Disease Index

Homeopathy for Crohn’s Disease

homeopathy treatment for crohns disease
Written by Dr. Manisha Bhatia

Crohn’s disease involves acute and chronic granulomatous bowel disease with a cobblestone effect. Onset is generally between 15 and 30 years of age. Symptoms include fever, weight loss, debility, nausea, mouth sores, vomiting, abdominal pain, intestinal bleeding, and sporadic flare-ups.

Crohn’s disease is a chronic disorder characterized by severe inflammation leading to ulceration of the interior of the intestines. It most often affects the lower part of the small intestine, but it can involve the entire digestive tract, from the mouth to the anus.

Unlike ulcerative colitis, which affects the top two layers of tissue lining the intestines, the ulceration in Crohn’s disease involves all four layers of the intestinal (Homeopathy Treatment for Intestinal) wall. When affected areas heal, scar tissue often narrows the passageway.

In some cases, the bowel becomes partially or completely obstructed. When an area closes, one or more fistulas- abnormal passageways -may develop that join one part of the intestine to another, or even to another organ.

homeopathy treatment of crohn's diseaseCrohn’s disease is a chronic transmural inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract of unknown etiology.

Crohn’s disease involves acute and chronic granulomatous bowel disease with a cobblestone effect. Onset is generally between 15 and 30 years of age.

Crohn’s disease differs from ulcerative colitis by affecting the gastrointestinal tract from oral cavity to rectum; Ulcerative Colitis involves the mucosal tissue of the colon and rectum.

In Crohn’s disease, the intestinal lumen decreases; peristalsis from food intake cause cramping pain, especially in the right lower quadrant. Other symptoms include fever, weight loss, debility, nausea, mouth sores, anal fissures, vomiting, abdominal pain, intestinal bleeding, and sporadic flare-ups.

Cause of Crohn’s Disease

There are various theories for causes of Crohn’s disease, but none has been proven. The most popular theory is that the body’s immune system reacts to a virus or bacterium by causing ongoing inflammation in the intestine.

People with Crohn’s disease tend to have abnormalities of the immune system, but doctors do not know whether these abnormalities are a cause or result of the disease. Crohn’s disease is not caused by emotional distress.

Infectious agents

Mycobacterium para-tuberculosis and measles virus have been proposed as potential cause of Crohn’s disease.

Immunological factors

Similar to UC. Focal ischemia due to autoimmune reaction also has been considered.

Genetic factors

Single strongest risk factor for development of Crohn’s is a relative with Crohn’s disease.

Diet

High intake of refined sugar and low intake of fibre from fruits and vegetables have been reported in patients with Crohn’s disease.

Smoking

Smokers are more likely to develop the disease than non smokers. Also the disease has a more unfavorable course in smokers.

Clinical features

The disease is often insidious, slowly progressive with protracted course, commonly affects young adults in the second or third decade of life.

Intermittent colicky lower abdominal pain, diarrhoea, weight loss, is common.

Disease site: Ileum

  • Abdominal pain
  • Diarrhoea
  • Obstructive symptoms
  • Mass in right iliac fossa
  • Acute ileitis

Disease site: Colon

  • rectal bleeding
  • Perianal disease
  • Extraintestinal manifestation

Disease site: Rectum

  • proctitis

Other sites mouth, stomach, duodenum are occasionally affected.

Symptoms of Crohn’s disease

  • Diarrhea
  • Abdominal pain
  • Weight loss
  • Fever
  • Rectal bleeding, especially in colonic disease
  • Perianal disease
  • Obstructive symptoms of colic and vomiting, especially in ileal disease.
  • Tiredness and shortness of breath if anaemic Bone pain secondary to Osteomalacia if Malabsorption of vitamin D
  • Excessive bleeding if Malabsorption of vitamin K (rare)

Signs of Crohn’s disease

  • Anaemia
  • Mouth ulcers
  • Glossitis
  • Clubbing of nails
  • Abdominal tenderness
  • Palpable abdominal mass, particularly right iliac fossa
  • Anal fissures, fistulae and skin tags

Complications of Crohn’s disease

Stricture – more common in small intestine. May cause obstructive symptoms.

Fistulas – may develop between loops of bowel adjacent to the bladder or vagina.

Perianal disease – fissures, fistulas, and abscesses.

Carcinoma – may complicate long standing colonic disease.

The most common complication is blockage of the intestine. Blockage occurs because the disease tends to thicken the intestinal wall with swelling and scar tissue, narrowing the passage.

Crohn’s disease may also cause sores, or ulcers, that tunnel through the affected area into surrounding tissues such as the bladder, vagina, or skin. The areas around the anus and rectum are often involved. The tunnels, called fistulas, are a common complication and often become infected. Sometimes fistulas can be treated with medicine, but in some cases, they may require surgery.

