Posts Tagged ‘ulcerative colitis’

It is not unusual when someone hears that you have colitis and suddenly they are some self appointed expert giving you advice that another person used for a stomach bug and it worked wonders! So why on earth would the colitis sufferer not want to use it they think? Hopefully, those diagnosed and prone to suffer from colitis symptoms will know better.

Whether unintentionally or otherwise, people often can’t help themselves in advising you of their own special health cure and even such a condition as colitis is not immune. If you make then aware that you are suffering from colitis symptoms, you will no doubt find someone who will voluntarily impart that they know just the thing for it. When faced with such a scenario, the best course of action is to close your ears to not only such a person but to the vast majority that think they have the answer to reduce the suffering from colitis symptoms.

I can report that it is not just Popeye who benefitted from having olive oil!

At a recent conference which I mentioned last week, the benefits of olive oil took centre stage…

Presented at the Digestive Disease Week conference in New Orleans, the findings show that people with a diet rich in oleic acid – which is present in olive oil -are far less likely to develop ulcerative colitis.

Oleic acid is a monounsaturated fatty acid found in olive oil, peanut oil and grapeseed oil, as well as in butter and certain margarines.

The researchers, led by Dr Andrew Hart of UEA’s School of Medicine, studied more than 25,000 people aged 40-65 living in Norfolk, UK. The volunteers were recruited to the EPIC study (European Prospective Investigation into Diet and Cancer) between 1993 and 1997. The participants, none of whom had ulcerative colitis at the outset, completed detailed food diaries which were later analysed by specially trained nutritionists working in Cambridge.

By 2004, 22 participants in the study had developed ulcerative colitis and the researchers compared their diets with those who did not develop the disease. They found that those with the highest intake of oleic acid had a 90 per cent lower risk of developing the disease.

“Oleic acid seems to help prevent the development of ulcerative colitis by blocking chemicals in the bowel that aggravate the inflammation found in this illness,” said Dr Hart.

“We estimate that around half of the cases of ulcerative colitis could be prevented if larger amounts of oleic acid were consumed. Two-to-three tablespoons of olive oil per day would have a protective effect,” said Dr Hart.

Olive oil is also great for the health of the heart and ensuring that the arteries are kept clear. It is one of the reasons why the Mediteranean diet is so widely accepted as a factor in long life and good health.

There has been a stead stream of colitis news from studies and institutions which is all good news for keeping colitis in the public eye.

And with many more young people being diagnosed, there will be a greater weight to the colitis cause as often their preferred method of communication is via social media.

Therefore, we should all benefit from more information and knowledge of colitis and perhaps the powers that be will start to prioritise the disease more.

Here is hoping…

Don’t forget to use Twitter to keep up to date on the very latest news items on colitis.

You can also access some forums to see what other sufferer’s questions and the answers posted.

Go to Twitter

Just for explanatory sake…Probiotics are friendly bacteria which may potential benefit health and prebiotics are foods which encourage friendly bacteria to grow in the gut.

Recent trials have failed to show a dramatic benefits of pro or prebiotics in Crohn’s Disease although there have been some trials showing a benefit with long term use in Ulcertative Colitis.

Many probiotic trials use bacteria at concentrations which are vastly greater than those found in probiotic yoghurts and often with different bacterial species. Therefore, even if there were positive trials, it would not necessarily be possible to infer that commercially available probiotic yoghurts were equally effective. “Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital London”.

Now, as we are now into March and the harshest winter for 30 years here in the UK is now passing with some gorgeous early Spring weather appearing, it is the time to remind you of the importance of ensuring you are getting enough Vitamin D…
“Good health is not just about recipes and cooking, for eating food without thought to the nutrients your body needs can lead to serious health problems.

For that reason, I have chosen to make you aware of the importance of vitamin D and the knowledge that not enough can be obtained from your daily food consumption

For those of us in the UK, estimates of nearly 60 percent of our population are affected due to our limited sunshine. That’s the best source of vitamin D, but we don’t get the bright sun on a daily basis, even in the summer months, that’s needed to absorb enough UV rays. If we did, no more than 15 to 20 minutes of sun exposure about three times per week on bare skin would be needed to provide up to 10,000 international units a day from solar radiation.

