How To Finally Fix Your Gut, Decode Your Embarrassing, Frustrating Digestive Issues & Fix Crohns & Colitis With Dane Johnson Of CrohnsColitisLifestyle.

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Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis
Body, Diet & Nutrition, Digestion, Health & Wellness, Nutrition, Podcast, Podcast-new

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Recently, at a nutrition conference, I met Dane Johnson, the owner and founder of CrohnsColitisLifestyle.

His transformative healing story, dedication, and the uniqueness of his holistic approach were so fascinating that I knew I had to get him on the show.

Dane’s passion for holistic nutrition began after his own life-threatening battle with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. At 19 years old, Dane experienced his first symptoms of IBD, with blood in his stool and multiple uncontrollable bowel movements daily. He nearly died at 27 years old while taking many different traditional medicines. Determined to create a better life for himself, Dane made a deep commitment to himself not to be a victim of this disease and sought out natural healing modalities.

Dane is a leading practitioner in the holistic community with more than ten years of experience in the health and wellness industry. He received his Holistic Nutrition degree from the Energetic Health Institute and has since helped others find natural solutions to their battles with Crohn's/colitis. Dane has been featured in fitness magazines such as “Fitness for Men.”

Dane is the creator of the proprietary healing program S.H.I.E.L.D, a personalized, natural approach to reversing Crohn's and colitis. The co-founder of the non-profit Nutrition Heals foundation, the founder of CCLifestyle, and a member of the National Association of Nutrition Professionals, Dane is an established leader in the field. Throughout his battle with Crohn's/colitis, Dane always wished there was a place where he could connect with others who suffer and help build a healing plan, and he is now making that possible for others.

During our discussion, you'll discover:

-Dane Johnson's story…06:47

  • CrohnsColitisLifestyle
  • Used to act and model right after college
  • Living the dream until he got diagnosed with ulcerative colitis
  • He used to go to his gigs, with 10-15 bowel movements a day; blood, cramping, diarrhea
  • Doctor said he’ll have ulcerative colitis and be on medications for the rest of his life
    • 40 mg of Prednisone, tapering five milligrams a week, down to zero 
    • Asacol
    • Remicade
  • Raised in Virginia and no idea about natural medicine
  • No disease in the family; just advised to take Tylenol, go and sleep it off
  • Doctors didn’t pay much attention, parents did not have much knowledge 
  • The meds didn’t work, he even had drug-induced hepatitis
  • UCLA diagnosed Dane with Crohn's disease, while Mayo Clinic said ulcerative colitis
  • Doctors advised a part of his colon taken out and studied
  • The pros and cons of having a colectomy 
  • Why opting not to eat instead is a bad idea
  • Why intermittent fasting is another bad idea
  • Lost a lot of weight, from 185 to 122 lbs
  • Dane went from bad to severe to life-threatening 
  • In 2014, Dane went through a great deal of stress, started losing vision, night sweats and fevers which made it life-threatening, could hardly walk
  • 6 weeks in the hospital
  • On Delaudid, given to cancer patients to help relieve severe pain 
  • Experiencing hallucinations

-What Dane learned and what he decided he had to do…19:04

  • A doctor said what he had was actually a virus, and he was given antiviral chemotherapy
  • Snapped out of it and regained consciousness after 2 days; able to talk and move around
  • Checked himself out of the hospital; housebound for a year
  • Already lost thousands of dollars for treatments; years of failure
  • He learned how to journal and watch his food intake
  • Started learning how to celebrate the micro wins (20 bowel movements to 17)
  • Got real results with natural medicine
  • Fasted and tried various diets
  • Read books and met Jordan Rubin
  • Jordan Rubin's books
  • Jini Patel's books 
  • The problem of restricted diet and caloric intake just resulted in more weight loss
  • Without electrolytes and nutrients in the bloodstream, he was as good as dead
  • He decided to be the CEO of his health; not the expert, not the master, but taking control and responsibility for his health
  • The number one healing starts in the mind; you have to change your mind to say I want this, you're doing it because you need it, and that fear-based gasoline only goes so far
  • Wanted to be the best version of himself; took power away from the doctor, away from the diagnosis
  • CrohnsColitisLifestyle

-How long did it take for Dane to turn the corner?…30:10

  • 3 to 4 years
  • Went to Natural Medicine School

-What is the Natural Medicine school?…30:31

  • Got board certification in Holistic Nutrition from EHI (Energetic Health Institute)
  • A 2-year degree learning about mitochondria, gut health, meditation, and nutrition
  • His professor introduced him to BCPH shake 
  • The shake is a binder made of bentonite clay and psyllium husk that helped his colon a lot
  • Massive results in one year: 
    • Got rid of about 90 to 95% of his symptoms
    • Went down to two to three bowel movements a day, no blood, no cramping, no urgency
    • Gained weight to 175 pounds
    • Drug-free in 7 months
    • Colonoscopy showed 80% healed, scars gone
    • Ulcers gone
    • Inflammation basically gone after seven months 
  • The gut is the fastest-healing tissue in the body

