Broken-hearted from all the sad stories. What are not mentioned are the three "miracle cures", and I don't use that term sarcastically, that are currently available--1.)Enternal foods up to and including elemental foods that are so sophisticated they are made up of amino acids rather than protein. 80-85% reported remission, 2.) Helminthic therapy, in short, worms, 85% reported remission, and now for the latest, 3.) Cannabis, 50% reported remission (small study, bigger ones coming).
I'm no mathematician, but I believe if you add the odds up on all those options you have 95%+ chance of remission.
There are certainly some costs involved, unfortunately mostly to be born personally at this point, and in the case of cannabis, the sacrifice of some mental clarity that some enjoy and others hate. But I am finding, at least in the case of my young GF, who has Crohns pretty severely, the main obstacle is just the force of habit, particularly that of enjoying whole foods. If sipping icky supplements would save the rest of my intestinal track, prevent cancer, and rid me from pain forever, I think I would try it!
It might not be my place as a non-sufferer to pipe in here, but I wish all of the people I read in this forum who are at the end of their ropes and suffering from the damage and/or non-effectiveness of allopathic medicine would TRY those three before they simply continue with the toxic regimes proposed by their doctors. I see great hope here, and am so sad for the despair people have of ever getting well. I haven't posted 10 posts yet, so I can't post links, but there are lots of references to these even in this forum, and certainly on Wikipedia and other internet sources.
I am not a conspiracy theorist, but my GF, while getting to see all kinds of specialists, has not been referred to a nutritionist yet. The bias of doctors, I believe, is on the side of operations and expensive drugs. Can you blame them? Would YOU really want to lose half your patients to a little worm, Ensure or its cousins, and weed. No, it can't be that easy, Mrs. Jones. That's pseudo-science. Let's try a new combination of toxins. And failing that, more surgeries and surgeries for the complications of the previous surgeries. Keep coming back and I keep getting fees. Sorry, I know ALL doctors aren't like that. But doctors don't get paid from well people.
It is not in the interest of Big Pharma, either, for it to be widely know that some little parasites that could be had for $200 per two-year dosage, if they were legal in the country, could completely cure millions of people suffering from Crohns who are currently paying either personally, or thru government programs, thru the NOSE for expensive, long-term, multi-drug treatments.