Crohns - Practical Steps To Take Back Control
- By:Paul Mander-O'Beirne
Being diagnosed with a chronic long-term condition can be a devastating event for both the person with the condition and their partner, friends and family. It is very easy, and perfectly valid, to feel extremely sorry for oneself. If left unchecked, this can lead to depression and a pessimistic outlook. Much of this can be due to the sense of “being out of control”. However, there is much that can be done to wrest back control and gain an optimistic outlook. (It would be great to hear what has worked for you also. Please post a comment)<
These sites will give you information on how the condition manifests itself, the symptoms that are likely to be experienced and the treatments that are available. Importantly, they will also give you the opportunity to communicate with other people living with the condition so that you do not feel so alone. In fact, you will most likely find that your immediate circle of friends and colleagues know numerous people with an inflammatory bowel disease. If at all possible, it’s worthwhile gaining their knowledge on living with the condition also as they most likely will be several years down the “experience road”.
The next thing to consider is the impact that medication will have. For example, Pentasa or is often prescribed. This is a “folate antagonist”. In other words, it strips folate levels out of your body. This is particularly important if the patient is a female of child bearing age as it can affect foetal development. You use folates to synthesise amino-acids and DNA. Low levels can also lead to a form of anaemia. It is important that you follow the medicinal therapies prescribed by your health professional, but it is equally important that you understand what their side effects are, and the steps you can take to mitigate these effects. In the case of Pentasa or mesalazine it is recommended that women trying to conceive should take a folate supplement at 2mg a day and increase their intake of folate rich foods.
The internet is a useful resource to discover this knowledge. A word of caution, however. I would advise that you check the credibility of any sites offering nutrition advice by determining who has compiled the information. Only accept information from sites that have engaged Registered Dieticians, or qualified doctors (preferably gastro-enterologist) to compile their knowledge. It is important that you test this by seeing if the site has a link to the organisation that the health professional is registered to. If you come across a website that has been compiled by “one man and his dog” or is offering a “one size fits all solution”, and there is no way to validate the quality of the information, I would suggest you ignore it, as it may cause more harm than good.
There are now organisations on the internet that have credible and evidence-based information available on how specific nutrients help or hinder the management of Crohns. I would suggest that you conduct a Google search using the following search terms: food for Crohns or food for Crohn's. You’ll be glad to know that our site will be amongst the search results.
Many people with Crohns, ultimately require some form of surgery. It makes sense to try and stave this off as long as possible. A combination of effective and appropriate nutrition and medicinal interventions can help to achieve this. However, if surgery is required it can take some time for the patient to recover their appetite. One of the worst things well-meaning carers can do is push typical servings of food onto the patient. It is much more effective if a little food is presented on a small plate at regular intervals (dessert spoon sized max) and gradually increase it over time. See my other article on coaxing back appetite to see more detail on this.
In summary, knowledge is the key to successfully managing your condition. This will enable you to take control of your condition and enable your health professionals to work in conjunction with you to design a treatment plan that works for you. It is empowering to know that you are doing everything you can to manage your Crohns. This will in turn allow optimism, and as I am sure you are already aware, half the battle is in the mind!
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© Harmony Cuisine LtdAbout the author:
Paul Mander-O'Beirne is a Director of www.harmonycuisine.co.uk which provides evidence-based research on how nutrients help or hinder the management of a long-term condition. This is available to you in the form of a searchable Knowledge Base that goes on to provide recipes and meals tailored to your specific dietary needs and intolerances. We are a family business that was inspired by our own experiences of living with the effects of Crohns.