We are barraged with TV, Radio, Newspaper Ads, Magazine Ads, Internet and now even advertisements on movie screens reporting the life saving effects of particular prescription drugs. And with that being said, yes, prescription drugs are usually effective in treating the symptoms of Crohn's disease, namely the inflammation and pain that accompanies it, but what are the costs?
Because I have had some pretty unpleasant experiences with prescription drugs, I began to question how really effective they were in improving my overall health and wellness. I started looking into this matter by reading some health reports, Crohn's Disease blogs and attending some health conferences in my area. From this research I discovered that though the drugs seemed to control the symptoms of my Crohn's Disease, namely the inflammation. The fact that these drugs are manufactured in a lab from chemicals not easily assimilated into the body, with the added potential of causing damage to vital organs, confirmed my fears that prescription drugs may not be the best way to control my long term overall health.
I have been a Crohn's Disease survivor for some 39 years now and have been on medications for this chronic ailment at some point or another during that time. When I had a flare up I've taken either Asacol or Azulfidine and they were pretty effective in controlling my Crohn's. Fortunately, down through the years I have had to rely on prescription drugs only rarely and currently I'm off them altogether. As of late, I've started to do research on the side effects caused by the drugs I was taking, and was alarmed by what I found out. With Asacol use, patients can develop an allergic reaction, or experience liver or kidney problems, stomach pain, possible diarrhea and more. The manufacturer of Azulfidine posts warnings that unusual bleeding, bruising or fatigue, loss of appetite and headaches can be experienced with this drug, and those are just some of the possible side effects.
In reading the Crohn's Disease blogs out there, I've discovered that other folks have had their own bad experiences with other prescription drugs. One drug that has a particularly bad reputation for nasty and potentially dangerous side effects is the prescription drug Remicade. Alarmingly, this is one of the most common drugs used to treat Crohn's Disease. I'm pretty familiar with this prescription drug too, because my brother used to take it to treat his Crohn's Disease (yes he has Crohn's too). He later stopped using this drug completely after surgery effectively corrected most of his Crohn's Disease problems. My brother said Remicade seemed to work pretty well for him for a while, but the treatment method was very inconvenient to receive. It requires you to spend two to three hours sitting or lying down while it is fed into your arm intravenously. He soon tired of having to take off work just to have it done.
I decided to do some research on Remicade, and was shocked to learn of the side effects that people were experiencing by taking it. The drug lowers the immune function in the body, leaving you susceptible to a variety of fungal infections. Other symptoms include severe joint pain and flu like symptoms for some that use this prescription drug. In conclusion, though Remicade is effective in controlling the inflammation caused by Crohn's disease, there is no evidence that we should have any kind of love relationship with prescription drugs, particularly the drug Remicade.
Did you know that you can effectively treat Crohn's Disease with successful diets, rigorous exercise, adequate rest and the use of natural supplements that are high in antioxidant content? One member of the Bioflavanoid family called- OPC consisting of grape seed extract, Pyncnogenol(Oligomeric Proanthocyanidins)? is frequently reported to control inflammation as effectively as prescription drugs but without the side effects.
Jim Gonsler is a health and wellness consultant whose mission is to help Crohn's Disease sufferers, like himself, overcome the restrictive effects of the disease and truly regain the quality of life that becomes compromised with this and other autoimmune diseases. For more information, check his website at http://www.getyourlifebacknaturally.com and get his Free Report.
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