pestgg said...
but occasionally when I have a flair (usually caused by having a cold or flu) I also take a couple of weeks’ worth of the following antibiotics: Ciprofloxacin and Flagyl, which seems to work on multiple levels of helping to put my UC into remission, which also alleviates arthritis pain. According to my research; the Arthritis can be caused when bacteria pass from the colon into the blood stream or into your body through your weak colon walls and may settle and contribute to joint pain, but this relationship is just suspected, which I suppose is why it works for me.
i know many people with ankylosing spondilitys - wich is common between UC people, most common though is sacroileitis - who use antibiotics protocol in order to achieve and maintain remission.
i recommend you the roadback fundation asociation if you are from US - http://www.roadback.org/ - i belive your doctor goes by the same principles.
i will add some more, from my research on the subject, since i am affected both by UC and AS
if you will "dig" a little more you will see that diet has a big role in the proliferation of "bad" bacteria that can cause both gut&joint inflammation.
the problem - if we accept this theory - can be divided in two parts:
1st is how to kill those bacterias.
2 possible answers, both present their own risks and possible ups and downs:
a. with antibiotics. this is the fastest way, but can damage your gut flora for good.
b. with diet - starve them to death. most of the gut flora lives by the complex carbs we eat. expel the complex carbs from the diet could be the solution. the longest way, since it's a long process. the hardest way also, since we are used to have a verry confortable and "fast-food" diet and also because it's not cheap to avoid complex carbs.
2nd question is how do you restore your gut flora to a more "beneficial" and anti-inflamatory one:
2 possible answers here too:
a. with good probiotics - but here the market is verry confusing, and what is good for some may trigger flares for others (i've tested several probiotics and flared - UC and AS both).
b. with diet - raw vegies and raw fruits (well rippened, and not to rich in fructose wich is an inflammatory factor over our body) contain so called good bacteria on their own. sticking to such diet long enough - years - may change one bowel flora and re-echilibrate it.
i've wheighted myself the antibiotic protocol, but i since i seem addicted to candidasis while taking antibiotics, i've took the diet road and after 1 year and a half i can control both UC and athritis through it.
Just my 2 cents on the matter.