I was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease (CD) back in 1997. I quickly tired of the medical community, which basically told me I had to suffer for the rest of my life. During the past 3 years I have not been on any medications and have instead controlled flare ups with herbs and homeopathic remedies, which you can purchase inexpensively at any health food store.

1) Primal Defense - I only experienced moderate relief with this product, but have head annecdotal evidence that this works very well in some cases. Primal Defense (PD) is manufactured by a company called "Garden of Life" and it contains soil based organisms (SBOs) that are said to fight the "bad" type of bacteria that is believed to be in the guts of CD patients. (http://www.primaldefense.net/)

2) SC Diet - This is a diet that worked very well at controlling my Crohn's Disease. It is rather strict in the foods that you are allowed to eat. In my line of work I spend a lot of time on travel so it is difficult for me to follow. The diet is outlined in a book called "Breaking the Vicious Cycle." (http://www.scdiet.info/)

3) Fish Oil - The Omega 3 & Omega 6 oils found in fish and several grains can help keep Crohn's disease in remission for longer periods of time. There was a study done in Italy that showed individuals who took large doses of fish oil stayed in remission longer. It is unlikely that fish oil will control an active "flare up."

4) DMSO & Melatonin - In a small number of cases, DMSO and Melatonin are very effective in putting Crohn's disease into remission. I noticed a small improvement when I used it, but did not continue using these products.

5) GSH - I have found that this product helps to control flare ups. It is more of a "band-aid" (aka quick fix for flare ups) so it should be combined with other treatments for prolonging remission. (http://www.gshplus.com/)

6) Ericsson's Coral Calcium - I experienced about 1 year of remission while using this product. I drank Coca-cola and are whatever I wanted (don't recommend that you do this.) As with the other products mentioned here, there use should be combined with a sensible low-carb, high vegetable diet. You also should drink plenty of water. (http://www.copages.com/cc/)

7) The Zapper - There is an entire forum on this site (CureZone) dedicated to the Zapper so I don't need to say much about it here. Have heard remarkable testimonials from people who have used it.

8) EM-X - Another Soil based Organism (SBO) that is supposed to be even stronger than Primal Defense. I have never used it myself, but have heard it works well. (http://www.emtrading.com/)

9) Zinc (from Zinc Gluconate) - I just heard about this today and it sounds very promising. The idea is that you take large doses of Zinc until your body does not "want" anymore. You can read about it in this article: http://www.newtreatments.org/doc/WisdomExperience/98

10) Enzyme Therapy - There are a number of books written on this subject and I find them to be very interesting. Crohn's Disease patients typically have serious problems digesting food. Enzymes help break down starches, sugars, carbohydrates, protein, fats that allow your body to more easily digest them and heal itself. I tried the "Thera-zyme" products and experienced relief as long as I maintained a healthy diet.

11) Thyroid Tissue - Believe it or not you can actually buy Thyroid tissue supplements and I found them to be quite effective. After doing some research, I am skeptical about how safe they actually are to use. But hey, if you're desperate maybe it's worth a try???

12) Aloe, Slippery Elm, Peppermint - These are herbs that have powerful antiinflamatory effects. I did not find them to help much while I was having a flare up but noticed that they did help prolong my remission.