Table of Contents:
- Corticosteroids For Crohn’s Disease
- Immunomodulators & Small Molecules
- Biologics for Crohn’s Disease
- Resection Surgery for Crohn’s Disease
- Complementary & Alternative Treatments for Crohn’s Disease
- Evinature’s Tips & Recommendations
Crohn’s Disease (CD) is one of two forms of IBD, a chronic illness affecting the gastrointestinal tract. While variants differ based on the primary location of inflammation (the colon, small intestine, rectum, etc.), numerous medical and complementary treatments can help reduce severity and manage symptoms.
Corticosteroids For Crohn’s Disease
Corticosteroids are a class of steroids secreted by the adrenal glands. They control multiple processes in the body, including inflammation. Increasing the concentration of corticosteroids in the body reduces inflammation in the gut. For Crohn’s patients, corticosteroids can be prescribed for up to several months at a time to control the inflammation and abdominal pain associated with the disease. However, corticosteroids cannot be used long-term, as high-dose and chronic use can result in severe side effects like muscular atrophy, metabolic issues, osteoporosis, cataracts, and issues with water and nutrient uptake.
This makes corticosteroids helpful for urgent, short-term treatment of a flare-up, or for modulating severe symptoms of Crohn’s Disease. However, their use is best restricted to a few weeks at a time, and it’s best to avoid repeated courses due to their potential for cumulative increased risk of side effects.
Immunomodulators & Small Molecules
Immunomodulators work as their name suggests; by suppressing the immune system so the body doesn’t attack healthy tissue. This helps reduce inflammation and associated pain.
Unlike corticosteroids, this is a larger class of medications that decrease the immune response over longer periods. Immunosuppressants are often taken with another type of medication (mostly biologics), working in tandem to induce a stronger reduction of inflammation.
Small molecules are newer immunomodulators that similarly work to reduce the overactive immune system in IBD patients. While these medications can be taken over a longer time than corticosteroids, they do suppress the entire immune system, leaving the patient more vulnerable to pathological infections and some types of cancer.
Biologics for Crohn’s Disease
Biologics are a newer class of immuno-modulating drugs that target specific proteins produced by the immune system. They are termed ‘biologics’ because they are engineered proteins, lab-created to suppress the immune system attacking the body, and may be used in combination therapy with other immunomodulators for maximum effect.
Biologics are used to induce and maintain remission but some may cause a host of side effects, including the risk of increased infections and rarely some types of cancer, which are associated with anti-TNF biologics, although less so with other newer biologics.
Resection Surgery for Crohn’s Disease
Many Crohn’s patients require surgery at least once throughout their lives. Resection surgery is an operation in which the inflamed part of the bowel is removed and the healthy bowel is stitched together. More often, the resected part may not be inflamed but rather narrowed due to stenosis (stricture) as a result of intestinal damage caused by prolonged disease. Surgery is used to remove the strictured part to prevent or treat the bowel obstruction it causes.
During surgery, an ileostomy may be performed to aid healing. This involves a part of the small intestine being attached to the skin to allow excretion (ostomy, or stoma). A bag to collect the intestinal excretion is placed over the skin, which needs to be changed several times throughout the day to evacuate the intestinal excretions.
An ostomy may be temporary (i.e. canceled and the intestine re-connected in a subsequent surgery) or permanent, depending on the severity of the situation.
Natural Treatments for Crohn’s
IBD patients often integrate complementary and alternative treatments to reduce symptoms, extra-intestinal manifestations, and quality of life. These can include herbal remedies, acupuncture, and even lifestyle and diet changes.
Natural remedies can play a supportive role in reducing inflammation, easing symptoms, and promoting gut healing. Herbal compounds like curcumin and Qing Dai have shown promise in clinical research for their ability to suppress inflammatory pathways and improve gut barrier function. Probiotics may also help restore microbial diversity, which is often disrupted in Crohn’s disease, potentially reducing flare-ups. Additionally, lifestyle factors like stress management, regular exercise, and adequate sleep can influence immune function and gut health. While natural remedies cannot replace medical treatments such as biologics or immunosuppressants, they may serve as complementary strategies to enhance overall well-being and disease management.
Evinature’s Tips & Recommendations
While Crohn’s disease is a complex condition, a holistic approach using conventional medication and complementary treatments, as well as embracing healthy lifestyle changes, can help manage symptoms and improve quality of life. Evinature’s revolutionary CurQD® nutraceutical combines the simplicity of a supplement with the scientific veracity and efficacy of a novel plant-based agent to deliver relief and help manage symptoms of Crohn’s disease. A recent retrospective study reviewed the effects of CurQD® on reducing biomarkers of Crohn’s disease, with a marked improvement in patient outcomes.
For more information and a free assessment about whether CurQD® may be right for you, Evinature provides an online review here.
Summer Pitocchelli-Schwartzman
