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Crohn’s Disease is an inflammatory bowel disease characterized by abdominal pain, diarrhea, blood in the stool, and weight loss. Over the years I have found that nutritional and holistic methods can help people with this disease quite effectively. However, there are always those who require additional treatment. This is why I want to alert you to the holistic use of the medication known as low dose Naltrexone, known as LDN. This drug has anti-inflammatory effects and healing effects on the lining of the digestive tract with minimal side effects (especially compared to commonly used biological medications).
A 12 week trial with people who had active Crohn’s Disease was given 4.5 mg of LDN each evening. 89% of patients exhibited a response to therapy and an incredible 67% achieved remission. It was found to be a safe and effective therapy. Another study that was a randomized double-blind placebo controlled study looked at the effect of LDN of adults with active Crohn’s disease. The 12 week study found that LDN improved clinical and inflammatory activity of those with moderate to severe Crohn’s disease compared to placebo. Impressively, 78% of those treated with LDL showed an improvement in their endoscopy (scope of lining of upper digestive tract compared to 28% of those receiving a placebo. The only side effect that was significantly greater than those receiving a placebo was fatigue. [1] A 2013 study published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology looked at the effects of LDN and children ages 8 to 17 with Crohn’s disease. The 8 week study found significant decrease in Crohn’s disease activity scores. 67% had improved with mild disease activity and 25% were considered in remission from the therapy. LDN was well tolerated with no adverse events. [2] In a 2014 analysis of several studies involving LDN treatment for those with Crohn’s Disease researchers found LDN improved clinical measures of the disease, it helped mucosal healing of the gut, it increased the likelihood of remission when compared to placebo, it has minimal side effects and low toxicity risk, and remission occurred as or more likely than commonly used biological medications for Crohn’s. [3] This is a prescription-only medication available after consultation with one of the doctors at my clinic, The Stengler Center for Integrative Medicine.
[1] Smoth JP et al. Therapy with the opioid antagonist naltrexone promotes mucosal healing in active Crohn's disease: a randomized placebo-controlled trial. Dig Dis Sci. 2011 Jul;56(7):2088-97.
[2] Smith Jp et al. Safety and tolerability of low-dose naltrexone therapy in children with moderate to severe Crohn's disease: a pilot study. J Clin Gastroenterol. 2013 Apr;47(4):339-45
[3] Segal D. Low dose naltrexone for induction of remission in Crohn's disease. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2014 Feb 21;2.
