crohn treatment

Read and learn more about crohn treatment. For more, visit the Crohn’s Disease website DrCrohns.org

Q: Are hookworms an effective treatment for Crohn’s disease ? If so is the therapy available in the USA ?
What countries is it available in ?

A: Oh, my goodness! Yuck! I looked it up, and yes, there are studies showing that hookworm can be effective treatment of Crohn’s disease, inflammatory bowel disease, asthma and various other immune disorders. What a shocking discovery, but I don’t know if I could expose myself to it. I just typed your question in my search engine and found it. The lady I read about went to Africa and went barefoot. They can also cause undesirable side effects such as anemia. Thanks for an interesting question that made me curious enough to look it up. I learned something new today, because of you and it is a good thing to learn new things at my age.

Q: Does anyone have information on the use of injectable methotrexate for treatment of Crohn’s Disease?
My 15-year-old daughter is experiencing a severe Crohn’s Disease flare-up that has been resistant to several in- and out-patient medical therapies. Her G.I. doc now wants to try weekly, injectable methotrexate. Any information you can share? Thank you.

A: Methotrexate belongs to the class of drugs known as anti-metabolites. Antimetabolites impede the body’s natural chemical processes, such as DNA production and cell division. They are helpful in cancer treatments. The FDA is approving cancer treatments for Autoimmune Diseases such as Crohn’s. If you’re uncomfortable giving her a shot they do it in infusions. Before doing this, did your gastro say anything about Remicade or Humira? I have Crohn’s Disease and I’m on Remicade. If she is on 6 MP (Imuran) do not do this new drug. As you know she can only take Tylenol…that is about the basic that I can tell you off hand. I’m sorry she is in a flare, they’re trying to get mine back into remission and I hope they do the same for her. Good luck.

Pharmacy & Vet Tech/Crohnie

Q: For treatment of Crohn’s Disease (vs. Ulerative Colitis), do you recommend Prednisone or Entocort?
Since Crohn’s affects the whole digestive system (rather than the more localized areas in UC), I was wondering if any of you CD patients have had better (or at least adequate) flare treatment on Entocort, rather than on Prednisone. I’d love it if my daughter with CD could be treated with something other than Prednisone… Thank you.

A: I’ve had CD for about 10 years now. I was put on Entocort about a year and a half ago, and i love it! I have only had 2 flares since i’ve started taking it, and only had to be hospitalized for one. When the flares get acute, my doc puts me on the prednisone along with the entocort, but thats usually just for a two week period till everything calms down. As far as using Entocort for maintanence, i can’t say anything bad about it – I love it, its like a miracle drug to me!

Q: Has anyone tried Dr. Ray Lala’s healing mineral treatment for Crohn’s disease/Ulcerative Colitis?
While I will appreciate other remedies, I am specifically looking for results from the Dr. Lala treatment.

A: hi sm, I am a crohn’s pt. for over 20 yrs. Have you checked out the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation’s site for information?

They have tons of stuff ranging from diet, newer treatments to put pts. in remission faster, locating a local support chapter, as well as a live chat, a hotline, and an open forum where you can post questions to others who have IBD.

If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. There are so many scams out there which will take our hard earned $$$ by offering false promises of a cure.

When a cure is found for IBD, I am sure it will hit the newpapers first as well as our GIs.

good luck to you.

Q: What are some new advances in the treatment of Crohn’s disease?

A: Remicade has been around for years now and being more accepted as a treatment.

Humaria is also a very new drug, similar to Remicade, but it can be done with injections rather than through an IV like Remicade. For those that fail or build up a resistance to Remicade, this is often the next step.

Check the Crohns and Colitis Foundation of America website for more great info.

www.ccfa.org

Q: Stem cell treatment for crohn’s disease?
I have read a few articles stating this is a promising treatment with effects lasting longer than most prescribed drugs for this illness. I also read that skin cells can now be reprogrammed into making stem cells, which would please a lot more people since no embryos would be destroyed, right?

My question is when will this treatment be readily available for all crohn’s patients?

A: Well, the transplant is the same old bone marrow transplant that has been around for 50 years. Its called a stem cell transplant now because we now know that its the stem cells in the marrow that make the transplant work.

So, if it does work with crohn’s (but still not available to the public) all they are really doing is testing the statistics. If you are looking for the information for a a patient, they should try talking to their doctor to see if they can get into any of the trials for this.

