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A new cure for IBD?

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Irritable Bowel Syndrome
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Posted 6/13/2006 11:55 AM (GMT -8)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13232481/

So, if it would help relieve or even reverse your IBD, would you intentionally ingest a parasitic worm?

 

Posted 6/13/2006 12:52 PM (GMT -8)
I have my doubts about this, HOWEVER many of us are at the point where we'll try anything to get to feeling better.
Very interesting! Thanks, Keri...
Posted 6/13/2006 1:06 PM (GMT -8)
It is interesting to note that IBD is almost non-existent in third world countries. Of course they have diarrhea all the time from parasites and other digestive problems, so that's barely a step up, is it? Sure, IBD will eventually scar up your intestines and require them to be partially removed (at least Crohn's will, UC isn't that bad, is it?), but other than that, all the symptoms are the same with parasitic infection.

But, another point that has been noted, colon cancer is also almost unheard of in third world and developing countries and they have been theorizing for a while that frequent bouts of diarrhea keep you cleaned out and may keep irregular cells from taking hold and multiplying into cancer.

Or it all may be the result of high fiber, low meat, and nothing fake or chemical in their foods. I think I'd rather trying going all organic first before I started swallowing whipworms.
Posted 6/13/2006 6:27 PM (GMT -8)
Mind you, desperate times can call for desperate measures....The whipworm eggs are actually encapsulated so it's not as gross as it sounds...CD is worse, yes, but with UC their cure is considered having their colon removed which of course comes with it's own problems besides once your colon is gone, it's gone for good and should they find an actual cure for IBD, that would be disheartening I would think for those who've already lost their colons. Also with UC the risk of colon cancer is slightly higher then for those with CD where the colon is not primarily affected.

Hopefully someday they'll find a fool-proof cure for IBD and IBS as well.

:)
Posted 6/14/2006 6:58 AM (GMT -8)
As an American LIVING in a third world country, I just wanted to comment on this.  While IBD is rare in these countries, I do know a girl here that was recently diagnosed with UC at the same time as her twin sister. Their Mother is from the US, so I think that people of Northern European desent are carriers of this gene or something.  Both girls were born and raised here. 
Posted 6/14/2006 7:03 AM (GMT -8)
As far as the research has gone so far m&ms, you are correct. It seems that people of certain descents (mainly European) are more prone to IBD which due to countless surveys and research support this. Many diseases are like this, not just IBD. I think we not need to look so much geographically but more on the information on the people which researchers have done/are doing. Good observation m&ms.
Posted 6/14/2006 7:04 AM (GMT -8)
Thank you pb4
Posted 6/14/2006 9:45 AM (GMT -8)
I'm positive that bad gall bladders are inhereited: nearly everyone in my family has had one. And my surgeon said GB disease was especially prevelant among Native American populations (from which I can claim descent).

There are also a lot of IBSers on the board who, when they start querying family members, find that someone related to them had some sort of stomach problem, be it GERD or IBS, for most of their lives, so I think that is probably something that gets passed around the old gene pool. I hadn't thought about different racial groups having a different rate of prevelance.
Posted 6/14/2006 10:40 AM (GMT -8)
You're welcome dbab :)


Here's some infor regarding the prevalance of IBD, it's actually mostly jewish decents and then trickles down into the maily eastern european and then north america...


