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Still in Remission from Spinach/Sunflower Seeds 3 Years Later

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 12/14/2012 4:12 PM (GMT 0)
OM, Makes sense. I am hoping the damaged cells can heal and regenerate. The human body has proven to be able to heal itself as long as we give it a chance. I think maybe there are some things that also can be done to help heal the colon specifically but we are all too familiar with how long it takes. I am reading some of your other recent posts on gut bacteria as compared to our ancestors and think maybe we can find a good source of meaningful probiotics. I think there are some that work better than others and of course we need to understand why. In the mean time where can I get some guerilla poop in a pill form? That may sound sarcastic but hardly..Until my poop stinks and I have gas that has some smell to it I just dont feel like I am back to normal no matter any remission.


Steve

Post Edited (twiggs) : 12/14/2012 9:15:28 AM (GMT-7)

Posted 12/26/2012 6:43 PM (GMT 0)
How's everybody doing?  Hope your holidays went well. 
Posted 12/27/2012 3:29 PM (GMT 0)
Kiss, I am doing great and hope you and everyone else is also. Thanks for checking in on us..

I am still on track with my spinach buit have backed off the sunflower seed butter for about a month now and am still doing very well. I added blended fresh spinach and berries and fruit in addition and also modified my diet to being much more of a organic paleo. I am still on my canasa 2 times a week but it seems lately that when I take my canasa it seems to make me feel actually not better. I have less formed movments the next morning after taking. I am really thinking of getting those all natural suppositories to try before running out of my canasa to see how they would work for me.

I made it through the xmas holiday fine even having some beer a few days in a row! I had like 8 in 3 days time and it didn't effect me at all.

Steve

Posted 1/2/2013 3:11 PM (GMT 0)
I'm doing well, too, although the holiday eating and drinking set me back a bit.  Ready to get back on track!
Posted 3/25/2013 5:44 PM (GMT 0)

Hello,

 

I love this board !  I want to acknowledge many people on here including CfromUtah, Kiss520, InsoFla and many others.  I have received the best info about this disease from this site (and I have one of the top GI Dr's (im told) in Scottsdale, AZ)

 

I am a first time poster, long time lurker.  I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Proctitis 1 year ago and have been flaring ever since.  My flares do not include D but do include a great deal of blood and mucus.  I had some initial relief with Canasa but that only lasted a few weeks. I have also tried Lialda (4/day for 3 months) and Asacol (3/day for 3 months). Neither of which provided any relief.  On Dec 1, 2012 I went Gluten free and had relief from my blood and mucus for about a month and a half and then it came back with a vengeance !.  I am currently finishing a month of Canasa and will likely continue with a refill to help with SF and spinach.

 

I found the Sunflower seed/Spinach diet thread(s) and read EVERY ONE and was amazed.  I have been on the SF Butter/Spin diet for about 7 days and it has helped me achieve about 90% relief from my B and M.  I eat 3-4 Tablespoons of SF butter and a handful of Pumpkin seeds.  I also eat 1 can of spinach every day as well as avocado, and yams 3-4 times a week.  I am really hoping for 100% relief but that last bit of B and M has been very difficult to stop.  Anyone else with similar symptoms or any advice would be appreciated.

 

Thanks!!

-Robert

 

Canasa daily

SF/Spinach Diet started 3/18/2013

Ulcerative Proctitis since 2/2012

Very active mountain runner and Crossfit enthusiast

 

Post Edited (protocolteck) : 3/27/2013 12:57:01 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 3/26/2013 8:12 AM (GMT 0)
I'm glad you already found relief after this short amount of time. Blood and mucus are the hardest to stop in my opinion.
Posted 3/26/2013 2:15 PM (GMT 0)
I modified my approach to this and it seems I only need the spinach part of this as I am in remission. I had done the spinach and sunbutter daily for two months then stopped the sunbutter and now make a blended smoothie with fresh spinach which does the trick for me.I have been off the sunbutter for a few months now and still have been fine.

I am only taking canasa as a maintenance med now. I would suggest that you do this religiously or like anything else it wont work. In the begining when I started the sunbutter and spinach diet I took a road trip 3 weeks in on the diet and brought canned spinach with me so that I didnt miss out. The canned or cooked frozen spinach works well at first because it is easy on the gut. As you get better I would recommend fresh blended spinach smoothies you can make in your blender. They taste great...

I think that the smoothies I make are what helps me the most. I dont dare not make them ever..Besides they taste great and we look foreward to them to start the day. If anyone wants to know what I use to make them feel free to ask.

