Last week, a reader whose friend suffers from Crohn's disease wanted to know if there were any alternatives to drug therapy. The general consensus among readers points to diet as the main solution to combating Crohn's. According to one reader, the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (www.pecanbread.com) has helped numerous people, while another suggests a formula of raw food, raw juices with lots of bananas thrown in to help heal the bowel. Some readers believe that Crohn's disease may result from a combination of food allergies, chemical sensitivities, stress and use of certain medications. A naturopath from Australia wrote in to say he uses kinesiology to isolate the causes and then use appropriate antimicrobial herbs to reduce the fungal infection, pro- and pre-biotics to rebuild bowel flora and eliminate any identified food sensitivities. A reader suggests that Candida, which is exacerbated by the presence of mercury in the system, could cause the symptoms of Crohn's in some cases. One practitioner holds a completely different view to what causes Crohn's. He believes that the disease has an emotional connection and getting to the root of this problem, with the help of Dr Bach's flower remedies, would be the first step in the healing process.