Crohn’s Fitness Food

By: Stephanie Gish
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  • Summary

  • Sharing the stories of those with IBD. Hosted by Stephanie Gish
    Copyright 2018 All rights reserved.
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Exercise & Fitness Hygiene & Healthy Living
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Episodes
  • Ashley Zuchelli: Navigating Crohn's (E99)

    Ashley Zuchelli: Navigating Crohn's (E99)
    May 9 2024
    Ashley Zuchelli shares her journey with Crohn's disease, from the onset of symptoms to her recent diagnosis. She discusses the challenges she faced in finding a doctor who would listen and the frustration of not knowing what was causing her symptoms. Ashley also talks about the impact of Crohn's on her work and how she manages anxiety. Finally, she shares her motivation for advocacy and raising awareness about IBD. In this conversation, Ashley Zuchelli shares her journey with IBD and the challenges she faced in getting a diagnosis. She emphasizes the importance of realizing when something is wrong and seeking help, even when faced with fears and uncertainties. The conversation also highlights the difficulties doctors face in diagnosing IBD and the need for patients to advocate for themselves. Ashley encourages listeners to not give up on their goals, to prioritize their health, and to listen to our bodies and not dismiss symptoms. Takeaways Finding a supportive and understanding doctor is crucial in the journey to diagnosis and treatment.Managing anxiety and stress is important for overall well-being and symptom management.Having a flexible work schedule can be beneficial for individuals with IBD to accommodate flare-ups and self-care.Sharing personal stories and advocating for awareness can help others going through similar experiences.Realizing when something is wrong and seeking help is crucial for managing IBD.Don't let fears and uncertainties prevent you from seeking the care you need.Advocate for yourself and communicate your symptoms and concerns to your doctor.Don't give up on your goals and prioritize your health.Connect with others who have similar experiences for support and guidance. Topics covered in the interview Ashley's Journey with Crohn's DiseaseSeeking a New Doctor for a DiagnosisDiagnosis and TreatmentManaging Anxiety and Balancing WorkRealizing Something's WrongThe Importance of Seeking HelpThe Challenges of Diagnosing IBDDon't Give Up on Your GoalsDon't Disregard Your Body's Signals From the show Stephanie: What have you done over the years to help manage anxiety? Ashley: I would say meal prepping actually soothes me and it keeps my mind at ease because I know if I am hungry or if…I’m feeling good that day, I have food ready for me and it just makes me happy just cooking in the kitchen…And then I started doing the HelloFresh program, where I get ingredients sent to me and then I just cook. I don't have to think about the recipes. They have dietary restrictions on there of things you can and cannot eat, so that helps my anxiety—to make sure I have the food I need when I have a long day at work or if we go travel. feeling so great today or, you know, I do have that type of job where if I wasn't feeling well, I can block that time and deal with what I need to deal with. If I had a flare or upset stomach from eating something or just. Stephanie: How do you balance work and work in IBD? Ashley: You know, Crohn's being Crohn's, acting up when it's not the best time, so I was just honest with my clients. Like if I didn't feel well, like I have to go to the bathroom, [saying] I'll be right back. We don't discuss what happens in the bathroom, but they know I need a moment to break away because of issues going on…I am grateful that I have the luxury to make my own schedule when a flare happens. Links from the show: Follow Ashley: https://www.instagram.com/azuchelli4 * * * * * Support the podcast ❤️ at https://www.crohnsfitnessfood.com Shop my favorite products,Read my favorite books,Subscribe to the podcast,Send a little love/coffee 😉More at crohnsfitnessfood.com Want to share your story? Send me a message here or email story@crohnsfitnessfood.com #crohns #crohnsdisease #ulcerativecolitis #ibd #podcasthost #healthpodcast #chronicillness #chronicillnesspodcast #ostomy
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    46 mins
  • Stephanie Gish solocast: Back on medications (E98)

