Ulcerative Colitis & Fighting

WOndering if anyone currently has the disease and trains or fights. Have any tips to avoid flare ups and reduce the general affects such as fatigue and joint pain while training?

Thanks.

What is that?
Sounds bad.
Something to do with ulcers in the colon?

Ulcerative colitis is a disease that causes inflammation and sores, called ulcers, in the lining of the large intestine. The inflammation usually occurs in the rectum and lower part of the colon, but it may affect the entire colon. Ulcerative colitis rarely affects the small intestine except for the end section, called the terminal ileum. Ulcerative colitis may also be called colitis or proctitis.


The inflammation makes the colon empty frequently, causing diarrhea. Ulcers form in places where the inflammation has killed the cells lining the colon; the ulcers bleed and produce pus.

Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), the general name for diseases that cause inflammation in the small intestine and colon. Ulcerative colitis can be difficult to diagnose because its symptoms are similar to other intestinal disorders and to another type of IBD called Crohn's disease. Crohn's disease differs from ulcerative colitis because it causes inflammation deeper within the intestinal wall. Also, Crohn's disease usually occurs in the small intestine, although it can also occur in the mouth, esophagus, stomach, duodenum, large intestine, appendix, and anus.

Ulcerative colitis may occur in people of any age, but most often it starts between ages 15 and 30, or less frequently between ages 50 and 70. Children and adolescents sometimes develop the disease. Ulcerative colitis affects men and women equally and appears to run in some families.


What causes ulcerative colitis?
Theories about what causes ulcerative colitis abound, but none have been proven. The most popular theory is that the body's immune system reacts to a virus or a bacterium by causing ongoing inflammation in the intestinal wall.

People with ulcerative colitis have abnormalities of the immune system, but doctors do not know whether these abnormalities are a cause or a result of the disease. Ulcerative colitis is not caused by emotional distress or sensitivity to certain foods or food products, but these factors may trigger symptoms in some people.


What are the symptoms of ulcerative colitis?
The most common symptoms of ulcerative colitis are abdominal pain and bloody diarrhea. Patients also may experience

fatigue
weight loss
loss of appetite
rectal bleeding
loss of body fluids and nutrients
About half of patients have mild symptoms. Others suffer frequent fever, bloody diarrhea, nausea, and severe abdominal cramps. Ulcerative colitis may also cause problems such as arthritis, inflammation of the eye, liver disease (hepatitis, cirrhosis, and primary sclerosing cholangitis), osteoporosis, skin rashes, and anemia. No one knows for sure why problems occur outside the colon. Scientists think these complications may occur when the immune system triggers inflammation in other parts of the body. Some of these problems go away when the colitis is treated.


How is ulcerative colitis diagnosed?
A thorough physical exam and a series of tests may be required to diagnose ulcerative colitis.

Blood tests may be done to check for anemia, which could indicate bleeding in the colon or rectum. Blood tests may also uncover a high white blood cell count, which is a sign of inflammation somewhere in the body. By testing a stool sample, the doctor can detect bleeding or infection in the colon or rectum.

The doctor may do a colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy. For either test, the doctor inserts an endoscope—a long, flexible, lighted tube connected to a computer and TV monitor—into the anus to see the inside of the colon and rectum. The doctor will be able to see any inflammation, bleeding, or ulcers on the colon wall. During the exam, the doctor may do a biopsy, which involves taking a sample of tissue from the lining of the colon to view with a microscope. A barium enema x ray of the colon may also be required. This procedure involves filling the colon with barium, a chalky white solution. The barium shows up white on x ray film, allowing the doctor a clear view of the colon, including any ulcers or other abnormalities that might be there.


What is the treatment for ulcerative colitis?
Treatment for ulcerative colitis depends on the seriousness of the disease. Most people are treated with medication. In severe cases, a patient may need surgery to remove the diseased colon. Surgery is the only cure for ulcerative colitis.

Some people whose symptoms are triggered by certain foods are able to control the symptoms by avoiding foods that upset their intestines, like highly seasoned foods, raw fruits and vegetables, or milk sugar (lactose). Each person may experience ulcerative colitis differently, so treatment is adjusted for each individual. Emotional and psychological support is important.

Some people have remissions—periods when the symptoms go away—that last for months or even years. However, most patients' symptoms eventually return. This changing pattern of the disease means one cannot always tell when a treatment has helped.

Some people with ulcerative colitis may need medical care for some time, with regular doctor visits to monitor the condition.

Drug Therapy
The goal of therapy is to induce and maintain remission, and to improve the quality of life for people with ulcerative colitis. Several types of drugs are available.

Aminosalicylates, drugs that contain 5-aminosalicyclic acid (5-ASA), help control inflammation. Sulfasalazine is a combination of sulfapyridine and 5-ASA and is used to induce and maintain remission. The sulfapyridine component carries the anti-inflammatory 5-ASA to the intestine. However, sulfapyridine may lead to side effects such as include nausea, vomiting, heartburn, diarrhea, and headache. Other 5-ASA agents such as olsalazine, mesalamine, and balsalazide, have a different carrier, offer fewer side effects, and may be used by people who cannot take sulfasalazine. 5-ASAs are given orally, through an enema, or in a suppository, depending on the location of the inflammation in the colon. Most people with mild or moderate ulcerative colitis are treated with this group of drugs first.


Corticosteroids such as prednisone and hydrocortisone also reduce inflammation. They may be used by people who have moderate to severe ulcerative colitis or who do not respond to 5-ASA drugs. Corticosteroids, also known as steroids, can be given orally, intravenously, through an enema, or in a suppository, depending on the location of the inflammation. These drugs can cause side effects such as weight gain, acne, facial hair, hypertension, mood swings, and an increased risk of infection. For this reason, they are not recommended for long-term use.


Immunomodulators such as azathioprine and 6-mercapto-purine (6-MP) reduce inflammation by affecting the immune system. They are used for patients who have not responded to 5-ASAs or corticosteroids or who are dependent on corticosteroids. However, immunomodulators are slow-acting and may take up to 6 months before the full benefit is seen. Patients taking these drugs are monitored for complications including pancreatitis and hepatitis, a reduced white blood cell count, and an increased risk of infection. Cyclosporine A may be used with 6-MP or azathioprine to treat active, severe ulcerative colitis in people who do not respond to intravenous corticosteroids.
Other drugs may be given to relax the patient or to relieve pain, diarrhea, or infection.

Hospitalization
Occasionally, symptoms are severe enough that the person must be hospitalized. For example, a person may have severe bleeding or severe diarrhea that causes dehydration. In such cases the doctor will try to stop diarrhea and loss of blood, fluids, and mineral salts. The patient may need a special diet, feeding through a vein, medications, or sometimes surgery.

Surgery
About 25 percent to 40 percent of ulcerative colitis patients must eventually have their colons removed because of massive bleeding, severe illness, rupture of the colon, or risk of cancer. Sometimes the doctor will recommend removing the colon if medical treatment fails or if the side effects of corticosteroids or other drugs threaten the patient's health.

Surgery to remove the colon and rectum, known as proctocolectomy, is followed by one of the following:

Ileostomy, in which the surgeon creates a small opening in the abdomen, called a stoma, and attaches the end of the small intestine, called the ileum, to it. Waste will travel through the small intestine and exit the body through the stoma. The stoma is about the size of a quarter and is usually located in the lower right part of the abdomen near the beltline. A pouch is worn over the opening to collect waste, and the patient empties the pouch as needed.


Ileoanal anastomosis, or pull-through operation, which allows the patient to have normal bowel movements because it preserves part of the anus. In this operation, the surgeon removes the diseased part of the colon and the inside of the rectum, leaving the outer muscles of the rectum. The surgeon then attaches the ileum to the inside of the rectum and the anus, creating a pouch. Waste is stored in the pouch and passed through the anus in the usual manner. Bowel movements may be more frequent and watery than before the procedure. Inflammation of the pouch (pouchitis) is a possible complication.
Not every operation is appropriate for every person. Which surgery to have depends on the severity of the disease and the patient's needs, expectations, and lifestyle. People faced with this decision should get as much information as possible by talking to their doctors, to nurses who work with colon surgery patients (enterostomal therapists), and to other colon surgery patients. Patient advocacy organizations can direct people to support groups and other information resources. (See For More Information for the names of such organizations.)

Most people with ulcerative colitis will never need to have surgery. If surgery does become necessary, however, some people find comfort in knowing that after the surgery, the colitis is cured and most people go on to live normal, active lives.

Research
Researchers are always looking for new treatments for ulcerative colitis. Therapies that are being tested for usefulness in treating the disease include

Biologic agents. These include monoclonal antibodies, interferons, and other molecules made by living organisms. Researchers modify these drugs to act specifically but with decreased side effects, and are studying their effects in people with ulcerative colitis.


