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Crohn's Disease

Last post 06-30-2008, 11:00 PM by Alla Cranham. 27 replies.
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  •  12-20-2007, 11:12 PM 2654

    Crohn's Disease

    Does anyone have experience of taking a drug called Pentasa (mesalazine) for ongoing treatment of Crohn's Disease?

    My 13-year old son has been prescribed this medication and we are worried about potential side-effects. 

  •  01-02-2008, 10:05 PM 2678 in reply to 2654

    Re: Crohn's Disease

    I have no experience with the medication; however, I suggest you research the "Specific Carbohydrate Diet," check http://www.scdiet.org/ and read the book "Breaking the Vicious Cycle" by Elaine Gottschall.

     

    Good luck!

  •  01-09-2008, 6:06 PM 2775 in reply to 2678

    Re: Crohn's Disease

    Many thanks for the advice.  I have ordered the book and will try and do some more research

    re diet.   

  •  01-15-2008, 8:32 PM 2836 in reply to 2654

    Re: Crohn's Disease

    Hello, my son got the diagnose Chron's disease at the age of 13 (now soon 19) and he immediately started taking both prednisolon (cortison) and Pentasa. Prednisolon did take away the pains and was with our knowledge at the time the only thing to do. However it has absolutely unwanted side effects.. Pentasa also has a big list of side effects in the medicine book, but our son did not experience any problem from Pentasa. After a year he also started taking Imurel which is a "replacement" for prednisolon and immun-suppressive. Pentasa and Imurel shall not be taken simultaneously and he is now fortunately only taking Imurel. He had really bad diarrhea a couple of years ago and we contacted a good alternative, herbal specialist who cured his diarrhea with the exact right amounts of slippery elm. Beside this special remedy it was absolutely important to never take sugar, fast carbohydrates and wheat. Pork meat is also absolutely bad for pasients with Chrons, too much red meat the same. And cow milk (pasteurized/homogenized)!! Stick to rice/soy-milk - glutenfree bread and no sugar, at least for us it was a very good thing! Take a good Omega-3, beware of the relations between omega-3/6 - Omega-3 is inflammatory suppressive and omega-6 the opposite.. Also take a good multivitamin and perhaps the most important, a probiotic bacteria, we use Pharmanex products, they are really world class! Good luck!

    Lars Hansson

    Norway

  •  01-15-2008, 9:17 PM 2842 in reply to 2654

    Re: Crohn's Disease

    I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease in 1989 and after some time I came under the care of my current specialist. He prescribed Mesalazine (also called Asacol) along with Prednisolone, with the intention of controlling my Crohn's, so avoiding surgery. Although I have had occasional flare-ups over the years I have managed to avoid surgery. I get unwanted side-effects from the Prednisolone but I do feel that my medication has been good in controlling the condition. I have also found, through contact with other Crohn's patients, that it is a very individual condition, and no 2 patients have the same reaction to medication, food or whatever, which means I can only speak for my own experience!! Not the most useful thing to say, I know.

    But good luck (and better health) to you and your son. Hopefully one day there will be a cure for us all.

     

     

