Crohn’s Disease

         

 

distal ileum location
Cecum Location

Crohn’s disease is a chronic disease that causes inflammation in your digestive tract. It can affect any part of your digestive tract, which runs from your mouth to your anus. But it usually affects your small intestine and the beginning of your large intestine. Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Crohn’s disease can sometimes cause life-threatening complications.
Crohn’s disease can cause abdominal pain, diarrhea, weight loss, anemia, and fatigue. Some people may be symptom-free most of their lives, while others can have severe chronic symptoms that never go away.
Crohn’s disease cannot be cured. Medications such as steroids and immunosuppressants are used to slow the progression of disease. If these aren’t effective, a patient may require surgery. Additionally, patients with Crohn’s disease may need to receive regular screening for colorectal cancer due to increased risk.
 
How does a Crohn’s flare-up start?
 
Crohn’s flares often aren’t predictable, but certain triggers may bring on a flare, such as disruptions to your Crohn’s treatment plan, like a missed dose, wrong dose, or switching to a new medication. chronic stress. smoking tobacco.
 
Early stages of Crohn’s disease
Early signs of Crohn’s disease include:
  • frequent cramps.
  • ongoing abdominal pain.
  • frequent diarrhea.
  • bloody stools.
  • unintentional weight loss.
What can trigger Crohn’s disease?
 
Some of the most common ones include:
  • Stress. The connection is poorly understood, but stress is thought to lead to flares in some people living with Crohn’s, says R.
  • Smoking.
  • Medications.
  • Diet.
  • Infections.
  • Seasonal changes
  • Not taking your medication.
How to diagnose Crohn’s disease
Doctors typically use a combination of tests to diagnose Crohn’s disease. Your doctor may use the following tests to help diagnose Crohn’s disease:
  1. lab tests.
  2. intestinal endoscopy.
  3. upper gastrointestinal (GI) series.
  4. computed tomography (CT) scan.
What were your first signs of Crohn’s?
 
Some of the earliest signs include:
  • Appetite loss.
  • Abdominal pain.
  • Fever.
  • Exhaustion.
  • Joint pain.
  • Nausea.
  • Pain and redness in eyes.
  • Red bumps on the skin.
  •  
How long can you have Crohn’s without knowing?
 
It may go undiagnosed for years, because symptoms usually develop gradually and it doesn’t always affect the same part of the intestine. Other diseases can have the same symptoms as Crohn’s disease. But doctors can diagnose Crohn’s by doing a test that looks at the inside of the intestine and doing a biopsy.
 
Crohn’s disease age
Crohn’s disease may happen at any age. It most often affects people ages 15 to 35. But Crohn’s may also occur in young children. It affects both males and females equally.
 
Who is most likely to get Crohn’s disease?
 
People Most at Risk of Developing Crohn’s Disease
Studies have shown that the disease is most prevalent in adolescents and adults up to 30 years of age as well as in White people and Ashkenazi Jews. In recent years, the prevalence of Crohn’s disease among Asians and Hispanics has also significantly increased.
 
The 5 Types of Crohn’s Disease
  • Ileocolitis.
  • Ileitis.
  • Gastroduodenal Crohn’s Disease.
  • Jejunoileitis.
  • Crohn’s (Granulomatous) Colitis.
  • Crohn’s Phenotypes
Crohn’s disease surgery
The most common type of surgery in people Crohn’s disease is laparoscopic ileo-cecal resection, which is a removal of the cecum (the area that connects the small intestine to the large intestine) and the terminal ileum (the end of the small intestine that connects to the large intestine).
 
 
 
What are 5 symptoms of Crohn’s disease?
 
When the disease is active, symptoms typically include:
  • Diarrhea.
  • Fever.
  • Fatigue.
  • Abdominal pain and cramping.
  • Blood in your stool.
  • Mouth sores.
  • Reduced appetite and weight loss.
  • Pain or drainage near or around the anus due to inflammation from a tunnel into the skin (fistula)
IBD refers to both Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, however they can be distinguished from one another by their symptoms, GI involvement, biopsy, and antibody testing.
Where does Crohn’s usually hurt?
 
The pain is most commonly associated with Crohn’s affecting the small intestine, though cramping of all kinds can occur no matter what part of your GI is inflamed. Many patients will experience abdominal pain on the lower right side of their abdomen or around their navel, typically occurring 1 to 2 hours after eating.
 
How do people cope with Crohn’s disease?
 
Many people with Crohn’s disease find the regular use of stress management and stress reduction techniques to be helpful. These can include massage, meditation, deep breathing, biofeedback, yoga, and cognitive behavioral therapy.
 
What foods to avoid with Crohns disease?
 
Which Foods Should I Avoid With a Crohn’s Disease Diet Plan?
  • Alcohol (mixed drinks, beer, wine)
  • Butter, mayonnaise, margarine, oils.
  • Carbonated beverages.
  • Coffee, tea, chocolate.
  • Corn.
  • Dairy products (if lactose intolerant)
  • Fatty foods (fried foods)
  • Foods high in fiber.
What food is good for Crohn’s disease?
 