Budesonide. This corticosteroid may be nearly as effective as prednisone in treating mild ulcerative colitis, and it has fewer side effects.


Heparin. Researchers are examining whether the anticoagulant heparin can help control colitis.


Nicotine. In an early study, symptoms improved in some patients who were given nicotine through a patch or an enema. (This use of nicotine is still experimental—the findings do not mean that people should go out and buy nicotine patches or start smoking.)


Omega-3 fatty acids. These compounds, naturally found in fish oils, may benefit people with ulcerative colitis by interfering with the inflammatory process.
[Top]
Is colon cancer a concern?
About 5 percent of people with ulcerative colitis develop colon cancer. The risk of cancer increases with the duration and the extent of involvement of the colon. For example, if only the lower colon and rectum are involved, the risk of cancer is no higher than normal. However, if the entire colon is involved, the risk of cancer may be as much as 32 times the normal rate.

Sometimes precancerous changes occur in the cells lining the colon. These changes are called "dysplasia." People who have dysplasia are more likely to develop cancer than those who do not. Doctors look for signs of dysplasia when doing a colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy and when examining tissue removed during the test.

According to the 2002 updated guidelines for colon cancer screening, people who have had IBD throughout their colon for at least 8 years and those who have had IBD in only the left colon for 12 to 15 years should have a colonoscopy with biopsies every 1 to 2 years to check for dysplasia. Such screening has not been proven to reduce the risk of colon cancer, but it may help identify cancer early should it develop. These guidelines were produced by an independent expert panel and endorsed by numerous organizations, including the American Cancer Society, the American College of Gastroenterology, the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, and the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America Inc., among others.


Hope Through Research
NIDDK, through the Division of Digestive Diseases and Nutrition, conducts and supports research into many kinds of digestive disorders, including ulcerative colitis. Researchers are studying how and why the immune system is activated, how it damages the colon, and the processes involved in healing. Through this increased understanding, new and more specific therapies can be developed.

Damnit!

That's f...ed up.

I feel bad for anybdy with that.

I guess there can be worse.

Too bad!

Pisand-I'd read the Metabolic Typing Diet if I where you. And or find a Chek Nutrition and Life Styles Coach.

Good luck.

Briancal - Nice post. I've been reading up on a lot of this since being diagnosed. Hope to get it under control.

Merk L. -- I'm definitely consulting a nutrionist to make sure I'm staying healthy to fight.

Thanks guys.

Pisand-all nutritionists aren't created equal ;) lol Seriously I strongly recommend taking a look. You might be surprised.

Its interesting that most nutritionists and alternative medicine practitioners like to think of the big picture and obviously tend towards natural reminies as opposed to man main toxins and chemicals. However most still end put practicing in an allopathic manner. Meaning they are treating symptoms not the real cause.

Of course many will have a different point of view but..

Lets say your adrenals aren't running as they should. Western Med might give a drug for them. Alternative aproach might be a herb or diet change etc

But why are the adrenals running low? I think they are often reasons and adressing the adrenal problem itsself may manage and fix the symptom but if the underlying cause isn't adressed I think it will either return or a new problem will arise.

I think many will disagree but this is a basic idea with metabolic typing. its about balancing your homeostatic controles. So far my understanding is that if you go in with cancer that they don't treat the cancer. They balance the body so that it can deal with it itself. We all deal with cancer throughout our lives many times, its when the body can't handle it that it becomes a problem and becomes 'cancer'.

Still learning about it but so far I think it makes a ton of sense.

Worth a look maybe.

"How To Eat Move and Be Healthy" -Paul Chek
"Metabolic Typing Diet" -William Wolcott and Trish Fahey

http://www.nutritionandreflexology.co.uk/phdi/p1.nsf/supppages/0897?opendocument&part=3

http://www.healthexcel.com/

This one might be better

I have a very close freind that trains and has chrones. Re has had two removals already of intestine. This is a nasty thing to have, I will tell you what I know he has done.

Diet- has to be very carefull. One piece of lettuce will throw him into major trouble
Shock- Do not knee him in the belly alot, pad or not. I work alot more speed on the techniques than power.

Omega 3 's are very important to sufferers of this.

He has dropped most of the drugs after many years of side effects. If it gets bad again a bag will be eminent.

Watch the pace, work at a challenging pace but be aware some nights it will be tough to go all out, especially if there is a flare up going on.

This is so brutal to go thru, I don't think most have any idea how painfull this deasese can be. In Thailand it would lay him up for a couple of days at a time.

My hat is off to anyone that persiveres thru this to train. Undoughtably a healthy body will cope with deseasse better that not. But for actual fighting I can't say how the stress will interact.

I have active Crohns disease and I train and Fight ( I've just defended my British FC kickboxing title).

I have had the disease for 10 years and I have been training for about 5 years so I can't really remember what it's like not to have it and have never trained without it.

The disease is active in my colon and I have just about got it under control with medication. I take azaithiaprine , an immunosuppresant and Budesonide, a time released steriod.I have taken a large amount of other medication in the past but this seems to be the best mix for me at the moment. Prednisolone is the best drug I have found to control it so far but this is an evil form of steriod and causes many side effects. Osteoporosis and weight gain to name a few. I have also had to stay in hospital for intevenance steriod treatment a few years ago now.

Lots of people confuse IBD(inflamatory bowel disease)with IBS (irritable bowel syndrome). They are of course very differant however it can be difficult to explain to someone about the seriousness of the disease because you many well look fine from the outside and the disease can menifest in so many differant ways. Everyone experiences whom I have spoken to have been very differant. However I have never met anyone else involved in martial arts who is affected.Its good to know I'm not alone.

I like to think that the disease has partly made me into the person that I am and it has definately made me a fighter in all senses of the word. I have always tried to maintain the idea that this disease will not beat me.
It is a difficult balance to try to maintain and I still havn't figured out my triggers for an attack. However what I have sussed is that my training helps to keep the disease dampaned down. When you exercise endorphins, or hormones are released in the body. Steriods are basically hormones and these have an anti-inflamatory affect in the body. Why take medication when your body naturally produces them anyway. Obviously a healthy body can cope better with the stresses of disease aswell.

As far as training goes I have never let Crohns stop me, obviously you need to listen to your body. If you are unwell and train then you will do yourself damage both physically and mentally. Only you know how your body feels and usually an unwell body will have an accompaining mind which is not in the right place either! However if you are having a good day(and they do come quite frequently along with the bad days!) training gives you that lift and will make you forget that the disease is there.

Fighting just kinda happened for me and I've been honest about the Crohn's from the beginning and I've never had any problems with Doctors or anything. Infact most people I train with don't know that I have it and they probably wouldn't know what IBD is anyway. I don't want to be treated any differant from the next person so if it's a problem for me I just don't do it.

My trainer has been fantastic from the beginning. carl has never put pressure on me when I'm not 100% yet has still applyed enough to make sure I achieve everything I can. I have fustrating times when I'm not 100% and always have some sort of ailment, inflamed joints, stomach ache and back ache to name a few but if you sat around waiting until I always felt 100% I'd never leave the house! Most of the time I've trained myself to ignor these little niggles.
Sometimes I look at myself and say "what the hell am I putting myself through this for" but never have I added "because I'm ill". That what I love about fighting/teaching/training is I can forget I've got it.
I intend to carry on for as long as I can. I'm realistic in the fact that somewhere down the line I may need surgery or things can get worse but that not happening at the moment and I've got loads more to achieve before then anyway.

I could talk for hours about IBD and thats how I've managed to cope so well I think. Finding someone you can talk to about it is helpful just so you have someone who you can just turn to and say I feel awful today and then go and get on with things.

Knowledge is power! I found out as much about it as I could too, I know more about Crohns disease than most of the Dr's , afterall it is my body!

Good Luck Stephen, if you don't let it beat you it won't!

I have just read back on your comments Mark about treating the cause and not the symptoms. I totally agree and to treat the cause is obviously the best way to go.
However the big problem with IBD and probabley alot of other diseases no-one is able to tell what has caused it. What triggers in one person may not be the same as the next.
IBD has been linked to many things, a bacteria out of control in the gut after gastroenteritis, measles gab, cows milk, external factors, genes, the list is endless.
I wish I knew what has caused the disease in me then it would be so easy just to treat it.
It is a vicious circle. You take steriods or such like drugs and they control the inflamation whilst you take them but when you stop your body doesn't store these medications and more times than not the symptoms come back. I have to look at trying to keep myself healthy so that when I stop taking medication my body will be healthy enough to keep going or I can then try alternatives.

I have used alternative medicines and these things have gone some way to help improve the symptons but if I stopped taking the western medicines then it is almost certain that a major flare-up would occur fairly quickly not leaving me enough time for the alternatives to start working.

I hope that one day soon someone will be able to pin point the cause and find a cure!

