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I have included here a sample of some natural ideas. For a more complete version please see my booklet on IBD Self-Care. I believe that there is not just one strategy which will solve the symptoms of IBD but rather it is a 'jig-saw' of lots of strategies which when taken together are more likely to improve your wellbeing and give you a better quality of life.
A useful tip I learnt from someone who had beaten cancer is to say to yourself every day:
"EVERY DAY IN EVERY WAY I AM GETTING BETTER AND BETTER"
You must mean it when you say this and believe it is going to help you. This came from a French physician in the 19th century. He believed that your brain could directly affect the rest of your body. So do I. Try it out loud every day.
I think that a lot of people that suffer from IBD also have IBS symptoms as well. In order to gain a better quality of life it is necessary to look carefully at the 'whole person'. So what can you do to help yourself?
Start by listing as many BAD inputs into your body that you can think of. Sub-divide them into headings, such as: Food, Drink, Alcohol, Smoking, Stress, Relationships, Emotions, Lifestyle, Environmental, etc. For instance I stopped drinking Dairy milk for lots of reasons eg Lactose intolerance, the possibility of a harmful bacteria in it passing on to me and the damage I believed it was doing generally to my insides. (For more information visit web sites about dairy milk). This is where I believe that IBD and IBS symptoms can exist side by side eg Lactose intolerance would probably lead to IBS symptoms; whereas the bacteria, some people believe, could lead to Crohns (IBD) symptoms. By removing dairy milk I removed one possible cause of both IBS and IBD symptoms.
I also stopped drinking alcohol over ten years ago. This was because when I drank alcohol I ended up in severe pain sometime later, especially with white wine. This may seem a bit drastic but even small amounts were bad for me. So I either lived with the pleasure of drinking and suffered the inevitable pain or gave it up altogether. I gave it up. Do I feel better? Of course I do! I also gave up smoking after 30 years of it. Was it hard? Of course but was it worth it? Yes!
Now list the GOOD inputs to your body again under sub-headings if you want to. Firstly compare your lists; for most it's odds on that the BAD list is longer than the good. Now decide what you are going to do about it and write down some goals. If you need my help then ask for a consultation using the link below.
Think about such programmes as 'You are what you eat' and 'Diet Doctors'. They deal with people who are making themselves ill by continually having BAD inputs. These people however do not suffer from IBD. How much more important therefore is it that IBD sufferers, with their sensitive systems, do even more to help themselves?
One final example is Stress. I believe that this is one of the major causes of 'flare-ups'. When I was teaching I had no problems with the kids, they were the best bit! However towards the premature end to my career numerous Government bureaucratic initiatives meant I was doing two jobs; teaching and office work and guess which took priority! After some years of cumulative stress my system gave up and I had a second resection operation and took early retirement. The point? I have little or no stress in my life now and no flare-ups. I do not think this is a coincidence. I see people with Psoriasis who when under stress have a flare up which is obvious for all to see. IBD flare ups are on the inside so can't be seen (unless it is Crohns in the mouth) but it is still on the skin, just like the psoriasis. For a lot more ideas please read my IBD Self-Care booklet. It's easy for me to say this but if your job is very stressful then change your job! Your health is more important than anything else.
"IF THE DOCTORS OF TODAY DON'T BECOME THE NUTRITIONISTS OF TOMORROW,
THEN THE NUTRITIONISTS OF TODAY WILL BECOME THE DOCTORS OF TOMORROW"
If your IBD is going through a severe flare-up then it would be better to stabilise it first using conventional means before trying anything else. If in doubt contact me using the link below.
Contact us at The Natural Help Centre for IBD
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