Crohn’s Disease and Chinese Medicine
By Moses Lin, L.Ac., Ph.D., D.Sc.
Crohn’s Disease is a inflammatory bowel disease. It affects the lower gastrointestinal tract, producing abdominal cramp with urgent, bloody diarrhea. Crohn’s Disease can cause weight loss, fatigue, skin rashes and joint pain. In Crohn’s Disease, the ulcers penetrate deeper into the wall of the colon and spread into the lower portion of the small intestine (medical term is ileum). Sometimes, Crohn’s Disease can produce fever.
Strategic Approach
Western doctors do not have a cure for Crohn’s Disease. The goal of treatment is to control symptoms. Therefore, they rely heavily on anti-inflammatory drugs like 5-aminosalicylic acids or 5-ASAs, such as sulfasalazine (Azulfidine), olsalazine sodium (Dipentum), and mesalamine (Rowasa). Other commonly prescribed drugs include the corticosteroids (Prednisone), cyclosporine (Sandimmune), and methotrexate (Folex). All of these drugs work reasonably to some extend but they have many side effects. Temporary symptomatic relieve medications may lead to Kidney and other organ damage. Surgery could be recommended if the drug is not tolerable or has fail to control the symptoms. According to the Chinese Medicine, Crohn’s Disease could be a result from constitutional deficiency, invasion of the external pathogenic factors, or unbalanced diet. Constitutional deficiencies usually refer to spleen and kidney deficiencies. Invasion of exterior pathogenic factors refers to damp heat in the lower digestive tract like large intestine. Lastly, unbalanced diet such as high in raw or cold food, injures the spleen and stomach and obstructs their functions in transforming and transporting food and nutrients.
Treatment approach
Differential diagnosis is important in Chinese medicine. Different patients may need very different treatment strategies, even though they carry similar or even identical Western medical diagnoses. To treat Crohn’s Disease, a skilled Acupuncturist must know how to dredge blocked Qi in the Channels or Meridians to re-establish balance between Yin and Yang so that the constitution can be rectified, because the Chinese Medicine always treats the root of disease rather than the symptoms. Although Crohn’s Disease is quite common but it is highly treatable and preventable with Acupuncture and Chinese Herbs. Clinical reports at NYOHC consistently indicate over 90% success rate in treatment of Crohn’s Disease. One of many advantages of this type of treatment is that Acupuncture does not involve any medication at all, therefore, there is nothing added, nothing taken in. ACUPRESSURE is also extremely helpful for those who afraid of acupuncture.
Tips for those who suffer Crohn’s Disease
1. Maintain a high-fiber diet, yet avoid whole-wheat bread and wheat bran since so many people with Crohn’s Disease are sensitive to wheat
2. Eat only cooked and warm food, reduce or avoid raw vegetable such as salads
3. Reduce your sugar intake
4. Make fish your main dish, yet avoid food such as peanuts, nuts, shellfish, milk and dairy products
5. Weed out offending foods, consult us for guidance
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