Natural Options

This page offers the ‘A, B, C’s’ that helped me overcome Crohn’s disease. Every one of the following were crucial steps I applied in my life to support my body’s natural healing abilities. They are not in the same order I applied them as my journey began by looking at diet, however, as I reflect on that journey, the suggestions below and their sequencing follow a certain ‘natural order of things’.

A brief explanation for each item is given on this page to provide ‘quick information’ that might ‘strike a chord’ with you . To explore any of the subjects in more detail go to Resources which is organised by category and provides links to the most relevant books, websites and other sources of more detailed information. Whilst diet and the importance of carefully maintaining the correct acid/alkaline (pH) balance of my body was the single biggest factor in my recovery, each of the following were fundamentally important steps on the road to recovery.

#1 Breathe! Oxygenate your blood

What is the first thing a baby does when it is born? How quickly will we die without air? ‘Oxygen is essential to life, and our bodies need a certain amount of oxygen to function properly. Oxygen enters your body through your nose or mouth when you breathe (inhale) and passes through your lungs into your bloodstream. Once in your bloodstream, the oxygen then goes to cells all over your body. All of your cells need oxygen to create energy efficiently, and your body needs energy to fulfil all of its processes, such as digestion and even thinking.‘ Source

If you are suffering from Crohn’s disease your bowel is likely inflamed which can impair absorption of essential nutrients and affect your energy levels. It is therefore especially important to increase oxygen levels to support digestive processes and provide cellular energy.

Furthermore oxygen is essential for cellular repair and a healthy immune system. ‘Every day, about seven hundred billion cells in our bodies wear out and must be replaced. Without oxygen, our bodies cannot build these new cells. Oxygen is also a particularly important part of our immune system. It is used to help kill bacteria, and it fuels the cells that make up our body’s defences against viruses and other invaders.. ‘ Source.

#2 Water - Purify & Detoxify

After oxygen, water is the most important nutrient our bodies require. We will die after just a few days without water, much quicker than without food. Our bodies need between 11.5 cups (women) and 15.5 (men) of water per day.

Water is required to regulate body temperature, prevent dehydration, protect joints, spinal cord and other body tissue, transport nutrients, eliminate wastes and aid digestion as it is the main component of saliva helping break down food for nutrient absorption. Source. But with numerous contaminants such as lead, ‘forever chemicals’ (such as perfluoroalkyls and polyfluoroalkyls – PFAS), cryptosporidium and ever increasing levels of micro-plastics now commonly being found in drinking water how do we provide our bodies with the pure water we require? Source.

One approach is to distil your water, removing all particulates and then add back the electrolytes necessary for essential body processes to function optimally. Alternatively a high quality water filter like Berkey or bottled water containing most if not all of the required electrolytes may be used. Remember we are electro-chemical beings comprised of 60-70% water so it is essential we have quality water with adequate levels of electrolytes to support our cardiac, digestive, brain and nervous functions.

And finally, ‘How does each body cell heal?’ Each cell is surrounded by interstitial fluid that supplies cellular nutrients. So what should be in that interstitial fluid?

#3 Food & Diet: A veritable minefield

Have you stood in the supermarket surrounded by food that you pick up and put down because your mind is unclear whether it will trigger Crohn’s disease symptoms? Maybe you’ve researched ‘trigger foods’ and ‘healthy diets’ only to discover that if you believed everything that was written you would eat nothing? Yep me too. I eventually learnt which foods caused symptoms, eliminated them and my inflammatory markers returned to normal. But that was not the finish line as healing the bowel can require more than simply avoiding certain foods.

Discovering the importance of the pH level of the body and balancing my intake of acidic and alkaline food & fluids was fundamental in supporting my body’s healing capabilities. Best books? ‘The pH Miracle’ (Young & Young) and ‘The Acid Alkaline Food Guide’ (Brown & Trivieri). Both can be found in Resources. The ‘light bulb’ moment was asking myself a simple question ‘If I eat a diet that leaves an acidic residue to pass over the delicate membranes of my digestive system what do I think will happen to my bowel? Inflammation, spasms, ulceration, bleeding?’ Sound familiar?

And it’s not just food that can be highly acidic but fluids too. Put a small teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate (very alkaline) into a glass of tonic water (very acidic) and watch the reaction. It’s not just our teeth that corrode when we consume acidic fluids.

Fundamental: Educate yourself about acidic and alkaline foods and help your body recover by reducing the acidic load it is given.

#4 Stress & Exercise

Stress is a significant contributory factor to Crohn’s disease. From Healthline.com ‘….. research suggests stress may worsen Crohn’s disease by increasing gut inflammation and interfering with the gut biome…..Stress triggers changes in hormones and the immune system, making your body’s defence system more active and causing more inflammation in your gut. This is especially problematic in Crohn’s disease, where inflammation is already the central problem. Stress can make this inflammation worse, leading to more severe symptoms.’ Source.

