Hey Gutsy Guys and Gals,
So... Maybe its just the person that I am, but Im ALWAYS looking for a CURE for Crohns (and Ulcerative Colitis) and I've been looking since I was 9 and went to visit a Naturopath. So I know the area of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAMs) is complex and there are many many treatments that fall under this realm but I really want to reach out with others that may have delved down this realm too... I want to make my next blog posts about different things that I've tried. Im really curious to know if anyone else has tried these things also. Im really curious to know what things have helped make their disease more manageable.... and I want to make this just a discussion, not a push for any such treatment... we're all different and what works for someone DOESNT work for everyone... I know this... I've tried lots of things.
So how about we delve into the first one: Probiotics. In my science undergrad at McMaster University I worked with Dr. John Bienenstock (One of the forefathers to discover the Gut-Associated-Lymphoid-Tissue - or the GALT) in his lab in Hamilton, called the Brain and Body Institute. There I did my thesis on the latest reviews on probiotics and commensal organisms (Bugs that are found in our gut). I was super super glued to everything I could learn on probiotics and these 'bugs'. I got to check out live intestine's in a waterbath. They were sectioned and placed in here and oriented so that they could be straight - and you know what? Peristalsis (The contraction in our gut that moves the food along) could be visible - how is this possible when the intestines were removed from the organism??? Welll.... It gut has its own nervous system! And it could last a day or two in this electrolyte-rich water bath. AWESOME! So I got to use electrophysiology (a fancy word for measuring the nerve impulses) to see what would happen if different concentrations of probiotics were put into lumen (or the inside) of the intestines... and guess what? Yup, you guessed it, probiotics (Lactobacillis) actually produced some results! But if there's one thing I've learned about science, lots of studies need to be done prove something.
Does anyone use Probiotics? Does anyone feel better using them? How do they feel better (or worse)? Is anyone or has anyone else done research with probiotics that they could share? Any stories to share? Come on guys! Share your story with other gutsy generation youth - we're here to help each other :) And possibly learn from each other.
Hugs :) ,
Ash
P.s. Theres some great articles on the www.ccfc.ca website - Check it out and keep up to date with the latest research!
Hello Ash,
ReplyDeleteI'm a biologist and now I'm studying on Canada. I´ve read your article and I found it very interesting. I think you´ve already tried lots of alternative medicines. If you know the area of Complementary and Alternative medicine, I guess you've heard of Xanthones. Have you tried xanthones? It has been demonstrated in lots of laboratory studies than xanthones are powerful antioxidants and anti-inflammatory. We can found them in différent barks or fruit peels. In fact, in Mexico there is an asociation who works entiry with plenty of protocols and investigations because of the results they've been observing in pacients with different kind of diseases (of the estomach, heart, diabetes, even cancer) I know people with ulcerative colitis who are taking this stuff with more than 40 kinds of xanthones, and it has really helped them too much. There´s to much information about this (you can check meanwhile the link www.pubmed.gov) there are a lot of studies. If you need more information don't hesitate and write me: biobetans@hotmail.com I can give more details. You have nothing to loose but the opossite¡