Nutritional complications are common in Crohn’s disease. Deficiencies of proteins, calories, and vitamins are well documented. These deficiencies may be caused by inadequate dietary intake, intestinal loss of protein, or poor absorption (Malabsorption).

Other complications associated with Crohn’s disease include arthritis, skin problems, inflammation in the eyes or mouth, kidney stones, gallstones, or other disease or the liver and biliary system. Some of these problems resolve during treatment for disease in the digestive system, but some must be treated separately.

Diagnosis of Crohn’s disease

As the symptoms of Crohn’s disease vary from person to person and can often be confused with those of other illness, such as ulcerative colitis (an inflammatory bowel disease that affects the colon and rectum), diagnosis can take weeks. Doctors start by testing the patient’s blood and feces to rule out other possible illnesses.

Blood tests may be done to check for anemia, which could indicate bleeding in the intestines. Blood tests may also uncover a high white blood cell count, which is a sign of inflammation somewhere in the body. By testing a stool sample, the physician can tell if there is bleeding or infection in the intestine.

An upper gastrointestinal Barium X-Ray series may be done at the small intestine. For this test, the patient drinks barium, before X-rays are taken. The barium show up white on X-ray film, revealing inflammation or other abnormalities in the intestine.

The patient may then be examined using an endoscope that is inserted into either the mouth or the anus to study the inflamed digestive tract. This process can reveal ulcers, areas where the digestive track has narrowed, or patterns of “cobblestones,” which are seen where the intestinal wall has thickened and cracked. All these features are typical characteristic of Crohn’s disease.

Doctors can also use endoscope to perform a biopsy, which involves removing tiny bits of the digestive tract of be examined under microscope. If the biopsy shows that the whole thickness of the gastrointestinal wall is inflamed, with deep cracks and pockets where immune cells have collected (called granulomoas), then the patient has Crohn’s disease.

The patient may also be given liquid barium, either by mouth or by infusing it through the rectum. The barium will then shows up on X-rays and reveal certain abnormalities in the digestive tract, such as the regions where the tract has narrowed.

Investigations of Crohn’s disease

  • Small bowel enema: absence of peristalsis in terminal ileum, multiple strictures and dilated segments in between can be demonstrated.
  • Sigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy may demonstrate inflamed mucosa, which is granular with apthoid ulcers, which are discrete.
  • Fistulograpgy to localize the internal fistula
  • CT scan – it is done to detect thickening of bowel and extraintestinal disease.

Treatment of Crohn’s disease

Although diet does not cause Crohn’s disease, some patients may be able to relieve their symptoms by changing the type of food they eat. Eating soft, bland foods, and avoiding dairy products, fats, wheat, and spicy and high-fiber food, may help. However, if the patient becomes malnourished, nutrients should be given intravenously.

Conventional allopathic drugs cannot cure Crohn’s disease, but they can ease the symptoms. Sulfasalazine pills, which contain a sulfa antibiotic and a drug from the aspirin family, reduce inflammation and also help patients who have recovered from a flare-up to stay in good health.

The drug has several side effects and may cause the patients to feel nauseated and dizzy. It can also trigger headaches, anemia, and skin rashes. Patients may be able to moderate at least some of the side effects by first taking the drug in small doses and gradually building up to the full daily dose.

If the intestine becomes very badly inflamed, doctors may prescribe corticosteroids. These drugs are given to patients only when their symptoms are severe, because long-term use can produced bad side effects in some patients.

Immuno-suppressants

Some patients respond well to azathioprine and 6-mecraptopurine, two drugs that suppress the immune system. However, these drugs should be used cautiously, since they can lead to nausea, fewer white blood cells, and an inflamed pancreas. Laboratory tests have also shown that high doses of these drugs (much higher than the doses patients receive) can occasionally cause cancer in animals.

Correction of dehydration and electrolyte losses through intravenous fluids may often be required which may not be possible at home and need admission to the hospital.

Homeopathic treatment of Crohn’s disease

homeopathy remedies for crohn's disease treatmentHomeopathy is one of the most popular holistic systems of medicine. The selection of remedy is based upon the theory of individualization and symptoms similarity by using holistic approach.

This is the only way through which a state of complete health can be regained by removing all the sign and symptoms from which the patient is suffering.

The aim of homeopathy is not only to treat Crohn’s disease symptoms but to address its underlying cause and individual susceptibility. As far as therapeutic medication is concerned, several well-proved medicines are available for Crohn’s disease treatment that can be selected on the basis of cause, condition, sensation and modalities of the complaints.