I will be using your sources mentioned to further equip myself, Thanks

Thanks for the supportive messages and informative leads. I think I've taken the same approach that this won't stop me from fighting. Now, age, career, that will at some point in the not too distant future, but as long as I can train right, it's too infectious not to fight.

I'm taking Colazal, and must say my compliance is excellent after 2 weeks, and my condition has vastly improved. I'm fair-skinned, but for 5 months was nearly translucent and looking downright anemic. I feel stronger and the disease isn't flaring and running me down as much, nor is the stress augmenting the mental anguish.

I do hope a cure is found someday!!

Good point Jenny about knowing more than most doctors, my buddy is the same. He has told me there is a medication used in Australia that has 90% plus remission rate. It is not allowed in Canada as of yet. Any of you upside downers have any info?

Jenny-I'm no expert. The one way of looking at underlaying imbalances in the body that I have seen is metabolic typing. It makes a lot of sense to me.

Its hard with IBS (my dad has it, colitis and large intestines removed etc). My dad also has ME (chronic fatigue syndrome in Canada). He ran into a guy that claims he cured himself. He told me dad to go on a high protein diet (thats what worked for him). Though the chronic fatigue didn't disapear (I think there are many life style factors to consider) his IBS improved way more than it ever had and was better than from the get go.

My dad resently did metabolic profiling and it shows he's a protein type. Much of it is learning to listen to your body. He's always said he felt better on meat. Now the amounts and quality of protein I don't think where idea but the fact is he had great improvment eating according to his metabolic type (even though he didn't know thats what he was doing).

The Metabilic Typing Diet-William Wolcott and Trish Fahey
How to Eat Move and Be Healthy-Paul Chek

I think they are both worth a read to anyone, regardless of symptoms.

Mark, totally agree with you listening to your body is the most important thing. I'm gonna check out the metabolic typing, my consultants and doc's have always suggested that high fibre things (veggies etc)are the way to go but these are a complete nightmare for me, so I could be a protien type like your dad, meat never really causes a problem for me (unless it's covered in a veggie based sauce of course!). Thanks again for the info :-)

Donald - My consultant did mention something about a new type of medication that has been successful but I thought it was in the US. Something to
do with treating and removing a type of bacteria in the gut. I think some research has shown that this type of bacteria is present in everyone and is one of the "healthy" ones but in some people it creates an immune system response which causes the inflammation. As mentioned before no-one can say why one person reacts and another doesn't. Don't know if thats the one your friend had heard about.
I have also read about trials of thalidomide to treat Crohn's.
I'd be interested to hear of any other info.

Jenny-they tell you something and YOU know its not right. You can feel it.
I wouldn't recommend eating any specific way untill I got tested. However it can't hurt to try yourself.

If you eat a health meal that is preportioned in macronutrients that is right for you, you should feel better after it.

There are digestive issues and things like parasites etc to take into consideration too.

The "How To Eat, Move and Be Healthy" book covers things like stress, parasites, digestion, sleep/wake cycles etc etc

Both books have refferances for areas that they mention but don't go into as deeply.

Digestion for example
-the amount you chew your food

-what are you doing as you eat-let say doing something stressful then that can effect digestion

-I'm would guess you can say from experiance that you do better on a smaller meal

Now things like this are small and the problem is much bigger. But I think these things play a factor.

My point is I believe in an holistic aproach.

Good luck and share anything you find out.

I'm a protein type too...did the metabolic typing and consulted a registered dietician. Thanks again Mark...hoping for continued improvement!

I presume they gave you tips on fine tuning etc?

Awesome-feel any changes?

Good luck and let us know what happens.

Have you looked into Colonic Irrigation/colon hydrotherapy?

http://www.taringa.com/colitis.htm

Jenny

Ido remember him saying something along the same lines. I know he was on a ton of stuff steroids and immuron plus a couple more. I beleive he has dropped all the meds but the imuron and he has scaled that down as well. The steroids were really causing havoc with him. I will ask him for an update and some specifics on the treatment avalible down under.

certainly there is a time and place but if I remember right the person you are talking about is doing better off most of them???-off topic

Your right on buddy, he went thru a bit of a transition but is much better for it. He has been on those drugs a long time and it really came down to quality of life. He had had enough and let his Doc know those days were done. He has to watch his diet very closley and I sure wish him luck. After the last sugery it was evident the next time he would have a bag. Its nuts they really have no idea what causes this desease, how many around the globe are effected/

My dad has a bag-his problems have gotten much better since stopping the drugs they were pushing and eating differently...

Again-time and place. This is a crazy and complex issue. But its sad that nutrition is looked at to such a small degree by the éxperts'.

Its silly, i was told by my consultant when I suggested testing for food intolerances/allergy etc that this was not worthwhile as this is not the cause. However in my mind I know that certain foods cause real problems but I have no idea which ingedients so I have to follow a slow process of elimination, trial and error.
Is that not ubserd? to tell a person with a digestive disorder that the food they eat has no bearing on the problem!?!
Nutrition or the wrong nutrition may not be the cause but it sure adds to the symptoms.
A digestive care nurse at the hospital told me that she had worked in gastro care for the last 40 years and in the previous 20 years the cases of IBD (inflamatory bowel diseases) had risen hundreds of times and she was treating far more people in their 20's. She believed that the age of processed food, additives and genetically modified foods had a major part to play in the increased number of patients.
Nutrition should play a much bigger part in the treatment of IBD and plenty of other medical conditions, afterall you are what you eat!

Have you tried gutting out wheat and gluten. I've read that about 65% of people have an intolerance.

Now if thats the case you have to consider the meat you eat. If the cows are grain fed (they are made to eat grass) you could have problems if you are gluten intolerant.

then the slicing and dicing and mixing of genes etc with plants

if you have a food intolerance or are allergic to one but they use that to make another 'better' then...

oraganic in my opinion is the safest bet

It goes to show a little about the medical system. We don't take care or look at the body and its function. Look at a symptom and deal a prescription.

How many docs or specialists you talked to ask you about your stool? That can tell you lots about digestions and elimination process (BOTH important)

Good luck Jenny-every step is a step closer :)

Most of us have some problems with digestion. Eating what your body should and limiting stress should help, no?

Points on digestion-stress doesn't help. That said eating while studying/ watching the news, reading news paper or having an arguement isn't going to help. Take a break, relax and enjoy. :)

Chewing food properly-digestion starts in the mouth (I eat too fast, working on it). Also bigger partly chewed portions can't be broken down. Which also means that parasites etc can make it past stomach and loge in small intestines.

I would imagine looking at all these factors should help too.

Digestive enzymes might be of some help to some. I think Brad Kings product is good. There is a cheaper one I think is good but don't recall name. (look at company)

May have mentioned some of above already-lazy to reread and working on memory :)

Pisand & Jenny P .
I have had crohn`s for the past 14 yrs and had every type of test you can imagine . Been on most of the drugs named in modern medicine and the one common denominator is stay fit and fight the diesease .All though I have not competed in muay thai I have trained for 11 of the 14 yrs I have had this S.O.B. and the harder I train the better I feel with acception to those days when the beast inside starts to rare it`s ugly head . On those days rest and no stress if at all possible .

Thanks for the inspiration, cdnjimbo! Will keep fighting it!

Tests are great but they look at symptoms an'd then they never give you anything to fix anything. Just deal with.

Great advise and good on you.

It only makes sense to me that regardless the health problem the healthier you are the better you will function and heal. Will it be enough? Maybe, maybe not but its sure as hell your best base line I think.

cdnjimbo - Cheers for you comments, couldn't agree more!
Let it beat you and it will!
There is such a close link with this horrible disease with the state of the mind and emotions of the sufferer and the amount of activey within.

Positivety of mind and attitude towards the disease in my case has been the best medicine I can ever have! Symtoms never seem as bad or such an issue after a training session because it has given me the opportunity to focus my mind away from the underlying issue, you also get the obvious physical effects of better health and an endorphin release.
On the days when the beast inside rears it ugly head(great description BTW),training or not, if I let the negativetity and self pity take over then symtoms immediately worsen and cripple me for longer. Where as like you said with rest and a positive attitude I feel better immediately and recovery is quicker.
The modern disease STRESS(however that menifests in an individuals life) will cause an almost immediate reaction in the any healthy bowel. How often do you hear phrases such as
"it made me sick to my stomach"
"I was shitting/crapping myself"
"it was a real pain in the arse"
"my stomach was in knots"
All associated with stressful situations. Bowels are one the first areas in the body to react to stress. Add stress to an IBD and its no wonder that symtoms appear. Not the cause of the disease but an awful mixture!

Jenny-great point. I think mental is huge as do I about balancing stress.

I believe that dealing with stress and limiting it might not be as good an aproach as balancing stress and recovery.

Stress, with balanced recovery, makes us stronger.

There for stress is important. Controling doses and balancing with recovery makes us stronger.

