Causes

The exact cause of inflammatory bowel disease remains unknown from a Traditional Medical perspective. Previously, diet and stress were suspected, but now doctors know that these factors may aggravate but don't cause IBD.

One possible cause is an immune system malfunction. When your immune system tries to fight off an invading parasite, virus or bacterium, an abnormal immune response causes the immune system to attack the cells in the digestive tract, too.

Heredity also seems to play a role in that IBD is more common in people who have family members with the disease. This is usually because families share parasites. However, sometimes people with IBD don't have this family history if the person developed the symptoms after moving away from the family.

Risk factors

• Most people who develop IBD are diagnosed before they're 30 years old. But some people don't develop the disease until their 50s or 60s.
• Race or ethnicity.  Although whites have the highest risk of the disease, it can occur in any race. If you're of Ashkenazi Jewish descent, your risk is even higher.
• Family history.  You're at higher risk if you have a close relative — such as a parent, sibling or child — with the disease.
• Cigarette smoking.  Cigarette smoking is the most important controllable risk factor for developing Crohn's disease. Although smoking may provide some protection against ulcerative colitis, the overall health benefits of not smoking make it important to try to quit.
• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications.  These include ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others), naproxen sodium (Aleve), diclofenac sodium (Voltaren) and others. These medications may increase the risk of developing IBD or worsen disease in people who have IBD.
• Where you live.  If you live in an industrialized country, you're more likely to develop IBD. Therefore, it may be that environmental factors, including a diet high in fat or refined foods, play a role. People living in northern climates also seem to be at greater risk.

From a Holistic Chiropractic perspective, the underlying cause is usually due to emotional stress in conjunction with a parasite that usually affects the gallbladder. This leads to problems that affect the small and large intestines. Knowing this is most important before beginning any treatment for this uncomfortable condition.

Diagnosis

Your doctor will likely diagnose inflammatory bowel disease only after ruling out other possible causes for your signs and symptoms. To help confirm a diagnosis of IBD, you may have one or more of the following tests and procedures:

Blood tests

• Tests for anemia or infection.Your doctor may suggest blood tests to check for anemia — a condition in which there aren't enough red blood cells to carry adequate oxygen to your tissues — or to check for signs of infection from bacteria or viruses.
• Fecal occult blood test.You may need to provide a stool sample so that your doctor can test for hidden blood in your stool.

Endoscopic procedures

• This exam allows your doctor to view your entire colon using a thin, flexible, lighted tube with an attached camera. During the procedure, your doctor can also take small samples of tissue (biopsy) for laboratory analysis. Sometimes a tissue sample can help confirm a diagnosis.
• Flexible sigmoidoscopy.Your doctor uses a slender, flexible, lighted tube to examine the rectum and sigmoid, the last portion of your colon. If your colon is severely inflamed, your doctor may perform this test instead of a full colonoscopy.
• Upper endoscopy.In this procedure, your doctor uses a slender, flexible, lighted tube to examine the esophagus, stomach and first part of the small intestine (duodenum). While it is rare for these areas to be involved with Crohn's disease, this test may be recommended if you are having nausea and vomiting, difficulty eating or upper abdominal pain.
• Capsule endoscopy.This test is sometimes used to help diagnose Crohn's disease involving your small intestine. You swallow a capsule that has a camera in it. The images are transmitted to a recorder you wear on your belt, after which the capsule exits your body painlessly in your stool. You may still need an endoscopy with a biopsy to confirm a diagnosis of Crohn's disease.
• Balloon-assisted enteroscopy.For this test, a scope is used in conjunction with a device called an overtube. This enables the doctor to look further into the small bowel where standard endoscopes don't reach. This technique is useful when a capsule endoscopy shows abnormalities, but the diagnosis is still in question.

