Inflammatory Bowel Disease – Crohn’s & Ulcerative Colitis

Ibd Shift

Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are 2 types of autoimmune inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) that affect various parts of the gastrointestinal system. Alongside with mainstream medical treatment, both these conditions can be co-managed with naturopathic treatment to bring about a reduction in symptoms and better health outcomes for people suffering with IBD.  

Crohn’s Disease

Crohn’s disease generally affects the distal ileum (last part of the small intestine) or the colon. Common symptoms that people with Crohn’s may experience include chronic diarrhoea, abdominal pain, fever and weight loss. Remissions are common with Crohn’s disease and surgery may be required at times, if obstruction occurs. 

Ulcerative colitis

Ulcerative colitis usually begins in the rectum and as it develops, it affects the mucosa of the colon, sometimes spreading to the entire colon. Symptoms of ulcerative colitis may include attacks of bloody diarrhoea with mucus present, strong defecation urgency and lower abdominal cramping. Other symptoms that may occur include fatigue, fever and weight loss. As with Crohn’s disease, remissions are common.     

Naturopathic management of IBD

Although naturopathic treatment can be used to successfully manage IBD, it must be noted that as with other autoimmune conditions, naturopathic treatment may take up to 12 months or more with ongoing naturopathic care and flare ups may still occur from time to time. Naturopathic treatment of IBD addresses these conditions from various angles in order to treat the whole person. 

Firstly, intestinal inflammation needs to be reduced and the microbiome balance restored, as well as intestinal permeability corrected. This may be achieved through the use of specific herbal medicine, nutritional supplements and probiotics, as well as dietary modification to support the healing process. This step also ensures that the digestive function is improved in order to aid the body to more effectively break down and absorb nutrients from our diet. Secondly, the nervous system must be supported in order to reduce stress, fatigue and to increase psychological resilience. This can be achieved with a combination of herbal medicine and lifestyle modification such as exercise, meditation, or hypnotherapy/counselling. Finally, ensuring continuity of treatment and compliance with prescriptions will help to ensure that patients are giving their bodies the best chance to heal.     

 

Through the use of an integrative approach alongside your mainstream medical treatment, naturopathic treatment can yield effective results for patients with IBD.

If you would like to find out more about naturopathic treatment at Shift Clinic, or if you would like to book an initial diagnostic and assessment session with one of our naturopath, please call Shift Clinic on 07 3367 0337.

Book an appointment with one of the practitioners at Shift.

Book Your Massage Appointment Online

Book Your Human Design Appointment Online

For more information on our human design sessions, contact our Brisbane clinic today on 07 3367 0337.

Book Your Nutrition Appointment Online

The current wait time for an appointment with our nutritionist is approximately 3-4 weeks – be sure to check the next few weeks for availability in your search results. 

If you have an urgent concern that cannot wait, please call us on 07 3367 0337 and we will do our best to fit you in earlier.

Please note you will need to ‘make a profile’ to book an appointment – this will then send us your personal details and create a client file for you. If you’d prefer to call then go through this process then please do!

Download our cycle tracking guide!
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Mind Shift Img2

Book Your Massage Appointment Online

Book Your Osteopathy Appointment Online

Book Your Holographic Kinetics Appointment Online

Book Your Kinesiology Appointment Online

Book Your Hypnotherapy Appointment Online

For more information on our hypnotherapy treatments for smoking, anxiety, or depression, contact our Brisbane clinic today on 07 3367 0337.

Book Your Naturopathy Appointment Online

You can book your own appointment using our easy online appointment scheduler 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

If you have an urgent concern that cannot wait, please call us on 07 3367 0337 and we will do our best to fit you in earlier.

Please note you will need to ‘make a profile’ to book an appointment – this will then send us your personal details and create a client file for you. If you’d prefer to call then go through this process then please do!

Book Your IVF Acupuncture Appointment Online

Book Your Acupuncture Appointment Online

Download our cycle tracking guide!
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Mind Shift Img2
Your gut is the centre of everything!

Your ability to digest food and absorb nutrients determines your health, and your microbiome (the bacteria that live inside you) are so important for preventing disease.

Take the quiz now to discover...
  1. How well you are digesting food.
  2. If you’re eating the right things for a healthy gut.
  3. The state of your microbiome.
  4. Your overall gut health score.
Fai Content Img F 2@2x

Share This

Select your desired option below to share a direct link to this page. Your friends or family will thank you later.