Short-shorts: The Gut-Brain Connection, Bugs, and Skinny Diabetics

I read a lot. I read poetry, fiction, non-fiction, research, whatever--And I'll read anything that pertains to Crohn's, Colitis, and the remediation of.

Every so often I come across a series of articles, or read something that I really just want to share in its entirety. That's how I use short-shorts; they're for conveying interesting reading that I thought might help someone, somewhere, somehow.

Mostly though, I just found these interesting, and needed an outlet for my inner geek.

Which has more neurotransmitters, the gut or the brain?

The role of Clostridium Difficile in colitis.

Phenols and Salicylates and the SCD.

For those on the SCD, or considering the SCD, read through pecanbread.com. I wish someone would have told me about their writing on how to succeed on the SCD. It would have saved me lots of mistakes; many of which likely prolonged my symptoms. Browse all the links at the top.

And for oodles of fun, from one of my favorite blogs, The Healthy Skeptic, read about Skinny People and Type 2 Diabetes.

Onward to Health.

Short-shorts: Vitamin E and other alternative treatments for Crohn's and Colitis

After a couple of weeks away for vacation, I'll start back with this short-short.

1. New Treatments.org has some interesting articles about Crohn's and Colitis. I found this post on Vitamin E treatments for Colitis especially interesting. I wonder if this success has been replicated? I know Crohn's Boy  posted something similar in 2009. Don't be turned off by the look of his website. He's smart, enthusiastic, and shamelessly evangelistic about natural treatments for Crohn's. I love reading his site.

2. While maintaining the SCD (which has cut my symptoms from 8-24 BM/day to 2-3 BM/day, but not cured me), I've decided to give Digestaqure a shot. It's a stabilized aloe compound that they claim can will rid me of my colitis. There is solid evidence out there that aloe is a strong healing food, both externally and internally. The problem is that when you harvest aloe it begins to oxidize rapidly (within 4 hours). That oxidation breaks down the majority of the molecules that are most important for internal healing; thus, the push to find a way to 'stabilize' the aloe in its freshest form.

I was super skeptical at first, because their site is a bit hokey looking, the language they use is essentially inflammatory rhetoric against "Big Pharma", but after about a month of digging into their literature and talking with their staff, it appears they are more credible than I first thought. They just have strong ideals, and are in desperate need of a content manager and editor. So, I'm 20 days into their 90 day treatment and will keep you posted on how it goes. So far?...I have noticed a difference, but I still have symptoms that are variable and enigmatic. So--we wait to see what happens.

At Digestaqure, they are so confident that their stabilized aloe will work for Crohn's and Colits that they offer a 100% money back guarantee (Yep, it's legit. I red the fine print and talked with the company. I asked all the 'where's the catch' questions I could think of, and they finally said to me, Look, the guarantee is unconditional, man, relax--Unconditional for your condition, promise.--OK.)

3. Primal Defense probiotics also make some pretty large claims, and if they are true, then the product is worth trying. See this testimonial, browse their site, call the company (which I always recommend), and decide for yourself.

For me: I will try Digestaqure first for 90-100 days. If that doesn't work, then I will try the Vitamin E treatment above for 90-100 days. If that doesn't work, then finally I will try Primal Defense (I already take probiotics, so...)

Bottom Line: The etiology (underlying cause(s), beginning(s)) of IBD is not well understood, and is likely different for each person. SO...You'll have to experiment with lots of different treatments to find the right mix of treatments for you. Be patient.


Onward to Health.

Short-shorts: Imodium (Loperamide) and IBD

Cartoon: www.erstories.net

Imodium (also here) is a popular and (for most) safe drug for relieving symptoms of diarrhea. For people (like me), with IBD, it is not safe. Loperamide slows peristalsis, the natural muscular contractions of the intestine. Peristalsis, this rhythmic movement of the intestine, is what keeps food and waste moving through your gut. Slow down gut motility in people with inflammation, and you can get gas (and fluid, but gas is the biggest problem of the two) build up.

So what? I retain a little gas; at least I’m not running to the bathroom as much. What’s the big deal?

