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Anybody have/had success with managing UC using alternative treatments? PART II

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Posted 1/3/2010 3:43 AM (GMT 0)
PART I

https://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=38&p=1&m=1662372

Posted 1/3/2010 5:46 AM (GMT 0)

I have tried the following things:

  • Kombucha Tea
  • ginger
  • omega3s
  • DHA
  • Holy Basil
  • Bitters Compound
  • Black Walnut
  • Slippery Elm
  • Bioperine
  • Probiotics
  • Coconut Oil
  • SCD Diet
  • Psysillum Husk
  • Folic Acid
  • Vitamin A & D
  • Peppermint
  • Antioxidants
  • Omega7
  • Calcium/Magnesium
  • Boswelia
  • Curcurmin
  • Turmeric
  • Grapefruit Seed Extract
  • Kefir
  • Fermented foods
  • Digestive Enzymes
  • Flaxseed
  • exercise
  • exclude dairy and caffeine
  • excluding corn syrups, processed foods, packaged goods, foods containing fillers
  • yeast cleanse

Some of these I took while I was flaring before starting 5ASAs. I never saw much improvement from anything... some I took while I was in remission and taking 5ASAs. I would like to say that I am flaring now and had been consistently taking 5ASAs and supplements. I have wasted a lot of money on this stuff. I still drink kombucha tea, kefir and eat fermented foods. I am stopping all of the supplements indefinitely. I will try to exercise again when I feel better.

Posted 1/3/2010 8:13 AM (GMT 0)

notsosicklygirl said...
I have tried the following things:
* Kombucha Tea

* ginger
* omega3s
* DHA
* Holy Basil
* Bitters Compound
* Black Walnut
* Slippery Elm
* Bioperine
* Probiotics
* Coconut Oil
* SCD Diet
* Psysillum Husk
* Folic Acid
* Vitamin A & D
* Peppermint
* Antioxidants
* Omega7
* Calcium/Magnesium
* Boswelia
* Curcurmin
* Turmeric
* Grapefruit Seed Extract
* Kefir
* Fermented foods
* Digestive Enzymes
* Flaxseed
* exercise
* exclude dairy and caffeine
* excluding corn syrups, processed foods, packaged goods, foods containing fillers
* yeast cleanse
Some of these I took while I was flaring before starting 5ASAs. I never saw much improvement from anything... some I took while I was in remission and taking 5ASAs. I would like to say that I am flaring now and had been consistently taking 5ASAs and supplements. I have wasted a lot of money on this stuff. I still drink kombucha tea, kefir and eat fermented foods. I am stopping all of the supplements indefinitely. I will try to exercise again when I feel better.



Hi Not So Sickly Girl,

I understand how that for some people, nothing works. For some 35 years, I have tried almost everything for my acne, both alternative treatments and western medicine. Guess what? At 48, I still have acne. I'm just genetically very prone to getting acne.

I just took out the extra spaces on the quote to take up less room ~ Sherry

Post Edited By Moderator (Red_34) : 1/3/2010 9:22:31 AM (GMT-7)

Posted 1/3/2010 8:19 AM (GMT 0)
I have acne too.. Nothing helps mine except hormones like the birth control pill. After switching from Yaz, a powerful antiandrogen, I never thought my skin would balance out but finally after 3 months on OTC-lo, I am back to having clear skin.

I definitely think everyone should experiment and figure out what works for them. I don't think because it doesn't help me doesn't mean it won't help anyone and really, for the cost, it's not much if it could potentially help you. Maybe supplements might help me more sometime in the future but in the past I've never seen a big improvement.

Posted 1/3/2010 8:34 AM (GMT 0)
LFTC.....just to add to your soon hot yoga and heavy weightlifting.....extreme exercise "can" trigger autoimmune. Just so you consider that in the mix of things.

q
Posted 1/3/2010 8:51 AM (GMT 0)
I think alternative treatments work, whereas nobody knows what works on who. A vitamin working for one may not work for others. Sometimes, this effect can be very tricky. A treatment may fail on one person just because he/she has cold drinks (the drinks affect the absorption, etc) or whatever trivial reasons that we can not figure out. I do not doubt the positive news reported by those who benifit a lot, but the problem is we can hardly 'copy' everything from those successful people.

Some doctors told me pork/beef were OK, since they didnot see the relation between UC flares and having pork/beef. True! But some research showes that red meat contains something that leads to cancer (1/3-3 times higher than those not having red meat). So can we eat finally? UC is so individualized that a common treatment seems too hard to conclude before its cause is found out...
Posted 1/3/2010 8:58 AM (GMT 0)
No one says to not eat, it's a personal decision what we put in our mouths. We can do research and find everything is bad for us and ultimately make the decision to fear it all.

No food will heal UC...

q
Posted 1/3/2010 2:18 PM (GMT 0)
I have controlled my UC and been in remission for 3 and a half years with diet so I would say absolutely without a shadow of doubt that food can heal UC.
Posted 1/3/2010 2:48 PM (GMT 0)
I agree with CfromUtah that the right foods can heal UC -- or if it not completely heal someone, then get you to remission and keep you in remission.