Imaging procedures



• X-ray.If you have severe symptoms, your doctor may use a standard X-ray of your abdominal area to rule out serious complications, such as a perforated colon.
• Computerized tomography (CT) scan.You may have a CT scan — a special X-ray technique that provides more detail than a standard X-ray does. This test looks at the entire bowel as well as at tissues outside the bowel. CT enterography is a special CT scan that provides better images of the small bowel. This test has replaced barium X-rays in many medical centers.
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).An MRI scanner uses a magnetic field and radio waves to create detailed images of organs and tissues. An MRI is particularly useful for evaluating a fistula around the anal area (pelvic MRI) or the small intestine (MR enterography). Unlike a CT, there is no radiation exposure with an MRI.
  

Medical Treatment

Reading many of the TOP Medical sites for this condition, including the Mayo Clinic website states the precise cause of IBS isn't known. This does not give me, personally, a lot of confidence in the recommended treatments. Treating something you do not understand will only lead to uncontrolled outcomes and more complications. 

The goal of treatment from a Medical perspective is to relieve symptoms by suppressing them with the use of prescription medication or surgical intervention. 

You may be recommended more than one medication at a time during your treatment. Although this will help improve your symptoms, this will not help to improve your overall condition. They will offer you the opportunity to try different medications to relieve your symptoms and help you manage your condition. Unfortunately, being tied to a medication or medications does not allow for you to ever overcome the condition and lead a life of freedom.

With medications come harmful side-effects and this should always be considered before starting any treatment.

IBD treatment usually involves either drug therapy or surgery

Anti-inflammatory drugs

Anti-inflammatory drugs are often the first step in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease. Anti-inflammatories include corticosteroids and aminosalicylates, such as mesalamine (Asacol HD, Delzicol, others), balsalazide (Colazal) and olsalazine (Dipentum). Which medication you take depends on the area of your colon that's affected.

Immune system suppressors

These drugs work in a variety of ways to suppress the immune response that releases inflammation-inducing chemicals in the intestinal lining. For some people, a combination of these drugs works better than one drug alone.

Some examples of immunosuppressant drugs include azathioprine (Azasan, Imuran), mercaptopurine (Purinethol, Purixan), cyclosporine (Gengraf, Neoral, Sandimmune) and methotrexate (Trexall).

One class of drugs called tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha inhibitors, or biologics, works by neutralizing a protein produced by your immune system. Examples include infliximab (Remicade), adalimumab (Humira) and golimumab (Simponi). Other biologic therapies that may be used are natalizumab (Tysabri), vedolizumab (Entyvio) and ustekinumab (Stelara).

Antibiotics

Antibiotics may be used in addition to other medications or when infection is a concern — in cases of perianal Crohn's disease, for example. Frequently prescribed antibiotics include ciprofloxacin (Cipro) and metronidazole (Flagyl).

Other medications and supplements

In addition to controlling inflammation, some medications may help relieve your signs and symptoms, but always talk to your doctor before taking any over-the-counter medications. Depending on the severity of your IBD, your doctor may recommend one or more of the following:

• Anti-diarrheal medications.A fiber supplement — such as psyllium powder (Metamucil) or methylcellulose (Citrucel) — can help relieve mild to moderate diarrhea by adding bulk to your stool. For more severe diarrhea, loperamide (Imodium A-D) may be effective.
• Pain relievers.For mild pain, your doctor may recommend acetaminophen (Tylenol, others). However, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others), naproxen sodium (Aleve) and diclofenac sodium (Voltaren) likely will make your symptoms worse and can make your disease worse as well.
• Iron supplements.If you have chronic intestinal bleeding, you may develop iron deficiency anemia and need to take iron supplements.
• Calcium and vitamin D supplements.Crohn's disease and steroids used to treat it can increase your risk of osteoporosis, so you may need to take a calcium supplement with added vitamin D.

Nutritional support

Your Medical Doctor may recommend a special diet given via a feeding tube (enteral nutrition) or nutrients injected into a vein (parenteral nutrition) to treat your IBD. This can improve your overall nutrition and allow the bowel to rest. Bowel rest can reduce inflammation in the short term.

If you have a stenosis or stricture in the bowel, your doctor may recommend a low-residue diet. This will help to minimize the chance that undigested food will get stuck in the narrowed part of the bowel and lead to a blockage.

Surgery

If diet and lifestyle changes, drug therapy, or other treatments don't relieve your IBD signs and symptoms, your doctor may recommend surgery.

