Taking care of the intestine is an important pillar of naturopathy, and cleansing it is one of the most important cures that the naturopath will implement. In order to avoid plunging into intestinal diseases or aggravating our current illness, it is vital to consider the intestine as a very important organ that we must take care of. One autoimmune disease that affects the intestine is Crohn's disease, which affects the final digestive tract, the colon.

What is Crohn's disease?

Crohn's disease is an inflammatory disease of the colon. The entire inner lining of the intestine is affected by inflammation, as well as fissures and sores. Making life difficult and complicated for sufferers, Crohn's disease is characterized by the following signs - a non-exhaustive list:

• Excessive diarrhoea, even blood in the stools. Intestinal bleeding is also possible.
• Colic that can cause insurmountable pain
• The patient loses most of his or her nutrients and intakes, with excessive evacuation. What's more, the desire to eat is very often attenuated by the pain.

Crohn's disease - which must be diagnosed by a medical specialist - like most autoimmune diseases evolves in phases, in flare-ups, which can be mild or really painful and therefore of variable intensity. These are often referred to as "attacks" by sufferers, who often find it difficult to live serenely. These bouts of pain can last several days, weeks or even months, if the crisis does not deign to pass. Difficulty eating and leaving the house, anal pain, haemorrhages, fistulas and perforations are just some of the damage caused by the disease. Children are not spared either, and if they suffer from this type of pathology, they will have the inconvenience of seeing their growth disrupted by the disease, thereby delaying puberty.
At the same time, periods of remission are of equal duration and are much appreciated by sufferers, who can return to a normal life.

What can you do to protect your gut?

In periods of crisis, the diet to be adopted is very strict, whereas it can almost return to normal in periods of remission. This return to normality is very important, as the patient needs to regain his or her strength, to eat to regain a certain nutritional balance. This will counterbalance the deficiencies caused by the negative periods of the disease.

In times of crisis, it is recommended to :

1. Adapt your diet by limiting refined and industrial foods, which are far too rich, and by cutting out raw and cooked fruit and vegetables, as well as fibers and cereals, which are too irritating. It's very important not to damage the intestinal mucosa.
2. Relieve stress and anxiety by trying to find time for yourself, by engaging in light physical activity that will allow you to release tension completely, such as walking, yoga, cycling and any other activity compatible with your current state.
3. Increase your intake of water or soothing herbal tea.
4. Learning to recognize the foods that trigger seizures is also very important, as it helps to raise awareness of the diet that needs to be put in place.

Whether it's Crohn's disease or any other autoimmune disease, it's really very important not to disturb the body with pollutants such as tobacco, alcohol, coffee or tea, and so on.

Learning to live and consume as healthily as possible means taking charge of your health.

Learning to live normally is also part of the disease. That's because.., it's important to appreciate every momentWe're here to help you live each remission with the utmost awareness. Being positive, relativizing and simply living are the verbs to adopt to help you make the most of your illness. Be confident.