After all, for a 'normal' person who isn't ill and doesn't need medicines, it's food that provides the daily nutrition for the body to function (including heal itself).

However, medicines definitely have their place too in the treatment process. So I think it's a matter of finding the right balance of what works for you.

Like some of the others who posted, I have spent a lot of money on all sorts of supplements, many of which did not work -- but it was still worth it. Because if you keep at it you should be able to find the right combination of what works well for you. And I make sure I get supplements from places that are reliable -- such as Whole Foods.
Posted 1/3/2010 8:55 PM (GMT 0)
Cfromutah said:
I have controlled my UC and been in remission for 3 and a half years with diet so I would say absolutely without a shadow of doubt that food can heal UC.

3.5 years remission is beyond a shadow of a doubt that food can heal UC...not...I've gone much longer in my early UC days (no meds) eating what ever I wanted (pizza, mexican food...) and then some illness triggerred my immune system to kick back in and the flare started...be careful about drawing a conclusion like you're doing because it really doesn't mean much (adectodal evidence)...you could have just have easily added some supplement during that time and would be in here saying everyone should take that supplement (like many folks do) because it got you in remission for 3.5 years and healed your UC. The immune system turns on for some reason and then we go into remission, if we happen to have started a new diet just when the immune system backed off the diet (or supplement) gets the credit.
I should say start eating mexican buffets because one time, for me, that when I went into remission and stayed there for over 4 years. So food does heal UC and it's mexican buffet 3 times a week at lunch, and pizza and steak
Posted 1/3/2010 10:08 PM (GMT 0)
You are what you eat.

It's a known fact that diet affects our health. Do a search for "food ulcerative colitis" on Google and see how many people agree. Even CCFA states that there isn't any evidence that food can cause or contribute to UC. However, paying special attention to diet may help reduce symptoms, replace lost nutrients, and promote healing.

If diet helps reduce symptoms of UC, which include diarrhea, urgency, and bleeding, then diet does make a difference. If it can reduce symptoms enough that someone comes out of a flare much more quickly, then go for it. I know diet definitely makes a difference for me.
Posted 1/3/2010 10:30 PM (GMT 0)
What do you mean not? You have no clue Burli. I have pinpointed exactly what nutrients when get out of balance in my body causes me to flare and when properly balanced puts me in remission. I can flare and be in remission at will and I have experimented with this extensively so I'm not going to argue too much with someone who doesn't know what they are talking about. Believe me, I tried lots of natural remedies as yourself that didn't do anything but I finally found what works. If I didn't find what I found I would probably have the same view as you about natural remedies. And this goes much deeper than the sunflower seed and spinach diet. I have to keep approximately 5 nutrients in balance to stay in remission.
Posted 1/3/2010 10:37 PM (GMT 0)
I don't think there is anything that helps everyone.
Posted 1/4/2010 1:24 AM (GMT 0)
I avoid certain foods when in flare myself to ease my symptoms. Being allegric to foods can trigger the immune system which could cause a flare as well. But to say that because you went into remission after changing your diet and are still in remission after 3-4 years because you're still following that same diet means little to prove that the diet was what made the difference. You just may have eliminated a foods you were allergic to or your immune system may have just eased, or stress may have changed in your life (there are so many factors to consider).
As I've said once years back, I started drinking more alcohol during a flare and went into remission, without meds, for several years. Now how many folks in here would start using alcohol as a supplement for UC because it "worked" to get me out of a flare (as some folks' logic goes) and I was able to stay off meds still drinking alcohol during that time? The way the disease is so uncertain and how little each one knows about what other changes a person made during the time their diet changes makes it difficult to but a scientific conclusion behind what you're stating. I've not intended to insult you just point out that 3.5 years of remission is nothing in this disease yet so many use it to conclude they've found solution for themselves that their GI's could not. I do, however, wish you 30 or more years of the same remission but, for many of us, the flare comes back and we're left saying to ourselves "that diet was it I guess so now what." It's frustrating.
Posted 1/4/2010 5:24 AM (GMT 0)

Burli said...

As I've said once years back, I started drinking more alcohol during a flare and went into remission, without meds, for several years. Now how many folks in here would start using alcohol as a supplement for UC because it "worked" to get me out of a flare (as some folks' logic goes) and I was able to stay off meds still drinking alcohol during that time?

The alcohol could have relaxed you. Some people flare due to stress.

I would not start drinking alcohol as a means to get into remission though. There are other ways to reduce stress. But then I also will not take prednisone again. Luckily, I was able to get in remission last time with probiotics and diet. A healthy diet and probiotics are healthier than prednisone.
Posted 1/4/2010 5:45 AM (GMT 0)

Burli said...
But to say that because you went into remission after changing your diet and are still in remission after 3-4 years because you're still following that same diet means little to prove that the diet was what made the difference.

And I can't prove what wakes me up in the morning. For some people, it's an alarm clock, for some it's the light, for some it's noise. For some it's all three. As for me, I can sleep through practically everything. But can I provide you proof of this? No. I can only tell you my experiences. Anything after that is up to you, to believe, to not believe, to try new things, to not try new things. It's all about discovering, intuition, logic, trial and error, and becoming aware of one's body, ...
Posted 1/4/2010 5:49 AM (GMT 0)

LookingFortheCure said...