  •  01-15-2008, 11:01 PM 2846 in reply to 2842

    Re: Crohn's Disease

    There is an opinion that Crohn's is none other than a bouquet of various digestive disorders at a very acute state although full inflammation of small intestine is apparent. My other half stopped taking Pentasa three years ago, because what the conscientious researchers say on the web is that it operates in the same fashion as the statins i.e. taking the fat out of what you eat. This, ultimately wastes the organs and lowers serotonin and that is why our prodigal scourge, the so called doctors warn the Crohn's patients that they are at risk of cancer; and also because continuous upset stomach is a battery for the intestine. SCD diet is very heavy to get used to, because of fried stuff and some dairy. Please, please, read 'Patient Heal Thyself' by Jordan Rubin, it is available on the Amazon. The idea is that this problem as well as many other immuno related problem is there because gut immune defense is out of balance, because of terminally depleting the stores of good bacteria. It is essential, if one comes off Pentasa that one gets the best source of Probiotic/Prebiotic combination; as well as many varieties of bacteria as possible. I found ThreeLac + Flora five and oxygen drops from www.synergy-health.co.uk the best one for the problem described. The source of good bacteria should be strong enough to get through the stomach acid without getting killed by it, capsule coating is important, in Flora five, you get that, whilst ThreeLac is a combination of soil based bacteria. These are the ones that we do not get if we eat sterile supermarket vegetables, especially frozen ones, does not matter how organic. That dirt on the vegetables is essential, one needs to wash them conventionally under the tap and eat it. No microwave, it would kill the lot. In other words, it may be one's gut that is in trouble, but if one does not wise up and use a bit of brain, one will be in real trouble. Doctors have no solution, some even advise to eat sugar for energy. I cannot think of what they should deserve for that. Whilst on probiotics, watch for intolerances too heavy to improve straight away and whilst liberating ones diet, one still has to guard a bit against irritants.

     Iron, good Vitamin C, Mercury free Omega 3 (vitamin A free for women) are good. Also for short periods one can try oxygen drops in half a glass of water and pancreatic enzymes to help the liver. Provided this is done, one should ward off vile pharmaceutical monstrosities and live a reasonably normal life.

  •  01-16-2008, 3:47 PM 2858 in reply to 2654

    Re: Crohn's Disease

    I know nothing about the medication you ask about.  I do however work as a health practitioner and ask that you consider the possibility of parasites as an underlying cause of your son's condition.

    This may seem unusual but the Anasakid invades a host (fish) and mimics the symptoms of Crohn's Disease.  Treatment is given but nothing seems to work because the diagnosis is incorrect.  The Anasakid worm used to be found in Pacific fish but has spread to the Atlantic and can be found in many fish populations.

    I wish you well

    Graeme Delglyn

    PS  I wrote this piece for a recent publication:

    Before we get into the unpleasant aspects details of parasites in food, I have covered a selection of parasites that either may be of general interest, or will answer specific questions that newsletter readers have sent in.  You may not be travelling to the exotic parts of the world mentioned here but international transport has a way of bringing these parasites to you, as does shaking hands, touching a contaminated door handle or being served in a restaurant by a carrier who may have recently arrived in your country.

    I will cover the basic information on these parasites from the perspective of what they are, how you catch them and a few of the symptoms you may display if infected.

    It is important that practitioners recognise and acknowledge the symptoms presented by parasites so they may consider parasites as the underlying cause of a health condition.

    Anasakid Worm

    Dr. Clifford Dacso, a professor at Baylor College of Medicine, recalls a case he was involved in while working in the San Diego area about a decade ago.

    "A friend of mine, a professor of biology at (the University of California-San Diego) had a dinner party for 40 people. He served sushi and had put a few pieces in his refrigerator to have the following day. It was a Sunday, and he called me at home, in a panic because things were crawling out of the sushi. I went over there, and sure enough, he was right. I took it to the lab and identified the worms as a nematode, Anisakis simplex. Fully half of the guests had to be treated for the parasite."

    Anasakid is a parasite of marine animals such as sea lions and elephant seals.  The early part of its life cycle is spent in marine fish.  Along the US Pacific coast, commercially important species such as salmon and Pacific rockfish (Pacific red snapper) may have an infestation rate above 80 percent. An FDA study published in The Lancet in 1990 stated that the average number of anisakis larvae per an average-sized dressed salmon is 46. The study estimated that an average salmon yields about 1,000 sushi-sized slices of flesh, putting the odds of swallowing an anisakis larva at one in 22. However, since the front part of the fish is where sushi chefs prefer to obtain their slices -- and the front carries a disproportionate number of larvae in an infected salmon -- the odds improved to one in 13.

    Ingested live larva attaches itself to the stomach wall causing a strong allergic reaction that at first may appear to be an allergic reaction to a food.  If the worm perforates the stomach wall and enters the peritoneal cavity, symptoms may suggest acute appendicitis or a gastric ulcer. Since humans are not the definitive host species for this worm, the luckiest carriers cough up the inch-and-a-half-long parasite. For most others, fiber-optic endoscopy will spot the worm and remove it with the endoscope's grappling tool. 

