Crohn's

[Guest guest]

Hey ,

Thanx for the Chron's info - I didn't know anything about it.

Gee - these auto immune illnesses attacking body parts are a worry hey. Mine attacks my brain as a foreign object (hahaha).

"Crohn's is a very "yucky" disease. Because of it's nature most people don't feel comfortable talking about it or hearing about it. After all, we're not supposed to talk about "those" bodily functions....it's not polite! LOL! "

Oh yes I remember well the first time a doctor said to me "How many times a day do you open your bowels?" I almost fell off the chair from laughter. I just kept imagining a can opener....... not a good image! I had this urge to say Oh ya know, I shit..... etc....

But the worst was when they wanted a stool test (now I think of lounge furniture) in hospital and I had to go in a pan ewwwwww.... I guess you have been through all of that.... *hug*... makes me appreciate the fact that my body only sees my brain as foreign!!

"You just have to plan on spending a LOT of time in the bathroom!"

You must have designed *the* best bathroom. Bookshelves, ornaments, colours you love..... I think if you have Chron's you deserve a beautiful bathroom!!!

Oh prednisone....glad you are not on it now...(glad I am not either! LOL)

How's life treating ya these days sweetie??

Love A.

*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*Believe that there's a light at the end of the tunnel.Believe that you may be that light for someone else.- Kobi Yamada*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=* Aisha ElderwynICQ 55461955aisha@...http://www.elderwyn.com/aishaMailing list: AishaElderwyn-subscribeegroupsBeing Sick:

[Guest guest]

Hello everyone,

I have a 31 year old patient who has a history of 18 + years of living with

severe Crohn's disease resulting in several surgeries and bowel resections

(removal of 23 cm of lg. intestine, 5 ft. of sm intestine, gallbladder

(stones) and appendix). She had a colosomy bag but no longer does. She is

on 5 mg prednisone, gaba pentin and zoloft. She has been on and off

prednisone since age 13. She also has eczema and ws recently divorced. She

gets regular B12 shots

[Guest guest]

Have you read the Makers diet? It is a good read, Dr. Jordin had a

severe battle with Crohn's and battled back from it. He tells all about it and

what worked for him.

I would check it out from the library and see if it is any good for you.

[Guest guest]

Hi s, That's what led me to this way of cooking (and eating!) I don't

have Crohn's but a bacterial infection that caused digestive problems led me

here too. Kim Chee works the best for me. I love it and have it at as many

meals as I can. Heidi has a great recipe in the files section of this

website. There's also a great recipe for Sauerkraut and other ferments. I

can't drink milk and so I think you are very lucky to be able to drink

kefir.

For Crohn's you might want to make sure you're familiar with the Specific

Carbohydrate Diet (SCD)

http://www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info/beginners_guide/beginners.htm

~Robin

[Guest guest]

I prefer his book " Patient Heal Thyself. " I think it focuses more on his

experience suffering from Crohn's and how he effected a recovery. Also,

it is not as heavy on the biblical references.

-

> Have you read the Makers diet? It is a good read, Dr. Jordin had a

> severe battle with Crohn's and battled back from it. He tells all about it and

> what worked for him.

> I would check it out from the library and see if it is any good for you.

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Welcome : Hope you get better quickly!!!!

Vona

On 5/9/05, Bragg <Jesusmightyrock@...> wrote:

>

> I second this about 's book, also he said the Specific

[Guest guest]

I second this about 's book, also he said the Specific Carbohydrate

Diet (SCD) did not work for him. You could also get the Nourishing

Traditions cookbook. Rubin recommends it and I really like it. Others

here can probably tell you of other good cookbooks.

wrote: Have you read the Makers diet? It is a good read, Dr. Jordan

had a

>severe battle with Crohn's and battled back from it. He tells all about

it and

what worked for him.

>I would check it out from the library and see if it is any good for

you.

[Guest guest]

I have ulcerative colitis / proctitis. Over the past couple years I have

added homemade yogurt and sauerkraut to my daily meals. The natural probiotics

have helped heal my gut considerablely.

