No bleeding for 6 weeks after a 6 month flare up: How I did it

Quick recap: Diagnosed 3 years ago, first flareup very quickly ended with prednisone 40mgs, next flare up a year later was HORRIBLE (stuck at home for months), treated eventually with hydrocort retention enemas, 3rd flare up 6 months after that beginning in February of this year. No combination of hydrocort/rowasa was stopping the bleeding, nor was I able to get my weight up. After 5 months of this, I took matters into my own hands.

I realized that my bleeding had to be 'higher' up... stools were bloodless at the beginning, then bled towards the end. I also had very little urgency, which to me is a sign the rectum is not inflamed. The retention enemas, even if done 2x a day, seemed to keep things at bay, but I would still bleed basically every other day. Frustration and sadness were mounting.

SO I decided the 'trick' would be to get the retention enemas higher in the colon. I also augmented my regimen with a few other weapons. Within 3 days, the bleeding stopped. Now, I haven't bled for 6 weeks, I've gained 10 pounds, I don't walk around with immodium in my pocket, and I'm tapering off the enemas.

Here's what I did:

Enemas:
-I turned upside down when administering them (legs up against bed)
-I would alternate hydrocort and Rowasa (generic) every night
-I would administer, wait about 2 minutes, and here's the trick... fill the now-empty bottle with distilled water. The water MUST BE DISTILLED! You WILL hurt yourself if you use tap water. Shake well, then inject this additional solution.
-Stay upside down another 3-5 minutes. Then get in bed and roll around. Wa-la-- your enema is now a good part of the way up your descending colon. You'll have no urgency if you were upside down given the enema solution will pass the ennervated region of the intestine.

New additions to regimen:
-For the first week, I ate pasta + chicken + olive oil every day (give time to heal to colon, but still eat)
-Gargle with mouthwash morning and night (get rid of those sinus infection buggies)
-Take a teaspoon of organic turmeric powder (get from whole foods-- SO MUCH cheaper than pills and the appropriate dose) every night
-Take a tablespoon of coconut oil and borage/flax oil in the morning
-Take a tablespoon of olive oil and flax oil at night
-Take psyllium SEED powder capsule with each meal (not the commonly available husk-- studies show the seed is as good as 5-ASA)
-1/4 cup of aloe juice morning and night, mixed with fruit juice (pomegranate, blueberry, pineapple... anything to disguise the vile taste)
-4 probiotics each night: Nature's Way Reuteri, Kyodophilus, Nature's Way Bifidus, Acidophilus pearls.

I'm now doing the enemas every 3rd day. Stool frequency is up, but I'm also eating pretty much anything and everything (within reason: keep sugars down, no sodas, avoid fried foods and wine). I hope I can get off the enemas... no guarantees, but I'm doing a LOT better.

The critical things, IMO:
-The oils-- calories + good things for your body
-The double dose enemas (enema + distilled water)-- gets the meds higher
-Turmeric POWDER every night
-Psyllium Seed Powder every meal
-Branched Chain Amino Acids, Vitamin CDE, Selenium

I have a VERY thorough regimin, but it still takes less than 10 minutes a day. It isn't cheap, but neither is being ill. Feel free to ask questions... and wish me luck tapering off the enemas entirely!

Hi Sara,

Yep, after filling the bottle with distilled water, I shake it up (which gets all the leftover meds into the solution--a significant amount), then inject again.

It's not a cakewalk to retain, but being upside down (just as you described) REALLY helps... once the solution is past the ennervated part of the rectum, it doesn't make you want to run to the bathroom.

You have to use distilled water b/c there are no impurities in there. Tap water has flouride, chlorine, minerals, etc that could be harmful to your colon by themselves, OR react with the chemicals in the enemas. If you read the ingredient list on the enemas, you'll notice they themselves use distilled water.

I still alternate both enemas-- but boost both with the distilled water 'chaser'

I take the turmeric powder straight-- it's DISGUSTING! I've learned that if you chase it REALLY quickly with some powerful juice-- pineapple, pomegranate work well- you hardly taste it. It's a powder, so be careful you don't choke! You could also fill empty gelatin capsules with the powder and save a TON of money versus buying the pills premade at the store.

I get psyllium seed powder from an alternative grocer near my house. There is also one company that bottles it in pill form-- I can't remember the brand but it's a black bottle with a white label, and the herb name in script.

Thanks for the wishes! Let's see if I can pull this off....

This is pretty interesting. I also have left sided Uc and was having trouble with the oral med reaching to my inflammation and the enemas reaching to the inflammation - it was that in between area that was giving me the most trouble. So your method does make a lot of sense.

I will keep my fingers crossed for you when you start to taper.

Red34: Exactly! I got creative to try and counter that 'no-man's land' area. Let's see if it keeps working.

PB4: I also took bee propolis for a long time (1+ year), and can't say whether it helped or not. My problem with it was that it wouldn't dissolve! I would see it come out all the time, untouched... it's kind of like tar, so it makes sense. What brand do you use?

Very interesting!

I wish you the best in your taper!

burli,

diluting the enema by half would traditionally mean dumping out half the medicine and replacing it with water.

What I've described *augments* the dose with an additional 60mls of water. You still get the full dose. It's spread a little thinner across your colon, but because most people don't get all the meds out the first time, the additional water probably brings with it a significant amount of medicine that normally would be tossed.

Bees create propolis by collecting a resinous sap from trees and then mixing it with wax back at the hive. They use this material much the way people use caulk: to seal their homes. Chemically, propolis is exceedingly complex and contains a rich variety of potent terpenes and benzoic, caffeic, cinnamic,and phenolic acids. It's also high in flavonoids, which by themselves may account for many of the benefits attributed to propolis-and some researchers refer to propolis as a type of flavonoid.