Its a given we will have stress. Its reality.

J. Loehr believes mental and emotional and physical stress are all technically physical. Our thoughts and emotions are results of physical action (chemical/biochemical etc) in the body. He also believes that they all effect each other. Therefor mental, physical, and emotional recovery are needed as well as stress in all areas.

Mentally worrying and emotionally getting upset by the problem is adding more physical stress to the actual problem.

Sounds like you have a great attitude!! I believe that will go a long way.

Makes sense to me not to stress the body more than you need to. Be that chemically concocted toothpaste or negative thinking.

With digestive/elimination problems it makes sense to me to limit the stresses to them the most.

So that makes it easy, the solution is as follows

Parctice Manyana
Move to sunny Mexico
Live a simlistic liestyle
Eat freash clean healthy food

Give me 20 minutes to pack a bag.

Sounds good to me. :)

Hey mark i know should read the previous but i get lazy this late which book was it about metabolic typing ?Hows the training going?

"The Metabolic Typing Diet"

"How To Eat, Move and Be Healthy" (EMBH) covers it and lots of other stuff. I'd get this first but the metabolic typing diet is more indepth in that. You'll like what they say about dentists

Training is coming great. Pacing myself and don't have alot of time right now. Rebuilding my body and retraining my body to work as it should. MuayThai is secondary for the moment. Might be ready to fight this year. :) This morning I had my strength coach and in afternoon I did some MT. Things feel good. Working on correcting skills while I rebuild body.

Feel great! (tho a couple late nights) Look out. I'm coming back ;)

SOURCE: American Journal of Gastroenterology, July 2005.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Consuming a mixture of eight good, or "probiotic," bacteria reduces symptoms in patients with ulcerative colitis that doesn't respond to conventional medications, new research suggests.

Ulcerative colitis is a severe inflammatory disease of the colon that often produces bloody diarrhea and is associated with an increased risk of colon cancer. Complete removal of the colon is frequently performed to reduce the symptoms of the disease and eliminate the cancer risk.

The probiotic mixture, known as VSL#3, contains four strains of Lactobacillus, three strains of Bifidobacterium and one strain of Streptococcus salivarius -- all well-known species of good bacteria.

Although VSL#3 has been shown to maintain remission of ulcerative colitis, there have been no studies on the mixture's use in the active, symptom-producing phase of the disease, co-investigator Dr. Richard N. Fedorak, from the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, and colleagues note in the American Journal of Gastroenterology.

They therefore enrolled 34 patients with active ulcerative colitis who were treated with VSL#3 twice daily for 6 weeks. A variety of standard treatments had been tried on the patients first, all to no avail.

Remission occurred in 53 percent of the patients and an additional 24 percent experienced some degree of improvement in symptoms. A few patients experienced no improvement or worsening of their symptoms.

The only apparent side effect of VSL#3 was increased bloating, reported by 10 patients.

Testing of sampled tissue provided direct evidence that the probiotic bacteria had, in fact, reached the diseased sites of the colon, Fedorak and his team note.

Interesting stuff...

Bacteria and parisites and fungus etc are related I think.

Its to do with the internal inviroment. Say a doc gave you a drug to kill a parasite. It might do that but your internal enviroment is very welcoming to more. You have to change the enviroment.

If I'm not mistaken bacteria is related too. Taking good bacteria is good but you also need to get rid of bad and change enviroment etc

If that doesn't have big changes on digestion etc I don't know what will.

EMBH, if I remember right, says that 85% good bacteria and 15% bad is what you want and that most N. Americans have about 85% bad and 15% good.

It makes sense to up the good. But to cut back on bad and fungus and parasites etc makes even more sense to me.

Working on making the body work as it should instead of trying this cure and that makes more sense to me.

Adding good bacteria is trying to get it back to how it should be, no?

Pisand, Hows the protien type diet going ? Any positives yet?

I think it has helped, although I had some issues which required corticosteroids. Better now, but I'm hopeful!!

Kepp us posted-did you do the full test of just get nacro nutrient ratios??

Pisand-was it just macronutrient profile or did you get an allowable foods list?

Have you looked at the points on digestion in EMBH?

I finally got a bucket to put my feet on while going to the can. Many of us have said for years you go better squatting in Thailand.

Well that is how we are designed to work and putting feet up is suppose to help.

It certainly came out well this morn.

I have noticed big differances in my stool since I changed my diet etc

Some of you might be grossed out but digestion and elimination are important functions. And I think looking into improving them is big in health. Maybe esspecially with problems in those areas.

You guys looked into the energiesing exercises that go along with digestion.. I think there are some in the book, no?

Not sure what it says but pick one you like and do daily is good but I htink maybe just before or after a meal too... Have to look up... it'd be interesting to look at problem areas you have with your muscles etc too and other parts of the body associated digestive system etc

Point of interest maybe-my allowable foods list changed alot since I did some more questionairs with my NLC from doing the metabolic typing on line..

Any progress reports?

I think there are many factors...sleep, water etc etc

Just posted on metabolic typing thread-might be of interest.

top quality probiotics (something I think one with these types of issues should seriously look into)

Primal Defense-good quality according to a some reaseach a couple friends did and its what my NLC recommends too (my Dad and training partner use)

I don't know all the aplications etc but I think probiotics a huge thing to look into

Garden Of Life is the company
Primal Defense

You can get it all over and on mercola.com

Garden Of Life is the company
Primal Defense

You can get it all over and on mercola.com

Garden Of Life is the company
Primal Defense

You can get it all over and on mercola.com

Garden Of Life is the company
Primal Defense

You can get it all over and on mercola.com

sorry

I am going to try it, I think its important even for supossedly healthy people. Anyone who has been on antibiotics should give it a try.
I will give impressions after.

talked to my dad. For a short while he was on another one first. Fungal Deffense I think.. then moved on to Primal.

I just ordered Primal for myself..

Hi all on this thread not read threw every thing but some intresting info. So iam not allown on this one. I have had UC since 2003. Still tring to get used to it had a bad year this year with it. had to cancel both of my show i had planned this year. Had 2 flair up. on Steriods at the moment see what happens this time.

jenny we have met a couple of times at carls show i had no idea you crohns we will need to talk and may be you can give me some advice on how you deal with it. hope the show went well on 4th Dec.

I am still looking for alternative medince tried chinese didnt really do much.has any one had any luck with anything ?

Good luck and keerp us posted on your search for health.

Hey JAG -

Bad year for me too. First, the diagnosis, then the flareups. 6 straight months the first time and I fought 4 times. The Colazal worked then stopped as I had flare #2. The corticosteroids did nothing for me, but the colazal finally seems to be kicking in. Diet is more restrictive for me now and am seeing a nutritionist. It is hard to train at a level for the 4-6 weeks prior to a bout when a flare up could rob you of your strength and health so rapidly. Next up my GI discussed immunomodulators - 6 MP and remicade via IV. Hope to stave off that course and keep the flare ups on hold in 2006.

Good luck. I know how frustrating it can be, so shoot me an email if you need to vent.

Pisand N

My freind was on both Immuron and remacade, but has managed to go drug free. He does not train at a fighters level but is doing mich better. Was talking to him and doing a little reseach, from what I can tell it is connected to a host of things such as thyroid, immune, and obviously intestinal absorbtion levels. I will ask him to post more. He has had removal twice and is in the best health I have seen him in in over 3 years

I think a host of things is correct and much of the drugs given for one thing add to the weakening of another.. like vaccines and the immune system. Antibiotics and the destruction of good bacteria etc etc etc

Which food is the best.

Which food is the worst.

Which foods make you react the fastest?

Which foods have bad delayed reactions?

Which foods possibly but not for certain are bad or good.

I would bet doing an indepth metabolic typing would add up well to what you can feel.

Hey,

Jag - Have sent you a e-mail

Barney - Everybody is differant , no 2 peoples disease are the same. I did read the metabolic typing stuff and that seems really sensible however I think it goes alot deeper than that and its about more than just food.

Jen

I think there are many factors to most things but food is two main things

Fuel and building blocks....

You cannot build or rebuild anything with the wrong building blocks.

Perfect genes cannot be expressed without the materials to build the body.

Repair and healing in the body can only happen when the right building blocks are present.

There is no magic or cure all drugs (they don't cure anything).

There may be times when things like drugs are needed but healing comes from food, water, sun and rest (mental too).

IMO

Price showed without fail, as did Pottenger, that the right building blocks are needed to build and repair the body. Without them you have degeneration.

The worst thing about this diesease is that it`s different for everyone. The university of Tornto has discovered the genetic link in chromasome 5 which is great news.The bad news is that it`s 5-10 yrs away before they have the meds to kick its ass! So for now all of us that suffer from these F`n problems we need to challenge our DR`s and challenge ourselves to be strong eat well and avoid the couch.Myself i am going to try probiotics Primal defensefor three months and be the Jimmypig.Good luck to all,train hard and fight like it`s your last day on earth.
cheers JIM

Sometimes it feels like my last day on earth!!

cdnjimbo do you have any references to the recent U. of TO study? Journal, authors?

