ESR is a measurement of inflammation level in the body-- so whatever lowers that will result in a lower no. on lab test results. (Higher ESR = higher level of inflammation) I know that in remission my ESR has registered as low as 4, which made my gastro smile happily & comment that it was a "great" reading. I think mine has shown 30-something, too, while I was still in remission judging from relief of symptoms. As far as I know, the reading varies among patients so your gastro has presumably recorded your baseline at differents points in your treatment, and uses variation of the number to gauge whether your med(s) are helping optimally. Maybe you could investigate natural anti-inflammatories like turmeric to (hopefully) supplement your meds' inflammation-fighting properties. / Old Hat (nearly 30 yrs with left-sided UC ... [etc.])
Post Edited (Old Hat) : 1/24/2009 8:36:10 PM (GMT-7)