How I Manage My Crohn’s Disease Naturally

I’ve had Crohn’s disease for over 20 years now and for the past 15+ years I’ve managed my Crohn’s Disease naturally. I’ve spent several years researching how the immune system, gut health and diet are connected. It has also taken me several years of trial and error to figure out what works best for my body. Everyone is different and it’s sometimes difficult to find what work for you but I wrote a book about my journey in hopes of helping others with Crohn’s Disease. My book is called Crohn’s Disease- From Pain To Healing and it’s available on Amazon. I wanted to share just some ways that I manage my Crohn’s naturally daily.

February 2024 Update: Several years after writing my book, I ended up getting diagnosed with Short Bowel Syndrome (SBS) as I lost a significant amount of my small intestines due to an emergency surgery as I was going into sepsis. A significant part of my small intestines died out of the blue and to this day, the doctors don’t know why. It might have been related to my Crohn’s or the fact that they found a some blood clots which might have restricted the flow to my intestines but nobody knows the reason. Thanks to the amazing and skilled doctors and nurses who worked quickly and saved my life and for the grace of God I survived. My life changed even more at a result of having SBS. This post has been updated to reflect how I manage my Crohn’s and SBS now and support my body with natural options.

Diet

I used to follow a diet that was 100% gluten free and prior to that I had done a Paleo Diet for several years. Both the Paleo Diet and the gluten free diet really helped me. Paleo diet really helped to put my body into remission although it was not an instantanious process. It took many months but eventually my body started to heal. I found that gluten aggravates my Crohn’s symptoms so I try and stay away from gluten although I’m no longer gluten free. I also avoid junk food as much as possible and stay away from packaged foods. I choose fresh foods instead such as fruits and vegetables, organic chicken, meat, fish and seafood. I also use organic dairy. I try and eat organic yogurt daily. If I’m not eating a yogurt, I’ll take probiotics. I like to also use digestive enzymes twice a day with meals especially when eating meat.

Vitamins

I use vitamins daily to support my body. I use the doTERRA Lifelong Vitality pack which includes 3 different vitamins. I have used these vitamins for several years now. I like them because they are whole food based vs synthetic vitamins. They also don’t have any junky ingredients in them and they are essential oil based which is what I love. These vitamins have also made a huge difference in my hair and skin. I also feel a lot more energetic with these vitamins. I also take the doTERRA Yarrow Pom beauty complex vitamins for my skin. I also use NOW Supplements, Vitamin D-3 5,000 IU, High Potency, Structural Support*, 240 Softgels” class=”aioseop-link”>vitamin d3 daily to support my body.

Essential Oils

I use several different doTERRA essential oils daily to support my body depending on how I feel. One of the essential oils I do use daily is Digestzen. I love it for supporting my digestion. I also keep the Digestzen Touch roller bottle in my purse and the kids version of the roller bottle, Tamer, by my bed. I like to apply the Tamer on my stomach before going to bed. I like to switch between the two roller bottles, Digestzen Touch and Tamer frequently. I prefer the Digestzen touch during the day and the Tamer at night. Even though the Tamer blend is geared towards children, adults can use it too. My kids also use both Digestzen and Tamer interchangeable.

The kids essential oil blends can also be used for adults so I love to have them in the house for my kids and I get to use them too. 🙂 All the blends in the kids kit smell amazing and there are so great blends for stress too.

I also like to use essential oils to keep stress and overwhelm at minimum because I’ve noticed that stress brings on problems with my tummy. My favorite essential oils for stress and mood management are Adaptive, Balance, Serenity, Calmer, Steady and Frankincense. I also love to use floral oils for mood depending on what I feel like. My favorite floral oils are Neroli, Jasmine, Magnolia and Rose.

I also take doTERRA essential oil soft gels daily or make my own. The ones I take daily are Copaiba softgels and turmeric capsules as well as Mito2Max supplement for energy. I also make my own capsules daily by using 1-2 drops of Yarrow Pom, celery seed, oregano, lavender, and frankincense in an empty veggie capsule. If I ran out of time to make my own capsule, I take the Digestzen softgel instead.

I’ve found that reducing stress is one of the key factors for managing my Crohn’s. If I get super stressed my tummy goes on overdrive so I try and remember to take some time every day for self-care and get enough rest. It’s a delicate balance of managing the daily demands of life but I try and do the best I can by listening to my body. Having Crohn’s has really helped me to realize how important it is to tune in and not ignore what my body is telling me. I’ve had to learn to relax and let go as well which has been the hardest lesson to learn. I think there is no magic pill or a thing for managing Crohn’s, it’s more of a holistic approach to your everyday life including honoring your body and what it’s telling you, managing proper diet, reducing stress, getting enough rest and sleep and supporting the body with supplements, essential oils etc. It has taken me so many years to learn these lessons and many times the hard way having to deal with the symptoms which caused me to not get out of bed so I wanted to share with you what I’ve learned and what I do to manage it. Everyone’s body is different so I encourage you to find what works for you and of course work with your doctor if you have any health concerns.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This article and the products mentioned are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.