90: Control Symptoms Naturally So You Can Stop Relying on Medications

Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are often approached primarily through the lens of symptom management, medication, and surgery. But what happens when we start asking a different question: What may have contributed to the development of the disease in the first place?In this episode, Josh Dech explores a root-cause approach to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), challenging listeners to look beyond the label and investigate the layers that may influence gut health, inflammation, the microbiome, and immune-system regulation.The conversation covers the relationship between diet and IBD, including the Crohn’s Disease Exclusion Diet (CDED), Ulcerative Colitis Exclusion Diet (UCED), and Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD). Josh also discusses research involving supplements and probiotics such as curcumin, VSL#3, vitamin D, Boswellia, TUDCA, and wormwood—while emphasizing an important distinction: something that helps manage inflammation or induce remission is not necessarily the same thing as identifying and addressing an underlying driver. The episode then moves deeper into the root-cause framework. Josh explains why he believes a detailed personal history can reveal important patterns involving early-life factors, antibiotics, food sensitivities, environmental exposures, stress, and microbiome disruption. Rather than automatically ordering extensive testing, he describes using history to determine which potential drivers deserve investigation first.Several case examples illustrate this approach, including stories involving suspected mold exposure, repeated antibiotic use, structural changes to the digestive tract, and a child with severe ulcerative colitis.For anyone interested in gut health, IBD, inflammation, the microbiome, immune-system function, and functional medicine, this episode offers a thought-provoking examination of what it means to truly look upstream.TOPICS DISCUSSED:The Root-Cause Philosophy Behind Crohn’s And ColitisMedication, Remission, And The Distinction Between Management And Root-Cause WorkDietary Approaches To IBD, Including CDED, UCED, And SCDSupplements, Probiotics, And Evidence Around RemissionMicrobiome Disruption And Immune-System RegulationThe Importance Of A Detailed Personal And Medical HistoryAntibiotics And Other Potential Contributors To IBD RiskEnvironmental Exposures, Particularly MoldCase Studies Involving Patients With Crohn’s/ColitisWant help with your IBD?Schedule a call with me and my teamJoin the Reversing Crohn's and Colitis Naturally CommunityVisit our Website:gutsolution.caVideo Podcast:Watch the video podcast on YouTubeFollow me on Social Media:Facebook: @joshdech.healthInstagram: @joshdech.healthJoin my free Facebook group: IBD Support and SolutionsSupport the show