With regard to ethnic variation, a consistently increased incidence and prevalence rate of Crohn's disease in the Jewish population has been documented. A recent advance is the identification of defective variants of a gene, termed NOD2/CARD15, which predisposes people to this disease. This gene is defective in 30%-50% of the patients suffering from Crohn's disease. This association of the NOD2/CARD15 gene and Crohn's disease has also been reported in Israeli Jewish patients. The Jewish population in Israel is composed of Ashke**** and Sephardic Jews, groups that differ in their genetic background. The occurrence of Crohn's disease in Ashke**** Jews is higher than in Sephardic Jews. Recent studies have identified an association between Crohn's disease and mutations in yet another gene termed Nramp1 (also known as SLC11A1). In humans, the aberrant expression of the Nramp1 gene is linked to a variety of infectious diseases including leprosy, pulmonary tuberculosis, visceral leishmaniasis, meningococcal meningitis, and HIV. It is also linked to autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn's disease. Interestingly, the genetic variations (termed alleles) are not in the gene but in a functional region adjacent to the gene that is essential for regulating its expression. This region is termed promoter region. The promoter acts like a light dimmer. Its DNA sequence dictates the ability of regulatory proteins that bind to it to initiate the expression of the gene.
Posted 6/14/2006 1:35 PM (GMT -8)
Hmm... so is this saying that Crohn's is related genetically with those other autoimmune diseases? That would be interesting because my grandfather's brother has Crohn's, my aunt has Crohn's and my mother has either fibromyalgia. She also contract t.b. at one point while working in a hospital. Maybe my mother's father's side has that aberrant gene and it just manifested itself as fibro with her and Crohn's with her other family members. May also explain why she caught the t.b.--may have been more supsceptible to it. I know that leprosy is only contagious if you are supsceptible to it, which most of the population is not.
Posted 6/14/2006 4:18 PM (GMT -8)
In a way...it seems that it's not uncommon to have more then one auto-immune disease/disfunction...I have crohns and eczema, my eczema was terrible when I was a kid, between the ages of 9-12 it was so bad it looked like flesh-eating disease, it was mixed with contact dermatitis which I believe is a little different from actual eczema.

:)
Posted 6/14/2006 7:12 PM (GMT -8)
your right pb4

I have UC and Sjogren's... both autoimmune
Posted 6/14/2006 7:35 PM (GMT -8)
ohh dbab, that sucks, I've never heard of sjogrens until I googled it and found this....


Although dry mouth and dry eye are the two primary features of Sjogren's syndrome, the disorder can become systemic and affect other organ systems of the body as well. Systemic manifestations of Sjogren's syndrome may include fatigue, muscle/joint pain, dry/itchy skin, gastroesophageal reflux, peripheral neuropathy, and vaginal dryness (among others). Research has demonstrated an association between Sjogren's syndrome and the development of lymphoma.


I hope you don't suffer from all the symptoms of this, mind you some of them like the fatigue, muscle/joint pain, skin issuses, ect, must easily get mixed in with having UC since these symptoms can also come from having UC....feel better soon :)
Posted 6/14/2006 8:04 PM (GMT -8)
Actually pb4, never heard of it either before I got the diagnosis, I have the Sjogren's antibodies anti-Ro and it was a surprise to find out that was what was causing all these problems... yep, sjogren's is a connective tissue disease like lupus... symptoms are similar

I get the fatigue, muscle/joint pain, and peripheral neuropathy (just started), and my dry eye is mild

the lymphoma is the scary thing, 5% of people with Sjogren's seems to get it, I really hope I'm the 95%

Posted 6/14/2006 8:41 PM (GMT -8)
Yikes, I guess so, I actually just read the other day that lymphoma was also linked to IBD as well, gosh I wish I could remember where I read that, oh well, I'll just google it and see, at least I'm pretty sure that's what I read...ahh, as I'm sitting here typing this it dawned on me just where I read it....I just recieved the "News and Veiws" from the CCFC (I'm a member) and this is what it says re: Increased risk of lymphoma-

There appears to be a small but demonstrable increase in the risk of lymphoma (a blood cancer) in patients with crohns disease (oh but you have UC so hopefully for you it's limited to having CD). This risk may be increased if you are taking medications such as 6-mp or azathioprine (purinethol or immuran). The risk seems to be highest in patients who previously have been exposed to the virsu that causes mononucleosis (mono). This virus is know as the EBV (Epstein Barr Virus). This risk is very low but is one that pateints should be aware of. Any symptoms of fever, chills, night sweats, loss of appetite or weight should be reported to your doctor. Although these issues may cause alarm, it is important that patients are aware because there are methods to allow for early detection and positive outcomes.


well, I hope this doesn't pertain to UCers especially in your case, but I thought I'd mention this to you anyways.