I would also highly recommned the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD). It is a

scientifically proven diet. Get Elaine Gotchells book, Breaking the Vicious

Cycle. May good health food stores now carry it, or you can get it on Amazon.

Also get on the SCD message boards like this one.

Tim

[Guest guest]

> I would also highly recommend the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD).

<snip>

> Also get on the SCD message boards like this one.

>

The thing about the SCD diet that I think could be questioned is that

promotes trying to starve out any microbial organisms in the human gut

including the beneficial probiotic species.

Bruce

[Guest guest]

>>>>>>>>> The thing about the SCD diet that I think could be questioned is

that

promotes trying to starve out any microbial organisms in the human gut

including the beneficial probiotic species.

Bruce >>>>.

I've wondered about that too, Bruce. I assume that good and bad bacteria

" eat " the same things?

That said, wouldn't the SCD still be helpful in that, while eliminating

starches/sugars one is constantly ingesting good bacteria in the form of

ferments and other forms of probiotics?

~Robin

Ps. Also, a lot of anecdotal evidence seems to exist for its ability to

mitigate gut problems..

[Guest guest]

Good point there! I'm thinking like this also.

I wonder if it is the avoidance of starch or the

eating of homemade yoghurt in the SCD which helps

people???

In my opinion the keyword here is HOMEMADE. If one

wants nice live bacteria, they really need to be

alive. Not some freezedried powder or some mass

produced garbage called yoghurt.

/s

> >>>>>>>>> The thing about the SCD diet that I think could be

questioned is

> that

> promotes trying to starve out any microbial organisms in the human

gut

> including the beneficial probiotic species.

>

> Bruce >>>>.

>

> I've wondered about that too, Bruce. I assume that good and bad

bacteria

> " eat " the same things?

>

> That said, wouldn't the SCD still be helpful in that, while

eliminating

> starches/sugars one is constantly ingesting good bacteria in the

form of

> ferments and other forms of probiotics?

>

> ~Robin

>

> Ps. Also, a lot of anecdotal evidence seems to exist for its

ability to

> mitigate gut problems..

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

>I've wondered about that too, Bruce. I assume that good and bad bacteria

> " eat " the same things?

>

>That said, wouldn't the SCD still be helpful in that, while eliminating

>starches/sugars one is constantly ingesting good bacteria in the form of

>ferments and other forms of probiotics?

>

>~Robin

>

>Ps. Also, a lot of anecdotal evidence seems to exist for its ability to

>mitigate gut problems..

I think the diet works (based on anecdotal evidence) ... which makes

sense: any diet that eliminates starches (grains) and processed food

and has probiotics has got to be better than what most people

eat. However, the science behind the diet is somewhat incomplete

and doesn't take into account a lot of the newer research. The

idea that fermentation is " bad " in general is just wrong. The

human gut relies heavily on fermentation to produce the B

vitamins and butyrate, which is the primary food of the intestine.

It IS true that the " wrong kind " of fermentation is very bad, but

saying it like " starving the bacteria out " is just plain simplistic.

Some of the " bad " bacteria are in fact " good " bacteria

unless they overgrow ... acidophilus, the one in the yogurt

Gottschall recommends, is a good case in point: it can be

very bad if it overgrows. ANY food that is not properly

absorbed will cause bacterial overgrowth. Some folks

may have problems with disaccharides, but it's also true

that over 30% of folks don't absorb the monosaccharide

fructose which ALSO causes the same problems. Fat is the

one thing that does not seem to cause problems

if it isn't digested properly, though it does cause nausea

for some folks who can't digest it right. The trick is

to get your food digested correctly in the upper

intestine: but the issues involved may vary depending on

the person.

Gottschall also really doesn't " get " the IgA issue, and claims

all " food allergies " are the result of bacterial problems. That

may well be true for the IgG allergies, which tend to be

the result of " leaky gut " . But a lot of people have an IgA

allergy to casein (rather than a lactose intolerance, which

is lack of an enzyme), and those people will not do well

with all that yogurt.

Anyway, FWIW, the best way I've found to get those

bacteria trained is:

1. Take some Pascalite with each meal.

2. Drink soem kefir beer in the evening.

3. Do the Warrior Diet to give the gut a rest.

4. Avoid whatever IgA food allergens you have (which

kill the villi in your duodenum: bad stuff!).