Thanks,
Pisand N

Pisand, all I know about the study is that it came from the health sciences lab. approximatley a year and a half ago . Have you had any intestine removed yet?If or if not you should check out the web site www.themakersdiet.com I cant`t put any gaurntees on this stuff but this guy has experienced this first hand so i have thought why not give it a go ? The dr`s have already said that I can`t really afford to lose any more guts (58 cm is enough)A couple of hundred for a chance isn`t that bad if it works. Traditional med has pissed me off enough over the last 15 yrs. I would like the oppourtunity to kick this diseases ass if it would only come out of the corner .
My email is here as well if you don`t want to post about it.
cdnjimbo

Discoveries Help Unravel Genetics of Inflammatory Bowel Disease;
Scientists Find First Gene Involved in Causing Ulcerative Colitis

December 2003

Researchers at Johns Hopkins have linked versions of two different genes with the inflammatory bowel diseases known as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. The discoveries are a crucial step in developing new treatments and prevention strategies for these disabling conditions that together afflict 1 million Americans, the scientists say.
The first discovery demonstrates that a version of the NFKB1 gene was an important risk factor for ulcerative colitis. NFKB1 is the gene that contains the DNA sequence for nuclear factor kappa B (NF-Kappa B) protein, which is one of the foremost regulators of the immune system and programmed cell death. The results are reported in the January 1, 2004 issue of the journal Human Molecular Genetics.

"Our greatest hope is that by identifying the gene abnormalities associated with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), we'll be able to figure out how they contribute to causing disease and then interfere with that process to stop the disease in its tracks," says Steven Brant, M.D., associate professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins, director of the Meyerhoff Inflammatory Bowel Disease Genetics Laboratory, whose research team discovered the NFKB1 link.

Evidence from twin studies and the tendency for IBD to run in families strongly suggested a genetic component to the disease, says Brant. Relatives of Crohn's disease patients have a 10-fold risk of developing Crohn's disease, while relatives of ulcerative colitis patients have an eightfold risk of developing ulcerative colitis. In addition, the two diseases appear to be genetically related to each other, as relatives of patients with just one of the diseases have an increased risk of developing either Crohn's or ulcerative colitis.

For these reasons, Brant and colleagues have been searching for genes that might contribute to the development of IBD and, in 2001, they participated in the discovery of the first gene, called NOD2, that was clearly associated with Crohn's disease. These NOD2 Crohn's disease predisposing gene variants occur in 30 percent to 40 percent of patients with the disease.

In the current study, Brant's team focused on the NFKB1 gene, which in addition to IBD, may have a role in a variety of diseases including cancer, AIDS, asthma, arthritis, shock, lung disease, diabetes, atherosclerosis, and stroke. A major clue that NFKB1 may be involved in IBD was uncovered when it was shown that NFKB1 seems to be responsible for mice genetically predisposed to developing colitis, says Brant.

The team searched the DNA of 235 families with IBD (from Johns Hopkins, the University of Chicago and the University of Pittsburgh) in which 131 had offspring with ulcerative colitis for evidence of a link between the disease and the NFKB1 gene. They found six variants of the gene, and showed that one variant--involving a small deletion of the NFKB1 gene sequence--influences the amount of NFKB1 gene product made. Closely examining the pedigrees with several genetic techniques revealed that this NFKB1 deletion variant was significantly increased in the 131 ulcerative colitis offspring, and thus strongly suggested a link between the gene variant and ulcerative colitis. They then replicated this finding in a second, independent set of patients (including those from University of Toronto) with ulcerative colitis. The researchers suggested that this NFKB1 deletion may potentially be important in the some of the many other diseases where NFKB1 has been shown to play a role.

In the second study, appearing in the December 2003 issue of the American Journal of Human Genetics and led jointly by Brant and Judy Cho, M.D., of the University of Chicago, they found that a version of another gene, called MDR1, is strongly associated with Crohn's disease and possibly ulcerative colitis as well.

The DNA of 1,118 individuals, including 558 patients with IBD and 329 families in which at least one person had the disease, was examined using several genetic techniques. They found a clear association between IBD and the MDR1 gene. Like NFKB1, mouse genetic studies similarly suggested that the MDR1 gene was important in colitis, alerting researchers to the potential importance of MDR1 to human IBD.

"Taken together, these new discoveries combine with the original NOD2 gene discovery and will hopefully lead to ways to intervene and possibly prevent IBD from occurring," says Brant. In addition to their association with IBD, Brant hopes the new discoveries will prove useful to researchers working on different diseases.

Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis primarily affect the intestines, resulting in pain, severe diarrhea, intestinal bleeding, weight loss, and fever. Symptoms vary in severity and duration; some patients suffer from frequent prolonged attacks, and others have fewer recurrences. The disease usually starts in the adolescent or young adult years. In ulcerative colitis, the inner lining of the colon is inflamed. People with Crohn's disease have similar inflammation, but it extends deeper into the intestinal wall and can also involve the small and large intestines.

Researchers from Johns Hopkins University, University of Chicago, University of Pittsburgh, and the Cleveland Clinic participated in both studies, and researchers from University of Toronto and New York University participated in the NFKB1 study. These studies were funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America, the Meyerhoff IBD Center, the Stewart W. Bainum family, the Reva and David Logan Foundation, the Scaife Family Foundation, the Israeli Society of Gastroenterology, Toyobo Biotechnology Foundation, the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of Canada, the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and the Gastrointestinal Research Foundation.

Functional Annotation of a Novel NFKB1 Promoter Polymorhpism that Increases Risk for Ulcerative Colitis. Amir Karban, Toshihiko Okazaki, Carolien I. Panhuysen, Thomas Gallegos, James J. Potter, Joan E. Bailey-Wilson, Mark S. Silverberg, Richard H. Duerr, Judy Cho, Peter K. Gregersen, Yuqiong Wu, Jean-Paul Achkar, Themistocles Dassopoulos, Esteban Mezey, Theodore M. Bayless, Franklin J. Nouvet, Steven R. Brant. Human Molecular Genetics. January 1, 2004. MDR1 Ala893 Polymorphism is Associated with Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Steven R. Brant, Carolien I. M. Panhuysen, Dan Nicolae, Deepthi M. Reddy, Denise K. Bonen, Reda Karaliukas, Leilei Zhang, Eric Swanson, Lisa W. Datta, Thomas Moran, Geoffrey Ravenhill, Richard H. Duerr, Jean-Paul Achkar, Amir S. Karban, Judy H. Cho. American Journal of Human Genetics. December 2003.

I haven't had any removed and really that outcomes frightens the hell out of me. Thanks for the information too. I only hope a cure is on the horizon.

aalways the gene thing.. it would be nice if they spent some time and money on things they can't patten and make money on like health and repairing the body.

this is my analogy of gene and expression of genes cause its like e=mc2 in that the expression is squared

gene=type of car
expression=what you do to it

e.g.

sports car
4x4

both genes-which handles better in the snow???? well 4x4 of course, no?

expression

sports car has winter tires
4x4 has slicks

now which do you want??

Obviously gene make a huge differance with where the body can go but I believe the expression of the those genes is a way larger determining factor.

The research dollars go to ways of making money. They largely come from drug companies and those with interests of selling a product etc cloning and lots of the gene craziness has pattens on them etc and everyone scrambles to patten everything for a buck.

Everyone is different and not the same thing works for all. Thats one of the prob with the focus on gene. The whole attitute is we are weak and need help. Thats the system.

Western med=almost NO healing or repair...

Isn't that what you want to do to something thats broken?

By the way I'm happy with my Garden of Life probiotics (primal deffense) strong stuff!!

Hey , Mark
The primal defense is amazingly strong . I also have the book called THE MAKERS DIET so far it is pretty good at this point , some of the context is very religious .I am also taking their living multi ,and Q-zyme seems to be agood combination so far .Hope you and yours had a great holiday .
JIM

It is strong. I had upset stomach etc afor a few days when I started with one. I am up to 3 now and all is well.

you mean from Garden of Life??

Good to see you on here cndjimbo. This is who I think it is isn't it??

Keep me posted on the book.

Hopefully see you in a couple months if not sooner :)

I don't. I really don't know much about the disease or the cons of it.

the thing with degenerative disease though is its a group of symptoms in different people. The CAUSE isn't nessasarily the same in everyone.

Imbalance in the body manifests itself in many ways.

please name one drug that heals the body or has cured anyone of a degenerative disease.

Restoring balance.

Your body is constantly replacing cells.

what you eat is fuel and building blocks. Be that for the lining of your colon or for the making of immune system cells.

