Digestive Wellness: Strengthen the Immune System and Prevent Disease Through Healthy Digestion, Fourth Edition (120 page)

Calprotectin or lactoferrin (great for diagnosis and monitoring treatment)

Intestinal permeability screening

Antioxidant analysis

Bone density testing and vitamin D levels

Immunogenetics testing

Nutritional analysis of blood

Make dietary changes.
Eliminate simple sugars, alcohol, and fast foods (one study showed that flare-ups occurred almost four times as frequently in people with ulcerative colitis when fast foods were eaten twice a week). Grains and dairy products often aggravate the condition. Some people find that going on a raw-foods diet with lots of fresh vegetable juices stops IBD in its tracks. I’ve had several clients who had IBD early in life who cured it this way. Work with a clinician if you decide to try a raw-foods diet. It’s not for everyone.

Maintain a normal weight.
While dietary changes can be useful, don’t limit your food so severely that you lose weight and muscle mass. Especially in people with Crohn’s disease, malnutrition is common. Find a diet that works for you and helps you maintain your weight and health. Don’t limit wheat, dairy, other grains, nuts, or seeds unless you are pretty sure that they are causing problems.

Correct anemia if present. Correct other vitamin and mineral deficiencies if present. Correct vitamin D levels if they are low. Take a multivitamin with minerals and antioxidant nutrients.
Because of general malabsorption and poor dietary habits in people with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, it is wise to closely measure yourself for nutritional status with testing. Also add a good-quality multivitamin with minerals to your daily routine. Deficiencies of many nutrients have been found in people with IBD: calcium/magnesium; folic acid; iron; selenium; vitamins A, B
₁
, B
₂
, B
₆
, C, D, and E; and zinc. Because oxidative damage plays a significant role in IBD, the supplement should contain adequate
amounts of antioxidant nutrients: at least 10,000 IU of beta-carotene or other carotenoids, 400 IU of vitamin E, 250 mg of vitamin C, 200 mcg of selenium, 5 mg of zinc, plus other nutrients. It may also contain CoQ10, glutathione, NAC, Pycnogenol, superoxide dismutase (SOD), and other antioxidants. It is best to buy a supplement that is free of foods, herbs, colorings, and common allergens.

Explore possible lactose intolerance.
Hydrogen breath testing or elimination of all dairy products and foods containing dairy from your diet for at least two weeks can help determine whether lactose intolerance is contributing to your problem. Definitely eliminate dairy during a flare-up of your illness.

Consider food sensitivities.
Food sensitivities play a significant role in ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, occurring approximately half the time. Try an elimination diet, SCD, or GAPS diet. The most common offenders are dairy products, grains, and yeast, followed in frequency by egg, potato, rye, coffee, apples, mushrooms, oats, and chocolate.

Try the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD).
Many people have found relief from using the Specific Carbohydrate Diet outlined in Elaine Gottschall’s book
Breaking the Vicious Cycle.
Unfortunately we don’t yet have any clinical research on the SCD. This diet can be beneficial because it eliminates most foods that cause sensitivities—grains and dairy products. Similar to the candida diet (see
Chapter 7
), it helps restore intestinal balance. While going on the diet alone may be effective, it is most effective after laboratory testing has determined your unique biochemistry.