Pacalite has been a great " quick and dirty " fix for me.

There may be issues in that it theoretically could

absorb good nutrients as well as bad toxins, but

so far that has not been the case for me. I get

tetany when I'm low in calcium, and in my Pascalite

experiments where I've taken it with meals AND

with my supplements, I haven't had any tetany at all.

It also works when I eat out or eat processed food,

both of which are normally bad on my gut. It seems

to have the ability to " fix " the bacterial mix

in the gut, probably because it kills off one type

of bacteria but not others. I expect other clays might

work similarly, that's just the brand I got. Our

ancestors tended to eat a fair amount of clay,

mostly not on purpose but sometimes intentionally

too.

Heidi Jean

[Guest guest]

What an informative email! Thanks! Zoe

RE: Crohn's

>I've wondered about that too, Bruce. I assume that good and bad bacteria

> " eat " the same things?

>

>That said, wouldn't the SCD still be helpful in that, while eliminating

>starches/sugars one is constantly ingesting good bacteria in the form of

>ferments and other forms of probiotics?

>

>~Robin

>

>Ps. Also, a lot of anecdotal evidence seems to exist for its ability to

>mitigate gut problems..

I think the diet works (based on anecdotal evidence) ... which makes

sense: any diet that eliminates starches (grains) and processed food

and has probiotics has got to be better than what most people

eat. However, the science behind the diet is somewhat incomplete

and doesn't take into account a lot of the newer research. The

idea that fermentation is " bad " in general is just wrong. The

human gut relies heavily on fermentation to produce the B

vitamins and butyrate, which is the primary food of the intestine.

It IS true that the " wrong kind " of fermentation is very bad, but

saying it like " starving the bacteria out " is just plain simplistic.

Some of the " bad " bacteria are in fact " good " bacteria

unless they overgrow ... acidophilus, the one in the yogurt

Gottschall recommends, is a good case in point: it can be

very bad if it overgrows. ANY food that is not properly

absorbed will cause bacterial overgrowth. Some folks

may have problems with disaccharides, but it's also true

that over 30% of folks don't absorb the monosaccharide

fructose which ALSO causes the same problems. Fat is the

one thing that does not seem to cause problems

if it isn't digested properly, though it does cause nausea

for some folks who can't digest it right. The trick is

to get your food digested correctly in the upper

intestine: but the issues involved may vary depending on

the person.

Gottschall also really doesn't " get " the IgA issue, and claims

all " food allergies " are the result of bacterial problems. That

may well be true for the IgG allergies, which tend to be

the result of " leaky gut " . But a lot of people have an IgA

allergy to casein (rather than a lactose intolerance, which

is lack of an enzyme), and those people will not do well

with all that yogurt.

Anyway, FWIW, the best way I've found to get those

bacteria trained is:

1. Take some Pascalite with each meal.

2. Drink soem kefir beer in the evening.

3. Do the Warrior Diet to give the gut a rest.

4. Avoid whatever IgA food allergens you have (which

kill the villi in your duodenum: bad stuff!).

Pacalite has been a great " quick and dirty " fix for me.

There may be issues in that it theoretically could

absorb good nutrients as well as bad toxins, but

so far that has not been the case for me. I get

tetany when I'm low in calcium, and in my Pascalite

experiments where I've taken it with meals AND

with my supplements, I haven't had any tetany at all.

It also works when I eat out or eat processed food,

both of which are normally bad on my gut. It seems

to have the ability to " fix " the bacterial mix

in the gut, probably because it kills off one type

of bacteria but not others. I expect other clays might

work similarly, that's just the brand I got. Our

ancestors tended to eat a fair amount of clay,

mostly not on purpose but sometimes intentionally

too.

Heidi Jean

[Guest guest]

Heidi Jean: I am not familiar with the " warrior " diet. also what is Tetnay?

Vona

--

Vona

Worcester MA USA

Got Limu????? www.vr.originallimu.com

3000 year old secret for health revealed !

