Colitis-Aid.com

Scientists search for drug candidates in some very unlikely places. Not only do they churn out synthetic compounds in industrial-scale laboratories, but they also scour coral reefs and scrape tree bark in the hope of stumbling upon an unsuspecting molecule that just might turn into next year’s big block buster. But one region that scientists have not been searching is their guts. Literally.

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If you are on a low carb diet like (SCD) you are helping to change the balance of your internal flora by not feeding the bad bacteria that is likely causing your IBD, IBS symtoms.  If on the SCD diet you may also be making homemade Yogurt.  I personally don’t tolerate the Yogurt well and it was not helping me. Probiotic formulas like Primal Defense, Culturelle, VSL#3 work well for many and I have had pretty good luck with the PF myself.  But when I added Raw Sauerkraut to my diet it really made a huge difference right away.  Everyone has a different flora mix hence some probiotics work better for some then others.  I take the Raw Sauerkraut in small doses, just a couple of teaspoons or so with a couple of my meals.  Remember it needs to say raw and not pasturized.  If it’s pasturized you have essentially cooked and killed the good bacteria.  Depending on where you live you may need to order via the internet.  But I have found Raw Sauerkraut in Whole Foods and hardcore health food stores.  You can also make Raw Sauerkraut yourself!

The HealingCrow forum on Yahoo Groups found here is a great place for community support for IBD related diseases, the SCD diet and other medical and alternative medicine ideas.  The HealingCrow name comes from the organization http://www.healingcrow.com/.  The Healing Crow Inc. is a grassroots charity with a mission to inform the public about viable non-drug related approaches for treating chronic illnesses.

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To follow-up on a previous blog I posted a while back regarding probiotics as an approach to managing and perhaps putting Colits and Crohn’s in remission (I don’t like the word cure). I would suggest that sufferers keep an eye on developments in these areas. Studies and testimonials on IBD related forums are starting to show that Primal Defense, Culturelle, VSL#3 is helping to induce and maintain remission in many IBD patients. Furthermore, pathologists at Emory University have found that certain “good bacteria” release chemicals which may help to prevent the body’s immune system response. The paper suggests that an imbalance in the normal flora may allow foreign or perhaps more malicious bacteria to flourish and bring about IBD.  The success of the SCD diet in my opinion is strong evidence that bacteria is a strong factor in the symptoms experienced.
Lastly, the solution (I believe) does not lie in focusing on the immune system alone. There are some 500 different types of bacteria in the intestines which have as yet to be fully explored/understood. In fact there are more bacteria in our bodies than actual cells. How can we ignore the possibility that an important and certainly complicated relationship may exist between us and “them”.

Well this therapy is not for the squeamish and I haven’t heard enough antidotel evidence to know if this is a ‘cure’ or urban myth but here you are:

http://www.cdd.com.au/pdf/paper12.pdf