Re: Re: Thinking of terminating the diet AND what is happening with immune response

[Guest guest]

Kat,"My guess is that as one layer of tissue gets colonized, other layers

are vulnerable. The body attacks the top layers, meanwhile any

available surface area is being colonized, so the attack sites can get

deeper into the tissue. This is why I think Crohn's is just an

"advanced" stage of UC...but I could be totally wrong. I don't know

much about Crohn's."This sounds so logical! I know that most doctors will change the UC to Crohns when fistulas are present. They were trying to say that about my husband, but they couldn't conclusively do it because the samples taken just didn't support it--other than the fact the a fistula had formed. I think to carry on with the hypothesis, the deeper layers become so affected that eventually it 'changes' to Crohns. I think that carrying on with that line of thought, it would then follow that a fistula is an area so weakened that it can no longer effectively fight the bacteria so the body attempts to wall it off. As the body is weakened, this walled off area grows--with anaerobic bacteria--forming a path to the outside of the body and only stopping because there is no more flesh.I have watched my husband change over these last nearly 2 years on SCD. He has trimmed down and felt better inspite of

'growing older.' He still isn't completely well yet, but he is so much healther now than he was when we married 15 years ago. I don't know you, but I think it is entirely possible that you will feel as if you are growing younger as you heal. There is nothing like the glow of good health!I propose a toast! With our raised glasses of our favorite juice/wine/drink, let's cheer on the future while growing younger! ; ) AmeliaTo:

BTVC-SCD Sent: Tue, March 2, 2010 8:13:53 AMSubject: Re: Thinking of terminating the diet AND what is happening with immune response

As far as your question about whether the diet stops your body from

> attacking your colon. I think the theory is that the bacteria produce

> toxins that harm your colon, so your body wants to get rid of them.

> However, the tissues/substance that makes up the bacteria is very

> similar to what makes up the lining of our intestine. Your immune

> cells get confused, and start attacking both the bacteria and your

> colon. Therefore, if you restore the balance of bacteria, your body

> won't feel a need to fight it, and therefore will stop accidentally

> fighting your intestinal lining. (Somebody correct me if I'm wrong on

> this)

I think I have some info to add to this:

It is not that the bacteria look like the cells in the intestinal tract. It is that they attach themselves, and some of them are very stubborn. The only way for the body to get rid of them is for the immune cells to attack the cells they are lodged to to get them off before they cause further damage.

I read an article in the latest scientific american that helped me understand this better. These bacteria are not just little blobs with wiggly things that attach by "sticking" onto stuff. Ecoli, I think it was, hijacks the cell's valves used for osmotic transfer and shoots stuff into the cell to start turning the topology of the cell into a "platforms" onto which it and its buddies can stay firmly attached. Another bacteria shoots virus-like DNA into the cell to change its morphology into something else, can't remember what.

My guess is that as one layer of tissue gets colonized, other layers are vulnerable. The body attacks the top layers, meanwhile any available surface area is being colonized, so the attack sites can get deeper into the tissue. This is why I think Crohn's is just an "advanced" stage of UC...but I could be totally wrong. I don't know much about Crohn's.

When this happens in the small intestine (as will happen after enough of it has gone on in the large intestine), the microvili that absorb nutrition are attacked, so the body is no longer absorbing nutrition, so the stuff that would be broken down goes into the large intestine, fueling the bacteria even more. Hence "the vicious cycle."

I think that is why it takes a LONG time to get better sometimes. The small intestine needs to get repaired before many foods are able to be broken down, but in order for the small intestine to be repaired, the body needs fuel, hence food. So as we starve out the bacteria, not all at once - someone wrote that the more stubborn ones hang out longer, and Elaine wrote that some go dormant and then come back when they think they have more food - we get to absorb more food, and then repair more tissue. But think of how long this takes when we are starting at ground zero! We are running on empty trying to repair a major organ. Most of us have probably been sick for many years leading up to our first flair, so there is a lot of damage to be repaired.

Good news: I always thought aging was this horrible, painful process of losing memory quickly, becoming more soar and tired every month, every year, losing the ability to recognize information, faces, etc., with more autoimmune disorders every so often, and no chance of gaining back a youth that I felt was stolen from me by illness, and losing more and more the energy to do things I used to love doing. That's just was growing up was. BUT! when I think of how much of a drain this whole bacterial imbalance has probably been for many years, I can imagine a day a few years from now, in my early 30's, when I am able to enjoy many of the things I couldn't at age 22. I may feel like I am getting younger, like I did during my yoga days before diagnosis. I may be imagining too much improvement, but I have to hope!

Kat

27

dx UC June 2009

SCD Feb 2010

prednisone, iron, rhodiola rosea, other supplements

[Guest guest]

BUT! when I think of how much of a drain this whole bacterial imbalance has probably been for many years, I can imagine a day a few years from now, in my early 30's, when I am able to enjoy many of the things I couldn't at age 22. I may feel like I am getting younger, like I did during my yoga days before diagnosis. I may be imagining too much improvement, but I have to hope!Amen!! And thanks for the additional info on bacteria. Really interesting stuff. Peace =)Alyssa 15 yoUC April 2008, dx Sept 2008SCD June 2009 (restarted)Azathioprine 50 mg 1x per dayPrednisone 40 mg 1x per day