Approximately 500,000 Americans have been diagnosed with Crohn’s and although it is not proven to be hereditary about 20 percent of people who have it have a close family member who also has been diagnosed with the disease. It usually occurs between the ages of 15 and 35 and among people who live in cities and industrial nations. People who live in northern climates seem to have a greater risk as do white people. However, if you are Jewish and of European descent, the risk is 4 to 5 times higher.

Researchers have been studying the effect of environment and genes and how they play a part in causing diseases or being in good health. There are ongoing clinical trials that use adult donor stem cells to treat Crohn’s and have had very good remission results in patients. These options are only available for patients who have not responded to more typical treatments.

Professor Hermon-Taylor from St. George’s Hospital in London had a theory that the bacterium that caused intestinal disease in cattle could be passed to humans through milk. He believed the pasteurization process that milk goes through is not hot enough to kill the bacterium and thus it is transferred to humans. He has received over 1 million dollars from Action Medical Research to research the causes of Crohn’s and to work towards finding a vaccine that will treat people believed to have contracted this disease from milk.

Research continues to try and find exactly what causes this disease that can turn your life upside down. Not only do the recurring attacks physically and mentally drain you but people with a history of this disease are subject to other problems such as gallstones, kidneys stones, arthritis, and osteoporosis. It is very important for you to keep regular check-ups with your doctor. He can monitor the disease and prescribe anti-inflammatory drugs to help keep it under control.

Your diet also plays an important role in helping to ease symptoms. Limiting dairy products is one way. Your symptoms may improve when you cut out certain dairy products or use Lactaid to break down the lactose contained in milk and other dairy products. Effects of Crohn’s disease can cause malnutrition because of loss of appetite and your body not being able to absorb the vitamins it needs to stay healthy. So it is very important to have a diet consisting of foods rich in proteins, vitamins, and minerals. Eating healthy from the four basic food groups can give your body the vitamins it needs to maintain health. Stay away from spicy and high fiber foods as they can cause discomfort. In no way does eating healthy cure the disease but it helps your body to stay healthier to fight off the effects of the disease and avoiding foods that you know will cause pain and discomfort is not worth it.

Exercise is another way to help fight off the effects of Crohn’s disease because it will help you with those feelings of depression and the stress of coping with the illness. Fatigue is quite common and exercise can actually leave you feeling energized and taking your mind off of it for awhile is definitely a stress reducer. Whatever stage of the illness you have, be it mild or advanced, following a few simple instructions can greatly reduce episodes and with all the research that is being done today they may not be that far away from making the final breakthrough that cures this disease once and for all.