Toll-free 1-866-852-4832 my ID# 7875201

http://shambaladance.blogspot.com/

[Guest guest]

I have to say that I tried the SCD -- faithfully, no cheating --

when I had a flare of Crohn's colitis. It didn't work, in fact I got

worse on it. Nor was Elaine able to tweak the diet for me. I think

if I were to flare today, I would tweak it a la WAPF -- perhaps I'd

ask Heidi for advice as well! She seems incredibly knowledgable

-- thanks for your input Heidi.

john blank

On 6/3/05, Vona Marengo <suntigermoon@...> wrote:

> Heidi Jean: I am not familiar with the " warrior " diet. also what is Tetnay?

>

> Vona

>

>

>

>

>

> --

> Vona

> Worcester MA USA

> Got Limu????? www.vr.originallimu.com

> 3000 year old secret for health revealed !

> Toll-free 1-866-852-4832 my ID# 7875201

> http://shambaladance.blogspot.com/

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

>I have to say that I tried the SCD -- faithfully, no cheating --

>when I had a flare of Crohn's colitis. It didn't work, in fact I got

>worse on it. Nor was Elaine able to tweak the diet for me. I think

>if I were to flare today, I would tweak it a la WAPF -- perhaps I'd

>ask Heidi for advice as well! She seems incredibly knowledgable

>-- thanks for your input Heidi.

>

>john blank

I DO wish I could get someone with Crohn's to try Pascalite,

as an experiment. Shoot, I'll even buy them a bottle.

Purely a curiosity thing on my part ... I don't know anything

about Crohn's but the Pascalite works wonders with the

kinds of problems I get, and it really helped one other person

I know with gut issues, but I don't know exactly what the issue

was with that person (had him doubled up in pain though ...)

-- Heidi Jean

[Guest guest]

> I DO wish I could get someone with Crohn's to try Pascalite,

> as an experiment. Shoot, I'll even buy them a bottle.

> Purely a curiosity thing on my part ... I don't know anything

> about Crohn's but the Pascalite works wonders with the

> kinds of problems I get, and it really helped one other person

> I know with gut issues, but I don't know exactly what the issue

> was with that person (had him doubled up in pain though ...)

>

> -- Heidi Jean

>

Heidi

What the heck is Pascalite? Pascal - lite?

john

[Guest guest]

>Heidi

>

>What the heck is Pascalite? Pascal - lite?

>

>john

Spoken like a computer jock!

No, it's a type of bentonite clay. Some

bentonite clays seem to be good for digestive

problems, possibly because they absorb toxins

created by bacteria and they tend to selectively

kill the bacteria that are not good for the gut.

Exactly how this works I don't know, but

lately I've been experimenting on myself with

good results. I gave some to a guy with

more major gut problems then I have, and

it worked so well his doctor is now intrigued

and looking into it.

http://www.pascalite.com/About%20Pascalite.htm

Anyway, I did some research into bentonite

clay in general, and it is able to overcome a

bacterial infection after, say, salmonella

infection or when a person who is gluten

intolerant eats gluten. Some people put it

in capsules and take it with meals that

are " iffy " . In theory it could bind with minerals

in the food, but so far what I've found is

that when I do eat it with food, the digestion

is far more thorough (less bulk, less gas,

less smell) so I'd guess I'm getting more

nutrients from the food, not less.

I'm not clear on how clay " chooses " what

to " attack " ... it likely has to do with the

charge on the outside of the molecule

(it is a highly polar molecule). But it is

fascinating. My dd had a chicken-scratch

on her arm that was getting infected, but

she didn't want to put antibiotic on it because

it might hurt. I put on some Pascalite

slurry. It stopped the hurting, but more

interesting, the clay " migrated " over to the

spots that were red and inflamed (even though

those were not open wounds, just red skin)

and left the whole skin clear. The infection

was gone by the next day.

The folks who sell it talk about this in

mystical terms, which turns me off personally,

but there are good scientific studies done

on bentonite, as it is used in many industrial

applications (like clarifying wine and water).

Word of mouth has it that Pascalite works

better than other bentonite clays, but

I haven't compared them myself.