-What Dane did to heal…36:07

-SIBO, offensive foods, and S.H.I.E.L.D…44:48

  • Dane calls whole foods with fibers and sugar that illicit a severe reaction as “offensive foods”; a sign that the microbiome still needs to heal
  • Dane now eats 70% plant, and for about five years only ate meat and vegetables 
  • The goal of the S.H.I.E.L.D program is to give you the ability to handle a poison without a severe reaction; sign of a healthy gut
  • Dane's gallbladder and liver cleanse
  • Be careful with how you use supplements; doing it in the wrong place can have a negative reaction
  • Be careful with how you detox
  • Just because some food does not work for you does not mean it's bad; your body is just not ready for it
  • Liposomal PC (use code GREENFIELD10 to save 10%)
  • Foul-smelling gas and bowel movements could be indigestion of fats
  • Clients with mast cell histamine issues use Butyrate and PC to rebuild lipid fats around the cells to stop histamine reactions
  • Working on the liver and gallbladder is good for digestion
  • People with Crohn's and colitis:
    • Their digestion is so poor
    • Their pancreas is not operating correctly, and undigested proteins, fats, or even fibers are going into the colon, causing the spastic colon
  • Some of the hardest foods to digest are beans and kale
  • Food philosophy teaches about root cause

-What kind of tests do you like to use?…53:57

  • A lot of root causes are not checked by conventional medicine
  • Genetic stool tests can't check for viral load, mold, yeast, or candida because it takes too long to culture, so they don't check for mold
  • Tests
  • Curcumin (use code BEN15 to save 15%)
  • Butyrate
  • NAC
  • Glutathione
  • Glycine
  • Binders like BCPH or GI Detox
  • Oregano
  • Spend money on things that make sense; do not spend money on supplements or labs that do not make sense to you
  • The S.H.I.E.L.D program makes you accountable to your plan; you need to understand what you are doing
  • A lot of people with Crohn's or colitis may have other autoimmune diseases like lupus or rheumatoid arthritis, or multiple sclerosis
  • arminlabs

-Root cause of viruses and the ArminLabs Viral Load Panel…1:04:37

  • ArminLabs 
  • Dr. Armin Schwarzbach 
  • Tests are only in Germany because of Covid restrictions
  • Dr. Armin found root causes of chronic diseases that seem incurable
  • Testing for IgA antibodies
  • Built a specific Crohn's/colitis test that tests for 5 viruses and 2 bacteria 
  • ArminLabs Viral Load Panel
  • 90 of 100 clients checked have all come back positive with active viruses (1,000 people with Crohn's/colitis)
  • 60% symptom relief within 3 months is 90% or more
  • Symptoms associated with these viruses
    • Night sweats
    • Fevers
    • Cold sores
  • Why patients should be careful in taking antibiotics; antibiotics destroy the microbiome, which controls the virus

-What is the S.H.I.E.L.D program?…1:10:44

  • Build a foundational blueprint; you want to start with a proven system and then customize it
    • Everything needs to be customized to you and your needs; get away from the generic
    • We're very conscious of where the money is, we only want to spend on what makes sense
  • Build your own personalized answer – you're going to have a coach and a partner, someone who has Crohn's and colitis themselves and is trained and sees 40 people a week
    • Simplify your plan and make it consistent
    • Cook 8 meals at once; cook to reduce inflammation and increase absorption
    • Create belief; turn that faith into belief and trust
    • Act on what you desire, not what you need
  • Happiness, desire, and curiosity are way better fuel than sacrifice, fear, and need
  • CrohnsColitisLifestyle

-And much more…

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Click here for the full written transcript of this podcast episode.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

– Dane Johnson:

– Podcasts And Articles:

– Books:

– Other Resources:

Do you have questions, thoughts or feedback for Dane Johnson or me? Leave your comments below and one of us will reply!

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Ask Ben a Podcast Question

10 thoughts on “How To Finally Fix Your Gut, Decode Your Embarrassing, Frustrating Digestive Issues & Fix Crohns & Colitis With Dane Johnson Of CrohnsColitisLifestyle.

  1. Shannon says:

    The heavy metals test from Thorne has been discontinued. Do you have another recommendation?

  2. Shannon says:

    Is Dane’s course just for people with Colitis or Crohn’s? I have constipation and mild GI symptoms that I would love to start healing. Is his course a good place to start? Or are there other providers who could counsel me through the GI MAP test and the other things he recommended?

  3. Thanks for the information. However, It is so sad how (even professional) still only talk about food and supplements as a way to solve this issues.

    Then, spend thousands of dollars on functional tests that for the most part are a WAIST of money (for the client).

    It is more than time to get back to the basics first and address light, water, magnetism and all the other MAJOR components so that you don’t you REALLY address the root cause.

    Although it is very nice to see a person wanting to help other, the tools he is using is outdated as good and supplements WILL not adresss the real root cause (circadian biology and mitochondrial health)

    Thanks BEN!

  4. Gil E says:

    Great episode! Very helpful.
    A question for dale, don’t think he mentioned it during the episode: what do you think caused this large amounts of bad bacteria and viruses in your gut? Was it just the unhealthy lifestyle and stress? Thanks!

  5. Much respect, this guys the real deal!

  6. James says:

    great stuff, thankyou Dane & Ben! i had a full collectomy 14 yrs ago & have similarly recovered to be unrecognisable from those times, but it’s still a minefield trying to discern causes of huge ups and downs when your system is so sensitive – some great info here for my own clarity. felt the irony hearing b12 get mentioned after just getting an injection again & getting huge symptomatic improvement after a strong reaction

    to go to the lengths you have to overcome where you got to, without a lot of family money to lean on, to push through dehydration that extreme to now be able to help so many people, full of admiration

  7. Dale says:

    Wow Dane has passion for what he does. Great information today on the podcast.

    1. Ben Greenfield says:

      He’s indeed very passionate about this. He went from dying to thriving after he decided to become the CEO of his health.

  8. Chase says:

    This was phenomenal. I have had CD since 2014 and ultimantly lost my colon in 2020. My health journey sounds so similar to Dane’s. Thanks Ben this was great, people like you and Dane are the reason people like myself are able to live the way we do. God bless

    1. Ben Greenfield says:

      Thank you for sharing part of your story with us Chase 🙏

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