  • Fruits: bananas, raspberries, applesauce, blended fruit.
  • Vegetables: squashes, fork-tender cooked carrots, green beans.
  • Foods rich in omega 3 fatty acids: fatty fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel, etc.), walnut butter, chia seeds, flaxseed oil, flaxseed meal.
What are the 3 highest risk factors for Crohn’s disease?
 
There are certain factors which can raise your risk of Crohn’s disease:
  • Family history of the disease. …
  • Smoking. …
  • Certain medicines, such as antibiotics, birth-control pills, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin or ibuprofen. …
  • A high-fat diet.
What does a Crohn’s flare feel like?
 
A Crohn’s flare usually involves diarrhea, often with mucus and sometimes with blood. Many people also have low-grade fevers. Other symptoms, which range from mild to severe, may include: Abdominal pain or cramps.
 
What is the life expectancy of someone with Crohn’s disease?
 
Crohn’s Life Expectancy: What’s the Cap to It? According to research, the average life expectancy of an individual with Crohn’s is shorter compared to those who do not have Crohn’s. The average life expectancy for females is 78.4 years and for males, it is 75.5 years.
 
What organ is most affected by Crohn’s disease?
 
Most commonly, Crohn’s affects your small intestine and the beginning of your large intestine. However, the disease can affect any part of your digestive tract, from your mouth to your anus. Learn more about your digestive system and how it works. Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

 

Massage for Crohn’s Disease

Little research has been conducted about massage therapy as an intervention for patients with Crohn’s disease. However, general trends suggest that people with chronic pain conditions are often enthusiastic users of CAM interventions, and massage is typically the most popular choice. It is interesting to point out that most inflammatory bowel disease patients do not use CAM interventions specifically for disease management, but rather for stress or other problems they feel contribute to their symptoms. This is supported by the experiences of several massage therapists.
Most LMTs reported that their clients usually did not come during a flare, and when they did, only the gentlest, nonabdominal work was welcomed. At other times, depending on the client’s needs, a massage could be conducted without any special accommodations. Some clients were able to manage their disease proactively with a careful diet, exercise, and yoga; others used prednisone and repeated surgeries. A common theme is that clients feel massage therapy helps them with the stress associated with having Crohn’s, and that managing the stress decreased the likelihood of having another flare.
Positioning was also variable: some clients were able to receive a bodywork session that required no adaptation, but others could only receive work from a side-lying position.

 

One therapist shared that her client had been turned away by other practitioners because of her condition. This brings up a subtle but important aspect of living with a chronic disease: its influence on self-esteem is hard to estimate. Anxiety, depression, and a sense of loss of the ability to cope with even minor life stressors may seriously impact a person’s quality of life. Whatever the status of your next client with Crohn’s disease (flare or remission, under control with minimal treatment or gearing up for surgery), feel confident to call on your patience, your ability to listen with all your senses, your compassion, and your unique skills to offer the very best of what massage therapy can give for this population of clients who live with such great challenges.

Can massage help Crohn’s disease?
 
Yoga, massage, and meditation are just a few of the complementary and alternative therapies that can help ease the symptoms of Crohn’s.
 
How do you calm a Crohn’s flare-up naturally?
 
Bowel Rest

If you’re in the middle of a flare, it may help to eat a liquid diet for a bit to give your digestive system a chance to reset. This can take anywhere from a couple of days to a few weeks. You’ll drink special fluids to make sure you get all the nutrients you need while the inflammation in your gut heals.
 
One way patients are dealing with this disease is by undergoing massage therapy. While massage therapy isn’t a miracle worker, it can relieve stress. A lower level of stress can reduce inflammation and other symptoms. It’s important to follow the advice of your massage therapist and let him or her know of your condition.

There are precautions you should be aware of. If you are suffering from severe pain in the abdominal area, it’s important that you let your massage therapist know. Some massage techniques target the abdominal area and it can leave you in even more pain.

It isn’t always easy to tell if your Crohn’s disease has gone into remission. It’s very important that you make regular visits to your doctor. If blood tests show normal levels of inflammatory symptoms, there is a chance your disease is now in remission. Another way to tell is if the lesions in your bowel or colon have begun to heal.

Crohn’s disease may not have a cure, but you can ensure a healthy and happy life is possible even with the disease.
 

Cautions

A few massage techniques directly address the abdomen, and these should be avoided. Only light touch should be applied to this area, so as not to aggravate the condition. Again, make sure to inform the massage therapist before your session so necessary precautions can be taken.

Check with your doctor about receiving treatment during flare-ups.

 
more info at:

https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/digestive-diseases/crohns-disease/diagnosis

https://www.everydayhealth.com/hs/crohns-disease-treatment-management/complementary-alternative-therapies-for-crohns/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6320155/

 

 

*Disclaimer: This information is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified healthcare provider. Please consult your healthcare provider with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your condition. The information provided is for educational purposes only and is not intended as a diagnosis, treatment, or prescription of any kind. The decision to use, or not to use, any information is the sole responsibility of the reader. These statements are not expressions of legal opinion relative to the scope of practice, medical diagnosis, or medical advice, nor do they represent an endorsement of any product, company, or specific massage therapy technique, modality, or approach. All trademarks, registered trademarks, brand names, registered brand names, logos, and company logos referenced in this post are the property of their owners.