A bone marrow transplant is the single treatment in an overwhelming majority of the diseases that adult stem cells can treat. It completely replaces the immune system, so it is pretty versatile for treating anything that originates in or damages the immune system. Crohn’s is an autoimmune disease, so it makes sense that this transplant may be able to treat it.

The stem cells in this case would come from one of two, maybe three sources… bone marrow, peripheral blood, or possibly cord blood. Skin stem cells would not be used in this case.

Embryonic stem cells are still used in research, and contrary to popular belief, the limited success of adult stem cells does not negate the need for embryonic research. But, to be clear, embryonic stem cells are not a part of this treatment.

Be warned though, this transplant is incredibly traumatic, phenomonally expensive, puts you at significanly higher risk for at least half a dozen cancers, comes with a min of a one year recovery time frame during which you will be out of work, and may leave you with life long medical complications needing meds.

Q: Alternative medicine for Crohn’s Diesase treatment?
Do any of you know of or have tried effective alternative treatments for Crohn’s disease? Please be as specific as possible – I am looking for things that will help. Thanks

A: L-Glutamine, an amino acid that is the main source of energy for the mucosal cells that line the intestines, and helps them heal. Dosage is adjusted for each patient. The common dose range is 6 to 25 grams divided into 3 doses per day, 30 minutes before meals. Glutamine may increase T-cell attack in Crohn’s disease. In the Crohn’s patient glutamine may also be metabolized into citrulline, which is converted to arginine, a substrate for nitric oxide sythesis. Excessive nitric oxide has been shown to contribute to tissue injury and inflammation in Crohn’s disease. L-glutamine seems to be effective in ulcerative colitis.

A clinical study of ulcerative colitis patients demonstrated that feeding 30 g daily of glutamine-rich germinated barley foodstuff (GBF) for four weeks resulted in significant clinical and endoscopic improvement, independent of disease state. Disease exacerbation returned when GBF treatment was discontinued.

It has also been suggested that cabbage juice consumption may provide benefit to patients with gastric ulcers and gastritis, by virtue of its high glutamine content.

Q: what is the best treatment for Crohn’s?
I have crohn’s and have trouble…pain and other symptoms, what can I do other than watch what I eat and take drugs??? (prescription drugs) I am just not well….please help.

A: hi big, I am a crohn’s pt. myself for over 20 yrs.

If you check out the crohn’s & colitis foundation’s site, they have an open forum where you can post questions to those who have CD, use their live chat and hotline run by healthcare experts, look up information on the latest treatments–Remicade infusions, Humira shots, Entocort capsules, pain mgt., diet, latest surgical techniques, finding a local CCFA support chapter near you, etc.

I am on pain mgt. for a hernia, Entocort to keep things under control for over 5 yrs., had Remicade and Humira a few yrs. ago, attend the local support chapters to meet drug reps, dieticians, local GIs, and to get information on which hospitals and MDs to avoid when treating a flare up.

You have that right as a patient to be made comfortable when in pain. Ask your GI or primary care MD for Darvocet, Percocet, etc. as well as a muscle relaxer, and an antispasmatic like bentyl for the stomach spasms.

I feel for you. Definitely check out CCFA and post on their forum. Family members are welcome at CCFA’s site and local meetings to educate themselves on what we go through.

I hope you feel better.

Q: Crohn’s Disease treatment in Boston?
I was diagnosed with a very atypical case of Crohn’s Disease this past May. While my doctor is wonderful, she has been coming up empty on an effective treatment plan. All biopsies, MRIs, CT scans come back positive for Crohn’s, but my symptoms are very unusual. I’m considering looking for a second opinion from a specialized center in the Boston area.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a doctor, clinic, or other resource in the Boston area for Crohn’s treatment?

A: If you were only diagnosed in May, I first have to caution that your Dr. may not have yet failed to come up with an effective treatment plan (but I don’t have the full picture). Certain drugs like Asacol take several months to kick in, and the wait is frustrating. But, if you have never been placed on one of those drugs, that isn’t your concern.

Anyhow, you are always entitled to get a second opinion about your treatment–in fact it is something I would encourage anybody who doesn’t LOVE their dr. patient relationship to do. Your disease is chronic, so you will have a long relationship with your Crohn’s physician, so you absolutely should be treated by someone you feel is competent.

