Hitting Remission - Thank you forum!

Thank you for posting. I have a very similar experience with a formula very close to yours. I take this every day and twice a day whenever I feel a flare threatening:

1. 2 spoonfuls of powdered psyllium seed
(your formula uses Metamucil which is psyllium husks, I find the seeds more effective but we are close enough for government work)

2. 2 packets of VSL3, or 1 packet VSL3DS
3. Mixed with apple sauce
4. Also like to add kefir and blueberries, seems to slightly increase the effectiveness

I don't take rowasa or other medications so I watch my diet and take copious supplements to avoid having to battle oncoming flares everyday, but this seems to work whenever I feel a flare threatening. This is my STOPPER. Don't want to jinx myself either but this has worked 6 months for me so far without medication.

I got this idea from others on this forum who have commented that psyllium seed, apple sauce, and probiotics have been a very effective combination for them. Don't hear too much about it anymore, maybe those who use it feel they no longer need the forum!

As an added bonus psyllium seems to have lowered my cholesterol. This link indicates that psyllium seed (plantago) is as effective as mesalamine for UC, (other links say the same about turmeric, boswellia, vitamin E enemas, etc.).
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10022641

It's great you're feeling better. If you have UC beyond your rectum, you should for sure be on an oral 5ASA such as ASacol. Please consider it.

q

Not to sound like a broken record...but I think it's important to share the success stories. I have found remission after years of fighting this disease (UC) with a combination of modified SCD, VSL#3 and Curcumin. I went into remission with the help of some of the heavy hitting biologics and took a chance under the guidance of my GI to see if I could maintain remission with a more "natural" approach. My GI is a friend and physician colleague of mine and was willing to let me consider alternative therapies. These "alternative" therapies are not so alternative any longer as many institutions of academia have studied the important role of dysbiosis (bacterial imbalance) of the gastrointestinal tract and the impact on health and disease. I wish the rest of the members of this online forum community well.

34 yo male

Diagnosed pancolitis

Currently in remission.

Failed prednisone, asacol, colazal, lialda, antibiotics

Remicade brought into remission, concurrently on SCD diet

Now: SCD (modified to allow brown rice and quinoa, few other illegals), VSL#3DS 1-2 packets with homemade yogurt, curcumin twice daily.

I thought metamucil you had to mix with water? You can mix with apple sauce?

 

Awesome you are feeling better and you sound similar to me except I'm also on Asacol.  My UC is from the rectum to the sigmoid. 

I started on Asacol and probiotic (Align) and saw improvement but not in remission.  I asked here what should come next and was told by someone *cough*  *quincy*  *cough* that I should be on rectal meds too.  After hemming and hawing I gave in b/c I would like to try to avoid Pred as long as possible.  I started the Rowasa and yippee, remission.  I tapered too quickly however and went back into a mild flare.  I upped the Rowasa back to nightly, upped the Asacol to 9 per day, added Metamucil and changed probiotics and here I am today.  In a nice, lovely remission that I hope lasts quite some time.

You can see in my siggy what I am currently taking in remission.

therearemiracles,

I prefer adding kefir (more and different probiotics) instead of water if you are worried about needing to add liquid to the apple sauce and psyllium husks (metamucil). I have seen research indicating that psyllium seed is more effective than the husks for IBD because it encourages butyrate.