Crohn’s disease, diet and recommendations and find out if milk can cause Crohn’s disease?
Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory bowel disorder that mostly affects the lower portion of the small intestine but it can also affect other parts of the digestive tract. The inflammation caused by crohn’s disease extends into the lining of the intestinal wall that can result in diarrhea, abdominal pain, rectal bleeding, nausea, fever, weight loss and loss of appetite. People with crohn’s disease mostly suffer from nutritional deficiencies.
It might be difficult to diagnose crohn’s, since its symptoms are similar to intestinal disorders in particular ulcerative colitis which is inflammatory bowel disease that only affects colon.
Although doctors believe that crohn’s can have a genetic basis, they also believe that it will not appear until it’s triggered by the presence of a virus or bacteria that provokes the abnormal performance of the immune system.
Can milk and dairy products cause Crohn’s disease?
Although crohn’s disease may be passed on genetically from generation to generation, most of the time, microorganisms like fungi, bacteria and viruses can trigger inflammatory crohn’s disease.
Millions of cows in US are affected by a bacterium called mycobacterium paratuberculosis which causes Crohn’s disease in cows.
The mycobacterium paratuberculosis prevents white blood cells from killing E.Coli bacteria which is present in infected tissues of people with Crohn’s disease. Also studies show that 90% of people who have Crohn’s disease are tested positive for mycobacterium paratuberculosis.
Although cows are sick, pasteurization of milk can also trigger inflammatory bowel disease
Pasteurization of milk kills all the beneficial bacteria and the disease causing bacteria. But the disease causing bacteria that are killed during pasteurization are still present in milk and cannot be removed. So the dead bacteria are still present in milk along with some other potentially harmful organisms that are still alive and well living in pasteurized milk.
So pasteurized milk that’s contaminated with many other chemicals including hormones and antibiotics is anything but wholesome food and can trigger inflammatory bowel disease.
Also, many cows in US are injected with hormones and they get painful udder infections. In order to ease their pain, the cows are injected with antibiotics. Antibiotics and hormones exist in the meat and dairy products of the cows that are injected with hormones.
So the milk you are drinking might be filled with dead bacteria, antibiotics and hormones and bunch of other toxic chemicals and additives. So the risk of inflammatory bowel disease goes higher when people drink body fluids from sick animals.
However, despite the fact that there are more than 9 million unhealthy cows in US, the milk industry advertises milk as a healthy and wholesome food that should be a part of growing children’s diet. Recently, the milk industry have been lobbying FDA to allow toxic artificial sweetener called “aspartame” be added into dairy products including milk, yogurt, sour cream, eggnog and cream without proper labeling. www.seattleorganicrestaurants.com/vegan-whole-food/aspartame-dairy-FDA-petition.php
The only way to lower the symptoms of Crohn’s disease is through a well-balanced nutritional diet. Here are the following recommendations on diet and herbs:
- Maintain a generally alkaline pH in the body. Consume a non-acidic and alkaline diet with lots of fresh organic vegetables including broccoli, kale, spinach, celery, cabbage and Brussels sprouts. You can also sometimes lightly steam broccoli since some hidden enzymes in broccoli can be released by heat.
- Drink distilled water or spring water only and avoid tap water, alcohol, carbonated drinks and caffeine. Fresh cabbage juice, herbal teas and green smoothies can be very beneficial for crohn’s disease. http://www.seattleorganicrestaurants.com/vegan-whole-food/green-smoothie.php
- Add anti-inflammatory foods like papaya and avoid foods that can cause inflammation like all processed foods that have artificial additives and preservatives, fried and greasy foods and ALL DAIRY PORDUCTS including cheese, milk and yogurt. Avoid refined carbohydrates, foods high in sugar like cereals, white flour, all animal products except wild sockeye salmon and foods like corn, nuts, popcorn eggs, barley, rye and wheat. http://www.seattleorganicrestaurants.com/vegan-whole-foods/top-10-anti-inflammatory-foods/
- Nutritional deficiency is an important factor contributing to crohn’s disease. People with inflammatory bowl disease need 30% more protein than others. For example chronic diarrhea can cause electrolytes and trace mineral deficiencies. Also chronic steatorrhea (improper digestion of fast) can result in deficiency in Magnesium and calcium.
- Drugs prescribed for crohn’s disease can cause deficiencies in other nutrients such as zinc, potassium, vitamin B6, vitamin D and folic acid. Nutritional decencies resulting from malabsorption can also weaken the immune system and increase the symptoms of crohn’s disease.
- Foods high in antioxidants can reduce the risk of developing crohn’s disease. Usually the intestinal walls have antioxidant enzymes that can fight free radical. http://www.seattleorganicrestaurants.com/vegan-whole-food/stay-younger-live-longer.php
- Avoid GMO foods since new studies show that consumption of GMO foods can cause severe inflammation of stomach and intestine and increase the chances of inflammatory bowel disease. http://www.seattleorganicrestaurants.com/vegan-whole-food/GMO-severe-stomach-inflammation-pigs-and-war-on-journalism.php
- It’s important to adopt an allergen-free diet and replace lost nutrients with a balanced nutritional diet.
- People with crohn’s disease are also at higher risk of developing colon cancer.
Herbs:
- Aloe Vera is a very beneficial herb for crohn’s disease since it can be very beneficial for digestive tract.
- Other herbs including fenugreek, goldenseal, licorice, marshmallow root, burdock root, echinacea, red clover, rose hips, silymarin (milk thistle extract), slippery elm and yerba mate can be beneficial for inflammatory bowel disease. These herbs support digestion, cleanse bloodstream and reduce infection and inflammation.
- Do not take licorice on daily basis for more than seven days and avoid it if you have high blood pressure
- Do not take goldenseal on daily basis for more than a week and avoid it during pregnancy
- Consult with your medical doctor if you have a history of cardiovascular disease, glaucoma and diabetes
