My 12 year old son has Crohn's disease. He was diagnosed about 2 years ago. Although he is currently on 2 medications, Pentasa and Mercaptopurine (6MP), which seem to be controlling the inflammation well, I am also aware of the toxicity and increase risk of cancer with at least one of these drugs. My husband has spoken with a GI surgeon who knew several people who were able to control the inflammation and get off pharmaceutical medications by going on a vegan diet, reducing sugar, and adding Aloe Vera juice. We are currently making a transition to a vegan diet (not doing the other 2 things yet though I am trying to be more aware of how much sugar he's consuming). We were already vegetarians, so it is just a matter of taking dairy and eggs out now, but that has still been quite a transition and learning curve for me (the mom who does the cooking). I have four questions / concerns: 1. What do you think of the above approach? 2. Do you know of others who have had success using dietary means to control the inflammation of Crohn's disease? 3. The information that I've seen on the internet suggests that Aloe Vera is a plant source of vitamin B12. Is this true? 4. My son is roughly 5 feet tall and 60 pounds. His doctor wants him to gain weight. Vegan diets are naturally quite low in fat. How can I ensure that he doesn't lose weight and actually help him gain weight on a vegan diet?
2HIMBPRAISE
