Question:
I am hoping to hear from anyone out there who has attempted treatment of
Crohn's
disease through food allergy diagnoses. Please share your thoughts and
experiences. Also, if any medical people have any comments, I would love to
hear
from them.
Answer:
Perhaps this is not what you are looking for but I can tell you of my own
experiences. I was diagnosed almost 13 years ago and received non steroid
treatment for almost 5 years. I was doing well but not great. Then I decided
that a lot of my trouble had to deal with what I was eating as opposed to the
chronic inflammation. So, I began a careful daily record of what I ate and how I
felt during the hours and sometimes days later. Within a year, I had come off my
meds and was gaining weight that I thought I would never have again. Since then
I have returned to my pre Crohns weight and am in remission, med free. I have
learned that there are certain foods I cannot eat at all, certain foods I can
eat sparingly and certain foods that I can eat in strange amounts. For example,
I cannot touch roughage like cabbage or whole wheats. I can eat lettuce, small
amounts but not every day, only every other day. I can eat half a grapefruit
every other day. I can eat a whole orange if I remove the thin layer of tissue
from each segment. I can eat grapes galore without the skin, but only tiny
amounts with. I can eat Kentucky Fried extra tender and crispy but not regular.
I cannot eat peanuts, only small amounts of peanut butter but all the cashews I
want. I cannot eat real licorice flavoring of any kind, but synthetic licorice
flavour is not a problem in any amount. Although sometimes the symptoms are similar, Crohn's Disease is not the same
as a food allergy. If you have had proper diagnosis of your condition as
Crohn's Disease then treatments meant to "cure" food allergies will NOT cure
your Crohn's. If you are considering abandoning conventional treatment for
Crohn's I strongly urge you to see a gastro Dr. first.
I agree. I have UC and went to an allergist and got a food allergy test. It
takes the guesswork out of what foods you are allergic to. It is done the same
as any allergy test w/ "pinpricks" of about 120 common foods and food molds on
your back and arms.
I found that my most severe food allergy was to barley.
These tests work because if you show a red mark after injection on your skin,
this is what it does to your insides as well. Your musousal tissue protects you
some in your intestines, but people with Crhon's and UC usually have breaks or
a thinning layer. This allows food particles to enter the blood and aggrevate
and/or cause food allergies.
The treatment I recieve is a side-effect free drug called Gastrocrom that is
not absorbed into the system. It merely coats your intestines and keeps
allergies from starting. It is the same drug found in the over-the -counter
drug for nasal allergies called Nasalcrom. It is in plastic vials (4 times a
day before meals and at night) and is a water like liquid w/ no taste. The
chemical name for it is cromylin disodium. It was tested for it's merits on UC
alone (seperate for it's function as an allergy preventor) and found to be
somewhat effective. You must have a prescription for this drug.