The body has amazing powers to heal. What else can heal????? Drugs don't heal. Nutrients don't either. Both may create a situation where its easier to heal or nutrients may provide nessasary builing blocks. But only the body heals.

Pharmasy drugs are leagal poison. They may be needed at times and they may have their purpose but they don't HEAL.

The only way to heal is to help to body do what its made to.

I am not saying there is never a time and place for pharmasuticles.

But they will not heal.

They damage the body too.

some cases, like arthritis common drugs for the disease speed it up. Oh of course it masks pain but its NOT about healing.

I don't know when to take prescription drugs and when not to or which ones for this problem or most others.

But you have to also consider that the companies making the drugs bottom line is money.

In the US, BY LAW, the share holders come first. You MUST put the share holders interest infront of all else. BY LAW!!!!!!

By law your health IS NOT thier first concern.

Where do we get our beliefs from in large when it comes to health/med etc?

Media? There to SELL you something (bottom line money)
Docs-they get much of info once out in field from the reps of these big companies that are legally bound to make money above anything else.
(while in school where does much of the funding come for what they learn??)

That in itself is enough to make me look else where and to look deeper.

Yeah!

What he said

Stay away from the Pusher Man

lol

Pretty interesting when you look at money as being the bottom line BY LAW. I mean if they go for a safer product and more testing and etc etc costs more, less profit. By law profit comes first.

Isn't that scary?

In regards to ulcerative colitis, I used to live with someone that had a chronic problem. It showed up completely negative on colonoscopy after 6-8 months of supplements, healthy eating, and a reduction in stress levels to some extent.

Im not sure where the exact diet is I worked up as I have moved too many times (sorry) but the basis of the diet was high doses of spirulina tablets, Aloe vera juice (first and last thing to enter your body during the day), Floradix Iron Solution, clean, unprocessed and unspiced food. He was only having fruit, water and supplements up until midday, but he was not training and the diet was solely to clear the problem. Obviously you will need some protein in the early hours..not just the fruit. There are also a few herbs that are great but ill have to dig for their names. Oh, and a reduction in caffeine. That was the hardest thing.

What works for one person may not work for someone else though, so its just a matter of experimentation. My sister has the same problem, and she swears by aloe vera juice as well.

Hope this helps :-)

My Life Styles Coach has my Dad on Aloe vera as well (has IBS and colitis). Not sure what for (liver maybe) but maybe a connection.

Pete-good to hear. Thanks!

Anytime Mark...just a note that the aloe juice doesn't taste great either (think chlorine) but at least they have now brought out flavoured varieties so we no longer have to hold our noses while we drink it!! The other thing is that you need to take very, very small doses to start with until you get used to it. Definately worth a try though...

Go for quality. I know my Dads taking a specific one and not just any.

Lily Of The Desert Aloe Vera Juice

Since its USDA Organic I would guess its in the US as well.

Ingredients-Certified organic aloe vera juice, citric acid (pH adjuster)

I was diagnosed w/ Ulcerative Colitis late in 2001.
I used to train and fight w/ Tommy Bottone. I stopped because a busy work and home schedule didnt allow me time to train. However, even if i wanted to, i probably wouldnt have been able to anyway.

When i first got it, it started w/ severe stomach pains and extreme bloating. So much bloating that my stomach was swollen and it hurt to walk. That was followed by frequent trips to the bathroom and blood in the bowl.
I went to a doctor who prescribed asacol. i was taking 3 pill 3 times a day (9 totatl) which did almost nothing. I did this for 1 1/2 years. I seemed to aleaviate the pain and bloating a bit, but the frequent bathroom trips and blood continued daily. I eventualy stopped taking the medicine because in addition to doing almost nothing, my hair began thinning (one of the side effects)

I did a lot of research on my own to try and correct it through natural means.
Its funny because most sites i went to said something a little different. One site I found made perfect sense to me. I found that it usually develops following a bad stomach virus. It kills of certain enzymes in your stomach that are supposed to exist to help break down food. Then when you eat certain foods, your body cant break them down correctly. Especially high carbohydrate foods. Foods high in carbohydrates produce yeast which your body can no longer break down properly. Because of its inability to break it down correctly, it sees it as a virus and starts to attach it. This leads to pain, inflamation, blood, etc... So the site suggested an all protein diet to eliminate carbs and the production of yeast in the stomach. ANYWAY, I tried it the best I could and that didn't help.

I began look at supplements. I found that glutamine was also supposed to help.
This article is from http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/vm8.htm
"How Does It Work?

Skeletal muscle is a major player in the release of glutamine during times of need. It has even been hypothesized that skeletal muscle releases the majority of glutamine into plasma when required by other tissues (Rowbottom, 1996). However, during these times of extreme need, as in the case with the overtraining syndrome (OTS) and intense exercise, more glutamine is required than the body is able to produce. This is why glutamine has been declared a "conditionally" essential amino acid.

It is during these times that it is necessary to supplement because the body cannot synthesize enough to meet demands. Glutamine supplementation is also used in patients suffering from gastrointestinal disorders such as Crohn's disease, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and peptic ulcers because the lining of the gastrointestinal tract has the highest turnover of cell production and preferentially uses glutamine stores. It is also used for the treatment of AIDS, cancer, burn victims, autoimmune diseases, fibrosis, stress, fatigue, and alcoholism. It has also been suggested that glutamine stimulates the release of growth hormone (Welbourne, 1995). "

ANYWAY, that didn't work either.

So, I went to another doctor. She prescribed 'Pentasa'. Well this finally worked. It worked almost instantly. No pain, no bloating, normal trips to the bathroom, no more blood, and my hair has grown back.
I've been taking it about 8 months and it works great.
So, in my experience, diet had no effect, Supplements had no effect, and in some cases even medicine had no effect. So, what i would suggest is try one medicine, if that doesn't work after a few months try another. If your doctor wont give you another, try a new doctor.
Good Luck

everyone says something different

everyone IS different...

different aproach for everyone....?

whats pentasa?

"Dr. Mercola's Comment:

Inflammatory bowel diseases, like Crohn's and ulcerative colitis, can devastate people's health. Many patients wind up having extensive sections of their colon removed to address the problem or wind up on long-term high-dose steroid therapy that devastates their health with the side effects listed above.

This is particularly tragic, as natural therapies are so effective in this disease. It is quite rare where I have not seen dramatic results when they were used.

This study used fish oil, antioxidants and supplements and was able to identify a significant improvement. However, there are a number of other powerful approaches that work synergistically with the fish oils that I will address in a moment.

Patients with ulcerative colitis may have abnormally low levels of EPA and DHA, and they are the essential fatty acids found in fish oil. These fats have profound anti-inflammatory properties by modulating the prostaglandins that contribute to inflammation. The other way to enhance their effect is to reduce your consumption of omega-6 vegetable oils, as they will nearly always decrease the fish oil's effectiveness.

Corn oil, "vegetable" oil in salad dressings, safflower, peanut, sunflower and sesame oils are all high in omega-6 fats and should be avoided or seriously limited to maximize the benefits of the omega-3 fats.

It is also important to make certain you increase the amount of healthy fish fat in your diet with a high-quality supplement that is free of mercury and PCBs. Many of you know I'm a fan of the Carlson's brand of fish oil and cod liver oil, as I have seen clear and often substantial improvements in my patients who use it. It is clearly one of the cleanest fish oils on the market. You can find the Carlson's fish oil or cod liver oil at your local health food store, or, for your convenience, in our store.

One other hint with omega-3 fats: Don't try to substitute flaxseed oil for fish oil as it simply will not work. Your body needs the 22 carbon omega-3 fat DHA to have a serious impact on this disease, not the lightweight 18 carbon omega-3 ALA found in flax.

Five other approaches for treating inflammatory bowel disease:

Avoid sugar, as it will increase inflammation by increasing your insulin levels.

Avoid grains until symptoms are under control. Many with inflammatory bowel disease have gluten sensitivities. Additionally, the grains tend to increase insulin levels in most.

Make sure your vitamin D levels are optimized. Vitamin D appears to be nearly as effective as the omega-3 fats that are mentioned in this study. It is my belief that it is gross malpractice for a physician to take care of a person with this problem and not regularly monitor their vitamin D levels.

Get plenty of beneficial bacteria--which will help to heal your intestinal tract--in your diet. My favorite way to do this is by drinking cultured raw milk kefir--an incredibly healthy enzyme- and probiotic-rich food that tastes like tart yogurt.

Many have also noticed that Primal Defense, another type of probiotic, is particularly useful for this problem."


Quite a few articles on www.mercola.com

these are some comments after an article

"Dr. Brasco is one of the leading natural medicine gastroenterogists in the country.