Steve
Posted 3/26/2013 3:31 PM (GMT 0)
What else do you add to the smoothie? What kind of spinach do you use? Leaf? Chopped? Do you cook it or is it raw?
Posted 3/26/2013 4:17 PM (GMT 0)
@Twiggs, Its interesting you found relief with just the spinach. When I started keeping track of all food, BM's, etc in a log about 6 months ago, I noticed spinach seemed to help lower blood and mucus the following day. I did not figure out the connection until after I started the SF/Spinach diet last week and went through my food log.
Clearly, it helps a great deal. I am hoping, after doing this diet every day for a couple of weeks more, that I will find 100% remission, like so many others. I normally only eat fresh, organic spinach however many posters said the canned spinach is key (not sure why but will follow instructions). I will definately try the spinach smoothies since I have smoothies everyday anyway.
@Andrina. You are so right on the B and M being the hardest to get rid of. I am in great health in every way except for the Blood and Mucus.
Thanks,
Robert

Canasa daily
SF/Spinach Diet started 3/18/2013
Ulceratice Proctitis since 2/2012
Very active Mountainrunner and Crossfit enthusiast
Posted 3/26/2013 4:41 PM (GMT 0)
Protocol/ Andrina, I use fresh organic baby leaf spinach primarily then baby leaf kale along with a cup of blueberries a whole banana a cup of carrot juice. I then add homemade lemon aid to it to thin it out and allow the blender to work better getting it all mixed. I make the lemon aid with concentrated lemon juice and stevia extract and a gallon of spring water.I put about 3 really good handfulls of the spinach in it and press it down good and one good handful of the baby kale greens. You have to pulse the blender and mix it a couple times with a wooden spoon till it gets it all mixed but once you get the lemon aid in there it works like a charm. I of course turn the blender off when doing the hand mixing initially. The smoothie tastes great and you can jhust add less lemon aid if you want it thicker or thinner. I end up using about 3/4 cup of lemon aid. This makes 32oz which me and my wife split and drink daily.

When I eat dinner a couple times a week I have frozen chopped spinach organic from the warehouse. I get it in 6lb bags. I just cook it will warm and thawed and top it with grated parmesian cheese.

Let me know if you try the smoothie as I make it and what you think. btw you can use the frozen blueberries. I find they are just as good but perhaps not as nutritional but good just the same and a whole heck of alot cheaper. I get a 3 lb bag of Wymans of Maine frozen blueberries at the wearehouse for 7.99. Carrot juice is the Bolthouse farms 54 oz jug also from the warehouse for 4.99.

The smoothie is what definatly helps me. I dont think the cooked is nearly as good nutritionally. The blender breaks it down to liquid so fiber should not be that bad for those recovering. Although they may want to try it and then wait if they are having issues and perhaps stick with the canned or frozen chopped cooked in the begining till symptoms slow and one can handle the raw version in smoothie form.

Steve

Post Edited (twiggs) : 3/26/2013 11:04:15 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 3/26/2013 5:12 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks, Twiggs. I actually used to have spinach smoothies a long time ago (the time before I was diagnosed with UP)and found them to be tasty. I just didnt have them daily and now I will incorporate them into my daily diet.

I will likely go back to fresh organic spinach as it taste a lot better than canned (even though it cost more). I will say the canned spinach I had (Del Monte) taste a little like Callolu (Jamiacan greens) which is a staple in Jamaica and very tasty-just a random comment :)

Thanks!
Posted 3/26/2013 5:28 PM (GMT 0)
Protocol I see you also use Canasa. I am not sure what your paying but I was paying 170.00 for 30 of them with prescription. I recently have been introduced to Canadian pharmacys and have save tons already on my first order. I got delivered to my home by mail 90 of them for 250.00 shipping included. I was going toget 180 of them which is my full year prescription but decided to get only 90 but would of saved even more if I got the 180 of them which is 470.00 delivered. If you want more info let me know. The pharmacy I used has been used by othere here and they have been great to me so far. I would highly recommend using them if you are interested in saving cash not only on canasa but most or all other prescriptions.

Steve
Posted 3/26/2013 5:41 PM (GMT 0)

Wow, Twiggs, that is a better deal. My insurance is a little better ($125/30 pills) but that is still way high. I would be VERY interested in the pharmacy information. I was curious about VSL#3 DS. My insurance does not cover this and it comes out to $300/month. Needless to say, I will not pay that much. Do they offer VSL#3 DS as well? Can you contact me offline?

Thanks!
Robert

Posted 3/26/2013 5:57 PM (GMT 0)
They dont sell VSL from what I can see. The pharmacy used by some here including myself is. Big Mountain Drugs.

Check it out.

http://www.bigmountaindrugs.com/

Toll free
1.877.223.9977

All you have to do is send them your prescription via fax or mail. They can setup an account for you on phone or you can use the web page. Very cimple process at least it was for me. You can always call them as they have been very responsive with any questions I had. I would recommend faxing your info which gets it there pronto. Mailing takes like 10 days from the USA to them it seems. They received my prescription on a Monday and I received my meds in my mail box that next Saturday..I used a credit card which they keep on files and also makes reordering a snap. The pharmacist always call you to reconfirm your order before filling. I was really impressed with how they did business.

Steve
Posted 3/26/2013 6:02 PM (GMT 0)

Thanks, Twiggs !  I appreciate the information.