    Stephanie Gish solocast: Back on medications (E98)
    Apr 30 2024
    Back on medication and mindset changes during my Crohn’s journey It’s been over 20 years since my colon started bleeding and my inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) journey began. In 2003, I ignored the symptoms of blood, pain, and bloating for nearly three years. When I finally sought help in 2006 after a severe flare, it took another three years to reach a diagnosis. In those first six years, I was left to my own devices to try and stop the symptoms and find some way of living a normal life. When I finally had an IBD diagnosis in 2009, I was relieved to have answers and eager for pharmaceutical help to finally eliminate my symptoms. Eventually, I ended up on a combination therapy of both Imuran and HUMIRA. I got better, but not completely. I didn’t have the uncontrollable diarrhea that kept me at home for three months during my first severe flare-up, but I still struggled off and on with pain, blood, and mucus. I found that I had to watch my diet in order to get the most relief, and my obsession with food and supplements became fanatical. Then, after five years, I thought I had learned and experimented enough that I could stop my medications. And so, under the supervision of my gastroenterologist, I did. I was 32 years old. I was completely free of medications for a little over a year. But, when I started living life again – enjoying food and finding myself in stressful situations that life tends to bring – I went into a moderate flare. I went back on medications for a few months and by the end of 2016, I was off all medications once again. After that, I had multiple minor flare-ups during the next few years involving pain, mucus, and bloating, that I was able to work through using CBD, extended fasting, meditation, and extremely restrictive diets. I didn’t seek medication or medical help and thought I was doing fine. In early 2022, I was actually feeling really good and the minor flare-ups seemed to be behind me. But, as many of you can guess how this story goes, IBD wasn’t done with me. In the summer of 2022, I had my first bout of intestinal bleeding in over five years. I tried to seek help, but the flare happened during the middle of our move from Texas to Florida and I couldn’t get set up with my new doctors in Florida without going through a few hoops with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). It was (and I’m sure still is) a requirement that I see my new primary care doctor first, and then she would need to put in new referrals for me to be seen in the gastroenterology and nephrology clinics – even though I already had those specialists assigned to me in Texas. By the time I got to see my new doctors, my symptoms had fortunately gone away and I was back to feeling good. But, that only got me dismissed by the VA’s gastroenterologist and another four month wait to get assigned to a gastroenterologist in the VA’s community care network, thanks to the help of my primary care provider. For the past year and a half, I’ve been well. But we all know that IBD is a disease of remission and flare-ups. Fast forward to today, not even a full two years later, and I’m back in a moderate flare. This time, while it’s not the worst I’ve ever been, it’s the worst I’ve been in a long time. For the past two months, I’ve been passing blood and mucus up to twelve times a day, frequently nauseous, fatigued (so fatigued!) with low iron saturation showing on my lab results, experiencing intermittent pain and extreme bloating (my fellow IBD warriors know what I’m talking about), and feeling pretty lousy overall. Even my kidney function has declined (it’s still fine and we’re still watching it, but I find it interesting to see distinct changes in my lab values while my body battles inflammation from Crohn’s). I’ve still been able to leave the house and do things, but the dread of being anywhere not close to a bathroom is back. I’ve been avoiding meals with friends, fasting a few hours longer than usual if I’m going to be out running errands, and wondering what foods are causing my pain this time. It’s been almost ten years since I was on HUMIRA, and during that time, I’ve changed. For starters, I don’t want my life to be controlled by my diet. I don’t want to go back to being obsessed with food and every single bite I put into my mouth. My health journey is more complicated now. I’m on medication to lower my blood pressure and hopefully stop IgA nephropathy from causing further damage to my kidneys. I’m taking omeprazole to relieve symptoms of silent reflux, which is causing inflammation in my esophagus and stomach. And that little thing we call stress, which is also my biggest IBD trigger, is not going away – no matter how much sauerkraut I eat or meditation and yoga that I do. I still think diet and lifestyle play significant roles in overall health, but I accept and recognize that at this point, I need more than that. In my current state, I...
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    12 mins
  • Dr. Natalie Scheeler: Naturopathic medicine, FMT, and Helminthic therapies (E97)