I happen to work specifically in the field of Inflammatory Bowel Disease clinical research. I work specifically with patients who have refractory disease–that is disease that does not respond to conventional treatment. The good news is it would be hard to have blown through all of your options since May. The bad news is that there are patients for whom standard medications don’t seem to work. So what do you do? You find out which of those categories you fall into…

********
Just as you thought, you do this by getting a second opinion. Mass. General Hospital has an extremely well respected expert in Crohn’s and Ulcerative colitis by the name of Dr. B Sands (I don’t want to put his full name on a public forum) & Brigham and Women’s is good for Crohn’s although my contact there has relocated. If you call Mass General, you of course don’t need to see Dr. Sands, b/c he’s probably hard to see–ask the person who books his appts who else is extremely good. One of the biggest mistakes patients make when calling our office is that if they can’t get an appt with the one guy they’ve heard of, they don’t take an appt with anybody else, when really, they are turning down an appt with somebody who is equally as good but who just doesn’t go on the lecture circuit as much–these people work with people they respect and who they train. If Mass General and Brigham Women’s don’t suit you, go to www.clinicaltrials.gov and do the advanced search for “Crohn’s” and “Boston” and look for other institutions where large companies like Abbott, and Elan are doing clinical trials with drugs like Humira/adalimumab, Tysabri/Natalizumab, ABT874, Stem Cells, etc. Big trials only happen with experienced physicians who know what is going on. Whichever place you choose will definitely put you on a proper approach for your IBD and you may find out that you have refractory Crohn’s, or you may find out you were misdiagnosed and have ulcerative colitis, or you may find out you respond easily to a drug you have yet to try!
**************

Now, if you are re-thinking the second opinion because you are waiting for some Asacol to kick in, I do want to say that if your previous doctor was just a regular gastroenterologist, you really should see someone who is more familiar with inflammatory bowel disease. They are less likely to manage you with steroids. Ask a potential Dr. how they view the use of corticosteroids in their treatment of Crohn’s–you want to know that your Dr. ultimately always wants to plan to get you off of steroids, even if you sometimes need them when you flare and never puts you on them without an exit strategy. Regular GI’s can panic and put a patient with severe Crohn’s on steroids and leave them on when they are unresponsive to drugs with which they are familiar . . . this is where the other benefit of seeing a physician at a research institution comes in. If you truly do not respond to all treatments available, you have the option of investigational therapies from a doctor who you already know and trust, rather than being sent to a foreign hospital to see new staff and new people for new-fangled treatments.

Out of curiosity, what are these “very unusual” symptoms you are having? Perhaps they are not that unusual and your physician is simply not that familiar with your disease. It may be of comfort to you to learn that others have the same symptoms if you share…

Do feel free to ask further questions…
Good luck!

Q: Does anyone have Crohn’s disease, know anyone who has it, or know about it? Diagnosis, treatment, steroids?
I have serious digestive issues and the doctors can’t find the root of the problem. Crohn’s disease showed up positive in my blood but when they did a colonoscopy they couldn’t physically find it in my intestines. Does anyone here have it or know anyone who does, and how they were diagnosed? Symptoms? Treatment? I know a lot of people go on steroids as treatment, and I had a question about that…I heard they make you gain weight. Is it the actual steroid itself that makes you gain weight or is it the increased appetite?

A: Crohn’s is NOT caused by stress. Stress can make it act up though.

Steroids work for some but I would ask the doc to only use them for short-term use.

I have had CD since ‘98. I went through every medication and like one other person said, everyone is different. I was allergic to a lot of the meds. So I ended up having surgery in ‘03. Then the CD came back. Fortunately I am on a drug study and it is wonderful! I am being given Humira – which is already given for Rhumatoid Arthristis – and they are seeking the approval to make it available for prescribing to CD patients. I am SSSOOOOO much better now!

Unfortunately, with most patients, it is just a trial and error type thing. You will learn with foods set you off and which are safe to eat. I stopped worrying about weight issues because I could go anywhere from 150 to 110 in a single year. (I have all sorts of sizes of clothes stashed away.)

The place on the web that has helped me the most is www.healingwell.com. Check out their forums for Crohn’s Disease. There are many, many people there willing to help you with questions and they are a very caring group.

Good luck! If I can help you out any, just let me know!
gingerinala@yahoo.com

Q: What is the treatment for Crohn’s Disease?
Is there a diet regime for Crohn Disease?

