The two most common inflammatory bowel diseases are ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. both diseases have one thing in common: they have an abnormal response to the body’s immune system. 

 When dealing with the digestive system, one question stands out among others as it relates to bowel movement, such as, “What is a normal bowel movement.”

 When it comes to being regular, which means not going to the restroom after each meal, an irregular bowel movement can have a serious and dangerous affect on your life. Hence, Crohn’s disease and colitis must be taken seriously because of their dire complications. 

 What is Crohn’s disease? It is a condition of chronic inflammation in the gastric intestinal tract. one of the main points that sufferers make is that they don’t seem to have a regular bowel movement. a bowel movement is a normal way of life, but not to those who can’t have one for weeks at a time.

An irregular bowel movement can cause health-related problems such as pimples, unexplained rashes, headaches, achy joints, hair loss, and irritability. Some of these health-related problems are caused by toxins that build up in the intestines. Pressure has to be released somewhere, and usually it is released through the body in a way that is not pleasant. 

 When dealing with the disease, some symptoms are abdominal pain, constipation, vomiting, weight loss (or weight gain), and diarrhea, which may be bloody and may not be visible to the naked eye.  even though Crohn’s is an infection, it is not clear what really causes the infection.

 Crohn’s disease normally appears in people age 20 to 40 years old. It also has been known to appear in children and older adults. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that 400,000 to 500,000 people suffer from the disease. when the disease strikes teenagers, there usually is a need for emotional counseling, because teenagers do not really understand the severity of the disease and the peer pressure in wanting to be just a normal teenager.

What is ulcerative colitis? It is the inflammation of the lining of the colon. Some of the noticeable signs are headaches, stomach pains and diarrhea, which is associated with blood in the stool. there is usually some correlation between colitis and lifestyle. Depression or anxiety and some degree of emotional stress could be signs of the severity of colitis or Crohn’s disease. 

A therapeutic diet for these conditions varies from person to person.  but recent studies have shown that some foods tend to irritate or inflame the intestines: wheat products, dairy, red meat, citrus fruits, cauliflower, cabbage, spices, fish, poultry, saturated fats, flour, yeast, sugars, and sugar substitutes.

Various juices that are squeezed from peaches, pears and apples, which contain fructose, also can irritate or inflame the intestines. Pastries sometimes can have the same affect on irritable bowel sufferers. 

he best way to find out which foods are good for you is to eliminate the foods that you suspect cause the flareup or an issue with your digestive system or bowels. be not dismayed. there is hope. but there must be a lifestyle change in order to overcome many of the health issues that sufferers endure when grappling with colitis or Crohn’s disease.

For example, sufferers must drink pure fresh water daily to allow the system to flush toxins out of the body. The lack of water intake on a daily basis could prove detrimental. Juices, tea and sodas are not substitutes for water either.

Another key component is exercise.  Exercising is important in helping the body improve its digestion. It also helps to relieve stress, which can and usually is a major component when grappling with colitis or Crohn’s disease. 

When eating food that’s not processed but prepared fresh with all the salt and fat substances removed, the body has the capability of healing itself. a plant-based diet coupled with a stress-free lifestyle are just as important in the healing process.

When faced with colitis or Crohn’s disease, the outcome does not have to be embarrassing. The key to healing is a lifestyle change and knowing what to eat and what not to eat. Remember to listen to your body; it has the answers.Share and enjoy:

Posted on: Thursday, 2 December 2010, 00:51 CST

Findings identify potential strategies for treating inflammatory bowel diseases

A new study involving a man who swallowed worm eggs to relieve symptoms of ulcerative colitis sheds light on how worms promote healing in the intestine. The study, published today in Science Translational Medicine, also identifies potential targets for more conventional ways of treating colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease.

“The idea for treating colitis with worms is not new, but how this therapy might work remains unclear,” says the study’s senior corresponding author, P’ng Loke, PhD, assistant professor of medical parasitology at NYU Langone Medical Center. “Our findings suggest that infection with this particular parasite increases or restores mucus production in the colon, providing symptomatic relief.”

