Molecular defects in mucosal serotonin content and decreased serotonin reuptake transporter in UC

Huh, I'm surprised I missed these two papers...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15188158
www.nature.com/ctg/journal/v3/n4/full/ctg20128a.html

The second one being really interesting especially this to me:

Short-chain fatty acids, produced by bacteria in the colon, can also stimulate 5-HT release.29 The complex interaction of the microbiota, diet, and the cells of the intestine all have an influence on 5-HT synthesis, release, and degradation, and therefore all may be responsible for the altered 5-HT function seen in many GI diseases.

And these papers: (which have been posted before elsewhere)

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2861806/
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3540639/pdf/tacca123000268.pdf
www.erowid.org/references/refs_view.php?A=ShowDocPartFrame&id=6164&DocPartid=5790

I don't think they're suggesting it's bad - just miss-regulated or gone all wonky according to all these.

In UC it is suggesting that the number of enterochromaffin cells and the corresponding 5HTP synthesis from these cells is decreased and in Crohns both are increased.

I find it a very, very, odd coincidence that the case study on this goofy Amino Acid therapy (which was for a patient with Crohns) focuses on people with crohns having excess serotonin for some unknown reason. Even Dr. Stein speaks of this frequently. For me the first thing to go away was any crohns symptoms... but my UC symptoms of mucus and minor blood in the lower colon still persist at times... What's even more odd, is that it's usually very shortly after my afternoon dose that there is a big change and everything settles down no matter how bad I feel. The afternoon dose is the balance of the 5HTP...

Kinda makes me want to continue on with this balancing or urine testing thing now a few more times and see if I can get better results to report.

That's also why I found it interesting... It suggests the same thing as what Dr. Stein says - just using straight 5htp or trying the treatment without the whole balancing and co-factors will not yield results and may make things worse. Especially when you take into account all the different 5HTP receptors and the individual effects they all have and the same with the dopamine receptors.

In the study it suggests the complexity of it all - dopamine playing an important part as well and these overlook that aspect which is why I added the Agony or Ecstasy paper. And if you just raise say serotonin by taking 5htp only as you did, this then in turn further depletes dopamine which has other effects altogether on inflammation and gut motility and a whole host of other things.

Anyway, I guess what I am driving at is it's not one thing like just 5htp - it's the interplay and balance between the two (and probably more chemicals) that regulates the immune response to both food, bacteria etc...

It is so complicated. The interaction at the cellular level I mean.

I used to complete a flare by coming of prednisone and see blood for months as I slowly 'healed'.

RS is so dead simple, studies showed it thickens the mucosal lining and a rising tide floats all boats, never seen any blood long before I even tapered down once transit time was normalized and I could ferment the RS foods into SCFA again.

I keep healing without signs of blood because of RS even though I am eating less, only every other day now.

Eating a wide range of garbage food I have not eaten in a decade, mcdonalds 3 days in a row including a box of cinnamin sugar cr@p that goes great with a large cup of coffee, cherry coke.

Just the full cup of coffee would have wrecked me in the pre-RS days.

Still on no meds - I need to know RS works. Yogurt with a lot of sugar and probiotics is all I take.