Last November while teaching a class, a woman raised her hand to ask a
question,
“Do you think diet has anything to do with Crohn’s or colitis?
For 5
years I have asked many doctors and they always tell me food has nothing to do
with my disease.”
“Diet has EVERYTHING to do with it,” I exclaimed passionately, waving
my arms for dramatic flair. I immediately felt very sad for this young woman,
knowing that she had suffered greatly (and perhaps needlessly) for over 5
years. She suspected that something she
was eating was causing her pain, but felt that her doctors knew best, and
accepted their procedures and medications that did not provide the help she needed. Keep reading to learn what happened to Brittany.
•
Persistent diarrhea, sometimes
experiencing 15 bouts of diarrhea each day
•
Rectal bleeding
•
Urgent need to move bowels
•
Abdominal cramps and pain
•
Sensation of incomplete
evacuation
•
Constipation
Perhaps you have been diagnosed with IBD, Crohn’s or Colitis.
Inflammatory
Bowel Disease plagues 500,000 to 2 million Americans and includes Crohn’s
Disease (intestines) and Ulcerative Colitis (colon).
- Treatment of Crohn's disease includes drugs for
suppressing inflammation or the immune system, antibiotics, and surgery.
- Ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease have no medical
cure (well at least they recognize that modern medicine doesn't have all the answers)
- Once the diseases begin, they tend to fluctuate between periods of
inactivity (remission) and activity (relapse).
photo: diabetes-warrior.net
Sometimes conventional medical “wisdom” isn’t wise after all.
Sometimes doctors save lives and sometimes they are dead wrong.
Are you willing to accept a dead-end answer or is it worth considering alternatives?
No matter what your health condition – food has EVERYTHING to do with
it.
Our food supply has changed drastically in the past 50 to 75 years. We have
stopped growing our own food, moved off the farm and bought into the myth that
we must eat 6-11 servings of factory-food grains like cereal, crackers, bagels,
pasta and bread.
The fats that we are told to eat require factories, high heat
and hexane in order to extract the oils from grain, seeds and soybeans. These
industrially processed oils are making us sick with inflammation. Another source of inflammation is sugar. Sugar
consumption in the US
is through the roof, averaging 150 pounds per person each year. It isn't just the sugar causing inflammation, but all the refined and processed foods.
We have lost the ability to feed ourselves and nourish our bodies as we face a dizzying plethora of junk processed food, filling the shelves at the grocery store.
Health cannot be found in a box of highly refined grain products, spiked with sweeteners, dyes, preservatives, industrially processed oils, MSG and other damaging chemicals.
Are you suffering from a chronic condition, dutifully taking your medication because that is all that has been offered? Please read Brittany's story below and follow her lead - take control of your body and your health and don't let anyone tell you that your condition cannot be improved or even reversed.
Want to get well?
Just eat real food. If it grows or had a mother, it is real food.
No factory required.
Real food used be grown without herbicides, pesticides and chemicals.
Now we pay a premium to have our food grown naturally.
Brittany’s Story
Brittany, age 30 year,
battled debilitating gastrointestinal issues following the birth of her first
son six years ago. Over the past six
years Brittany
was subjected to numerous blood tests, five colonoscopies, and more medications
that most would believe. She sought
answers and medical help from most of the gastro specialists in the Lake and McHenry County area. They all gave her the same diagnosis:
Undetermined Crohn’s /Ulcerative Colitis.
Surprisingly none of Brittany’s
doctors ever discussed diet with her.
“I
questioned every doctor if it could be diet related and they all said there was
no way something like this could be caused by food. One doctor even told me fresh fruits and
veggies were probably making it worse for me because of the fibrous nature of
them, so that pointed me even more into the world of junk filled food. I was tired of being put on steroids all the
time. At many points over the 5 year span it was for months at a time. For those of you never on steroids for a
long period of time, I will tell you that they really affect you immensely. I experienced a lot of weight gain,
depression, mood swings, bone density loss (causing a fracture to my foot in
March 2012 which needed a screw implant).
At one point I tried to refuse steroids and was told if I didn’t my
insides would get so bad they would need to remove portions of my
intestines/bowels and it could increase my chance of colon cancer,” Brittany said.
The colonoscopies and prescription medications were all that doctors
offered Brittany
for over 5 years.
She became more and more discouraged and depressed about
everything.
“In September of 2012 I heard about Erin’s class through Northbridge Church and my cousins and mom and I all
signed up. She started talking about
gluten and I emailed Erin a few of my
questions and concerns and she suggested trying an elimination diet. At first I wasn’t sure because I had blood
work done to test for Celiac disease but figured I had nothing to lose. I stopped all of my medications in October of
2012 (without consent from the doctors) at the same time I started the
elimination diet. I figured at this
point, the medications were not making me better, they were just a band aid
that I would have to wear for the rest of my life, so what did I have to lose?“
Brittany followed the
elimination diet faithfully for over 3 weeks and even quit drinking Diet Coke,
a 10-can-a-day habit.
“I didn’t eat a speck of anything with gluten for about
25 days and then decided to test it.
However I really tested it. I ate
piece of pizza and two chicken fingers (breaded and all). That next day I was miserable. I had every
symptom I had over the last four years: extreme stomach pain, cramping,
bleeding, etc.
I knew I found my
answer!!”
It has now been four months and Brittany
is off all medications and has no symptoms of Crohn’s/Colitis.
“It has been such an amazing experience to learn how to heal my body
without pharmaceutical drugs. My journey continues but this hurdle has been
crossed off my list. My “disease” no longer weighs me down and I cannot thank Erin enough for all her information and guidance.”
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Are you suffering?
Learn how to eat to heal your body.
Or, contact me to set up a consultation (local or long distance).
