I was in a support group a while back and we were discussing natural healing vs medication and one thing someone said to me really resonated. She said "I layer my heath care." Of course if anyone has seen the film Shrek you'll know why my brain immediately thought "onions!"
I think the reason this hit me at that moment, is because an ongoing debate in several groups I belong to regarding treatment of I.B.D., is whether or not to go all natural and treat with diet, herbs, oils etc or to treat solely with medication. And there are extremely strong feelings both ways. Too many people are strongly entrenched in one way or the other. A lot of times one of the things that gets us fired up is when someone offers a "natural solution" for a "nominal cost". Our red flag tends to go up and our brain screams "SCAM!" But that shouldn't turn people totally away from exploring different treatment options. And, lets face it, none of us like the idea of ingesting or injecting some of the horrifyingly strong medications that we're prescribed. The reality is it's most often a balance of a little bit of everything.Thus the layers.
Like I have said before, we are responsible for our health care, what we do with this one body we have. Research and experimentation (with a doctors knowledge) are key.
For some people, a totally holistic approach works wonders for them. Herbs, careful and disciplined diet, essential oils, exercise, meditation, etc are all worth looking into. Obviously, if it touts a "cure" be very careful because there simply is NO cure. But it IS possible to attain a long term remission so don't completely turn away when you see that word "cure".
For others, medication and/or surgery might be the only thing that works for them. And that's OKAY. Every single body responds in its own unique way to its own unique treatments.
In almost 30 years of dealing with Crohns Disease, I have discovered that my particular treatment changes over time. I was able to have a medication free 11 year remission after a surgery and managing my diet. Along with that, regular exercise like yoga and walking played a big part. I also discovered my body loves ginger and peppermint and now oddly hates all things involving cooked tomatoes.
After coming out of remission I had to work with a doctor and add some serious medications and undergo another surgery. Now my hope is to get over the hump back into remission and once again be able to manage my disease medication free. If that doesn't happen, I will continue with the medications because my quality of life is just as important to me as good health.
Understand that there is still a ton of ongoing research regarding I.B.D. and what it stems from and how to treat it and eventually obtain a true cure. One good article I recently read spoke about new research into the gut/brain connection. And anyone with this disease knows without a doubt that our moods effect our gut and our gut has strong control of our moods.
So before dismissing anything holistic or all natural, do something simple, research. Make sure you find a reputable source like a large University study. You may be surprised. Layering your own care with the things that you respond well to is important. Try different diets, add what exercise you can even if its just a short walk daily, research supplements (your doctor can tell you which ones you need by a simple blood test), look into different food combinations, research herbs (*be careful with this one as herbs are sometimes as strong or stronger than prescription medications and can have adverse reactions with any medications you are currently on), essential oils are huge right now, peppermint is my favorite and it helps nausea better than Zofran for me. Even finding a hobby can seriously help depression and anxiety.
Its all about educating yourself and putting together a plan that works for YOU. Layer your health care, like the multiple layers of an onion and take control of your disease.
