Newly diagnosed UC - Thoughts on Turmeric/Curcumin, Manuka honey, aloe, other alternatives?

Some people have luck with supplements and OTC things, such as diets and probiotics. I personally did not. There is a post in the resources thread at the top of the forum with some info about turmeric that is worth a read. I tried adding it to food and I tried the curcumin tablets without seeing any improvement. My pancolitis was severe & nothing seemed to stop its progression unfortunately. It's worth trying things, but it's good to be able to keep a record of what's working and what's not - otherwise you can go nuts trying to maintain a crazy diet and supplement regiment and it may not be doing anything. As for the aloe, who's to say if it was actually due to that, or just remission after the steroids? Long-term steroid use should be avoided regardless, too many permanent consequences.

Echoing what's been said already: you'll have to find out what works for you thru trial and error. Could be that nothing bothers you, but everybody's body is different so any advice would be anecdotal.

All our diseases are located in different spots/create different reactions. Unfortunately it's not well understood to the point where any one treatment/diet can be pointed to as most effective. Hope you feel ok and whatever meds you might be on get you back to leading the life you had before the symptoms showed up. I know I can't wait to start running and hiking again once my current issues subside. Good luck and solidarity.

Good luck on the recent diagnosis and good that you are optimistic and staying active! What your doc prescribed sounds solid to me and it's good you are treating both ends (rectal meds + oral).

I also echo what others are saying that you really have to experiment with what works for you and keep a log of symptoms/changes.

Regarding tumeric, like DBwithuc I have never heard of it getting someone into remission alone without meds. If I were you, I would start with the supplements that have the best evidence-base, particularly probiotics and diet . VSL 3 is one probiotic that has a good amount of research backing it, but it's often used in conjunction with medication. YOu can do a pub med search and you will see close to 100 studies on VSL 3 and UC. VSL is not the only one; You can try any probiotic that is multi-strain and has live cultures. REgarding diets, SCD, GAPS, and the AID diet from u mass have thousands of anecdotal reports of their effectiveness and some case studies/research. Diet is definitely more work than taking a supplement and not for everyone. I've been on SCD diet (it is pretty restrictive though) with great success and one long remission for 12 years where I only intermittently needed low dose asacol.

My recommendation is to stay on your meds at least until you hit remission while adding supplements, but don't stop the meds until after you hit remission (and many of us have to take them long-term to maintain remission).

I believe this belongs here

Richard in NY said...
I have seen benefits from green tea and pomegranate extracts. They both have anti-inflammatory properties and if you search Pubmed you'll see studies documenting their use as an adjuvant therapy for UC. For me, they really helped cut down on mucus and gas, but they are by no means a cure.

I tried different natural remedies and we seem to react all so differently.

What did worked for me : cabbage juice for blood (I was really surprise, it is very effective in my case), probioitcs, slippery elm, bone broth, protein powder
What didnt do much/not worked : turmeric pills, marshmallow root, butyrate, l-glutamine, cbd oil
Currently trying: collagen, digestive enzymes

Good luck!

iPoop said...
I believe this belongs here

Richard in NY said...
I have seen benefits from green tea and pomegranate extracts. They both have anti-inflammatory properties and if you search Pubmed you'll see studies documenting their use as an adjuvant therapy for UC. For me, they really helped cut down on mucus and gas, but they are by no means a cure.

Correct. Thanks John.

Here's the link for one of the green tea studies:

/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3672863/

and pomegranate extract

/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24140585

They're both cheap and have lots of other health benefits. I get the Vitamin Shoppe store brand versions and they work fine.

Post Edited (Richard in NY) : 4/18/2017 8:23:00 AM (GMT-6)

Alliswell said...
Hi Fatedcircle

I have read testimonials about ppl healing with different alternative medicines. Aloe, turmeric, fruits vegetable juices which boost immunity surely help. There are ppl on youtube who completely healed from colitis.
I am curious how long did you wait to see a doctor after started noticing increase in bowel motions.
Do you recall eating from any untrusted sources? Can you think of any reason linked to increase in bowel motions?

Boosting immunity is not a useful goal in treating UC. Its immediate cause is an overactive immune system. Testimonials on youtube are not a substitute for actual research. Anyone telling you that they are "completely healed" from UC is almost certainly trying to sell you something or didn't have UC in the first place.

You would be better off getting your information from reliable sources of medical information and research.

Richard in NY said...
Boosting immunity is not a useful goal in treating UC. Its immediate cause is an overactive immune system.

iPoop said...
Anecdotal evidence from one or several individuals is hardly a substitute for a double-blind scientific study with hundreds or thousands of individuals with UC.

The latest double-blind scientific studies indicate that the theory of an overactive immune system should be discarded along with other obsolete explanations such as in the 1950's when it was assumed that IBD was "all in your mind", a psychosomatic disorder and the recommended treatment was a psychiatrist.

"Although the autoimmune theory has been unequivocally dismissed for over 20 years, many physicians and gastroenterologists cling to this theory - the medical community has historically been slow to change"

especially since Big Pharma has a vested interest in immunosuppressants

There is little or no evidence that IBD is an autoimmune disease. The latest scientific studies indicate that it is an immune deficiency disease, a deficiency against one particular type of bacteria. The signs point that it may be a mycobacteria, the same type of bacteria that causes tuberculosis and leprosy.

Yes immunosupressants help with IBD, but they are also effective to curb inflammation in meningitis, tuberculosis, and leprosy which clearly are infectious diseases.

/www.youtube.com/watch?v=7x3lq8QEg5g&feature=youtu.be

UC could be an immune deficiency but, then again, it may not be. Certainly the MAP (tuberculosis-like bacterium infection) hypothesis is interesting but it seems to better describe Crohn's disease than UC (patchy appearance is more characteristic of an infection). There are many avenues/mechanisms being researched and i don't think a scientific consensus is anywhere close. Right now, immunesuppressing remicade and 6MP are the best and most effective treatments for me. Regardless of the how, what, or why my immune system is attacking, i'll stick with what works. If boosting the immune system with vitamin c or other things worked so well then everyone would be in a remission.

The greater point i was making is although there are many glowing testimonials on youtube or on the web one needs to be careful. Often they're selling a product. I've worked in marketing and i know how truth is an afterthought (a compelling/exaggerated story as a reason to buy is the point). UC isn't simple and easily controlled with any one treatment. Rather it's all trial and error and nothing has a guarantee of sucess. Talk of cured is immediately suspect of a downright lie or at least an uninformed person who should instead say remission.

Turmeric taken with black pepper and ginger is a great combo. Needs to be added to some fat so a blob of coconut oil and in the micro for 30 seconds iced with a little milk / milk alternative. Turmeric seems to be the in thing at the moment so might be worth choosing an organic one as there's likely to be some shoddy product around potentially high in heavy metals etc