Positive Options for Crohn's Disease: Self-Help and Treatment

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Summary: Positive Options for Crohn's Disease Self-Help and Treatment
Review: Beyond EXCELLENT! This book covers every question I've ever had about my illness. I will be taking it with me on all future doctor appointments and hospitalizations. Now I will better understand what my doctor is talking about because Dr. Gomez wrote the book for the patient, not the healthcare professional. Plus, she has very useful information on diet plans. I have two siblings with Crohn's and I won't be waiting until Christmas to buy them a copy.

Rating:
Summary: Positive Options for Crohn's Disease Self-Help and Treatment
Review: Beyond EXCELLENT! This book covers every question I've ever had about my illness. I will be taking it with me on all future doctor appointments and hospitalizations. Now I will better understand what my doctor is talking about because Dr. Gomez wrote the book for the patient, not the healthcare professional. Plus, she has very useful information on diet plans. I have two siblings with Crohn's and I won't be waiting until Christmas to buy them a copy.

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Summary: I'm Disappointed...not much "positive" material here
Review: Covering the digestive system, signs and symptoms of Crohn's, types of tests and diagnosis, and medicinal and surgical treatment options, readers benefit from Gomez's explanation of digestion, the challenges of nutrition/absorption, and the many medicinal and surgical treatments.

As someone who was looking for an uplifting book with solutions, this book primarily about drugs and surgery disappointed me. One quote early on reads, "Getting the best out of life when you have this illness [Crohn's] means reengineering your whole lifestyle". There really must be a more positive way of saying this! Barely fifteen pages are dedicated to the root cause that diet plays in inflammatory bowel disease. Gomez finally mentions the research of British professor Herman-Taylor but fails to mention the successes found by the case studies done by Elaine Gottschall, author of "Breaking The Vicious Cycle: Intestinal Health Through Diet". My suggestion for future editions: show the reader some positive steps to take. For example, "through a regimen for remission, personal introspection, professional medical assistance, and the inclusion of exercise, support, and whole-body awareness, the patient can join a growing community of people achieving positive results."

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Summary: Disturbing and Disappointing
Review: I found this book very disappointing. I have had Crohn's Disease for 17 years and have read all the books on Crohn's Disease. I found this book very disturbing because in many instances, Dr. Gomez claims that when the Crohn's patient "cleaned" up their life, they became well. This not only implies that it is somehow the patients fault for getting ill but also that they can control it. Unfortunately, the disease does not work like that. I feel sorry for the Crohn's patient who reads this book and thinks that all they have to do is take their medication live on the straight and narrow.

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Summary: Patronising and light on for real info
Review: I found this book very patronising, just do what you are told and you will get better. Very light on for details of any type. I would recommend Saibil if you just want the mainstream medical info. If you want alternatives to use either with or without maintream medicine try Atkins Vitanutrient Solution (yes the diet guy) or Berkson's Healthy digestion the natural way. They both offer a wide diversity of alternative treatment

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Summary: Disapointed
Review: I was recently diagnosed with Crohn's disease, and am in the process of collecting as much information as I can on the disease. Most of the relevant information contained in this book is already available at the CCFA website, and there are troubling inconsistencies throughout. Just as an example, Dr. Gomez states in an early chapter that their is a minorty of scientists that think that Crohn's may be caused by a mycobateria passed in cow's milk. The author ackowledges that this is not a mainstream view. But in a later chapter, he bases a series of arguments about nutrition assuming the truth of this controversial claim. Is Dr. Gomez of the minority of scientists that subscribe to what still amounts to a fringe view? Why not be explicit about this?

My major complaint about the book is that it does not address in any detail the troubling side effects of the drugs doctors prescribe to treat Crohn's. High dosages of cortical steriods are commonly prescribed for acute cases, and can have devastating effects on people's lives, at least in the short term. There is surprisingly little information out there on coping with these side effects. Rather than address this void, Dr. Gomez simply re-covers already well-trodden ground.

I did not find this book very helpful.

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Summary: Be aware....
Review: I've just read this book and felt that it was fairly helpful, especially if you have just been diagnosed and are looking for ways to minimize the nasty symptoms of crohn's.

I had one problem with it. I've had crohn's for eighteen years and am something of an expert. Every crohn's sufferer Iknow avoids too much fibre as it acts like glass to our poor inflamed guts. Dr Hunter at Addenbrookes recommends a low fat LOW FIBRE diet as treatment. Whilst pears, apples, cherries, mango, melons and pineapple may be fine, other fruits such as citrus and bananas may cause further problems.

With vegetables, spinach, carrots & sweet potato, should all be fine, but onions, tomatoes, potato skin, and really anything high in fibre should, I believe, be avoided. To ensure adequate nutrition, peel all vegetables, avoid fruit and vegetables with pips and seeds or remove carefully, or try eating in pureed form or as soups.

Finally, if you have very severe crohn's or have had it for any length of time, this may not be the book for you as it deals with the basics and implies that there is a successful treatment for all, which unfortunately, isn't always the case. If you are looking for reassurance and support after a few hard years of recurring disease, this may not help.

However, a good, varied book, written by one who actually has the disease for once.

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Summary: Medical Information
Review: This book has complete information on the different types of medical treatments for Crohn's Disease. It was helpful to understand the technical side of available treatments,including side effects.

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Summary: Patronising and light on for real info
Review: This book is one of the best books on Crohn's Disease out there. I learned alot about my disease that I didn't know. It is very well written. And very easy to understand. I highly recommend this book. It is a 'MUST' if you are suffering from Crohn's Disease.

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Summary: Exceptional!
Review: This book is one of the best books on Crohn's Disease out there. I learned alot about my disease that I didn't know. It is very well written. And very easy to understand. I highly recommend this book. It is a 'MUST' if you are suffering from Crohn's Disease.