Naturopathy & IBD

Benchimol EI, Guttmann A, et al. Gut. 2009 Nov;58(11):1490-7. Epub 2009 Aug 2. Increasing incidence of paediatric inflammatory bowel disease in Ontario, Canada: evidence from health administrative data.

This recent study highlights that young Canadian children are susceptible to developing ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.  The reasons are not certain, but other studies have indicated the following risk factors:

x  Multiple courses of antibiotics used in one year

x  Stress

x Microbial imbalances in the intestines (often imbalanced in Caesarian born babies)

x  Medication use including Accutane, NSAIDs, antibiotics

x  Inadequate Nutrition during Gestation and Lactation (eg: selenium & folic acid)