Crohn’s Disease

Crohn’s Disease: Can the Root Causes Be Addressed?

Key takeaways

• Crohn’s disease is a chronic autoimmune-related inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that can affect any part of the digestive tract, most often the end of the small intestine.
• According to the NIDDK, an estimated 1,000,000 people in the United States live with Crohn’s disease, and cases have become more common over time.
• Crohn’s is a lifelong condition with no known cure; the goal of care is remission and fewer flares — not a promise of reversal.
• Root drivers frequently include immune dysregulation, a leaky gut barrier, an imbalanced microbiome, and environmental exposures.
• Deeper Healing complements gastroenterology care; we never advise stopping prescribed medication such as biologics or immunosuppressants on your own.
• A root-cause, functional and environmental medicine approach aims to reduce the body’s overall inflammatory and toxic burden while you stay under specialist care.

What is Crohn’s disease?

Crohn’s disease is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) whose root causes involve the immune system driving ongoing inflammation of the digestive tract. It can affect any region from the mouth to the anus, though it most commonly involves the end of the small intestine (the ileum) and the beginning of the colon, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). Data from the NIDDK indicate that roughly 1,000,000 people in the United States have Crohn’s disease, and it is most often diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 29. The inflammation tends to come and go in cycles of flares and remission, and over time can affect nutrition, energy, and quality of life.

What are the symptoms of Crohn’s disease?

Because Crohn’s inflames the digestive tract and affects nutrient absorption, symptoms range widely and often flare and settle. As reported by the NIDDK, common signs include:

• Persistent or crampy abdominal pain
• Chronic diarrhea, sometimes with blood
• Unintended weight loss
• Fatigue and low energy
• Reduced appetite
• Fever during flares
• Nutrient deficiencies (iron, B12, vitamin D)
• Mouth sores
• Joint aches and skin changes outside the gut

What causes Crohn’s — and why standard treatment can miss the deeper drivers

Conventional gastroenterology care is essential in Crohn’s: it controls inflammation with medications such as steroids, immunosuppressants, and biologics, and monitors for complications. What it does not always ask is why the immune system became dysregulated in the first place. Research points to an interaction between genetics, an imbalanced gut microbiome (dysbiosis), a compromised gut barrier known as increased intestinal permeability, and environmental factors. The NIDDK notes that the cause of Crohn’s is not fully understood and that both the immune system and environment appear to play a role.

“Researchers estimate that 1,000,000 people in the United States have Crohn’s disease. Studies show that Crohn’s disease has become more common.” — NIDDK, Definition & Facts for Crohn’s Disease

Because Crohn’s is immune-mediated, research from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) into how environmental exposures interact with the immune system is directly relevant. When those deeper drivers go unaddressed, some patients continue to struggle with flares and fatigue even on medication. A root-cause approach looks at those contributing factors — always alongside, not instead of, specialist treatment.

How Deeper Healing supports patients with Crohn’s

Deeper Healing takes a root-cause approach built on detailed intake and comprehensive lab analysis — always as a complement to your gastroenterologist, not a substitute. Alongside the standard medical treatments described by the NIDDK, Dr. Bauerschmidt and our team look for contributing factors such as microbiome imbalance, gut barrier dysfunction, nutrient depletion, and environmental exposures, then support the body in a deliberate order using environmental medicine, light and oxygen therapies, and targeted detoxification and nutritional support. The aim is to lower the body’s overall inflammatory and toxic burden and help you feel better while you remain under specialist care.

Once those underlying drivers — toxins such as mold, heavy metals, and chemicals, chronic infections, and gut issues — have been identified and addressed, some patients are candidates for Low-Dose Allergen (LDA) therapy: a carefully spaced course of intradermal injections that aims to calm and rebalance the immune system and reduce chronic reactivity. Because LDA is used only after those root factors have been treated, it may, over time, help some patients reduce their reliance on medications — always as a decision made together with your gastroenterologist, never on your own. We never advise stopping prescribed therapy.

Conventional care vs a root-cause approach

Conventional Crohn’s care	Deeper Healing root-cause support
Controls inflammation with medication (steroids, immunosuppressants, biologics)	Looks for the drivers behind the inflammation — alongside that medication
Focuses on managing flares and complications	Assesses microbiome, gut barrier, nutrients, and environmental burden
Rarely tests for toxins or dysbiosis	Tests for heavy metals, mold (mycotoxins), chemicals, chronic infections, and gut health
Directed by your gastroenterologist	Complements — never replaces — your gastroenterologist

Key terms explained

IBD (inflammatory bowel disease)

An umbrella term for chronic inflammation of the digestive tract. Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are the two main forms of IBD.