take care :)
Posted 6/14/2006 9:01 PM (GMT -8)
I hope that it doesn't pertain to UC (dont' need an increase in the risk than I already do). Gosh but thats not good news to you with your CD. It might just be as well that you can't take any meds since it puts you at an increased risk. Auto-immune is just such a scary thing to begin with, the never ending battle in your body just knowing all the damage its causing. It does really get to me sometimes but I do count what blessings I do have. Thanks for the info, you are always so full of it (the info I mean :) LOL. Take Care pb4
Posted 6/15/2006 9:41 AM (GMT -8)
LOL!!! I knew what you meant mind you it wouldn't be the first time someone told me I was full of it!!! he he :)

True enough I'm glad in many ways that the traditional RX used for IBD is not an option for me due to allergy or being non-responsive, but you're right, the damage that still goes on from the disease alone isn't pretty I'm sure. Oh well, hopefully they'll find a cure for us all...and I count my blessings too but I sure miss how I was before I got sick as we all do I'm sure.

you take good care too dbab :)
Posted 6/15/2006 12:34 PM (GMT -8)
PB4,

I'm kind of confused, you say that Crohns is worse than UC, yet surely it depends on the individual. I know of people with Crohns who are absolutley fine and only get the occasional stomach aches, where as someone like myself with Pancolitis, has had their whole life turned upside down by this disease, I suffer from almost constant stomach cramps, seem to spend my whole life on the toilet, losing diharrea, blood or mucus, am constantly run down, now suffer with Arthritis thanks to UC, constantly burning up throughout the night which results in very broken sleep, not to mention the side effects of the many drugs :-) I consider myself to be lucky in that I have to date been fortunate enough to keep my career, but know of many other UC sufferers who have had to discontinue working as a result of this disease, my Aunty has Crohns, and is very well, so I'm thinking that maybe the worst case of Crohns may be worse than the the worst case of UC, but please bear in mind we are all different and have different severity of the disease, so I truly think that to suggest Crohns is worse than UC should have been thought through a bit more thorough, I don't mean to offend and I'm sure I haven't but felt I had to reply to this one, as I know of so many people who are suffering as bad as me and worse with UC.

Take care.

Dave
Posted 6/15/2006 1:08 PM (GMT -8)
Guess I should have clarified for those who are unaware, crohns is worse then UC because it affects the entire GI tract from the mouth to the anus, because fistulas are more common with CD and rare in UC, because a considered cure for UC (as sad as it is) is having the colon removed, whereas with CD this is not considered a cure because of the fact that it affects the entire GI tract....we weren't talking symtpoms specifically, in my yrs on this board, I've often expressed that there are many UCers worse off symptom wise and/or frequency and flaring and such, then many CDers, I know very well this is an individual disease and that some are worse off then others regardless of having CD or UC....but when you look at the big picture, CD is worse then having UC and that's simply a fact not an opinion. No offence taken from your post as I hope you don't take any offence to my clarification.

:)
Posted 6/15/2006 1:15 PM (GMT -8)
I'm grateful to you PB4, for your wonderful knowledgable information that you share with so many on different boards and I'm so glad you didn't take offence.

Take care.

Dave
Posted 6/15/2006 4:04 PM (GMT -8)
Thank you Dansky :)

I'm greatful that I've been able to learn so much from others as well and share what I've learned along the way....this is besides the point but another significant difference between CD and UC is, with CD the disease can and often does affect all layers of the mucosal lining of the intestines, whereas with UC it's strictly surfacable, that's why fistulas and perforations and abcesses are a more common complaint with CD compared to UC since with UC these conditions almost never happen.

I have 2 friends one with CD and one with UC and my mom has UC as well, my friend with UC is better off (so far) then my mom with UC and my friend with CD is worse off then me with CD...I feel for those with IBS as well, my sister was recently DX with IBS and she now feels she has a better understanding of what I've been going through (symptom wise) with my CD over the last 15 yrs and my mom with her UC over the last 10 yrs.

It all sucks, same crap, different pile, but it sucks not to be healthy...I have a greater respect for everyone that suffers with any kind of disease or illness, especially when it impairs their lives.

take care :)
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