From gastrointestinal flare ups and severe fatigue to pain and inflammation throughout your body, Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) can devastate your health well beyond its typical GI symptoms. IBD symptoms often vary tremendously amongst individuals and may come and go in what are called “flares.” Some people may experience only mild symptoms, while others may have severe and debilitating ones.
But while IBD can sometimes lead to serious or life-threatening complications, there are therapies that can address your symptoms and offer long-term remission of the systemic inflammation involved in Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
Discover an IBD specialist in Torrance, California, located near you, with a functional medicine background and expertise in both gastrointestinal and autoimmune conditions. See what we can accomplish for your overall health and wellness as you battle Inflammatory Bowel Syndrome.
Call our offices at (424) 374-2800 or contact us online today and let us diagnose and treat your Inflammatory Bowel Disease. We offer telehealth services and virtual consultations for your convenience.
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a group of chronic conditions that cause inflammation in the digestive tract. It is an autoimmune condition that causes inflammation in your digestive tract and potentially throughout your body. The two main types of IBD include:
Inflammation caused by Inflammatory Bowel Disease can affect different areas of the digestive tract, but most often affects the end of the small intestine and the beginning of the large intestine. The inflammation often eventually spreads into the deeper layers of the bowel.
While there is no cure for IBD, certain treatments can help manage symptoms and improve your quality of life. IBD may be a lifelong condition, but with proper treatment, most people with IBD can live full and active lives. Flare-ups may occur, but they can be managed with medication and lifestyle approaches.
It may be a common misperception, but Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is not the same as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). It’s not caused by diet or stress, and it can’t be fixed with surgery, but those are other misperceptions.
The primary difference is that IBD is an inflammatory condition affecting the digestive tract, while IBS is a functional disorder where the digestive system isn’t working properly but isn't necessarily inflamed or damaged.
IBD incorporates conditions like Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis and can cause severe complications. IBS, on the other hand, includes symptoms like constipation, diarrhea, bloating, pain and cramping but does not cause permanent gut damage.
Perhaps the least understood aspect of Inflammatory Bowel Disease is its systemic impact, often bringing debilitating symptoms that extend well beyond your digestive tract. Most people are aware that IBD causes gastrointestinal distress, but it is an immune-mediated disease that can devastate almost any organ system in your body.
Functional medicine physicians understand that Irritable Bowel Syndrome only explains the symptoms of patient is having. It tells you that your bowel is irritable, but it doesn’t tell you why or what the cause is. Inflammatory Bowel Disease, on the other hand, is clearly an autoimmune condition that causes inflammation in your digestive tract and potentially throughout your body.
Inflammatory Bowel Disease symptoms can range from mild to severe. As the tissue in your GI tract become increasingly irritated and swollen, you will likely experience symptoms like abdominal pain, severe diarrhea, rectal bleeding, fever, malnutrition, weight loss and fatigue. These symptoms can arise suddenly or develop gradually and sometimes IBD sufferers may go into what’s referred to as remission, where they have periods of time without any symptoms at all.
Symptoms of both forms of IBD - Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn's Disease – can range from belly pain to blood in stool and extreme fatigue. GI symptoms from Inflammatory Bowel Disease include:
Non-GI symptoms may include:
Crohn’s in children can sometimes delay growth and sexual development.
If you experience any of these symptoms, it's recommended to consult an IBD specialist in Torrance, California.
The exact cause of IBD is unknown, but it categorized as an autoimmune disorder where your body's immune system mistakenly begins to attack otherwise healthy cells in your digestive tract. This triggers chronic inflammation and other Inflammatory Bowel Disease symptoms.
Not everyone with an autoimmune response develops Inflammatory Bowel Disease, but for those who do, it is a lifelong condition that will have to be managed on an ongoing basis.
The precise cause of the autoimmune response remains 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 imbalances in the gut microbiome.
Other risk factors include:
Not everyone with these risk factors develops IBD.
Diagnosis is based on symptoms, medical history and tests like colonoscopies and biopsies. Diagnosis is the first step in determining which therapies will be most effective. That’s why it’s important to work with a Functional Medicine doctor who understand IBD and 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 will take a close look at 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.
Our goal is to return your body to total health and wellness, so all of this is designed to fully understand what areas of your health should be addressed along with treating your Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
Developing treatment goals in a holistic manner that not only addresses Inflammatory Bowel Disease, but other contributing factors related to your illness is the goal of our collaboration. Our priority in any treatment we offer is to understand your overall health as well as the specific conditions you wish to treat. At that point, we can then focus on specific type(s) of interventions and treatments that we think would benefit your Inflammatory Bowel Disease condition or symptoms.
Conventional medical treatments often include medications like anti-inflammatories and immunosuppressants. Other conventional treatment for IBD range from lifestyle modifications to surgery.
There are also more holistic 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 IBD symptoms might include:
Rapamycin – has shown promise for treating Inflammatory Bowel Disease, particularly with Crohn’s Disease in children, and also for refractory cases. It can promote repair of intestinal tissue damage, induce autophagy and inhibit inflammation.
Peptide Therapy – has shown remarkable effectiveness in terms of Inflammatory Bowel 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.
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.
Healthy dietary changes – because even though diet doesn’t cause Inflammatory Bowel 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.
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.
Unlike some other GI conditions, like Leaky Gut, Inflammatory Bowel Disease is not caused by diet, medications or stress. However, that doesn’t mean individuals with IBD don’t need to make lifestyle changes, such as avoiding certain foods or managing stress, to help control their symptoms.
This is just a range of possibilities in addressing your Inflammatory Bowel Disease with Dr. Goldstone – and there are even more options we can explore to find what works best for you!
Imagine what remission of your IBD might look like: restored energy levels, improved digestion and reduced inflammation and pain are only part of what you can expect.
By addressing your Inflammatory Bowel 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. There are many benefits that come with treating Inflammatory Bowel Disease, including:
Healing Inflammatory Bowel Disease will strengthen your immune system, support your gut health and reduce inflammation. Because Inflammatory Bowel 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 Inflammatory Bowel 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 Inflammatory Bowel 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 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 Inflammatory Bowel 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.