    Dr. Natalie Scheeler: Naturopathic medicine, FMT, and Helminthic therapies (E97)
    Apr 19 2024
    Dr. Natalie Scheeler, a naturopathic doctor specializing in integrative treatments for gastrointestinal conditions, shares her perspective and valuable insights on gut health. She discusses the difference between naturopathic doctors and traditional MDs, the use of fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) and Helminthic therapies in treating inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), the impact of food and probiotics on IBD, and trends in flare management and remission. Dr. Scheeler also provides information about her practice, Modrn Med, and offers a final message of hope and encouragement for patients seeking alternative or complementary treatment options. Takeaways Naturopathic doctors focus on preventative medicine and finding the root cause through a whole person approach using integrative treatments that can be used alongside conventional therapies.Fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) and Helminthic therapies are alternative treatments for IBD that show promise in inducing remission and maintaining gut health.Diet plays a significant role in creating a diverse microbiome.Modrn Med is an integrative and functional medicine practice that offers telehealth consultations and works in collaboration with other healthcare providers.There are other treatment options available for patients who have not found success with conventional therapies, and it is important to work with a knowledgeable practitioner to explore these options. Topics covered in the interview Difference Between Naturopathic Doctors (ND) and traditional doctors (MD or DO)Integrative Treatments for Gastrointestinal ConditionsFecal Microbiota Transplant (FMT)Impact of Food and Probiotics on IBDTrends in Flare Management and RemissionHelminthic TherapiesAbout Modrn Med From the show Stephanie: What are some of the trends that you've seen with helping people to get out of a flare and into remission? Dr. Scheeler: …the dietary aspect is a large trend I'm seeing I think, too, with social media. There's just the ability to spread so much information and so that is oftentimes how people coming into our office and have said, ‘I've tried these diets’ or ‘I've done these diets’ versus us kind of introducing them to that idea. So that's interesting. The other one is an herb called Qing Dai. It's a Chinese herb…which is an herb that can be really helpful for inducing remission, typically. We usually reserve it for remission induction versus maintenance therapy because there are some safety risks to that…I would always, always recommend working with a provider who's familiar with that herb…something that is important to say is that natural medicine isn't always safer, and it isn't always safe in general. There is risks associated with any treatments that you do. And so knowing those risks, having somebody who is familiar with those risks is important, especially if you are on the kind of quote-unquote conventional medications and add this stuff in, there could be interactions. Stephanie: Can you talk a little bit about the Modrn Med practice and what types of patients you see? Dr. Scheeler: Yeah, so ModernMed, we are a practice, we are all naturopathic doctors. There's four of us there. And we do integrative and functional medicine. A large part of our practice is gastrointestinal disease, including inflammatory bowel disease. I personally see patients exclusively via telehealth…but there is a location in LA, too, if people are interested. With that, since I do telehealth, I'm licensed in California, Arizona, Maryland, Vermont, and Connecticut, as of now. But all of us depending can either see you as patient if we're licensed in that state or do what we consider educational consults. So with patients who live out of state, we can share some of this information with you and help you do things safely or talk with your provider too…it’s very common for us to work with other providers, especially myself working with gastroenterologists. I think when we all work as a team is when we get the best outcomes. And so patients, who may be in a state that we're not licensed in, we're comfortable talking to providers and usually there's no issues with that as long as we explain what we're doing. We always do evidence-based medicine. So as long as we share, even if they're not familiar with it off the bat, most people are open to working together and helping the patient out. Links and studies from the show Modern Med: https://www.modrnmed.com/dr-natalie-scheelerFMT for UC: Nishida A, Inoue R, Inatomi O, Bamba S, Naito Y, Andoh A. Gut microbiota in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease. Clin J Gastroenterol. 2018;11(1):1-10. doi:10.1007/s12328-017-0813-5 (PMID: 29285689) FMT for CD: Zhou S, Cui Y, Zhang Y, Zhao T, Cong J. Fecal microbiota transplantation for induction of remission in Crohn's disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Int J Colorectal Dis. 2023;38(1):62. Published 2023 Mar 8. doi:10.1007/s00384-023-04354-4 (PMID: 36882658) ...
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    44 mins

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