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Crohn's Disease
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Posted 1/7/2010 4:59 AM (GMT 0)
for decades, ulcers were thought to be caused by stress, coffee, spicy food, alcohol etc. In the last ten years doctors have discovered that 90% of stomach ulcers are caused by a foreign bacteria. they are now easily treatable with a specific antibiotic. from what i can gather from my sons condition, crohn's is basically an ulcerated digestive tract.  is there anyone in the medical profession seeing a correlation, or is it just me?
Posted 1/7/2010 5:34 AM (GMT 0)
I dont know. Sure would be nice if it was fixable. Trouble is H Pylora lives in a different environment...
Posted 1/12/2010 12:17 AM (GMT 0)
it could be a close cousin, one that lives just down the tract
Posted 1/12/2010 9:51 AM (GMT 0)
hi, i would love this to be true as it would mean that crohn's was potentially curable!!
However, i really don't think there is an infective cause of Crohn's. The H. pylori bacterium has certain features, which allow it to survive in the acidic conditions of the stomach/duodenum. The pattern of colonisation of H. pylori is dependent on the level of acidity in the person's stomach.

By definition, however, Crohn's can affect any part of the digestive tract from mouth to anus. It therefore attacks alot of places that have totally different environments (ie both acidic and alkaline environments, amounts and type of mucous secreted, etc) I therefore really doubt that there will be an infective organism that is able to colonise absolutely anywhere in the digestive tract as it would need to survive in so many different environments.

However there is a theory that Crohn's is actually caused by a genetically-susceptible person becoming infected with a virus which then "sets off" the crohn's gene. However, i dont think it is the infection that is causing the crohn's, rather that it is involved in setting off the crohns process, which then seems to have a mind of its own!! But who knows... maybe in a few years they will find the real cause of Crohns, infective or not, and then maybe we'll finally be rid of this disease!!
Posted 1/19/2010 12:51 AM (GMT 0)
I understand the whole ulcers in one environment idea, making the H. pylori bacterium identifiable. could be that Crohn's isn't one organism. doctors can't even positively say if you have Crohn's. our GI specialist said that my son "has symptoms consistent with Crohn's. they can only identify symptoms. if you have cancer, they can find cancer cells. if you have a cold, the flu, herpes, HIV, strep, anything other than auto-immune conditions, they can definatively point to the organism involved.

maybe, more than one organism causes "symptoms consistent with Crohn's." maybe the barrier to finding the cause is because it is "causes". as for organisms being relagated to one environment, look outside the world of crohn's. butterflies have been found on top of mountains, and deep within rainforests. humans now enhabit every continent on the planet. just a thought, but maybe the causal organism adapts.

Posted 1/19/2010 4:32 AM (GMT 0)
Hi comedybob,

Just a thought, the Crohn's Colitis Foundation of America (ccfa.org) is the best organization I'm aware of that is working on a cure. Perhaps you could check with them on what paths of research they are pursuing. You never know what idea might help them. I know they could use some help financially if nothing else.

I hope your son is doing ok.
Posted 1/19/2010 3:50 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Comedybob,

 There is a theory that most crohns is caused by the MAP bacteria. This has been found in our milk supply . Cows that have Johne's disease(very similar to crohns) are transmitting it through their milk. They have found that pasturization does not kill Map bacteria.There is a doctor in Austrailia who has cured crohns with a combination of antibiotics called RMAT therapy. I think a few docs in the US are also doing this if you test positive for  MAP. There is a very good interview available on youtube with him. Go to youtube and  search  Professor Borody-crohns. It is several parts and in part 2 or 3, he mentions that by 2012 he thinks it will be available in one pill form. The interview also includes one of his patients that he has successfuly treated. I don't know why docs in the US and Canada are resisting this theory. I think its a very similar situation to when they discovered that H-Pylori was causing stomach ulcers and that Antibiotics killed H-Pylori. That was also resisted for many years by doctors here. I am going to discuss this with my daughters GI in April. She is 14 and was diagnosed with CD at 11 years old. If there is a way to cure her, I will go to ends of the earth. Diana

Posted 1/19/2010 9:22 PM (GMT 0)
Boy, you guys are sure hitting home with me.

I was originally diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis and had a total colectomy with a J-pouch which is the standard cure for UC since UC confines itself to the colin. Then in 2005 I was diagnosed with Chron's.

Today, I require  blood transfusions and/or iron infusions every month or so for my rectal bleeding caused by ulcers between my J-pouch and a previous stoma site.

I may be out of options but it looks like a permenant ostomy is next which is okay as long as it stops the bleeding.

Dave D

Posted 1/19/2010 11:41 PM (GMT 0)
unfortunately, my boy is in the midst of a flare that he couldn't feel. his markers are high, and his vitamin and mineral levels are very low. he says he felt fine, no diarhea, and no pain. we have put him on the absorb plus from jinni patels(sp)

 IBD Remission diet biik. NOW he has diarhea, and fatigue. on the plus side, he has been off of Meds for two years, and hasn't had any arthritis since that time. I just wish he could grow. I almost want him to do a month on prednisone for the weight gain.

Posted 1/22/2010 7:34 PM (GMT 0)
maybe we'll see you in australia!!

riesasmom said...
Hi Comedybob,

 There is a theory that most crohns is caused by the MAP bacteria. This has been found in our milk supply . Cows that have Johne's disease(very similar to crohns) are transmitting it through their milk. They have found that pasturization does not kill Map bacteria.There is a doctor in Austrailia who has cured crohns with a combination of antibiotics called RMAT therapy. I think a few docs in the US are also doing this if you test positive for  MAP. There is a very good interview available on youtube with him. Go to youtube and  search  Professor Borody-crohns. It is several parts and in part 2 or 3, he mentions that by 2012 he thinks it will be available in one pill form. The interview also includes one of his patients that he has successfuly treated. I don't know why docs in the US and Canada are resisting this theory. I think its a very similar situation to when they discovered that H-Pylori was causing stomach ulcers and that Antibiotics killed H-Pylori. That was also resisted for many years by doctors here. I am going to discuss this with my daughters GI in April. She is 14 and was diagnosed with CD at 11 years old. If there is a way to cure her, I will go to ends of the earth. Diana

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