NATURAL CROHN'S & COLITIS SUPPORT
Support for Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) that cause chronic inflammation in your digestive system. If you’ve been diagnosed with either condition, you know how challenging and unpredictable these diseases can be, affecting not just your digestive health but your entire quality of life.
At Paracelsus Natural Family Health Center in Pasadena and Redlands, Dr. Simon Barker and Dr. Daniel Brousseau understand that living with IBD involves more than just managing flare-ups with medications. They provide comprehensive natural support that works alongside conventional treatment to help reduce inflammation, support healing, and improve your overall well-being.
While Crohn’s and colitis are serious conditions that require ongoing medical care, natural therapies can play a crucial role in helping you feel better, reduce flare-ups, and potentially decrease your need for medications over time.
What Makes Our IBD Support Different
Comprehensive Testing and Assessment – We use additional testing beyond conventional IBD diagnosis to understand factors contributing to your inflammation. This includes comprehensive stool analysis to assess inflammation levels, bacterial balance, and nutrient absorption; food sensitivity testing to identify foods that may trigger flare-ups; and nutritional assessment since IBD can interfere with nutrient absorption leading to deficiencies.
Coordinated Integrative Care – We work alongside your gastroenterologist to ensure all treatments complement each other safely. We never recommend stopping prescribed IBD medications without discussing with your doctor. Natural therapies complement, not replace, conventional medical care, and we monitor for any potential interactions between natural supplements and medications.
Phased Treatment Approach – Our systematic approach focuses first on reducing active inflammation using natural anti-inflammatory compounds, then healing and repairing damaged intestinal tissue and restoring proper gut barrier function, then restoring healthy gut bacteria balance and optimizing digestive function, and finally maintaining remission with sustainable strategies to help you stay in remission longer.
Evidence-Based Natural Protocols – Our treatment recommendations are grounded in growing research on natural compounds showing anti-inflammatory effects in IBD, specific probiotic strains that may help maintain remission, natural anti-inflammatory compounds, and therapeutic diets.
How Our IBD Support Works
Initial Comprehensive Assessment – We conduct thorough evaluations to understand your specific IBD presentation, current medications, and overall health status. Testing helps identify factors that may be contributing to your inflammation including gut bacteria imbalances, food sensitivities, nutritional deficiencies, and intestinal permeability issues.
Active Treatment Phase – We provide natural therapies tailored to your condition including anti-inflammatory nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids and natural compounds; gut healing compounds including amino acids that repair intestinal tissue and nutrients that strengthen the gut barrier; digestive support with enzymes and gentle probiotics; immune system modulation with natural compounds that help balance immune function; and nutritional support to replace commonly deficient nutrients.
Dietary Optimization – Diet plays a crucial role in managing IBD. We help with anti-inflammatory eating emphasizing whole unprocessed foods, therapeutic diets, elimination diets to identify personal triggers, and specialized approaches during flare-ups versus maintenance periods.
Long-Term Maintenance – We develop sustainable strategies including stress management support since stress can trigger flare-ups, continued nutritional optimization, and lifestyle factors that support lasting remission.
Understanding Crohn's Disease vs. Ulcerative Colitis
Though both are inflammatory bowel diseases, they affect different parts of your digestive system.
Crohn’s Disease can affect any part of your digestive tract from mouth to anus, most commonly affects the end of the small intestine and beginning of the large intestine, inflammation goes through all layers of the intestinal wall, often appears in “patches” with healthy tissue between inflamed areas, and can cause complications like strictures, fistulas, or abscesses.
Ulcerative Colitis only affects the large intestine (colon) and rectum, inflammation is limited to the inner lining of the intestinal wall, usually starts in the rectum and spreads continuously up the colon, and affects the colon in a continuous pattern without healthy patches.
Common symptoms of both conditions include persistent diarrhea, often with blood or mucus, abdominal pain and cramping, urgent need to have bowel movements, fatigue and weakness, unintended weight loss, and fever during flare-ups. Both conditions can also cause symptoms outside the digestive system including joint pain and arthritis, skin problems, eye inflammation, liver problems, kidney stones, anemia from blood loss, and bone loss (osteoporosis).
Contributing factors include immune system dysfunction where your immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue, genetic factors (though genetics alone don’t determine whether you’ll develop the disease), environmental triggers like certain medications (especially NSAIDs and antibiotics), stress and emotional trauma, infections that disrupt gut bacteria balance, and smoking (particularly harmful for Crohn’s). People with IBD often have disrupted gut bacteria communities and increased intestinal permeability that may allow bacteria and toxins to trigger immune responses.
Benefits of Natural IBD Support
Patients who add natural therapies to their conventional treatment often experience:
Reduced Inflammation
Natural anti-inflammatory compounds can help decrease intestinal inflammation and support tissue healing.
Fewer and Milder Flare-ups
Many patients experience longer periods of remission and less severe symptoms when flare-ups do occur.
Improved Nutrient Status
Better absorption and targeted supplementation help correct nutritional deficiencies common in IBD.
Enhanced Quality of Life
Less pain, better energy, and improved overall well-being as inflammation decreases and healing progresses.
Better Stress Management
Natural support for stress resilience, which is crucial since stress can trigger IBD flare-ups.
Potential for Medication Reduction
Some patients may be able to reduce their need for certain medications as their condition stabilizes (always done under medical supervision).
Improved Digestive Function
Better nutrient absorption, more regular bowel movements, and reduced digestive discomfort.
Many patients notice some benefits within 4-8 weeks, with more significant improvements developing over 3-6 months of consistent natural support.
Ready to Add Natural Support to Your IBD Care?
Dr. Barker and Dr. Brousseau’s comprehensive approach to IBD provides patients with evidence-based natural support that works alongside conventional treatment to reduce inflammation, support healing, and improve quality of life.
Questions about natural IBD support?
Call either office to discuss how our proven natural approach can complement your current treatment plan and support your commitment to managing Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis.
Call either office to discuss how our proven natural approach can complement your current treatment plan and support your commitment to managing Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis.