Crohns document

My journey with Crohns and how Advocare has helped If you are reading this document, you have probably shown interest in finding out more about how a person with Crohns or Ulcerative Colitis can incorporate Advocare products into their lifestyle. My name is Emily Alford. I am a nurse anesthetist from Pensacola, Florida and I have Crohns. I have created this document because there are SO many people struggling with Crohns and UC and while my heart desires to help each and every one of them, I am running out of hours in the day. I am not a doctor or a scientist and let me be clear when I say: Advocare does NOT make medical claims. What I write here is my story and I hope it can help you or someone you love.
! I have been on Advocare products for five years. Four years ago, after some sort of insect bite that lead to an abdominal abscess, I was diagnosed with Crohns. Because the symptoms were so odd and I had been so healthy before, it took a long time to diagnose. I was started on Prednisone and Asacol. The first two years were a constant struggle with fatigue, swelling, pain, paresthesias, and quite honestly, depression. I bounced around from doctor to doctor and it seemed no one had the right answer. The one common theme that DID come up was that all the doctors were impressed that I seemed to be keeping the symptoms at bay through my lifestyle. My GI doctor completely believes it is my diet, exercise and supplements.
! After a while I became determined to rid myself of any triggers and be completely disciplined with my diet and getting enough rest. Diet mishaps and lack of rest are my two main triggers for flare ups. I kept a strict food diet and ended up having to give up so many foods! Many of the foods I had to give up are some of the healthiest foods on the planet: raw or undercooked veggies, lettuce and fiber. I learned that every action has a result.eat one piece of lettuce.end up curled on the floor an hour later. It has been that simple for me. Having discipline is easy for me because I tend to be a Type A person anyway, but no one is perfect and I do have my weak moments. I also know when stress and fatigue are setting in and I know I need to shut down. Our GI tracts have more nerve endings than our brain so its no wonder stress affects our GI health!! The second part of my personal regimen is my Advocare routine. There are certain products that I personally cannot do. This does not mean that you cannot. It totally depends on your sensitivities. My sensitivities are to fiber and to colon stimulants. As gentle as the cleanse is, I absolutely cannot tolerate it. Dr. Stohs of our sci med board told me that a person with Ulcerative Colitis should NOT do the cleanse. He says a person who has the “constipating” crohns may do it but not the person with diarrhea. Its been my experience talking with folks that people in the earlier stages of Crohns deal more with constipation. This is due to inflammation of the colon that stops progress. I personally cannot do the Fibotrim or Carbease due to the fiber. I initially did the meal replacement shakes but once I switched from Meal Shakes to Muscle Gain I got so much better. The shakes have too much fiber for my system. I love the muscle gain. I drink two a day. It is the same amount of protein and is so easy on my GI tract. The docs recommend large doses of Omegaplex to fight inflammation but for me, I can only do two a day. Any more than that causes cramping for me. Again, this is MY regimen. Your system may be different. I love MNS Max energy, Spark, Slam, Catalyst, Thermoplus, Probiotic Restore (a must!.I take two in addition to the MNS),and Biotools. I truly believe Biotools is the one product that has changed everything for me. When I incorporated this product two years ago my abdominal pain went almost completely away and I got rid of the swelling in my hands, feet and face. The Biotools has been LIFE CHANGING. ! Let me repeat that we do not make medical claims. All I have is my story. I have been off of my Asacol for six months with no flare ups. I have not had to take steroids for two years and I know it is because I have taken control of my body. I know that this will be a long road for me but I refuse to go down without a fight. I hope my story will help you. Remember to listen to your body. Study it then find the solution through a disciplined diet, Advocare, and the help of your doctor--Emily

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