Posted on 09/16/2004 6:43:08 PM PDT by Born Conservative
Ping
Crohn's is something you definitely don't want to get. I have a bit of ulcerative colitus (the doc said it was a 1 or 2 on a scale of 10) and it is truly a bother.
My ex-husband has ulcerative colitis. After several years of uncontrollable diarrhea, it's now under control. It can be a horrible disease which can really impair your lifestyle.
I knew one poor dude with Chrons. It came and went randomly, and he tried all these pain killers that never worked. The doctor told him Oxycontin won't help, but I think he may have lied because he was a young male, and a bit of a spaz who liked to party... the doc didn't trust him, perhaps???
I would think the doc didn't trust him; prescription narcs can be a very slippery slope. I do remember when I was in nursing school, and one of my first patients was a 30-something male with Crohn's, who was admitted to have a central line inserted (IV line in a large vein in the chest) to receive TPN (nutrition through an IV). I distinctly remember that he was on rather large doses of methadone and Percocet. It can be a very painful disease...
"live bacterium was found in the blood of 14 patients with Crohn's "
So 1/2 the Crohn's pts ...and a few of the other subjects.
Hmmm............
Chrons runs in my family..my Aunt is practically dying from it. She can't eat and not be near a toilet...it's that simple. She weighs next to nothing and has had it since age 35. She is now 50.
Livestock journals knew that bacteria was involved in pig stomach ulcers back in the 40's and could be treated with simple, inexpensive antibiotics.
Yet, for decades, humans with ulcers were subjected to dietary restrictions, blamed for stressful lifestyles, and foisted perpetual courses of some of the world's biggest $elling prescriptions to treat it.
Funny thing was, once the patents on the ulcer drugs ran out - they reincarnated as common, OTC heartburn remedies. At the same time, "news" suddenly came out how human stomach ulcers were linked to pylori bacteria and could be treated with a single course of...you guessed it...simple, inexpensive Tetracycline antibiotics.
Bacteria has been recently linked to some heart disease as well.
bump
Not to mention the HPV link to uterine cancer. Similarly growing evidence links bacteria and viruses to autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes.
I had a cousin who had Crohn's disease. She suffered for many years, unable to eat almost everything. Never gaining any weight. She finally committed suicide over the endless pain of it all. This was before 1980. I felt so sorry for her, and I wish she could have hung in there for today's medicines. RIP, Kay
Haven't there been some experimental treatments with parasitic worms, on the theory that an autoimmune reaction is involved (some remarkable remissions) or is that for another intestinal disorder?
My father was struck with it in his 50s, had to have a piece of intestine removed. He hates milk, never drank it. I'll never forget the onset, sudden, violent and crippling, seeing him hauled off on a stretcher, had never seen him sick before ! Has been mostly OK since (now over 80), occasional trouble, but he never again felt he was totally in control - always the fear of sudden violent attacks so it limited many travel desires.
Sounds like a pretty crappy disease.
Jordan Rubin had that and wrote a remarkable book about his experience coming out of it after being at the point of death. "The Maker's Diet"
I think it is HMSO's or homeostatic soil organisms (not really worms) and probiotics that Jordan Rubin used in overcoming the disease, along with a specific diet (really a very good sound diet). I'm going to read The Maker's Diet again. I went on the 40-day program he suggested; but I don't have ulcerative colitis. The book just rang true to me, and I would feel better if I would just stick to it closer all the time.
Cuturelle is the best probiotic available for help in this area. My daughter has Crohn's and her GI doctor recommended it.
The worms are 'helmenthic therapy'. Look up Dr. Joel Weinstock. It is being used in Europe.
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