For individualized remedy selection and treatment, the patient should consult a qualified homeopathic doctor in person. There are following medicines which are much helpful for the treatment of Crohn’s disease:

Arsenic album, Nux vomica, Sulphur, Terbium oxydatum, Pulsatilla, Phosphorous, Butyric acid, Ipecac, Nitric acid, Aloes, China, Kali ars, Kali chlor, Lachesis, Crotalus horridus, Elaps, Capsicum, Cantharis, Toxoplasma gondi, Acid muriaticum, Acid sulph, Hammamelis, Ignatia, Natrum mur, Staphysagria and many other medicines.

Homeopathic Remedies

Merc cor – causes tenesmus of rectum along with tenesmus of bladder. Inflammation with swelling and feeling of constriction; internal burning; in throat, stomach, rectum, neck of bladder, kidneys etc. Discharges acrid. Bloated, painful to least touch. Cutting colic; below navel. Painful flatulence. Continuous urging to stool and urine. Stools bloody, shreddy, slimy, hot with tormenting tenesmus.

Terebintha – Bruised soreness. Flatulence. Tympanitis. Profuse mucous stools; watery, green, foetid. Bloody stools. Bleeding from ulcers in the intestine. Bowels were drawn towards spine. Diarrhoea, with tetanic spasms.

Carcinocinum – Crohn’s disease with family history of cancer. History of grief, domination, abuse. Patient is concentious and creative.

Ignatia – History of grief. Colicky griping pain in one or both sides of the abdomen. Stools painful, difficult although soft. Constrictive sore pain in the rectum, like from blind haemorrhoids, remains one or two hours after stools. Pain shoots up in rectum. Pressure as of a sharp instrument from within outwards. Painless contractions of anus. Haemorrhage and pain worse when stool is loose.

Natrum mur – Ill effects of grief, fright and anger; aggravation by consolation. Cutting pain in abdomen and the abdominal ring, burning and stitching pain in the rectum after a copious diarrhoea. Epigastrium swollen and painful. Sudden distension. Tense abdomen worse groins. Pain in abdominal ring on coughing. Colic with nausea, better by passing flatus. Abdominal viscera feels loose and dragging when walking.

Staphysagria – is a nervous personality with marked irritability. This irritability is reflected in temper as well as in function of the digestion. The peristalsis is aggravated with the emotional outburst.

Feeling of weakness in abdomen, as if it would drop, wants to hold it up. Flatus hot, smells like rotten eggs. Dysenteric stools, worse after the least food or drink. Diarrhoea from drinking cold water. Nervous affections with trembling.

Morbidly sensitive; the least word that seems wrong, hurts her very much; special senses become irritable. Ill effects of anger and insults; reserved; anger, sexual; abuse, excess;  tobacco, mercury.

Nux vomica – It is useful to those persons who lead a sedentary life, doing much mental work; or to those who remain under stress and strain of prolonged office work, business cares and worries.

The typical Nux. patient is rather thin, spare, quick, active, nervous and irritable. Craves piquant food; beer; fat food, chalk; stimulants. Bruised soreness of abdominal wall. Ineffectual urging for stool.  Strains hard at stools; feeling as if part remained unexpelled; passes small quantity at each attempt. Dysentery; stools ameliorate pains for a time.

Lycopodium – Mentally active but grows weaker. Loss of self confidence; from anticipation; averse to undertaking new things; yet when he undertakes it he goes through with ease and comfort. Hurried. Much noisy flatulance. Gastro enteritis from fright. Diarrhoea from cold drinks. Continued burning in rectum.

Merc sol – Bowels feel weak, holds them. Intestines feel bruised when lying on right side, or as if they fall to side on which one is lying. Stool painful, scanty; greenish slimy; acrid stool; then tenesmus or chill; never get done feeling. Rectal tenesmus, with tenesmus of bladder.

Apart from the treatment through the remedies, a lot of counseling and appropriate diet regimen is required.

Crohn’s Disease Cases Cured with Homeopathic Medicine

Crohn’s Disease and Autopathy – by Jiri Cehovsky

A Case of Crohn’s Disease and Nausea in Pregnancy – by Lesley Mang

Solution to Dr. Amarsinha Nikam’s CROHN’S Case – by Amarsinha Nikam

Homeopathy Eases Irritable Bowel Syndrome & Frees Teen to Follow Her Dreams – by Nancy Gahles

A Case of Venus Mercanaria – by Julia Bronfman

About the author

Dr. Manisha Bhatia

BHMS, M.D. (Hom), CICH (Greece)
Dr. (Mrs) Manisha Bhatia is a leading homeopathy doctor working in Jaipur, India. She has studied with Prof. George Vithoulkas at the International Academy of Classical Homeopathy. She is the Director of Asha Homeopathy Medical Center, Jaipur's leading clinic for homeopathy treatment and has been practicing since 2004.

She writes for Hpathy.com about homeopathic medicines and their therapeutic indications and homeopathy treatment in various diseases. She is also Associate Professor, HoD and PG Guide at S.K. Homeopathy Medical College. To consult her online, - visit Dr. Bhatia's website.

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