Crohn's Disease Blog

The August edition of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology contains a report on the value of Curcumin in mild to moderate Ulcerative colitis. Curcumin is a natural chemical derived from the Indian spice turmeric. It…

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Infliximab has been found to be effective in some cases of Crohn’s disease for many years but its use in ulcerative colitis is more recent. A significant number of patients with both conditions fail to respond to…

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A few years ago it was suggested that Crohn’s disease (CD) was possibly brought on by vaccination – in particular the MMR vaccine conferring immunity to measles, mumps and rubella. This lead to many mothers refusing to…

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The latest edition of Gastroenterology July 2015 contains 2 reports on the use of faecal transplantation in the treatment of ulcerative colitis. This has been a technique which has been rumbling on for many years now.…

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Many people wonder about the link between IBD and stress. Many have noticed that their symptoms are ‘worse’ when they are anxious or depressed. Indeed this connection has been such that some eminent physicians have…

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Dietary therapy presents a cheap and safe way of managing Crohn’s disease, but has the disadvantage that patients need to avoid certain irritant foods if they are to prevent the disease recurring. There was therefore…

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Crohn’s disease frequently causes iron deficiency anaemia which provides a frustrating problem with patients being treated by diet. Most forms of oral iron cause patients to have symptoms and frequently intravenous iron…

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The November issue of the American Journal of Gastroenterology contains a paper which once again stresses the potential danger of immunosuppressant drugs in the treatment of IBD. Steroid use predisposes to infections and…

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It has been known for many years that inflammatory bowel disease tends to run in families and the risk of contracting this disorder is increased if one has a first degree relative suffering from the condition. More…

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Sufferers from IBD have long been well aware that they run an increased risk of bowel cancer and that the risk of lymphoma is increased by certain immunosuppressant drugs. Two recent studies one from Denmark and one from…

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Azathioprine is an invaluable drug for the long term treatment of IBD. Many patients enjoy prolonged remissions. Its metabolite 6-mercaptopurine has similarly beneficial effects. One of the main anxieties in the use of…

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My old Professor of surgery once told me that if several treatments were available for a disease, it meant that non of them worked very well! However, the latest suggestion for the treatment of Crohn’s disease may come…

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Many young women with IBD worry whether or not it is safe to go on the contraceptive pill. A recent study from Boston Massachusett s examines the importance of oral contraceptives as a cause of IBD. 232,452 women were…

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At long last the dismal winter and the long cold spring are behind us and Wimbledon was bathed in glorious sunshine. Delight at the arrival of the summer must, however, be tempered by a note of caution. People taking…

12 October 2023 · 2 min read

Many patients with Crohn’s disease ask what they should do about the medication they are taking when they start dietary therapy. Should they stop it straight away? Or should they reduce the dose? The best advice is to…

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As many of you will know my favourite treatment of Crohn’s disease is DIET. I very rarely use Infliximab, in fact only 2 patients in the last 5 years have needed a course. This was initially because of anxiety over its…

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Many patients have wondered whether it might be possible to improve IBD by implanting new bacteria in their bowels by means of enemas of faeces from healthy individuals. Vets have been employing similar techniques in…

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It is well known that patients with IBD are more likely to suffer from osteoporosis and osteopaenia (a less severe reduction in the density and strength of the bones). There has been long discussion as to whether this is…

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For many years people have wondered if psychological problems have a role in causing Crohn’s disease (CD) and Ulcerative Colitis (UC). This has always been difficult to prove although sometimes events are very…

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The dramatic effects that dietary treatment may have on the health of a patient with Crohn’s disease has been brought home to me today. A young woman was referred because for months she had been chronically unwell,…

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There has been lots of interest recently in reports of using worms to treat Crohn’s disease. Not earthworms like you find in the garden, but worms which live in the intestine. The first to be used was a pig whipworm,…

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