The big deal about the gas (and fluid) build up is that it essentially gets trapped and creates pressure on the already damaged intestinal wall. This increases your risk for toxic megacolon (or here), and resulting sepsis. Toxic megacolon can develop quickly (less than a day), and if it’s not treated immediately (surgery), it will kill you—so don’t mess with it.

When I researched this topic, I found a surprising majority of sites advocating the (responsible?) use of loperamide with IBD. Don't do it. Some people take Imodium under the direction of their doctor. Knowing what I know about the risks, if my doctor told me to take Imodium, I’d have serious questions for him/her.

So, what do I do about all this D, smart guy?

There are natural treatments for diarrhea. See my post on natural diarrheal remedies. Remember, the idea is to get rid of the entire disease, to heal the root problem, not mask the symptoms. Until you take care of the problem, some diarrhea will be a fact of life for those of us with IBD.

Onward to Health.

Short-Short: Travel Log Lessons

I recently traveled to visit family and friends for 10 days. I thought that after almost a year on the SCD, I'd have traveling down by now, but...it wasn't so. Here are two lessons I (re)learned this time around:

1.  Quantity is no substitute for variety. At get-togethers, dinners, and other food-centric events, while traveling, I'm tempted to say, "Don't worry about me, as long as I have salad and fruit, I'll be fine." Not so. While on the road, I ate salad and fruit; out to dinner, salad and fruit; family dinner with suspicious food, more salad and fruit. All this fiber and roughage really did a number on me, and I learned that my system is still sensitive.

Lesson: I should have made my needs known and communicated their importance so that I could eat a balanced meal too--one that satisfied me, and didn't irritate my gut.

2.  There's no avoiding the pre-trip food preparation. I didn't do a great job preparing food for the return car trip (12 hours). I have a roaring metabolism, so I was hungry most of the day, and as a result of that hunger, grumpy and jealous when the rest of the family got to munch on good bread, crackers, etc. As a result of my lazy "oh well" attitude, I ate three meals out that were most likely, by the reaction of my bowels, not SCD friendly.

Lesson: I should have taken the time to prepare good SCD friendly food for my return trip. Yes, it's more work, but it's still better than Immuran, or Prednisone any day.

Onward to Health.

Short Shorts: Anti-Mycrobial Therapy

I know I'm supposed to be talking about the SCD, but I can't help myself. There are oodles of treatments under trial and in use out there. It's good to know what they are. Here's one to think about.

• There is controversy over Antimycobacterial therapies and their efficacy in patients with IBD (get an idea of the differing opinions here and here...and here). These therapies (if they can be proven to work) hold the most promise for those with Crohn's. I think if someone can isolate an antibiotic therapy for Crohn's, then doctors may begin see Crohn's (and maybe Colitis too) as an infectious condition rather than a life-long disease. It may also help to restrain overuse of antibiotics, which may be a causative factor in Crohn's and Colitis.

Check it out.

Short-Shorts: Probiotics, Recipes, Traveling

These short-shorts are my way of pacifying blogging ADD.

• I recently started taking B. Infantis. After 8 months on the SCD, I still didn't have well formed stools, though everything else seemed normal. I added this probiotic, and WHAMO!, formed stools literally overnight. Read about the benefits of B. Infantis here and here. One note: There's a lot out there about probiotics and IBD (read: Crohn's/Colitis). It's important to understand that no one really knows for sure which strains or strain combinations help and which hurt in IBD writ large (and more importantly why). For example, Bifidobacterium have been shown to cause bacterial overgrowth in the large intestine, and may cause harm in IBD patients. But--note that B. Infantis is a bifidobacterium. So are some of the other strains shown to help (see below). Hmm?
• More on Probiotics. Benefits of B. Longum. Note the apparent conflict between the two articles on B. Infantis, B Longum and Elaine's research on Bifidus causing overgrowth in the large intestine. Who's right? (Both may be correct!) Which helps, which hurts? Things that make you go, Hmmmm?
• Recipies online. Also here.
• SCD cookbooks from Lucy's Kitchen Shop.
• Check out the FAQ on SCDdiet.org. There's lots to learn there when you're first starting. Lots of the topics I cover are mentioned there too. The reason I write on them is that I think their coverage of some of these topics is pat and short. When I first read their posts, walked away still hungry for more details. This Q&A on traveling on the SCD is good.

Onward to Health.