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Treatment of Crohn's and colitis
What are Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis?
Crohn's is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that can occur anywhere in the digestive tract, from the mouth to the anus. Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory disease of the lining of the large intestine. Crohn's and ulcerative colitis are characterized by diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever, blood and mucus in the stool.
What causes Crohn's and ulcerative colitis?
The causes of Crohn's and colitis are not clear, but it is currently assumed that the causes are genetic, immunological (as a result of an overreaction of the immune system to the appearance of foreign factors in the digestive system) and environmental (breastfeeding as a protective factor against Crohn's, the hygiene theory that claims that people who maintain too high hygiene in childhood are likely to develop Crohn's, etc.). Crohn's and colitis can occur at any age but usually appear around the teenage years and up to the age of 30.
Treatment of Crohn's and Ulcerative Colitis
Although there is not enough research showing the connection between diet and the onset of Crohn's and colitis, it is known that diet affects these diseases after they have started. For this reason, it is recommended that patients who are diagnosed with Crohn's and colitis receive nutritional recommendations in order to understand which foods they should avoid.
Chinese medicine can relieve the symptoms of Crohn's and colitis through dietary recommendations, acupuncture, and herbal medicine. Treatment is tailored to each patient individually based on the symptoms they are experiencing, the Western diagnosis, and the Chinese diagnosis they have made.
A 2014 study published in the World Journal of Gastroenterology examined the effects of acupuncture on 92 Crohn’s disease patients (1). The patients were divided into two groups—a group that received “real” acupuncture and a group that received “sham” acupuncture—needlework at acupuncture points that were not real but were a centimeter or two away from the real points. After 12 weeks of treatment, 74% of patients in the real acupuncture group went into remission, compared to 36% in the sham group.
A review of studies examining the effectiveness of Chinese acupuncture for the treatment of ulcerative colitis, published in 2020, reviewed 13 studies in which 1,030 patients were treated (2). Seven studies examined the effect of acupuncture versus medication, and six studies examined the effect of acupuncture combined with medication versus medication alone. The researchers concluded from the review of studies that Chinese acupuncture is effective as a treatment for ulcerative colitis.
My personal experience also shows improvement in the condition of Crohn's and colitis patients through treatment with Chinese medicine. The treatment will usually include acupuncture, nutritional recommendations and medicinal herbs and aims to alleviate the symptoms of the disease and inflammation. I would be happy to help you regain your quality of life. You can contact me on WhatsApp or through the website.
1. Et-Al. 2014 Aug 21;20(31):11000-11. Randomized controlled trial: moxibustion and acupuncture for the treatment of Crohn’s disease.
2. Xiao Wang Et-Al. BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies. 2020 Oct 14;20(1):309. Acupuncture for ulcerative colitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.
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