It’s never good news to hear that any illness is on the rise, especially in children, and one that is showing alarming trends is IBD—inflammatory bowel disease.

The two primary diseases under the IBD umbrella are Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. These are chronic, painful, debilitating conditions whose effects go far beyond digestive issues.

According to research in the journal Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, from 2007 to 2016, there was a 123 percent rise in IBD cases in adults and a 133 percent increase in IBD prevalence in children!

And currently, according to the CDC, IBD affects over 3 million Americans. Plus, the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation reported 100,429 children under 20 living with IBD in 2024.

Unfortunately, the standard treatments for IBD frequently make things even worse! Medications cause a variety of side effects and surgery can be life-changing, plus the disease can recur after surgery.

But many IBD sufferers have gotten tremendous relief by helping to safely and naturally reduce the inflammation and stress on their intestines!

If you suffer from Crohn’s or colitis, here is what you need to know about the condition and how you can get lasting relief:

They’re similar…but different

Although people sometimes confuse Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, there are distinct differences between the two:

Ulcerative colitis (UC)

Ulcerative colitis is an inflammation of the inner lining of the colon (large intestine) and/or rectum.

Typical symptoms are poor digestion, explosive bowel movements (as many as 30 or more a day!) rectal bleeding and pain.

With UC, you stand about a one in four chance of needing surgery at some point--removal of some of your colon.

But even then, you’re not home free because UC can "move down the road" and strike another area of the colon.

Crohn's disease

Crohn's can strike ANY area of the digestive tract from the mouth to the anus, but it usually affects the lower end of the small intestine (the ileum).

Common Crohn's symptoms include abdominal pain and explosive diarrhea. You can also develop constipation, fevers, canker sores, clubbed fingernails and be prone to intestinal blockages.

And since your small intestine is where most nutrient absorption takes place, Crohn’s patients are prone to weight loss, malnutrition and deficiency diseases.

Crohn's burrows deeper into your intestinal wall than UC does and eventually can cause little "canals" called fistulas to form between your intestine and other organs.

This creates a path for waste and toxins to seep out and impair the health of your other organs.

It’s becoming clearer

IBD has been somewhat of a mystery, but it’s becoming clearer what is behind it.

First, there is a suspected family history connection. Studies have shown that a person with a first-degree relative with IBD is up to 10 times more likely to develop the disease.

Medication use is also a factor, especially antibiotics! Antibiotics cause harmful changes to your gut microbiome and make you far more susceptible to infection, inflammation and disease. In fact, research has shown that individuals who received five or more antibiotic prescriptions had a 236 percent higher risk of developing IBD compared to those who took no antibiotics in the previous five years

In addition, birth control pills and NSAIDs—two of the most commonly prescribed medications—are also harmful to your gut and are suspected as contributing to the rise in IBD. 

IBD is also considered an autoimmune condition--meaning your immune system becomes hypersensitive, then begins to see normal tissue in your intestinal tract as a dangerous invader and launches an inflammatory attack.

Slim pickings

Though the underlying causes of IBD are numerous, the typical remedies are limited—just drugs (specifically steroids, antibiotics and immunosuppressors) and surgery.

Steroids can help reduce inflammation, but they also can cause a wide variety of side effects, including bone loss, folic acid deficiency, low cortisol levels and increased risk of lymphoma.

Plus, as I mentioned above, antibiotics upset your gut microbiome and can make the situation even WORSE—not better.

Immunosuppressive drugs may help to "quiet" the overzealous, misguided immune reaction going on, but then you're lacking the protection of your immune system--and are far more susceptible to viruses, infections and diseases of all kinds.

And the health price of surgery? Well, losing some or all of your intestines and possibly getting a pouch or colostomy is traumatic to say the least. Plus, IBD can recur in another area after surgery—so you’re never really out of the woods.

Natural IBD relief

Even though Crohn’s and colitis sufferers may feel hopeless at times, one thing that is for certain is that there are highly effective strategies for counteracting it that can leave you feeling a whole lot better!

Here are 3 safe, easy and effective strategies that can help bring lasting relief to IBD sufferers:

1- Encourage sound digestion

Encouraging sound digestion and nutrient absorption is essential for IBD sufferers. And a great way to help is to eat nutrient-packed meals that your body can more efficiently break down!

When digestion can be accomplished more thoroughly, there is far less chance of constipation, diarrhea, excessive gas or irritation occurring.

And eating for better digestion is what you will learn to do in the Great Taste No Pain digestive health system.

In the Great Taste No Pain system, I show you step by step how to structure delicious, nutritious meals to encourage easier digestion, help nourish your body, help minimize irritation and increase your chances of feeling great after eating.

Note that enzyme deficiencies are also a major cause of inadequate digestion. Those susceptible to enzyme shortages include people over age 50, individuals who have had gastric surgery or had their gallbladder removed, or people who rely heavily on processed foods.

If you suspect enzymes may be an issue for you, then our Digestizol Max Enzyme Formula can be the answer to your prayers!

Digestizol Max provides a blend of 15 plant-derived enzymes that target whatever types of food you eat, plus soothing herbs to help ease an inflamed digestive tract.

2- Ease inflammatory immune actions with vitamin D

Vitamin D deficiency is a major contributing factor to the rise in autoimmune diseases (including IBD) since vitamin D is crucial to help to tame the overzealous, inflammatory actions of the immune system that characterize autoimmunity. 

Sadly, most people have a degree of vitamin D deficiency because we shun the sun and if we do go out, we slather ourselves in sunscreen which blocks your body’s vitamin D production. Plus, lack of sunlight (especially this time of year in the northeast) is a factor.

But supplementation with a quality vitamin D formula like Optimum DK Formula with FruiteX-B can go a long way in helping to optimize your vitamin D level and counteract overzealous, inflammatory immune responses.

Optimum DK Formula with FruiteX-B provides a health-supporting 5,000 IUs of vitamin D3, plus its partners vitamins K1 and K2 and the mineral boron.

3- Keep inflammation low

Keeping inflammation low in the intestines is crucial for IBD sufferers.

And one natural anti-inflammatory that is showing impressive benefits in the treatment of IBD is turmeric!

Studies are showing that turmeric has been helpful in curbing inflammation and maintaining remission in both Crohn’s disease and UC sufferers.

Plus, turmeric has been shown to have anti-cancer properties and to help decrease joint pain, and it’s a very effective antioxidant too!

Although Indian cuisine contains turmeric, the amount you’d get in your diet would be far too low to make a significant difference. That’s why it’s best to supplement with a high-quality, organic turmeric formula like Optimal Turmeric Blend!

Every 2-capsule dose of Optimal Turmeric Blend provides a soothing 750 mg of pure turmeric, along with black pepper extract to enhance absorbability.

If you’ve got IBD, don’t give up hope! Instead, put the power of some safe, natural measures to work for you and see the tremendous difference it can make in how you feel.

To your health,

Sherry Brescia