-- Heidi Jean

[Guest guest]

Heidi Jean: I just bookmarked that site on Pascalilte as I am having

all sorts of odd digestive problems lately!!! I think I'll check it

out and see if it will help me!

vona

On 6/8/05, Heidi <heidis@...> wrote:

>

> >Heidi

> >

> >What the heck is Pascalite? Pascal - lite?

> >

> >john

>

> Spoken like a computer jock!

>

> No, it's a type of bentonite clay. Some

> bentonite clays seem to be good for digestive

> problems, possibly because they absorb toxins

> created by bacteria and they tend to selectively

> kill the bacteria that are not good for the gut.

> Exactly how this works I don't know, but

> lately I've been experimenting on myself with

> good results. I gave some to a guy with

> more major gut problems then I have, and

> it worked so well his doctor is now intrigued

> and looking into it.

>

> http://www.pascalite.com/About%20Pascalite.htm

>

> Anyway, I did some research into bentonite

> clay in general, and it is able to overcome a

> bacterial infection after, say, salmonella

> infection or when a person who is gluten

> intolerant eats gluten. Some people put it

> in capsules and take it with meals that

> are " iffy " . In theory it could bind with minerals

> in the food, but so far what I've found is

> that when I do eat it with food, the digestion

> is far more thorough (less bulk, less gas,

> less smell) so I'd guess I'm getting more

> nutrients from the food, not less.

>

> I'm not clear on how clay " chooses " what

> to " attack " ... it likely has to do with the

> charge on the outside of the molecule

> (it is a highly polar molecule). But it is

> fascinating. My dd had a chicken-scratch

> on her arm that was getting infected, but

> she didn't want to put antibiotic on it because

> it might hurt. I put on some Pascalite

> slurry. It stopped the hurting, but more

> interesting, the clay " migrated " over to the

> spots that were red and inflamed (even though

> those were not open wounds, just red skin)

> and left the whole skin clear. The infection

> was gone by the next day.

>

> The folks who sell it talk about this in

> mystical terms, which turns me off personally,

> but there are good scientific studies done

> on bentonite, as it is used in many industrial

> applications (like clarifying wine and water).

>

> Word of mouth has it that Pascalite works

> better than other bentonite clays, but

> I haven't compared them myself.

>

> -- Heidi Jean

>

>

> ________________________________

>

[Guest guest]

>Heidi Jean: I just bookmarked that site on Pascalilte as I am having

>all sorts of odd digestive problems lately!!! I think I'll check it

>out and see if it will help me!

>

>vona

Please let us know the results one way or another!

(Inquiring minds want to know ... :-)

[Guest guest]

I will, Heidi! I am getting really tired of having grumbly tummy and

diarrhea every other night! Makes sleeping very bad!! i figure that

when I drank the potion for the colonoscopoy it killed off some good

guys and they haven't grown back yet!!!

Vona

On 6/9/05, Heidi <heidis@...> wrote:

>

> >Heidi Jean: I just bookmarked that site on Pascalilte as I am having

> >all sorts of odd digestive problems lately!!! I think I'll check it

> >out and see if it will help me!

> >

> >vona

>

> Please let us know the results one way or another!

> (Inquiring minds want to know ... :-)

>

>

>

> ________________________________

>

[Guest guest]

>

>

>Heidi Jean: I am not familiar with the " warrior " diet. also what is Tetnay?

>

>Vona

The Warrior Diet is from a book by that name, and it

is basically the " feast/fast " idea that is being

researched. In short: mice fed at 70% of their

normal food intake live a lot longer than normally

fed mice, which is amazing. But mice fed every other

day live even longer, though they eat the same number

of calories as their free feeding counterparts. So

some folks are researching the idea of feeding humans

only 4 hours out of the day: 20 hours with little food,

4 hours eating.

The Warrior Diet does this by allowing raw food (fruits

vegies) during the day, then at 5 pm to 9 pm (or whatever

you choose) eating salad, protein, and starch, in that

order. I don't particularly like the writing in the book: the

style is too masculine for me and not very scientific,

but the science behind is DOES work in studies and

it works well for me. It stabilizes your blood sugar:

I used to be one of those folks who had to eat

every 3 hours or I'd go nuts. It works very well for

T2 diabetics.

