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Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine

Sun, February 15, 2015 10:51 AM

Hi all,

I posted this on Crohnsforum, and I just want to let the IBD community know how my progress is going. My intention is to let people know that trying new things can be scary, but it can also be the best thing that has happened to you. :)

BTW, I have been diagnosed with Crohn's for 11 years, and I am barely managing with medications. I have tried gluten free as well as an elimination diet, but nothing has worked for me up until now.

I have been seeing an acupuncturist who gave me herbal teas and put me on a diet eating cooked vegetables (mostly leafy greens), meats/eggs, and 1 serving of fruit a day. No oil, butter, or spices except for some salt and ACV. I started in October, but struggled getting used to the diet for the first couple of months. I started feeling good - less discomfort and more energy. I started going to the gym more, but the diet was the hardest part. My lab results in December:

Hemoglobin: 9.0 (Normal Range: 12 - 16)
RBC: 3.12 (4.00-5.20)
WBC: 3.1 (4.5-11.0)
Albumin (protein) 3.3: (3.4 - 5.0)
C-Reactive Protein: 79 (<9.0)

For once though, Vi

thebaz
Joined Jul 25, 2008

Sat, February 21, 2015 6:33 AM

Reply posted for thebaz.

Sorry, I realized that the rest of my post was cut off! Here it is:

For once though, Vitamin B12, Total Protein, and Vitamin D were all in the normal ranges. So I became more diligent with my diet, no "cheats" or anything like that. Also, I added more Yoga in my daily routine, and I began tapering off my immunosuppressants (as part of the plan with my acupuncturist). Here are my lab results from last week (it's not as extensive):

Hemoglobin: 9.6
RBC: 3.08
WBC: 3.9
Albumin: 3.5

RBC went down a little bit, but everything else on the chart that has either been too high or too low are all moving toward the normal range. So even though I am not where I want to be in regards to health, I am so happy that I am not where I was even a few months ago. I honestly can't wait until my next appointment with my GI doctor in March - hopefully my inflammation markers be stable too!

thebaz
Joined Jul 25, 2008

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