COMMENT By J. Brasco MD:

The association between disease and alterations in gut microbes has long been attested to in the area of natural medicine. Research in conventional medicine has finally recognized this relationship and has thus produced some very exciting results. The article by Ms. Vines highlights the potential role of sulfur consuming bacteria in colonic disease. While quite interesting, this article is directed to a nonprofessional audience and thus many of her statements will have to be corroborated by reference back to the original scientific material.


However, in general terms, after reading this piece one might conclude that avoidance of sulfur containing foods would be beneficial to one's health. While I completely support avoiding processed foods and foods preserved with sulfur, to avoid foods that contain natural sources of sulfur, i.e. meats, poultry, seeds, legumes, onions, eggs, garlic, etc. is something I do NOT support. Natural medicine has long recognized the importance of sulfur containing foods as a vital part of a healthful diet. Sulfur containing compounds and amino acids are crucial for healthy joints, hair and nails, proper immune function and insulin homeostasis, just to name a few.


It has instead been my experience that starches and sugars are more culpable in giving rise to gut dysbiosis then the aforementioned sulfur containing foods. When patients follow a dietary program, which emphasizes grain and starch restriction, symptoms usually associated with dysbiosis (including yeast overgrowth) quickly dissipate.


One last point of contention with Ms. Vines article is her association of meat consumption and colon cancer. While this association is often just assumed by most individuals, epidemiological data has not always borne this out as true. In a study by Franceschi et. al. (Int. J. Cancer 72.56-61 (1997)) she examined the dietary habits of over 2000 patients with colorectal cancer as compared to 4000 controls.

What this study demonstrated was a negative correlation with coffee, tea, vegetables, and fish; no association with meats and eggs; and a positive correlation (i.e., increased risk of cancer) with the consumption of breads, cereals, potatoes, cakes, desserts and refined sugars. The etiology of this association is likely twofold. First the hyperinsulinemia promoted by starches and sugar has been shown to have a potential carcinogenic effect and secondly these foods also promote dysbiosis, which in turn may promote malignancy.


In conclusion, sulphur-containing bacteria may turn out to play a significant role in human disease, but I would still focus on grains, starches and refined sugars as the primary promoters of deleterious alterations in gut microbes."


after one of articles on site

What do we know about vitamin D.
Specifically the amount of sun we receive and whether supplements will give the same benifits as sun.

I used to be of the opinion that actauls sunlight was needed to get the full package benifits, but that was an opinion I had formed over a decade ago.

I can only imagine there has beeen some changes in the modern era.

I also tried supplemting fish oil. It didn't seem to work. The same website I found that suggested an all Protein det and low carbs also suggested fish oil. So I tried it at the same time. No effect.

I should add that for the past year and a half I have been taking AST Multi Pro 32X Multivitamin and Ultimate Nutrition Super Vitamin B-Complex. Don't know if this may have helped any...




About Pentasa, this is from http://www.ccfa.org/info/about/ucp
Four major classes of medication are used today to treat ulcerative colitis:

1.Aminosalicylates (5-ASA): This class of anti-inflammatory drugs includes sulfasalazine and oral formulations of mesalamine, such as Asacol,® Colazal,.® Dipentum,® or Pentasa,® and 5-ASA drugs also may be administered rectally (Canasa® or Rowasa® ). These medications typically are used to treat mild to moderate symptoms. Without inflammation, symptoms such as diarrhea, rectal bleeding, and abdominal pain can be diminished greatly. Aminosalicylates are effective in treating mild to moderate episodes of ulcerative colitis, and are also useful in preventing relapses of this disease.


2.Corticosteroids: Prednisone and methylprednisolone are available orally and rectally. Corticosteroids nonspecifically suppress the immune system and are used to treat moderate to severely active ulcerative colitis. (By "nonspecifically," we mean that these drugs do not target specific parts of the immune system that play a role in inflammation, but rather, that they suppress the entire immune response.) These drugs have significant short- and long-term side effects and should not be used as a maintenance medication. If you cannot come off steroids without suffering a relapse of your symptoms, your doctor may need to add some other medications to help manage your disease.


3.Immune modifiers: Azathioprine (Imuran®), 6-MP (Purinethol®), and methotrexate. Immune modifiers, sometimes called immunomodulators, are used to help decrease corticosteroid dosage . Azathioprine and 6-MP have been useful in reducing or eliminating some patients' dependence on corticosteroids. They also may be helpful in maintaining remission in selected refractory ulcerative colitis patients (that is, patients who do not respond to standard medications). However, these medications can take as long as three months before their beneficial effects begin to work.


4.Antibiotics: metronidazole, ampicillin, ciprofloxacin, others.

Hello all, it has been a month since I started a regime with primal defense at first upset G.I. After a weeks period I started to feel better and noticed a slight change in how my body was absorbing food . Hopefully this trend will continue .My training has increased And look forward to a very healthy and active new year .Hey mark drop me an email I have a few questions on some nutrititon . To all have a look at the garden of life web site its worth the time .I have had 58 cm 17 inches removed and so far so good with the primal defense and the optimal multi . And no I am not a company rep.
Cheers for now Jim

Good to hear Jim!!

The bacteria is very important. Sad docs don't work with you onthis when they drug you and ruin it all etc

I think it makes certain vits as well as being impoprtant for making.

I'm learning more and more about digestion etc...

And one of the main focuses when you start to try to find health must be to make sure you have proper digestion.

Inflamation is a big problem with many people.

Processed gains and pasturized dairy will cause inflamation in many. Not to mention all the adatives and poisons and preservatives, and colouring agents and chemicals to mask smells and add smells, fungiside/pesticide/herbiside etc resedues (get even crazier mixes when cooked), eating the wrong foods for your metabolic type, over eating, eating too fast, prescription drugs etc etc etc etc all often cause inflamation

K so when the gut is inflamed you often get leaky gut syndrome. Your food leaks out and enters the body. The bodies see it as a prob and develops antigens (or is it antibodies). This creates food allergies(or more accuratly food sensitivities). Pretty soon many other things you eat may upset your gut.

This is more so a prob if you eat the same things all the time (along with what ever is inflaming the gut to start). Lets say you can eat apples no prob but you eat them all the time. This will often lead to a sensitivity to apples. And they now add to your problem.

I don't see how one can hope to try to heal something as severe as colitis without addressing these types of issues.

(remember most drugs cause inflamation) Infact why not look at the side effects of the drugs you want to try and check it out first.

The CHEK Inst uses a food rotation diet to try to minimize some of these issues while also trying to get a variety of foods.

This may not all be exact so don't take it all word for word but its pretty close to what I'm learning AND experiancing.

If the food you eat bloats you, gives you gas, gives you a stomach ache...maybe you shouldn't eat it.

Also, some quality suppliments for digestion should help. But everyone is different. Supplimenting for your metabolic type would be the key.

drugs do nothing to try to restore health or balance in the digestive system.

I don't know when but maybe they are needed at times..but they will never heal you, only mask symtoms-which is your body trying to tell you to wake up and what you're doing isn't working...untill eventually it grows and becomes very serious..

Its not easy and I don't know all the answers but I don't see how any aproach, without inmproving digestion, makes any sense.

in terms of metabolic typing...

protein types will not digest carbs (alone) well
carb types won't digest protein well (alone)

though protein fat and carbs should always be eaten together...just the right ratios for your body

stop stressing the digestive system would be a big step to allow it to start healing, no?

"The Fungas Link" (there "The Fungus Link 2" as well). Might be worth a read too..

microwaved and irradiated foods etc will do no good as well...

Did we mention GM foods inflame the gut too.

Interestingly its damn near impossible to buy processed packaged foods that do not contain GM foods.

(whats the biggest pharm drug on the market?)

want to do some interesting reading on GM Foods go to www.mercola.com and type in "GM" etc

Whats the web address of Garden Of Life ?

Mark - You are so right about additives etc. It's very scary when you look at ingredient lists on packaging and the list has 20 items and I only know and can pronounce what a 1/3 of them are. The other 2/3's being horrible chemicals with no nutritional benefit!
I've started to buy as much organic stuff as possible after reading 'how to eat move and be healthy'. It's working out more expensive but I feel better for it and it tastes far better.
I also watched a programme about hydrogenated fat in processed food and that scared me!
This whole good nutrition thing is great but I have a real nightmare when I shop as it takes forever as I have to look at the labels on everything now.

jenny-buy stuff without lables ;)

I know. Its hard at first. Produce doesn't add up real fast but animal products and meat get up there in price fast.

I mean twice the price on a couple peppers adds up to a few cents on the bill. But quality dairy, eggs, meat get up there.

I found a guy that does mass orders a couple times a year to bring prices down. I was getting Ozy steaks (grass fed organic) $2.67 a steak Canadian!!

Eggs I can find organic but not certified (thats costs them alot) all over cheap.

If you llook around you can probably find farms etc that sell-cutting out the middle man cuts costs.

But yeah, real food and quality food does cost more.

Its funny how many people drive $50,000 cars and eat 99cent burgers.