    To a diagnosing doctor, the anisakid worm can present the symptoms of Crohn’s Disease thereby preventing the real culprit from being discovered and recovery treatment taking the wrong direction.

    Graeme Delglyn

    Resources For Life Ltd

     

    For all parasitic infestations we strongly recommend Natural Cleanse in conjunction with Natural Balance.  Natural Cleanse is carefully balanced and is very broad-spectrum on the different types of parasite groups.  These herbs are available from www.resourcesforlife.net

     

  •  01-17-2008, 4:57 PM 2869 in reply to 2858

    Re: Crohn's Disease

    I have heard that iodine deficiency is linked to this.

    Adrienne.

  •  01-18-2008, 11:24 PM 2883 in reply to 2654

    Re: Crohn's Disease

    My son has ulcerative colitis (not as bad as crohns - but bad enough!) - he is off all medication and is only taking a product called AloeElite.  It is quite expensive, but with the exchange rate so good, it isn't as bad now....if you go to www.AloeElite.com they will be glad to answer any questions u may have.  They take all the good stuff and concentrate it into one little capsule - adults start on 8 a day until patient gets better, then continue dosage for 1 mth, reducing dosage thereafter to 1 a day.  You get 240 capsules in one 'jar' and it roughly costs (incl. postage) £70 per 'jar'.  It's like everything else, the more u buy, the cheaper it is.  I would strongly advise upon buying same, we have our son back - last year, he was basically down to a vegetable, and I really thought we were going to lose him.  He is running around now, a normal little boy - and a joy and a blessing to us all.  Please - give it a go - u have nothing to lose...I know the costs are great, but to see your child back to the way he should be, makes the cost definately worth it...Log on, and read the testimonials etc., ask them as many questions as u like...i have always found them very friendly - it is just a pity more people don't get the product..it would save many a lot of pain and sorrow.
  •  01-20-2008, 9:03 AM 2886 in reply to 2883

    Re: Crohn's Disease

    Thanks hsjeffers.

    I am so pleased to hear about your son.

    I do not have amyone in my family with chrohns.

    I asked because of my own illness since my teens which I am now, after a great deal of research & yrs of trying to get well, almost certain this has been "subclinical hypothyroidism" caused by iodine deficiency which has been misdiagnosed due to not being picked up in routine blood tests.

    Needless to say. I am now improving with nutritonal therapy but in particular iodine deficiency of which now appears to be a global problem. The RDA on vitamin bottles dates back to 40s and is the absolute minmum before a person is deficient.

    Chrohn disease cropped up in my research & I do have a friend with chrohns in the family. I will see her today so will pass this info on.

    Thank you.

    Adrienne.

  •  01-22-2008, 1:06 PM 2909 in reply to 2654

    Re: Crohn's Disease

    Mesalazine and other similar products are a relatively old category of drugs which are recognised to have a limited effect upon Crohn's disease and other similar conditions. Like most drugs they are a compromise which does not deal with the origins of the disease but instead suppresses the symptoms.  

    Combination effects which include steroids are designed to suppress the body's immune system and hence the inflammatory response. The problem with such approaches is that it over-compensates and floors the immune system leading to further side-effects. The challenge is to balance the immune system. In a child of 13 years suppressing the immune system could suppress other aspects of the body's function and perhaps even the child's natural ability to deal with such a condition.

     G 

  •  01-22-2008, 1:17 PM 2910 in reply to 2654

    Re: Crohn's Disease

    I'm afraid I don't have experience of Pentasa, but I know a lot of people have found a medication free solution that has helped them substantially.
    It's called Mickel Therapy and looks at how physical symptoms are useful communication from the body. Once understood & acted upon, the body no longer needs to send the message.

    I had IBS for most of my life & am now symptom free.
    I believe that Mickel Therapy won't cure Crohn's but can help with the frequency of relapses & severity of symptoms.
    More info from: www.mickeltherapy.com
     

  •  01-22-2008, 2:33 PM 2914 in reply to 2654

    Re: Crohn's Disease

    Hopefully I can contribute to this discussion and give you some other advice to help your son.

