Part of what makes Crohn’s Disease so difficult to diagnose and to live with is that your symptoms are often invisible to other people. You might appear perfectly healthy on the outside but still be suffering with an array of excruciating symptoms. From gastrointestinal flare ups and severe fatigue to pain and inflammation throughout your body, Crohn’s Disease can wreak havoc with your health well beyond its GI symptoms.
Crohn's disease can sometimes be debilitating and may lead to serious or life-threatening complications. While there is no known cure, there are therapies that can address your symptoms and offer long-term remission of the systemic inflammation involved in Crohn’s Disease.
What would remission look like? Restored energy levels, improved digestion and reduced inflammation and pain are only part of what you can expect. By addressing your Crohn’s Disease, we can help you prevent serious illness and disease and slow aging as well. You will probably also see improvements in related conditions like arthritis, skin issues, nutritional deficiencies, food sensitivities, excessive weight loss and neurological concerns.
With the right treatment, you can function better than you might have thought possible.
Experience what an expert, experienced and compassionate Crohn’s Disease specialist can accomplish for your overall health and wellness. Call our offices at (424) 374-2800 or contact us online today and let us diagnose and treat your Crohn’s Disease. We offer telehealth services and virtual consultations for your convenience.
Crohn's Disease is a specific type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It is an autoimmune condition that causes inflammation in your digestive tract and potentially throughout your body. Inflammation caused by Crohn's Disease can affect different areas of the digestive tract. It most often affects the end of the small intestine and the beginning of the large intestine. As the tissue in your GI tract becomes irritated, inflamed and swollen, you will likely experience symptoms like severe diarrhea, weight loss, malnutrition, abdominal pain and fatigue. The inflammation often eventually spreads into the deeper layers of the bowel.
It is not the same as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), but that is a common misunderstanding. It’s not caused by diet or stress, and it can’t be fixed with surgery, but those are other misperceptions. Perhaps the least understood aspect of Crohn's Disease is its systemic impact. It often brings debilitating symptoms well outside your digestive tract. Most people are aware that Crohn’s Disease causes gastrointestinal distress, but it is an immune-mediated disease that can devastate almost any organ system in your body.
Crohn's disease can impact tissue in any part of the small or large intestine. It may involve multiple segments of the intestines or may be continuous. It most commonly involves the last part of the small intestine or the first part of the large intestine. Sometimes it only involves the large intestine or colon.
Crohn's Disease symptoms can range from mild to severe. They can arise suddenly or develop gradually. Crohn’s sufferers may also go into what’s referred to as remission, where they have periods of time without any symptoms at all.
GI symptoms from Crohn's Disease most commonly include:
Non-GI symptoms range from chronic pain and other symptoms of chronic inflammation to nutritional deficiencies, skin conditions, inflammation of liver, bile ducts, eyes and joints, kidney stones and anemia. Crohn’s in children can sometimes delay growth and sexual development.
Crohn's Disease is considered to be an autoimmune disorder, where your body’s immune system begins to attack healthy tissue in the GI tract, triggering chronic inflammation and other Crohn’s Disease symptoms.
Unlike some other GI conditions, like Leaky Gut, Crohn’s Disease is not caused by diet or stress, certain medications. The precise cause of the autoimmune response is unknown, but it is believed to be triggered by a mix of environmental and genetic factors. Viral and bacterial infections can trigger autoimmune responses like this in susceptible individuals, as can an imbalance in the gut microbiome.
Not everyone with an autoimmune response develops Crohn's disease, but for those who do, it is a lifelong condition that will have to be managed on an ongoing basis.
Diagnosis is the first step in determining which therapies will be effective. So, we will need to determine first if you have Crohn’s Disease. It’s essential to work with a Functional Medicine doctor who seeks to understand root causes and can develop a treatment plan that is fine-tuned to address your specific condition, symptoms and overall health needs.
At your initial consultation, we explore your medical history, current and past medications, and current health issues. We may discuss issues like appetite, sleep, bowel movements, and your current emotional state. All of this is designed to fully understand what areas of your health should be addressed along with treating your Crohn’s Disease.
Our priority in any treatment we offer is to understand your overall health as well as the specific conditions you wish to treat. Developing treatment goals in a holistic manner that not only addresses Crohn’s Disease, but other contributing factors related to your illness is the goal of our collaboration. Our goal is to return you to total health and wellness.
At that point, we can then focus on specific type(s) of interventions and treatments that we think would benefit your Crohn’s Disease condition or symptoms.
There are conventional medical treatments we can explore, in addition to holistic treatment. There are also cutting-edge therapies that are emerging daily that we can discuss. Some of the unique treatments and therapies we use that could help your particular Crohn’s Disease could include:
Peptide Therapy – which has shown remarkable effectiveness with conditions like IBD – can also be a gamechanger in terms of Crohn’s Disease. certain peptides show promise in promoting tissue repair and reducing inflammation. Peptides are short chains of amino acids that act as signaling molecules to trigger specific healing processes in the body.
Rapamycin – has shown promise for treating Crohn's Disease, particularly in children, and also for refractory cases. It can promote repair of intestinal tissue damage, induce autophagy and inhibit inflammation.
Healthy dietary changes – because even though diet doesn’t cause Crohn’s Disease, certain dietary changes can support remission, enhance immunity and create a healthier gut microbiome.
Vitamin and Nutrient Shots – also known as IM shots or IM injections – involve the delivery of nutrients ranging from amino acids to Vitamin B12 via an intramuscular (IM) injection. Physicians often utilize these shots as a delivery mechanism for various nutrients, vitamins and minerals, especially when oral versions are not being absorbed properly or quickly enough due to digestive issues.
IV therapy – the Myers’ Cocktail being the most well-known version – involves utilizing IV Therapy as a delivery mechanism for various nutrients, vitamins and minerals directly into the bloodstream, especially when your gut is not capable of absorbing oral supplements.
Food Allergies and Sensitivities – need to be identified and addressed as one of the approaches to healing your gut and restoring the integrity of your intestinal lining.
This is just a small sampling of what is possible in addressing your Crohn’s Disease with Dr. Goldstone – and there are even more options we can explore to find what works best for you!
There are many benefits that come with treating Crohn’s Disease, including:
Depending on the condition being addressed, benefits of improving your Crohn’s Disease could even slow the effects of aging.
Healing Crohn’s Disease will strengthen your immune system, support your gut health and reduce inflammation. Because Crohn’s Disease triggers an inflammatory response in your body, healing your intestinal lining can reduce chronic inflammation and many of the conditions related to inflammation. A healthy digestive system is essential for a strong immune system, and healing Crohn’s Disease can improve your ability to fight off pathogens and disease.
Some of the conditions that have been addressed or at the very least significantly improved with Crohn’s Disease treatment include:
Dr. Judi Goldstone is both a board-certified physician and an expert in anti-aging and weight management. She is dedicated to helping men and women attain their best possible health using the most up-to-date, advanced medical approaches. After graduating cum laude from the University of California at Los Angeles, she went on to receive her medical degree from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, where she graduated at the top of her class. Dr. Goldstone is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and is a member of the American Society of Bariatric Physicians. In 2005, she joined the American Academy of Anti-aging and Regenerative Medicine and now has a well-earned reputation for excellence in Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT) and nutraceutical usage.
If you have been wanting to address your Crohn’s Disease concerns, call our offices at (424) 374-2800 or contact us online today. We offer convenient telehealth services and virtual consultations for your convenience.