Good to hear your feeling better!! :) I'm studying this stuff more and more (just went to a seminar in the US and will be doing a course soon-I also can ask my NLC questions so if some of it doesn't make sense feel free to ask-I might know :P)

Having Goatein right now (Garden Of Life). I didn't buy it. My bud did but had probs with digesting it... Just had a couple wisdom teeth pulled so thought I'd try (hard to keep in mouth-lip still numb)

Jenny-just took a look. Its gardenoflife.com ;)

If its primal deffense you're looking for you can also get on ultralifeinc.com

pretty sure you can. They have a good probiotic too.

Besides the probiotics and in future fish oil-thats where I get my suppliments

yeah med drugs will actually make it all worse...

I don't know if I mentioned food rotation but here is a brief explination of some of the benifits

"By rotating foods based on genetic families, the immune system gets a much needed rest and there is much less exposure to the same antigens over and over, decreasing the over all inflammatory response to any given food foodstuff."

This is especially important with gastrointestinal inflammation which is caused by a million things. Med drugs often cause it. I would guess if you have gut issuse you have inflammation also..

gastrointestinal inflammation leads to leaky gut syndrome.. "The result will be that undigested food particles make it past the gut wall, overloading the liver. These particles are very likely to get into general circulation where the immune system will attack them quite logically and produce capillary leakage."
quotations from-The Chek Report issue #10, Paul Chek
a little backwards there but...a little note on food rotation to give you an idea

if youhave a leaky gut and every morning you have milk then more likely than not you will develop sensitivity to milk (not that crap processed milk doesn't help do that to start with)

Have been on the fungal defense for a little bit now up to 8 a day with one more week to go. I have had a little bloating and some gas which I usually do not have. Hardest thing is tring to cut down on things I know increase the wheat content. Pasta, bread and beer, but working at it.

Primal defense next.

Mark' more on the leaky gut.

I don't know it well enough in detail but undigested food particles litterally leak into the body and the body sees them as invaders and attacks.

The more you eat the same foods but more you develop deffenses to them and you become food sensitive or intollerant which leads too more inflammation and more leakt gut and it goes on and on unless it is adressed. Not with meds(many cause inflammation) but with eating the right foods for you and possibly nessasary to do a food rotaion.

Anyone had a clonic?? Wish me luck :O

Yep, I think they're good. Tell us how you went with the colonic

flexter-I'm not looking forward to the acual act but... :)

I'm having great improvements in digestive system etc but its coming slow and its likely I have some issues that a clonic could greatly help.

Yeh its not the best feeling. BUt I'm sure they can help fix your problem. Better out than in

My CHEK Exercise/NLC coach (by the way Dela Hoya works/ed with one of Cheks students) figures my colon has sagged a little and its likely that stuff passes right over top. The doc will take a look before the procedure but I think I'll be getting cleaned out this month.

Finished the Fungal Defense. Day 5 was about the height of any changes, lots of gas and bloating. Other than that a change in stool color, a little more green and much softer now. Kind of a percolating in my stomach while on them.

Started Pro Biotics today.

here is the link to this article:http://www.newsday.com/news/health/ny-hscroh0316,0,7931075,print.story

Doctor: Infection is at root of Crohn's disease

BY DELTHIA RICKS
STAFF WRITER

March 16, 2006

In the tradition of an Australian Nobel-Prize winner who bucked the establishment, another doctor from down under insists Crohn's disease, an inflammatory bowel disorder, is caused by renegade microbes.

Two decades ago, Dr. Barry Marshall proved bacteria cause stomach ulcers by drinking a vial of Helicobacter pylori, developing ulcers -- then curing himself with antibiotic therapy, forever ending what had prevailed as medical wisdom that stress causes ulcers.

Now, fellow Aussie Dr. Thomas Borody, who recently was awarded the Marshall Prize in Australia for innovative scientific research and who will lecture next week on Long Island, has proposed that Crohn's disease, is caused by Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis (or MAP for short). The microbe is a distant relative of the tuberculosis and leprosy bacteria.

Borody, director of the Centre for Digestive Diseases in Sydney, believes patients can achieve relief with a triple drug regimen he has devised and routinely prescribes.

"What we're dealing with is the Helicobacter phenomenon all over again," Borody said in a telephone interview. "The medical community believes that Crohn's is caused by an overreactive immune system. But they're stuck in their ways, just as they were with the idea that stress caused ulcers. This is another one of those things that is so obvious. What we're saying is that Crohn's disease is most likely caused by an infection."

Over the past 20 years he has conducted a series of studies showing not only the presence of bacteria in Crohn's patients, but that all tend to respond to these three antibiotics: rifabutin, clarythromycin and clofazimine. He will report on data from 213 of his patients at an unusual venue for a medical presentation: the Suffolk Y Jewish Community Center in Commack at 7 p.m. Monday.

Borody is expected to report that as many as 95 percent of his patients have responded to treatment. He was invited to speak at the Y by the organization's director of community affairs, Kelly Alpert Vest, herself a Crohn's patient for 20 years.

After her own exhaustive research, Vest said when she sought Borody's triple-drug therapyshe was turned down by doctors on Long Island and in Manhattan. She ultimately sought treatment in Texas and says she has improved dramatically.

"I invited him to speak because there is a dearth of information out there about MAP and I discovered a lot of resistance to even considering the treatment when I approached the established medical community," Vest said. The Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of American defines Crohn's as chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract that can involve any area from the mouth to the anus.

The disease can lead to ongoing bouts of abdominal pain, diarrhea and tears in the intestinal lining that often bleed. American Jews of European descent are four to five times more likely to develop Crohn's and other inflammatory bowel disorders than the general population. And while all inflammatory bowel conditions have long been thought of as conditions largely affecting whites, there has been a steady increase among blacks.

But conventional medical wisdom holds that an immune system out of whack bombards the gastrointestinal tract. Borody, on the other hand, said the notion of a bacterial cause was first postulated as early as 1913. It has taken until now to prove that antibiotics work.

Dr. Ramona Rajapakse, an assistant professor at Stony Brook University Hospital and a specialist in inflammatory bowel disorders, said there were tests in the past involving antibiotics, which proved negative. She added that ciprofloxacin, the antibiotic used to treat anthrax, is often prescribed for Crohn's because it is a powerful anti-inflammatory agent.

"Patients have actually brought information to me about [Borody]," Rajapakse said, "especially patients in the Jewish community. I explain to them that it's a theory, it's not proven and it's a theory that has been in existence for a long time." Current treatments include anti-inflammatory drugs and others that control the immune system.
Copyright 2006 Newsday Inc.

If you read the article it mentions "Dr. Ramona Rajapakse", who is actually my doctor.

sandon-I just did a course and we went over this specifically :)

This info is not known to many docs but it is known to some in the holistic health field, like Dr Kalish who talked to us about it a few days ago at The CHEK Institute.

Dr. Kalish is an expert on fungus/parasites/yeast etc (as well as hormones) and a large believer in diet. He has had amazing success with his clients but he'll only work with them if they are willing to change their diet and life styles as a foundation is key.

No diet might not cure all but you will cure nothing without it.

Diet will change the internal enviroment to be friendly or hostile to parasites etc

Fungus infections are all over and antibiotics actually feed them and make things worse. Docs are not taught to look for fungus, candida is about the only one.

an enviroment that is friendly to fungus is also friendly to parasites.

Part of the CHEK Inst approach is to normalize the internal enviroment. Recolonise the gut with friendly bacteria (most of us are over run with the bad guys). The good ones keep yeasts, like cadida, at bay etc

are the anitbiotics mentioned also antifungal??? many such treatments are.

I have been tested for H-pylori vis blood and saliva but Dr Kalish said stoole is the way.

Dr. Timmins, Dr Kalish's mentor, stop by too. He's a real expert in these areas as well.

(off topic-do NOT get a clonic if there is a chance you have a parasite infection!)

Flamin 'eck! I think you should do a medical white paper on Ulcerative Coritis Briancal! Brilliant post!

calves-just touching the surface so far...I'm working on learning more though

Just started "Breaking The Vicious Cycle: Intestinal Health Through Diet"
-Elaine Gottschall B.A., M.Sc.

IBS, Crohns, Colitis, Autism-any interest in these subjetcs or health of the digestive system or health in general...

Of course it cam highly recommended (imo)

I don't just pick up a book regardless of the topic (for learning that is)

I got this one specifically for IBS, crohns, colitis etc To learn more about abd to deal with better.

I don't know if anyone has been watching "The Contender Asia" but Alain Sylvestre has Crohn's and continues to train and fight at a very high level even with so many physical limitations commensurate with IMID/IBD. I found this to be particularly inspirational on the show.

Thats awesome, I just did a quick google search on him and he's done alot.
Very Inspirational! Did they cover anything about his crohns on the show (not getting to see it) or did they just mention it?