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The origin of UC

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 3/31/2009 2:40 AM (GMT 0)
What is ulcerative colitis?
Colitis = the inflammation of the colon
Ulcerative = the existence of ulcers

Most (if not all) of your diagnosis sheets say "consistent" with Ulcerative Colitis; a term that has a simple meaning, when the images were recieved your colon was inflamed and had ulcers around the inner lining.
The fact is that (regardless of what your physician says) it is MOSTLY caused by a trigger diet, meaning a diet that includes the foods your intestines are sensitive to. Did you know that 70% of your immune system is focused around your abdominal area?! Did you also know that in order to become a professional physician in most states and provinces you only need a one hour lecture about diet?!

Do you ever feel pain in the abdominal area? do you experience gas and bloating? that is due to an overload of "bad" bacteria inside your colon.
This disease is mainly due (65-85%) to your diet choices, the rest depends on your genetics and stress levels. It is not one single thing that is causing your UC to flare up since your immune system is NOT stupid and doesn't attack its own body's tissue for no reason! doctors will only diagnose your problem, they will identify it and provide immediate relief although they will not help you overcome your disease... that is ALL up to you.

I hope this helps a bit... don't feel alone - cheers!
Posted 3/31/2009 3:38 AM (GMT 0)
doesn't help a bit....and who is that masked man who swoops down and gives tidbits of information that are assumed to be correct?

WTH are you getting this information? your sources are skewed.

q
Posted 3/31/2009 3:56 AM (GMT 0)
Well... this is mainly information i get from my Naturopathic doctor that i feel like sharing - i don't ask that you believe it, just consider.

You can't possibly think that having an awful diet wouldn't cause it to get worse? are you serious?
if you want to depend on physicians to help you fully through your treatment then i wish you the best of luck
Posted 3/31/2009 3:58 AM (GMT 0)
Correct, 70% of the immune system is in the bowels and true, researchers have not ruled out food/diet as a trigger for IBD in general but the disease is very complex and so much still needs to be learned, and yes, it's been long suspected that it's probably more than just one thing (environmental factor) that triggers the disease to become active...and yes, often/typically bloating/gas is a result of bad bacterial overgrowth, but IBD does mess with your immune system, there are malfunctions on certain genes that cause the gene to behave inappropriately, for example with crohn's there is a particular gene located on chromosome 5 and normally a protein that sits on the cell surface and controls movement of specific substances in and out of the cell. When scratched (altered), the gene produces a protein that functions improperly, allowing toxins increased entry into the cell. As far as the immune system goes, it's not about it being stupid, it's more about it getting the wrong signals and causing it to attack harmless bacteria that are normally in everyone's guts, hence leading to inflammation/disease.

Q, just because you choose not to believe facts doesn't make them false...what are your sources? Hanging off every word your GI tells you based on what he believes to be true? My sources are the CCFC journals that I get, you're in Canada, maybe you should become a member then you might become more open-minded to facts.

:)
Posted 3/31/2009 4:04 AM (GMT 0)

What's up? are you in remission? if so, congratulations that's what we all strive for. Why do you think you aquired this? You seemed to have thought a lot about this stuff so i know you've asked yourself why. What about including a sig? i know your a newbie but it shouldn't take long.

Could you please tell more about your diet? what are your basic diet "good habits" since you definately think this is a major role? I'm interested in your story and I totally agree about revamping your life after UC.

Posted 3/31/2009 4:05 AM (GMT 0)
sheesh....your weather must be very chaotic lately...
Posted 3/31/2009 4:06 AM (GMT 0)
I still didn't provide anything that was not correct mate...
and yeah I was just diagnosed less than a month ago so you can say that I'm pretty new to the disease.

There are many things I am yet to find out but it will take time - cheers
Posted 3/31/2009 4:09 AM (GMT 0)
PS. I'm sorry that I said something that could maybe help someone just a little bit
Posted 3/31/2009 4:16 AM (GMT 0)
No need to apoligize for anything. if you believe, then post. but as long as Drs say there is no cure then they mean their isn't any cures known to man so everyone has to defend their theories. Again, apology not accepted b/c it wasn't needed. So keep posting, especially if you think you can help some people can benefit. I have changed my lifestyle big time and have seen good results.
Posted 3/31/2009 4:19 AM (GMT 0)
Don't apologize for your observations Scorpion, good for you for researching into your disease and learning as much as you can, when I first got sick (18 yrs ago) not many people had home computers and when we finally got one in 97 there wasn't much for support groups let alone a lot of info on IBD, but then again with research being done everyday there's usually always something new to learn now, nothing worse then being in a rut and refusing to except new data on what's going on in the world of IBD.

:)
Posted 3/31/2009 4:58 AM (GMT 0)
Yes. Colitis = the inflammation of the colon and Ulcerative = the existence of ulcers.