The body will only absorb and synthesize the amount of vitamin D from the sun that it requires. It will stop when that time is reached.

Research indicates that vitamin D deficiency is implicated in heart disease, stroke, hypertension, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, depression, chronic pain, osteoarthritis, prevention and treatment of osteoporosis, periodontal disease, calcium and other degradations of aging.

One cannot get enough vitamin D from food intake per day, so obtaining it from supplements may be necessary. Cholecalciferol vitamin D3 is the supplement to take.”

So with Spring approaching, try and get out and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine and also have a chat with your doctor about ensuring that you are getting sufficient vitamins in order to ensure that your body is fit enough to fight or trying to keep colitis symptoms at bay.

“Pathology researcher Dr Nicola Eastaff-Leung reveals that people suffering Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis have fewer numbers of regulatory cells and more “attack” cells that cause inflammation. “All the food that we eat is foreign to our body,” said Eastaff-Leung.

“In healthy people the immune system has a mechanism to tolerate these foods and not react. But some people do not have enough of these regulatory cells and their body overreacts and goes into attack mode. That is where the inflammation occurs,” she added.
“Inflammatory bowel diseases and a lot of other autoimmune diseases are common in Western cultures but are rarely found in the developing or Third World countries.

“We need to look at our diet and also the obsession in Western countries with cleanliness and antibacterial disinfectants, which has gone overboard.

“Children need to be exposed to bacteria as they are developing in order to build their immune system naturally,” she added.”

I heartly agree with that last statement. So many parents are obsessed with ensuring their children are protected as much as possible from everything around them including bugs and bacteria. An immune system that is built up naturally through childhood will have a better chance to fight off bugs than one that has been suppressed through the over use of medication or protection.

I want to post this encouraging news once again on research undertaken in Canada about the efffectiveness of Asacol, the mesalazine anti inflammatory drug used to keep those diagnosed with colitis in remission.

Here is an extract from the briefing…

“Results from the largest prospective controlled ulcerative colitis (UC) trial conducted to date, called the QD dosing investigation for efficacy IN UC maintenance (QDIEM), found that once-daily dosing of Asacol(R) (mesalamine) delayed-release 400 mg tablets at 1.6-2.4 g/day was comparable to twice-daily dosing for the maintenance of remission in patients with UC. The study, which met its primary endpoint of non-inferiority, found that 90.5 per cent of patients taking Asacol once-daily remained in remission at six months compared to 91.8 per cent of patients taking Asacol twice-daily. These findings were announced at the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) Annual Scientific Meeting in San Diego, California.”

As always, consult your doctor before altering the dosage of any medication that you are taking. I used to vary from 5-6 400mg tablets per 24 hours as I believed that it was important to continually monitor the amount of medication that was being consumed and if it could be altered in any way. The key here is to keep testing and keep reviewing.

There is a continual struggle to raise awareness of ulcerative colitis.

Did you know that in a recent survey only 41% were are aware of colitis whilst if the term “IBD” is used that figure increases to 64%. When asked to state a symptom of IBD, only 30% were able to name diarrhoea, 29% abdominal pain.

A third did not know which illness to place IBD closest to, 22% said cancer.

It seems if you are in a situation where someone requires to know of your condition, eg employer, you will probably get a better understanding from them if you stated that you suffered from an IBD condition rather than saying “colitis”.

As the number of cases of swine flu becomes greater each day and will have a marked influence on the health of the population as summer turns to autumn, what should those diagnosed with colitis be aware of.

There are those that have been identified as being more susceptible of catching the virus and colitis in itself is not mentioned. What is highlighted though is that those with a weak or suppressed immune system can be more at risk.

If your colitis is in remission then there should be nothing to worry about. If you are currently experiencing colitis symptoms as part of a relapse, you will be feeling tired, unwell and perhaps less able to fight off infection as your body’s immune system is working flat out to try and defend itself against the relapse. There is then the possibility that these symptoms may increase the chance of becoming infected by swine flu.

Just remember, there is no certainty here at all. And don’t forget that if you are in the midst of a relapse, you will most likely not be going outside and coming into contact with carriers of the virus.

And one final point. Currently, more people are infected with seasonal flu than swine flu and more people will have lost their lives through seasonal flu than swine flu.

Michael