A: While diet does not cause Crohn’s, certain foods have been shown to irritate the condition in some people. In particular, milk, alcohol, hot spices, and fiber appear to be the most aggravating foods for some people with Crohn’s disease. Furthermore, individuals with strictures (areas of narrowing of the bowel) may develop increased symptoms by eating things such as nuts, seeds or popcorn. People with Crohn’s disease should eat a nutritious diet that contains protein; enough calories to maintain weight; vitamins A, B-12, C, D, and folic acid; and the minerals calcium, iron, and zinc.
Here are some websites that have tips and recipes.
http://www.remicade.com/crohns/crohns_lifestyle/crohns_diet.jsp

http://ibscrohns.about.com/od/dietandrecipes/?terms=diet+free+recipe+smoothie

Q: Infliximab treatment for Crohn’s?
Has anyone undergone infliximab treatment for their Crohn’s Disease? What was the process like? How many treatments did you need? And how long until you saw results? Would you recommend this treatment? And how much does it cost now that it is on the PBS?

A: Infliximab (trade name: Remicade) is a “synthetic” antibody designed to neutralize a substance in our body called TNF-alpha. TNF-alpha is believed to play a big role in some inflammatory diseases like Crohn’s Disease and Rheumatoid Arthritis:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infliximab

For Crohn’s Disease, Remicade is often given as an intravenous infusion over about 2 hours. You can find more information about the use of Remicade in Crohn’s here (supplied by the manufacturer of Remicade):
http://www.remicade.com/remicade/crohns/crohns_studies/remicade_for_crohns.html

http://www.remicade.com/remicade/assets/Med_Guide.pdf

If you already know all this information, but simply want to talk to others who had infliximab, you will probably have more luck on discussion forums specific to Crohn’s rather than here at Yahoo Answers:
http://www.crohnsforum.com/

http://www.ccfacommunity.org/Forums.aspx

Good luck.

Q: Starting Remicaid treatment for Crohn’s disease?
Would like to hear from people who are already with this teatment.

A: I have tried Remicade, and it didn’t seem to work well for me for long at least, and I had to stop taking it since I got a scary reaction once (trouble breathing, uncontrollable shaking), and some people DO get allergic reactions to it. But from what I know, it’s always given in a hospital setting and most people take Tylenol and maybe Benadryl beforehand, to help prevent a reaction. Humira (similar to Remicade), is less likely to cause a reaction since it’s made with human protein instead of mouse protein. I always found that interesting. haha.

To the other people who answered, just know that there is NO Crohn’s diet that works for everyone, and a gluten free diet is NOT always superior to meds, at least not for most people with Crohn’s. It might help some people or be superior to meds for a small number of people, but certainly not most people with Crohn’s. Not eating wheat or things with gluten is sure hard to do anyway, and I still don’t know how people with celiac disease do it, but I’m sure some of them cheat sometimes at least, and eat wheat products. haha. Rice bread and stuff like that tastes kinda crappy to me anyway, and I sure couldn’t just eat that all the time.

And it’s wrong to say people with Crohn’s actually have celiac disease a lot of the time. If anything, a lot of the time people with Crohn’s are told they have ulcerative colitis, but later on (like in my case unfortunately), find out it is Crohn’s. Celiac disease is pretty easy to diagnose from what I know anyway, by scoping someone and taking biopsies, and maybe taking specific blood tests too.

Q: where can we find best treatment in USA for Colitis or Crohn’s disease?
one of our friend’s son has a Colitis disease and we are looking for a help in USA, where can we find best treatment in USA, please help. thanks

A: Check sites like centerwatch to see what kinds of clinical trials are out there. Usually facilities who perform many clinical trials for specific diseases are the leaders in their field. Good luck.

Q: Treatment for Crohn’s Disease?
My boyfriend’s mother has crohn’s disease and she has had some problems with it. She recently took a vacation to visit us (12 hrs away), and the day she got back home she went to the hospital for chemotherapy treatments. She told my b/f that it was nothing to worry about that it was just treatment for her crohn’s. I don’t know much about crohn’s/treatments, but I have never heard of chemotherapy as a form of treatment for this disease. She has lied to him once before when she was having renal failure and she told him that it was just a simple kidney infection. Is chemotherapy a treatment used for crohn’s disease?

A: i think so. theorpy means cure.

Related Posts

• treatment of crohn's disease
• crohn's diet
• crohn's surgery
• treatment for crohn's
• crohn's treatments
• ibd treatment
• bowel treatment
• crohns disease treatment
• crohn's treatment
• crohns treatment