However, there are many reasons something can become inflamed. There is no rule that says it has to be due to this or that.
Posted 3/31/2009 11:34 AM (GMT 0)
Yes, most of the immune system is in the gut. But that doesn't mean that diet plays a huge role for everyone. There are some of us who can eat just about anything and it won't affect our UC. I didn't have a horrible diet before I was diagnosed and I'm 99.99% sure that my trigger was stress/depression/anxiety. And then my relapse was due to bc pills, not diet/stress/etc. And as pb4 said, diet hasn't been completely ruled out as a trigger but most research suggests that diet is solely not a factor for IBD. And the immune system isn't stupid, as pb4 also said; it gets the wrong signals and starts attacking our body. If IBD did not involve the immune system, then drugs like 6MP and Remicade wouldn't be helpful.
Posted 3/31/2009 1:31 PM (GMT 0)
You only left one thing out of your original post: "In my opinion"

Posting your opinion or any opinion based on no scientific evidence is misleading and could be harmful to others. Please be cautious.
Posted 3/31/2009 3:22 PM (GMT 0)
I don't believe that my trigger was diet. I eat a VERY healthy diet....lots of fruits and veggies, low fat, high fiber, lots of water, etc. I believe that my initial trigger was all of the hormone uproar after childbirth. Do I think that diet can play a role in managing this disease? Yes. Do I believe diet will "cure" me or keep me in remission? NO.
Posted 3/31/2009 6:01 PM (GMT 0)
No need to apologize Scorpion. This is your personal opinion and you are entitled to it as well as everyone else.

For me personally, food poisoning may have contributed to my "trigger" but as for the food I ate everyday, I don't believe so. But I had so much going on at the time that I can't say for sure that food poisoning was it either. I was also on heavy doses of antibiotics for various infections, I was at a high stress job and I have a genetic link such as my mother having Crohns. I think eating certain foods while flaring though can help eliminate distress in your colon which in turn can allow it to heal easier.
Posted 3/31/2009 6:59 PM (GMT 0)
While my Naturopathic doc has explained some things to me that make sense and I think have helped -- but no miracles -- I also notice he is very certain of what he knows...and that he has cured this person, and that person....

Well, we would all be cured no problem if it were all true.

So I take what makes sense and realize much of it is simply puffery.

(Puffery = sales presentation relying on exaggerations, opinions, and superlatives, with little or no credible evidence to support its vague claims.)
Posted 3/31/2009 7:48 PM (GMT 0)

Scorpion24 said...
Did you also know that in order to become a professional physician in most states and provinces you only need a one hour lecture about diet?!

Can you please provide a link to that law? I have evidently wasted $156,000 for just the professional part of my schooling, along with 8 years of coursework, lol.
Posted 3/31/2009 8:37 PM (GMT 0)
Anyone who doesn't believe that a digestive disease is caused by what we "digest" is wrong in my opinion.
Posted 3/31/2009 9:52 PM (GMT 0)
How do explain the dozens and dozens of other immune disorders (rheumatoid arthritis and Hashimoto's disease) where the body's immune system attacks part of the body that have nothing to do with the digestive system. Your colon is not properly absorbing water from stool because it is inflamed. Just because it is part of the digestive system doesn't mean that diet is the cause of that inflammation. I'm not saying its not possible diet is somewhat involved but there is ample evidence to suggest genetics play a role and not much evidence at this point to suggest diet plays a role. Below is one of the many articles that points to an genetics as the possible cause.



http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081208203928.htm
Posted 3/31/2009 10:40 PM (GMT 0)
I too believe that diet/food can be a trigger for IBD especially because even researchers have not completely ruled food/diet out as a possible trigger, doesn't necessarily mean it's the cause but that there is some involvement. And it may not even be everyone's trigger, to hard to say one way or the other at this point.

:)
Posted 3/31/2009 11:16 PM (GMT 0)
Not too long ago doctors didn't believe stomach ulcers were caused by bacteria either. They didn't believe until they saw for themselves, that didn't make Dr. Marshall and Dr. Warren "wrong" before the general population believed. Until we know what causes it, it could be food, who knows.

http://www.xys.org/forum/db/185/30.html

I personally believe there is a trigger, whether it be in our food (lots of chemicals in there) or our environment.
Posted 4/1/2009 1:04 AM (GMT 0)
I hope that diet is my trigger since I am very lactose intollerant, have no family history of crohn's - UC - or colon cancer (as far as I know), quite sensitive to wheat, heavy animal fats, and can not tollerate fructose by nature. Mind you I didn't know about any of this as I grew up with a diet full of such foods...
Old diet: 5 glasses of milk a day (chocolate/reg.), 4 pieces of cheese a day, lots of fried food, artificial candy etc.

What I didn't understand is that every single one of us has a certain type... a specific trigger that doesn't exactly apply to everyone, and yes that was my opinion.

Like the post over top mine ^^^ I believe that Ulcers in your intestines are the result of a bacterial growth and yes it may seem preposterous but do keep in mind that a few years back that same idea was considered incorrect.

Now what would a good diet do for you? of course it wont be the magic answer to kill this bacteria (whether you think it is or not) but it can weaken it and reduce the chances of further flare-ups. Mind you that everyone is different and I respect that!

Cheers
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