• Surgery for Ulcerative Colitis.  Surgery can often eliminate Ulcerative Colitis. But that usually means removing your entire colon and rectum (proctocolectomy).

In most cases, this involves a procedure called an ileal pouch anal anastomosis. This procedure eliminates the need to wear a bag to collect stool. Your surgeon constructs a pouch from the end of your small intestine. The pouch is then attached directly to your anus, allowing you to expel waste relatively normally.

In some cases a pouch is not possible. Instead, surgeons create a permanent opening in your abdomen (ileal stoma) through which stool is passed for collection in an attached bag.

• Surgery for Crohn's Disease.  Up to one-half of people with Crohn's Disease will require at least one surgery. However, surgery does not cure Crohn's disease.

During surgery, your surgeon removes a damaged portion of your digestive tract and then reconnects the healthy sections. Surgery may also be used to close fistulas and drain abscesses.

The benefits of surgery for Crohn's disease are usually temporary. The disease often recurs, frequently near the reconnected tissue. The best approach is to follow surgery with medication to minimize the risk of recurrence.

Medicines Two Choices for You

Dr. Huntoon has quite a successful track record when dealing with this difficult condition. He has stopped the condition and helped the people he has to never deal with the condition again. By treating each person individually and looking at all the factors associated with this condition, Dr. Huntoon has been able to help his practice members when all other medical treatments have failed.

Angelo Vasapolli

5 STAR Review 5 months ago-

"Dr. Huntoon always explains in depth what is going on wrong with your body and WHY it is occurring. I have been told I have Crohn's Disease and only Dr. Huntoon has helped me feel better and got my body back in the norm. Something the Medical Doctors couldn't do.  If you have any health problems he is the man to see."

Lifestyle changes can help in some cases of IBD. For example, regular exercise and improved sleep habits may reduce anxiety and help relieve bowel symptoms.

Dietary changes can be helpful. However, no specific diet can be recommended for IBD, because the condition differs from one person to another. There is No One-Size-Fits-All. That is why it is important to work with a Holistic Chiropractor who can help you determine which diet is best for you and help you restore balance to your digestive system. Your Holistic Chiropractor can also determine if you have a parasite affecting your gallbladder, ultimately the true underlying cause of IBD.

The following changes may help under the supervision of your Holistic Chiropractor:

• Avoid foods and drinks that stimulate the intestines (such as caffeine, tea, or colas) Avoid large meals
• Use digestive enzymes with ALL of your meals
• Take a probiotic supplement with each meal FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!! Increase fiber in the diet (this may improve constipation but make bloating worse), hence why you would need digestive enzymes. 

Expectations (prognosis) 

Inflammatory Bowel Disease may be a lifelong condition if not properly addressed. For some people, symptoms are disabling and reduce the ability to work, travel, and attend social events.

Dr. Huntoon has quite a successful track record when dealing with this difficult condition. He has stopped the condition and helped the people he has to never deal with the condition again. By treating each person individually and looking at all the factors associated with this condition, Dr. Huntoon has been able to help his practice members when all other medical treatments have failed. 

When under the care of a Holistic Chiropractor, this does not have to be the case. By developing a well-rounded, multifaceted approach to addressing all your digestive imbalances, with time, the condition can be resolved.

Symptoms can often be improved or relieved through medical treatment. Unfortunately, through medical treatment, certain side-effects and complications go along with any medication and certainly surgery. Discussing this with your medical doctor or pharmacist is always recommended. Understanding what to look for when taking medication will help to prevent one condition from turning into multiple conditions.

IBD may cause permanent harm to the intestines, and failing to address the parasite imbalance can and often does lead to other serious health outcomes.  Colon cancer.  Having IBD increases your risk of colon cancer. General colon cancer screening guidelines for people without IBD call for a colonoscopy every 10 years beginning at age 50. Ask your doctor whether you need to have this test done sooner and more frequently.

Calling your health care provider 

Call your healthcare provider if you have symptoms of Inflammatory Bowel Disease or if you notice a change in your bowel habits that does not go away.