You can also do the WD by eating every other day,

like the mice in the studies, but I like the 20/4 plan

better! It means far less cooking for me, and it makes

travel easier. I pack a banana and an apple and I'm

good for the day!

Tetany is when your muscles " seize up " and won't

work. Aka " Charley horse " . It is generally a lack

of calcium and/or magnesium: but I was eating

plenty of both when I had it.

Heidi Jean

[Guest guest]

Heidi Jean: Well I have heard of the WD just not by that name! and I

do know about tetany and have had it bad in calves and feet--added

balanced amounts of calcium and magnesium and they are gone!!! thanks

for the help!!

Vona

On 6/12/05, Heidi Schuppenhauer <heidis@...> wrote:

>

> >

> >

> >Heidi Jean: I am not familiar with the " warrior " diet. also what is

> Tetnay?

> >

> >Vona

>

> The Warrior Diet is from a book by that name, and it

> is basically the " feast/fast " idea that is being

> researched. In short: mice fed at 70% of their

> normal food intake live a lot longer than normally

> fed mice, which is amazing. But mice fed every other

> day live even longer, though they eat the same number

> of calories as their free feeding counterparts. So

> some folks are researching the idea of feeding humans

> only 4 hours out of the day: 20 hours with little food,

> 4 hours eating.

>

> The Warrior Diet does this by allowing raw food (fruits

> vegies) during the day, then at 5 pm to 9 pm (or whatever

> you choose) eating salad, protein, and starch, in that

> order. I don't particularly like the writing in the book: the

> style is too masculine for me and not very scientific,

> but the science behind is DOES work in studies and

> it works well for me. It stabilizes your blood sugar:

> I used to be one of those folks who had to eat

> every 3 hours or I'd go nuts. It works very well for

> T2 diabetics.

>

> You can also do the WD by eating every other day,

> like the mice in the studies, but I like the 20/4 plan

> better! It means far less cooking for me, and it makes

> travel easier. I pack a banana and an apple and I'm

> good for the day!

>

> Tetany is when your muscles " seize up " and won't

> work. Aka " Charley horse " . It is generally a lack

> of calcium and/or magnesium: but I was eating

> plenty of both when I had it.

>

>

> Heidi Jean

>

>

>

>

>

>

> ________________________________

>

[Guest guest]

Low-dose naltrexone therapy improves active Crohn's disease.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17222320

JP, Stock H, Bingaman S, Mauger D, Rogosnitzky M, Zagon IS.

Department of Medicine, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033, USA.

OBJECTIVES: Endogenous opioids and opioid antagonists have been shown to play a role in healing and repair of tissues. In an open-labeled pilot prospective trial, the safety and efficacy of low-dose naltrexone (LDN), an opioid antagonist, were tested in patients with active Crohn's disease. METHODS: Eligible subjects with histologically and endoscopically confirmed active Crohn's disease activity index (CDAI) score of 220-450 were enrolled in a study using 4.5 mg naltrexone/day. Infliximab was not allowed for a minimum of 8 wk prior to study initiation. Other therapy for Crohn's disease that was at a stable dose for 4 wk prior to enrollment was continued at the same doses. Patients completed the inflammatory bowel disease questionnaire (IBDQ) and the short-form (SF-36) quality of life surveys and CDAI scores were assessed pretreatment, every 4 wk on therapy and 4 wk after completion of the study drug. Drug was administered by mouth each evening for a 12-wk period. RESULTS: Seventeen patients with a mean CDAI score of 356 +/- 27 were enrolled. CDAI scores decreased significantly (P= 0.01) with LDN, and remained lower than baseline 4 wk after completing therapy. Eighty-nine percent of patients exhibited a response to therapy and 67% achieved a remission (P < 0.001). Improvement was recorded in both quality of life surveys with LDN compared with baseline. No laboratory abnormalities were noted. The most common side effect was sleep disturbances, occurring in seven patients. CONCLUSIONS: LDN therapy appears effective and safe in subjects with active Crohn's disease. Further studies are needed to explore the use of this compound.

PMID: 17222320 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]