A chronic disease, ulcerative colitis is characterized by open sores or ulcers in the lining of the colon. The disease is estimated to affect 600,000 Americans, according to the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America, and the most common symptoms are abdominal pain and bloody diarrhea. The cause is unknown, but studies points to defects in immune regulation. Disruption of mucus production is often associated with severe symptoms.

Colitis is common in North America and Northern Europe, where helminth (parasitic worm) infections are rare. Conversely, the disease is rare in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, where helminth infections are endemic, leading researchers to hypothesize that the worms offer protection against this inflammatory bowel disease. in animal models of autoimmunity these worms have suppressed inflammation, and clinical trials indicate that helminth therapy can be beneficial in relieving symptoms of inflammatory bowel diseases.

To gain a better understanding of how such therapy works, Dr. Loke and his colleagues analyzed a series of blood and tissue samples taken from a 34-year-old man living in California with ulcerative colitis who ingested Trichuris trichiura eggs (a roundworm that infects the lower intestine) after having researched the scientific literature. After several months, his condition improved dramatically and he remained in remission for almost three years. A subsequent cycle of self-treatment with the worm eggs achieved similar results.

Tissues samples taken when the patient had active disease were found to contain high numbers of a type of immune cell (CD4+ T cells) that produces an inflammatory protein called interleukin-17. Tissue samples taken after exposure to the worms, when the disease was in remission, contained an abundance of T cells that produce interleukin-22 (IL-22), a protein important in mucosal healing. to expel the worm, the researchers note, the immune system appears to activate specialized cells that increase mucous production in the entire colon.

“In essence, the worms trigger a big sneeze of the gut, which may have a beneficial side effect for ulcerative colitis,” says Dr. Loke, who does not advocate helminth therapy. “The problem is that these worms themselves can cause harm and damage the gut. The individual in this study is lucky to have responded so well, but for other people the worm infection may exacerbate bowel inflammation,” he says.

It is impossible right now to predict who might be helped and who might be harmed by infection with these worms. Studies are underway, adds Dr. Loke, using a worm that infects pigs (T. suis) to treat colitis, which should be less risky.

• NYU Langone Medical Center / new York University School of Medicine
• Science Translational Medicine

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“This is so far the largest genetic study of the inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), which include Crohns disease,” says Dr Mauro D’Amato, associate professor at Karolinska Institutet’s Department of Bioscience and Nutrition and leader of the Swedish part of the study. “Based on the new results, we can now explain 23 per cent of the genetic predisposition to Crohn’s disease.”

The study, which is published in the scientific journal Nature Genetics, is based on a genetic survey of over 22,000 Crohn’s disease patients and 29,000 controls from Europe, North America, New Zealand, and Australia. an estimated 25,000-plus people in Sweden have Crohn’s disease, and over 500 new cases are diagnosed every year. Crohns disease is a chronic inflammation of the bowels; it is intermittent and commonly manifests with symptoms such as diarrhoea and abdominal pain, but also fever, rectal bleeding, weight loss, fatigue, joint pain, and skin disorders can be part of the clinical picture. Crohn’s disease is treated with anti-inflammatory drugs and/or surgery.

Earlier twin studies have shown that Crohn’s disease is caused by the interaction of genetic and environmental factors, and people with affected relatives are at higher risk of developing the disease. in the present study, researchers have identified a total of 71 genes associated with Crohn’s disease. in line with previous results, most of these genes are involved in the control of the interactions between the intestinal bacterial flora and local immune cells in the mucosa, and in the activation of what is known as the adaptive immune response.

“The most exciting findings may come now from the identification of the biological role of those genes for which we know very little or nothing at all,” says Dr D’Amato.

The study is one of several projects being conducted within the frame of the International IBD Genetic Consortium (IIBDGC), and has been coordinated by the corresponding author Dr Miles Park from the University of Cambridge. The researchers hope that future large-scale studies will provide clues as to why inflammatory bowel diseases occur. This will ease diagnosis and enable doctors to design improved therapeutic strategies.