Burli will not be convinced due to his own experience.

Perhaps Burli wants to be convinced, that's why he's looking for proof. But it is impossible to prove my experiences to Burli, just as it is impossible for Burli to prove his experiences to me.
Posted 1/4/2010 8:12 AM (GMT 0)
It's not just my own experience but i've been reading up on this disease long time. Diet seems to be the first thing people look to change but it also seems to not matter in the long run when that flare comes back. We seem to agree diet changes ease flare symptoms but most don't believe diet changes will bring one out if a flare.

if you added rice (carbs) to your salmon and yogurt i believe you would have recovered just as well, how are you positive that eliminating carbs made any difference? Ffrom what you talked about in your posts you believed this theory about sugars feeding the bad bacteria and thus eliminated carbs. You wereon this diet a long time--long enough for you immune system to change for other reasons...i believe you were in the hospital and on iv steriods so i do question your diet being the reason you improved...

As the other statement I mad, 3-4 years remission means little to say you've figured it out byond the shadow of a doubt

saying this disease doesn't happen in 3rd world countries as much could be because folks with our types of immune systems would have died off from some other illness there before even getting to a stage where it was documented that we had UC. maybe more genetics than diet
Posted 1/4/2010 12:17 PM (GMT 0)

Burli said...
It's not just my own experience but i've been reading up on this disease long time. Diet seems to be the first thing people look to change but it also seems to not matter in the long run when that flare comes back. We seem to agree diet changes ease flare symptoms but most don't believe diet changes will bring one out if a flare.

saying this disease doesn't happen in 3rd world countries as much could be because folks with our types of immune systems would have died off from some other illness there before even getting to a stage where it was documented that we had UC. maybe more genetics than diet

Diet brought me out of my first flare, fecal transplantation out of my second, and probiotics and diet out of my third and last flare.


As for other countries, I would be interested in the stats. If anyone knows of any, please provide information. Thanks. Many countries today are starting to eat poorer just like the US. I remember 20 years ago in Taiwan, people ate mostly fish and vegetables. Now they drink coffee from Starbucks, eat Cheeseburgers from McDonalds, buy junk food at 7-Eleven, and drink bubble milk teas that contain HFCS. It seems the richer one is, the worse the diet.
Posted 1/4/2010 1:07 PM (GMT 0)

LookingFortheCure said...
It is like my carpal tunnel diagnosis with electrical nerve conduction testing 10 years ago. Conclusion was 'surgery'. I changed my life and beat it. Now with all the recent heavy lifting and tendon/muscle strengthening I feel it starting again. I can either 1) Restore the balance or 2) Have the surgery. The hand surgery has improved and recovery is short but I need to get balanced first and then see if I feel I still need it.

That's very interesting. about a couple of years ago, I worked next to a guy who had thoracic outlet syndrome. He was told he needed surgery. He got a second opinion and again was told he needed surgery. He would use his left hand to steer the mouse when he worked at the computer due to the pain. He didn't have enough money for surgery; so he kept putting it off. Then he met a girl and lost weight for her. His issue with thoracic outlet syndrome went away. The last time I saw him, he said he wished the doctors had only told him that his condition might improve if he lost weight. He would have went on a diet a long time ago if he had known.
Posted 1/4/2010 1:11 PM (GMT 0)
I thought many had read this introduction at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulcerative_colitis
This site covers the content we are discussing. In general/science, it requires many experimental data to make a conclusion. Any combination of foods working for one person may not work on others. In fact, even medicines do not work on all, as we see from the posts here. However, medicines are 'approved' by FDA to be produced only after they have shown the improvement (all types of tests). From this point, I don't think any type of food can be 'approved'. This does not mean the type of food does not work on anyone.

I try all supplements as I try medicines, but have not yet found which combination works for me. What I want to see is a stat showing the relation between combinations (of food, medicine, etc) and the number of people having UC controlled with them.
Posted 1/4/2010 1:12 PM (GMT 0)
Your wrong Burli. I dont avoid any foods and I have no food alergys. I eat all the foods I ever have plus more.
Posted 1/4/2010 6:20 PM (GMT 0)
Cfromutah..we may have discussed this before, but just wondering, what are the 5 nutrients you've found that affect your symptoms?
Posted 1/5/2010 7:15 AM (GMT 0)

LookingFortheCure said...


I have yet to see one person try my flare-out method of salmon morning noon and night - it is truly disgusting by the 2nd day, very fatty. Very anti-inflamattory too.

I love salmon. I eat it a lot. I get my salmon from Whole Foods, because I have to be careful about eating foods that may contain antibiotics. It's kind of expensive.
Posted 1/5/2010 8:41 AM (GMT 0)
i love salmon but I could probably only eat it and yogurt exclusively for 10 days tops...just guessing...add rice and some lemon, olive oil, vinegar, feta cheese and I'd make it 30 days but it woul be tough
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