If you are taking medicines for your Crones disease, you will probably recognize a lot of the symptoms and side effects mentioned in this article. After a summary of the most problematic sides of mainstream medication, a possible solution is given to improve life quality and health in the long run on a solid basis.

Medicines are the most common Crones disease treatment. While none can cure this inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), they are used to try to reduce the swelling that causes the symptoms. The most frequently used medicines for Crones disease are Aminosalicylates and Corticosteroids to Block Inflammation, Antibiotics to Control Intestinal Bacteria, Immunomodulators to Calm the Immune System, and Biologic Therapies for Moderate or Severe Crones disease. Brand names of these medicines are (amongst others): - Aminosalicylates : Mesalamine (Asacol, Pentasa), Balsalazide (Dipentum), Olsalazine (Colazal) - Corticosteroids: Prednisone (Deltasone), Budesonide (Entocort EC) , Hydrocortisone, Methylprednisolone (Medrol) - Antibiotics: Ciprofloxacin (Cipro), Metronidazole (Flagyl) Immunomodulators: Azathioprine (Imuran, Azasan),6-mercaptopurine (Purinethol, 6-MP), Methotrexate (MTX, Rheumatrex, Mexate) , Tacrolimus (Prograf), Cyclosporine A (Sandimmune, Neoral) - Biologic Therapies: Infliximab (Remicade), Adalimumab (Humira).

Allopathic (mainstream) doctors rely on these medicines to control the symptoms of Crones disease although they know that none of these medicines will actually cure the underlying cause. If we read about the side effects these medicines have, we might want to give the whole matter another thought: Diarrhea Headache, dizziness Increased risk of bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract Indigestion, nausea, gas Hair loss Rash Decrease in white blood cells High blood pressure Mood swings, psychosis, insomnia Weight gain, moon facies Acne, increased facial hair, stretch marks Increased risk of infection Osteoporosis Vomiting Cough Sinus infections Sore throat

Enemas and Suppositories can be used to apply the medicines more locally and targeted. Biologic therapies are applied by frequent injections. Needless to say that this will have a major impact on your social life.

I want to make a special note on corticosteroids. Some corticosteroids can also be given intravenously. Corticosteroids can have severe side effects, like an increased risk of infection, so even the mainstream doctors will hesitate to prescribe them for a longer period of time. If you want to stop taking corticosteroids, make sure you taper off them gradually. Stopping them suddenly can worsen side effects.

Antibiotics are used to "control the level of bacteria in your intestines". Now this is something I do not really understand. What I learned at school, is that our intestines functioning is based on good bacteria, which help to digest the food and eliminate the indigestible part. If I take antibiotics, they will kill, or at least diminish, ALL bacteria in my gut. If I have a very low level of good bacteria, doesn't that mean that any bad bacteria can take over very easily? Do antibiotics solve a problem on the short run, but create a problem on the long run?

Some researchers believe that Crones Disease is caused by an over reactive immune system. When the other medicines do not work to control the swelling, they will try to use immunomodulators which diminish the immune response. Also patients with fistulas will be treated with these medicines, often in combination with corticosteroids. Because of their effect on the immune system, these medicines tend to increase the danger of other infections or other illnesses. The effect on bone marrow, liver and kidneys has to be monitored, because of likely side effects.

Biologic therapies are a new treatment for Crones Disease and they are also the most expensive. They are used for patients who do not respond to other treatments, but because of the possible severe side effects, doctors will be hesitant to apply them. Although the pharmaceutical industry tells us that the risks are small, they still warn for the effects of suppressing the immune response. There is some evidence that they increase the risk of conditions like blood infections, tuberculosis, and lymphoma.

Some medicines will interacts with other common drugs like birth control pills, and they can even break down vitamins or stop there absorption into the bloodstream. When you have diarrhea you will have to take medicines for that, and you will have to compensate the fluid loss.

If we recap all the information in this article, it is clear that an alternative approach to Crones Disease is dearly wanted. Improving the natural balance of bacteria in our gut would be helpful to start with, and a general improvement of our overall immune system is vital. If we find a additional treatment which helps us to reach these goals, we could start to use it as a way to help our body to regain it's natural strength, and eventually the new approach could take over the treatment using medicines.