     I had a cousin who died of the effects of Crohns Disease, I also suffer form Ulcerative Colitis.

    I was diagnosed in 1992 and was immediately prescribed mesalazine as one of rthe drugs I was to take to help with the condition. Other drugs included small doses of steroids. Over a couple of years my condition worsened and I was moved around various drugs and ever increasing  doses of steroids.

     In 1997 I decided that enough was enough, my condition had worsened to the extent I could not work or even leave the house, I felt I would be better off dead. As a last chance I entered a shop in Musselburgh, just outside Edinburgh, after having seen it for many months if not years. At the time I felt ridiculous as I had entered the premises of what I felt was almost a witch doctor. How I was proved to be wrong.

     I had just made the best move of my life. The Complimentary Medicine Centre in Musselburgh practice "Complex Homeopathy", a very modern way of treating people Homeopathically. At first I was very suspicious and wondered why I was there. I did not take the advice, at least not for a few months, to come off the medication from the hospital after all I had been taking it for 5 years and was convinced, or is it brainwashed, into believing it was helping me. I was tested and was told that my kidneys were near failure and that my heart was weak amongst a few other pretty major things.

     I eventually came off the drugs and almost immediately found an improvement in my condition. To cut a long story short...there were many ups and downs but I have now reached the point where I can do anything I wish. I work hard I have my family and a normal life. There is the odd ocassion where I don't feel confortable  but in the whole I have as been as good as cured. I would never say totally cured but compared to how miserable you can get with this condition I feel cured.

     I know this establishmet has had huge successes with many other conditions including Crohns and dare I say reversal of cancers. I would totally recommend you give them a visit because I know that you will definitley be happy with the outcome. Think about what lies ahead of you and your son right now, I had to live it and wish I hadn't.

    This service is not covered by the NHS but you can get refunds of treatment by joining HSA as I did.

     Whatever you decide I wish you happiness.

  •  01-22-2008, 3:59 PM 2922 in reply to 2654

    Re: Crohn's Disease

    My name is Alasdair Barcroft. I run The Aloe Vera Centre - a London based retail mail order and advisory centre.  In the last 10 years, I have written three books on the subject of aloe vera, its properties uses and benefits. In my latest book - 'Aloe Vera. Nature's Silent Healer' - I included as one of over 60 case histories, a remarkable story of a lady who had been critically ill with Crohn's Disease, suffering serious side effects including dramatically reduced bone density. 

    Over a period of less than four years - during which time she was able to reduce her medication substantially and with the full knowledge of her doctors - she consumed our Aloe Vera Gel (the only product of its type to have been used successfully in a double blind clinical trial for Ulcerative Colitis in the UK) and then Forever Freedom drinking juice every day, she has experienced a significant improvement in her condition.  To my knowledge and according to her husband who is closely involved in a UK Crohn's campaign, she no longer has a bone density problem (it's normal) and there is no longer any trace of Crohn's Disease in her body.

    If anyone wants to know more about this particular case history or more about the above clinical trial or any of our other activities/products, please contact me by e-mail: alasdairaloevera@aol.com

     I hope that this may be of help to those suffering from Crohn's Disease or other similar conditions.

    Alasdair Barcroft

  •  01-22-2008, 4:03 PM 2923 in reply to 2654

    Re: Crohn's Disease

    My son has had  Crohns disease for nearly four years now. He was disgnosed when he was 8. He has been on Pentasa, azathioprine and folic acid for nearly four years now with no ill effects. The disease is so debilitating if it gets a hold that my advice is to take the medication, The children are given regular blood tests to check all their levels are ok. Aside from the prescribed meds my son also takes Primal Defence a probiotic that was researched by Great Ormond St. I buy it online from the States from betterlife.com. I also give him omega 3 and a good multivitamin.

    If you want to discuss anything with me I would be happy to do so at gailezra26@hotmail.com 

     

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