicade. Again, we cover up the symptoms of our Crohn’s and colitis instead of seeking a true and lasting, root cause solution.

If you’ve been dealt the immunosuppressive or Biologic blow, you might have experienced side effects like:

• Heachaches
• Upper respiratory infections
• Yeast infections and UTI’s       
• A decrease in your number of blood cells
• Inflammation of your liver or pancreas 
• Fevers and nausea
• Intense fatigue
• Tuberculosis
• Risk for lymphoma (cancer of the lymphatic system)

(2) (3) (4)

With the toxic medicine route, the root cause solution is still the missing puzzle piece.   While I often support clients who take these kinds of medicines in the short term while getting to the root cause of their IBD, they will never give you the long term fix you’re seeking and they may even give you some nasty side effects that are with you for the rest of your life.

If you’re like most people I work with, you’ve tried your luck at over-the-counter NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) like aspirin and ibuprofen to help control your IBD symptoms. It’s no wonder you try these as a first line of defense. You’ve been told they’re super safe because they reduce inflammation and help control your pain, all in nice neat over-the-counter “so they must be safe” package.

The truth is that while you may feel immediate relief in the moment, these so-called anti-inflammatory pain relievers are actually wreaking havoc on your already injured gut lining and creating many more problems than they solve.

Excessive use of NSAIDS have been shown to cause “leaky gut,” a condition where the gut lining opens like a drawbridge to allow bacteria, toxins and large food particles to leak into your bloodstream. Leaky gut leaves you vulnerable to INCREASED inflammation and other autoimmune diseases. Furthermore, when you cover up the inflammation causing our IBD, you never get to the root cause of your illness so lifelong healing never happens.

You’re told that food has nothing to do with your illness. Eat what you want as long as it doesn't bother you. 

Eat what doesn't bother me? Everything I eat bothers me!

Let me ask you a question-- how is it possible that an illness that affects your digestive tract, doesn't feel the impact of the food we eat?

It just doesn't make any sense.

Doctors specialize in meditation and symptom management, not nutrition.

Don't get me wrong, medications are great when we need them and doctors and hospitals have saved me a time or two. But most medical doctors have very little nutritional training so they may not be the best person to tell us what we should and should not be eating to help our Crohn's and colitis. 

The truth is, there are foods that can make your IBD worse. These foods that have the power to negatively impact the bacterial balance in your gut, and in the long run, that means more IBD flares, more digestive woes, and less time spent remission.

At the same time, there are foods that have the power to make your IBD better. Finding out what these foods are for your individual symptoms is the key to long term remission.

Don’t feel bad if you’ve been suckered into any of the supposed miracle "Cure your IBD" gimmicks. The internet is full of empty promises and scams.

Cleanses, detoxes, nutritional shakes, super supplement packs, and the craziest one I’ve encountered-- the cabbage soup diet! These fly-by-night miracles leave you feeling hopeful for a moment, but as soon as you delve a little deeper, you discover another “cure” that doesn't work.

Here's the honest truth that no one is telling you.

Healing your Crohn's or colitis takes hard work and commitment. It takes time to get to the root cause of what's keeping you from quieting your symptoms. It's not for the faint of heart. And it's not found in a single pill or miracle cure.

Nope, none of these hyped up strategies ever work in the long run. They may even cause toxic side effects, and symptoms worse than what you're already dealing with. Don’t worry if you’ve gotten yourself hooked on these NEVER WORK strategies. I’ve been prey as well, and it's hard to find a way out.

It’s not your fault. 

We are all sent down this path of craziness at one time or another. But your IBD story doesn’t have to end here. You don’t have to live in pain for the rest of your life. There is hope.