-Robert

Posted 3/26/2013 6:27 PM (GMT 0)
Protocol no problem. One more thing Canasa is called Salofalk in Canada. Although on their website you can search for it by the name Canasa as well as order it by that name also. When you get it it is salofalk but is the exact same thing as the canasa. Also here in the USA they dont offer a 500mg canasa version but they do in Canada so you need to make sure your prescription says for instance "Canasa 1000mg" meaning the mg has to be written on the prescription. I got my prescription and it only said "Canasa" and being there is no other mg other than 1000mg in US it is assumed at a US pharmacy that is what it is but this is not so in Canada because they have 500 and 1000mg. I simply wrote 1000mg In my own writing on the prescription before sending it to them. They told me to do it that way to make it simple. It was their suggestion to write it in myself. I didnt want to go back to my doc and tell him I needed the MG on because I was ordering from Canada. I simply got my written prescription in hand from them and told them I wanted to shop around for better prices.

Steve

 

Post Edited (twiggs) : 3/26/2013 12:30:31 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 3/26/2013 10:48 PM (GMT 0)
the reason canned or frozen spinach is preferred over fresh is because it takes A LOT of fresh spinach to equal the same amount as in canned or frozen.  I dont think it matters as long as you get the volume needed.  If you buy fresh just buy a lot and cook it because it cooks down and you will eat more cooked than raw. 

I find that I need the sunflower seeds more often than the spinach.  I need to eat sunflower seeds several times a week, but spinach only once or twice a week.  Thats remission amounts.  If trying to come out of a flare I increase both.

Posted 3/27/2013 3:44 PM (GMT 0)

Thanks, twiggs-I did not know Canasa came in 500mg.  Did you ask your Dr. for a 90 day script?  My GI only likes to do 30 day scripts (I will ask for 90 since I will likely need these for awhile).

Thanks, Sore_Guts-Thats what I figured re:canned vs fresh spinach.  I really prefer fresh even though it does cost a lot more. 

Still hovering at that 90-95% remission but just cant get rid of the lingering blood and mucus.

 

Posted 3/27/2013 4:23 PM (GMT 0)
I think I'm going to ease off the amount of spinach I eat. It's helped a lot, but eating a half can every day seems excessive since it is a bit of a laxative. I think every second day should be enough for remission. I am a little nervous to tinker with what works though of course! Maybe 1/4 can every day would be safer...
Posted 3/27/2013 4:36 PM (GMT 0)
C_G_K-  I noticed your comment in your signature about being extra gassy while on this diet.  Very true-MY GF is also not amused (although she is obviously happy with how the diet is going) and it is embarrassing in public, at times.  I have found that nothing really works to stop it (gas ex, etc).  Relatively speaking, of course, I would much rather have nasty gas than nasty proctitis symptoms.
Posted 3/27/2013 4:58 PM (GMT 0)
Protocol my doc writes the prescription assuming a full year which for me is 180 max for the year unless I see him or have more issues. This is what it says basically on my prescription 30 refill max of 6 times in one year or 180. To the pharmacy in Canada they dont seem to care if you get them all at once. You just cant get more than your prescription is for unless of course you get a new prescription.

Steve
Posted 3/27/2013 9:47 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you for the smoothie recipe :-)

Frozen spinach has the same benefits and nutrients as fresh leaf spinach? Is it the Vitamin K which is so good and healing? I really wonder why it helps.

I started eating frozen spinach again because I get 10 ounces in one serving. I found the cans as well which are 14 ounces but I kinda felt that was too much so I didn't pick them up.
Posted 3/28/2013 1:09 PM (GMT 0)
Andrina, I would hardly doubt that cooked spinach has more nutrients than fresh raw spinach. I am not sure of the mechanism that is in spinach whcih helps some of us but I had origionally started with cooked spinach for 2 months. I am now on the fresh smoothies and remain fine. It really is a mystery why it works but for me I just make sure I get it daily untill we understand better. I do think that the fresh being I am in remission is the best choice for me nutrituionally. Any time you cook something you change the structure of it. Also you loose if anything nutrients not gain when cooking. I will stick with fresh uncooked myself. Someone also mentioned that you get more spinach when cooking it because it shrinks it down considerably which is true. I look at it this way that cooking it you can eat more of it but in my eyes I would rather have less with quality then more with much less quality.

My first choice is fresh uncooked organic baby spinach then frozen chopped uncooked organic spinach that I can cook lightly. Then canned being last.

Steve

Post Edited (twiggs) : 3/28/2013 7:32:42 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 3/28/2013 3:38 PM (GMT 0)
Spinach facts,seems to contain lots of arginine,anyhow here are a bunch facts,go towards the bottom and

you can click on the other nutrients in spinach.

Old Mike

http://www.spinachwords.com/nutrients3.shtml

Posted 3/28/2013 4:01 PM (GMT 0)
The home canning recipe for spinach says to can it under high heat and high pressure for 70 minutes! Obviously the whole point is to sterilize it so no anaerobic bacteria can grow in the can before you eat it. That kind of heat and pressure is likely to cause lots of changes to the spinach, one being, as previously mentioned, changing the spinach from strongly alkaline to slightly acidic. I think it's pretty safe to assume the commercial canning method is similar in terms of heat and pressure. It must be some mystery compound in the spinach that survives canning, either that or it is just the placebo effect or pure coincidence smilewinkgrin
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