Crohn's Disease
I just saw a woman in her early twenties for urinary tract infection symptoms. In the past I treated her for Crohn's disease, an inflammatory condition of the lower bowel but had not seen her since earlier this year because she had been doing so well.

In Crohn's disease, severe diarrhea, abdominal pain, and weight loss are some of the most common symptoms. This patient had suffered from a less commonly seen complication, a fistulous tract (like an open tunnel) that had developed between her colon and the vagina. All of her blood tests suggested severe inflammation. I tested her for and found her to have evidence of Candida Albicans overgrowth, a condition that can often mimic or aggravate Crohn's disease. I also checked her for food sensitivities, of which she had several.

She was placed on an anti Candida diet modified by avoidance of her allergic foods. I also prescribed Nystatin, a safe but very effective anti Candida medication, a strong probiotic, and suggested some high dose IV vitamin C therapy to help induce her body to heal the fistula.

When she came in for this most recent urinary tract infection, we noted that her Crohn's has been completely under control, in the 10 months since her last visit. Her fistula has completely healed, something that her prior physician had said would surely require surgery. She was no longer taking the Nystain or getting the IV vitamin C. Her mom was concerned today about her taking an antibiotic for the urinary tract infection. I indicated that I usually can minimize the number of days of antibiotic use by using a high loading dose initially. And in this patient's case, I decided to restart her on Nystatin again for a few weeks prophylactically to minimize the chances of the Candida flaring up her Crohn's disease. This is another great example of what natural medicine can do.