One of the most significant medical journal articles described how the caffeic acids in propolis and honey might prevent colon cancer, which kills some 60,000 Americans each year. Chinthalapally V. Rao, Ph.D., of the American health Foundation, Valhalla, N.Y., reported in Cancer Research (Sept.15,1993; 53:1482-88) that these caffeic acids prevented the formation of precancerous tissue in rats after they were exposed to cancer-causing chemicals.


Most medical articles, however, still point to the value of propolis as a powerful, natural antibiotic. That doesn't mean eating propolis will let you throw away your antibiotics - only that you may not need them quite as often.


Why would bees need substances with broad antibacterial and antiviral properties? Any beekeeper will tell you the answer. Bees are very susceptible to bacterial and viral infections, which can destroy hives the way the bubonic plague ravaged Europe in the 17th century.


Two medical journal articles document the activity of propolis specifically against Staphylococcus aureus, the bacterium that causes dangerous and often deadly surgical infections, blood poisoning, and a type of pneumonia. Five to 10 percent of all patients hospitalized in the United States develop such infections, and S. aureus has become resistant to all but one pharmaceutical antibiotic.


In a Chinese study, researchers found that extracts of propolis - specifically, sinapic, isoferulic, and caffeic acids - inhibited the growth of S. aureus (Qiao Z, China Journal of Chinese Materi Medica, Aug. 1991;16:481-2). A European study reported that ethanol extracts from propolis had a "marked synergistic effect" on the anti-staph activity of two antibiotics, streptomycin and cloxacillin, and a moderate effect on several others (Krol W, Arzneimittel-Forschung, May 1993;43:607-9).


Another scientific investigation discovered that propolis inhibited the activity of several streptococcal bacteria species that cause dental caries.Japanese researchers reported that propolis-fed laboratory fats had far fewer caries than those given a regular diet. Propolis protected specifically against Streptococcus mutans and several other strep species (Ikeno K, Caries research, 1991;25:347-51). These strep species are closely related to the germ that causes strep throat.


Propolis works against bacteria in several ways. One study reported that it prevented bacterial cell division and also broke down bacterial walls and cytoplasm, which is how some prescription antibiotics work (Takaisi-KikuniNB, Planta Medica, June 1994;60:222-7).


Perhaps more remarkable is that propolis acts against viruses, which antibiotics do not. A number of medical journal reports have discussed the role of propolisin fighting upper respiratory infections, such as those caused by the common cold and influenza viruses (Focht J, Arzneimittel-Forschung, Aug. 1993;43:921-3). Other investigators have reported that the cinnamic acid extracts of propolis prevent viruses from reproducing, but they worked best when used during the entire infection (Serkedjieva J, Journal of Natural Products, March 1992;55:294-302).


Underpinning many of the benefits of propolis is that some of its components,like the flavonoids and ethanols, function as antioxidant free-radical scavengers. A study published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology (Jan. 1994;21:9-13)noted that some of the antioxidant phenols in propolis functioned similarly to vitamin E. In another article, researchers described that propolis had anti-inflammatory properties and that it could also prevent blood clots(Drugs Under Experimental & Clinical Research, 1993; 19:197-203).


Honey


Six medical journal articles over the past three years have also described the antibiotic properties of honey. A physician at the medical college in Maharashtra, India, recently explored the use of honey-soaked gauze to treat burn patients. The 40 patients treated with honey healed in about half the time - and with half the scar tissue - compared with patients treated by other means. (Subrahmanyam M, Burns, Aug. 1994;20:331-3).


A team of researchers from the department of surgery, University Teaching Hospital, Nigeria, reported that unprocessed honey "inhibited most of the fungi and bacteria" causing surgical and wound infections. In a remarkable conclusion in the journal Infection (Jul.- Aug. 1992;20:227-9),Dr. S. E. Efem and his colleagues wrote, "Honey is thus an ideal topical wound dressing agent in surgical infections, burns and wound infections."


Perhaps most remarkable is the effect of honey on Helicobacter pylori, the bacterium now known to cause gastric ulcers. Because honey has long been a folk remedy for dyspepsia, or stomach upset, a team of researchers from the University of Waikato, New Zealand, tested whether honey would have any benefit. Within three days, honey stopped the growth of H. pylori colonies obtained from patients.


Royal Jelly


Highly touted royal jelly, fed to the debutante larvae that grow into queen bees, contains a powerful antibacterial protein that Japanese researchers discovered and named royalisin. Rich in amino acids, royalisin is primarily effective against "Gram-positive" bacteria, which include staph and strep species (Fujiwara S, Journal of Biological Chemistry, July 5,1990;265:11333-7).


Like propolis, royal jelly also appears to have anti-tumor properties. Another team of Japanese researchers gave royal jelly to one of two groups of laboratory mice before transplanting different types of cancer cells in them. The royal jelly had no effect on the leukemia cells, but it had dramatic effects on sarcoma cells. The lifespan of the mice was extended by about one-fifth and tumor sizes were about half the size, compared with untreated mice,according to a report in the journal Nippon Yakurigaku Zasshji-Folia Pharmacologica Japonica (Feb. 1987;89:73-80).


In sum, we could learn a lesson from bees that eat honey and royal jelly, and seal their hives with propolis. By eating these bee products, we can preventively "innoculate" ourselves against many bacterial and viral infections - and maybe even reduce our risk of developing cancer.


So, in light of the scientific evidence, next time you hear someone ridicule bee propolis, royal jelly, and other products, just tell them to "buzz off."


Bee propolis caps are oral, I buy mine from puritans pride online as they always have sales, they sell 500 mg caps and I take 2/day (have been for 5 yrs now everyday and my GI encourages me to continue with it).


:)