Microbiome

The community of bacteria and other microbes living in the gut. An imbalance (dysbiosis) is strongly associated with Crohn’s and is a focus of root-cause assessment.

Dysbiosis

An unhealthy shift in the balance of gut microbes, in which protective species decline and inflammatory ones expand — a commonly studied contributor to IBD.

Intestinal permeability (“leaky gut”)

A weakened gut lining that can allow substances to cross into the bloodstream and stimulate the immune system, contributing to inflammation.

Remission

A period when Crohn’s symptoms quiet down or disappear. Keeping patients in long-term remission is the central goal of Crohn’s care.

Fecal calprotectin

A stool marker of intestinal inflammation that gastroenterologists use to gauge disease activity and monitor response to treatment.

Biologics

Targeted prescription medications, managed by your gastroenterologist, that reduce the specific immune signals driving Crohn’s inflammation.

Patient experience

Many patients arrive still fatigued and inflamed despite ongoing treatment, wanting to understand what else may be fueling their symptoms. Read how a root-cause approach can complement standard care: Deeper Healing patient stories →

Frequently asked questions

Can Crohn’s disease be reversed or cured?

Crohn’s is a chronic condition with no known cure, so we never promise reversal. The realistic goal is fewer flares, longer remission, and better daily function. A root-cause approach aims to reduce contributing factors — microbiome imbalance, gut barrier stress, and environmental burden — while you continue the treatment your gastroenterologist prescribes.

What is the root cause of Crohn’s disease?

There is rarely a single cause. Crohn’s appears to develop when a genetically susceptible person experiences immune dysregulation influenced by an imbalanced microbiome, a compromised gut barrier, and environmental triggers such as diet, infections, and toxins. Our work focuses on identifying which of these contributing factors may apply to you.

Is Crohn’s disease autoimmune?

Crohn’s is considered immune-mediated: the immune system drives chronic inflammation in the digestive tract. Some researchers describe it as autoimmune-related rather than a classic autoimmune disease. Either way, calming the drivers of immune dysregulation — gut, microbiome, and environmental factors — is central to how we think about supporting patients.

What tests are used for Crohn’s disease?

Gastroenterologists confirm Crohn’s with colonoscopy, imaging, and blood and stool markers such as C-reactive protein and fecal calprotectin. Alongside that specialist workup, we may assess microbiome balance, intestinal permeability, nutrient status, and environmental exposures — including mold (mycotoxins), heavy metals, and chemicals — so that root-cause support targets your specific contributing factors.

Can environmental toxins or diet affect Crohn’s?

Diet, the gut microbiome, and environmental exposures are all being studied as factors that influence inflammatory bowel disease. While they are not the sole cause, reducing the body’s overall inflammatory and toxic burden and supporting a healthier gut environment is a reasonable, evidence-informed part of comprehensive care — used alongside medical treatment.

Does Deeper Healing replace my gastroenterologist?

No — we complement your standard care. Crohn’s is a serious condition that requires ongoing specialist management, and we never advise stopping prescribed medication such as biologics or immunosuppressants. Our role is to support your overall health and reduce contributing factors while you remain under the care of your gastroenterologist.

Will I need medication for Crohn’s forever?

Many people with Crohn’s need ongoing medication to maintain remission, and any change is a decision for you and your gastroenterologist — never something to adjust alone. By supporting the underlying gut and immune environment, our aim is to help you feel better and function well, not to encourage stopping treatment.

Where can I find a root-cause Crohn’s doctor near me?

Deeper Healing Medical Wellness Center is located at 234 Seven Farms Drive, Suite 110, Charleston, SC 29492, on Daniel Island. We see patients from across the country who seek root-cause support to complement their gastroenterology care for Crohn’s and other inflammatory conditions.

Your next step: find out what may be driving inflammation

Because environmental exposures and an imbalanced gut so often add to the inflammatory burden in Crohn’s, a useful first step is understanding your own “body burden.” Our free two-minute assessment helps you gauge whether accumulated toxins could be contributing to your symptoms — a complement to, not a replacement for, your specialist care.

Sources

• National Institutes of Health, NIDDK — Crohn’s Disease
• National Institutes of Health, NIDDK — Definition & Facts for Crohn’s Disease
• National Institutes of Health, NIDDK — Symptoms & Causes of Crohn’s Disease
• National Institutes of Health, NIDDK — Treatment for Crohn’s Disease
• National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences — Autoimmune Diseases