The Dangers of Miracle Cures

“I drank coconut juice for two weeks and cured my Crohn’s Disease!”

“My cousin cured his colitis by taking slippery elm!”

“When I cut out dairy, it cured my IBD!!!”

How many of you have heard phrases similar to these? If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it a dozen times. Have you tried…? It will CURE you! All these “cures” and home remedies sound good. Let’s face it, no one wants to be on medications that can sometimes add to your list of problems… but the sad truth is there are no cures for Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

There are many proponents out there touting miracle cures. Some people mean well. There are those who have changed their diets and have actually found some relief from their symptoms… but symptom relief does not equal a cure. People who have found relief have not, in fact, been cured. They’ve found some food culprits that irritated their symptoms and cut those foods out.

Some people follow diets like the GAPS Diet, SCD Diet, Gluten Free Diet, Paleo Diet, etc. Others modify these diets to suit their needs. However, these diets are not miracle cures. There is no set diet for people with Crohn’s Disease or ulcerative colitis. The diet that will work for you will only be found through the process of elimination, trial and error. This is a very frustrating process, to be sure, but worth the effort for even just the tiniest amount of relief.

Because I believe there are real testimonies out there of people finding some relief in diet changes, I would never discourage anyone from attempting to do the same. I have done it myself. That being said, I am sorry to tell you that a diet will NOT cure you. And you should not stop taking your medications without your doctor’s knowledge. This can cause some serious repercussions–especially if that medication is one that needs to be weaned like Prednisone. Cutting off certain medications suddenly can cause your body to go into shock. This is very dangerous and can even land you in the hospital… or worse.

Some patients are not taking any medications… it’s true. My mother has never been on anything for her Crohn’s Disease. She had 8 inches of her colon removed and for the most part she does ok. Right now, thankfully, I’m not on anything either. Save for the occasional Imodium when my j-pouch starts getting angry. But I had to go through quite an ordeal to get where I am today. However, our stories are not everyone’s stories. Many more of my friends are still on medication. People with Crohn’s, people with UC (who’ve had their colons removed), etc.

It does not bother me if people offer up their own tips or personal advice on how they were able to achieve relief through natural remedies. What bothers me are the snakes who prey upon those who are so desperate that they’ll try anything. These “Snake Oil Salesmen” creep in and offer up their miracle cures, building it all up in the minds of the victims. These snakes actively scour the internet seeking people who are hurting and willing to take a risk to be cured miraculously. It doesn’t matter how ridiculous the snakes’ cures sound… people just want so badly for a new hope for relief. We’ve all been there. I can’t fault anyone for taking that risk… just be careful and remember relief does NOT equal a cure.

I’m not here to slap anyone in the face for attempting diet change or natural remedies to get relief. There are really two things I want you to come away with after reading this post:

1) IBD does not have a cure, and therefore you should be careful of people who try to sell you a snake oil cure! You should also be wary of anyone wanting to sell you natural remedies and supplements. While some supplements have been said to help some people, it is NOT guaranteed to work for everyone. Remember… everyone is different. Whenever an actual cure DOES come, we’ll all be singing its praises from the rooftops.

2) Treatment varies from person-to-person. What works for you may not work for another person. And vice-versa. There is no standard diet. There is no standard medication. IBD is very complex so why should we expect the treatment to be any different? Use your best judgment and consult your doctor whenever you want to try something new.