In today’s fast-paced world it is not always easy to slow down, take time out and make changes to one’s lifestyle. However, if you recognise significant levels of stress within you, and are already having symptoms of Crohn’s disease, I urge you to try. I ignored my stress and ended up having 2 bowel resections for Crohn’s, each one after extended periods of stress. It’s not worth taking the risk. Period.

Exercise is beneficial for stress but benefits the body in other ways. For example; ‘Exercise can provide stress relief for your body while imitating effects of stress, such as the flight or fight response, and helping your body and its systems practice working together through those effects. This can also lead to positive effects in your body — including your cardiovascular, digestive and immune systems — by helping protect your body from harmful effects of stress.‘ Source.

So, please give this some thought. Your body will thank you for it.

#5 Supplements & Herbal Support

Supplements and herbal remedies can greatly support our recovery. I’ve had tremendous benefits from high quality supplements and by consulting a very experienced herbalist. My reasons were twofold; (1) to help calm the inflammation in my bowel and heal the damage done by years of eating acidic food and (2) to replace some of the essential vitamins and minerals (especially electrolytes) now virtually absent from our soils due to years of mass produced chemically fertilised food production. ‘In the past 50 years vegetables sold in the UK have lost 24% of their magnesium, 27% iron and 46% calcium.‘ Source: We Want Real Food‘ (Harvey).

There are many herbs that can help the bowel and they can be taken in tincture (herbal) or capsule (supplement) form. For example, Marshmallow, Slippery elm, Lungwort, Artichoke, Turmeric, Boswellia & Vitamin D+K have long been prescribed to help the bowel.

The essential electrolytes are Sodium, Potassium, Chloride, Calcium, Magnesium, Bicarbonate and Phosphate, many of which can be taken in supplement form to support our electrical bodily functions. I can’t emphasize enough how important electrolytes were for my recovery.

#6 EMF Radiations

Could your body be sensitive to man-made EMF radiations? Unlikely? Well so I thought until a close encounter with a cell tower in October 2022 resulted in 3 weeks of sickness. My body recovered after plenty of support from supplements & herbal remedies and I was lucky – others have contacted me with similar stories but having experienced much more harrowing symptoms.

This experience lead me to investigate the electrical-chemical nature of our bodies and to understand how crucial electrolytes are to our well-being. From the International Journal of Oncology;

‘Exposure of animals/biological samples to human‑made electromagnetic fields (EMFs), especially in the extremely low frequency (ELF) band, and the microwave/radio frequency (RF) band which is always combined with ELF, may lead to DNA damage. DNA damage is connected with cell death, infertility and other pathologies, including cancer…… The present study reviews the DNA damage and related effects induced by human‑made EMFs. The ion forced‑oscillation mechanism for irregular gating of voltage‑gated ion channels on cell membranes by polarized/coherent EMFs is extensively described. Dysfunction of ion channels disrupts intracellular ionic concentrations, which determine the cell’s electrochemical balance and homeostasis.’ Source.

This is a complex and highly controversial subject with emerging studies suggesting man-made EMF radiations interfere with the electro-chemical impulses of our bodies. Essential reading is ‘The Invisible Rainbow’ by Arthur Firstenberg.

#7 Detoxification

An essential part of my recovery from Crohn’s disease was the removal of toxic substances from my body. My lived experience involved detoxifying my body of two particularly unpleasant invaders;

Parasitic Infection: MAP

Parasitic infections are more common than you may think. And whilst it is not particularly pleasant to realise you may have one, removing it may be crucial to recovery from a serious illness. ‘Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) belongs to a family of bacteria called ‘Mycobacteria’, which also includes Tuberculosis and Leprosy…..Testing for MAP by the presence of its DNA (using PCR) has found MAP in up to 92% of Crohn’s patients..‘ Source See ‘Parasites‘ post for more details and options for removing this parasite from your body.

Heavy Metal: Mercury

Used for many years in dental filling the European Parliament has recently decided to place a ban on the use of this highly toxic substance wef 1.1.2025. Source. Eleven amalgam fillings were removed from my teeth after blood tests revealed I had ‘industrial levels of mercury poisoning‘ according to my GP. See the Mercury post for more details and ideas on how to detoxify this from your body if you are affected.

And that’s the A, B, C’s. It’s why I bias my site towards a natural approach – because that’s exactly what it is. Take into your bodies what is natural and beneficial, conversely try to avoid and detoxify what is unnatural.

Breathe deeply and take in abundant oxygen, drink pure water & eat pure food supplemented with electrolytes so your natural electro-chemical processes can function optimally. Try to drop some of the stress by taking exercise, and maybe help your body self-heal by including some of the essential herbs and supplements our diets now sadly lack.

Try to stay away from artificial substances such as polluted air, chemicals in your water and food, and additives such as sugar. Become aware of the artificial man-made EMF radiations now surrounding us daily and detoxify yourself of parasites and heavy metals. Notice how all the harmful pollutants are hidden from sight? Hopefully you can see them more clearly and take steps to limit their impact on your body.