We really shouldn’t be surprised to learn that 1.4 million Americans have Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis since both diseases are linked to stress and diet. The typical Western diet is atrocious on a good day, and our stress levels are higher than they have ever been. (Updated May 20 2020)
While stress and diet are not the only things associated with these diseases, the fact that they are linked should be a good indicator that we need to, at the very least, make changes in these areas.
The typical Western diet is atrocious on a good day, and our stress levels are higher than they have ever been. While stress and diet are not the only things associated with these diseases, the fact that they are linked should be a good indicator that we need to, at the very least, make changes in these areas.
Crohn’s disease is also thought to have an environmental association. We know that the rates of Crohn’s are higher in developed countries, urban areas, and northern climates for instance.
While researchers say none of these things together or alone, are the only causes of the disease, 700,000 Americans still suffer from Crohn’s every year. And the number of people suffering from the disease has increased by a whopping 74 percent in just 12 years, according to the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America (1). What’s worse, doctors are essentially at a loss when it comes to this disease, especially since they say there is no cure (2).
One sixteen year old boy disagrees, however. He says that while conventional medicine may not know how to cure Crohn’s disease, nature certainly does. Diagnosed at 11 years old, Coltyn Turner turned to cannabis when conventional medicine failed him—and he has never looked back.
What Is Crohn’s Disease?
Once diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, doctors say you will have it for the rest of your life. This often debilitating condition causes inflammation in your digestive tract, or gut.
What most people don’t know, though, is that Crohn’s disease can actually affect any part of your gastrointestinal tract (GI), which means anywhere, from your mouth to your anus (3). Most cases, however, occur in the last part of your small intestine and the first part of your large intestine (4).