Crohn's Disease Relief

Thumbs up for Mix1 - Mix1 Review

I recently blogged about how the folks at Mix1 sent me a free case of their protein and antioxidant drinks.  Well... I have figured out their method.  Just like drug dealers - the first case is free and then you are hooked!  Even my kids are drinking it. (4 and 5 year old boys who are very picky eaters, nonetheless)

The stuff is delicious and very handy to have around for a protein supplement.  My favorite flavor is definitely the Mix 1 Tangerine .  It is light and frothy, and very orangy.  Kind of like an Orange Julius but not as sweet or icy.

I like the regular Protein and Antioxidant drink varieties better than the High Antioxidant Fiber drink ones because the regular ones are frothier.  But they are both good.  If you were looking to add more fiber to your diet I would go with the ones with fiber, but for Crohn's disease sufferers with any type of flaring going on go with the regular ones to avoid the extra fiber.

The ones with fiber and 9 servings of fruits and vegetables are a sneaky way for me to get my boys to have their daily veggie and fruit antioxidants, though.  Sneaky.

Did patients like Gideon Sofer kill Prochymal's Phase III Trial?

Osiris Therapeutics has halted registration for the Phase III trial evaluating Prochymal for Crohn's disease due to flaws in the study methodology.  Apparently, there was an overly large percentage of people taking the placebo who reported positive results. There has been some speculation that patients may have underreported their symptoms if they felt they were getting the real medication possibly because if they were on the medication in the Phase II trials and were experiencing good results they would be given the medication in the Phase III trials.

My opinion - being that Crohn's disease is totally effected by stress and emotions (at least in my experience it is) is is also possible that people in the trial who started to feel better assumed they were on the real drug and then the euphoria of having a potential miracle cure helped them to feel even better. 

Osiris stops enrollment in Crohn's disease trial

This news is very disappointing not only for investors in Osiris, but for Crohn's patients like myself.  This will push back the approval for the drug to treat Crohn's and a whole new set of study parameters will be devised to try to make sure they have a true result with no problems with an overly large placebo effect.

I find this news very ironic given the squabble that some Crohn's patients had with Osiris regarding the ability for people who got the placebo in the study to get the real drug in a follow up study.

Wall Street Journal Reports: The FDA is Killing Crohn's Patients

I think that this is a lesson for us all in terms of letting the scientific double blind study methodology take its course and try to keep human emotions out of the process as much as possible. 

We want to know if the drug is effective and if it is safe.  There were no problems with adverse reactions or safety issues in the studies - they simply need to be redone to be able to prove the drug works better that no treatment.

I am very sorry to chide Gideon Sofer, who I vastly admire.  I sincerely hope that he is doing better, as I know his Crohn's is very severe.  I think he would understand my *shock value* headline, which is an homage (and a criticism) to his piece in the Wall Street Journal.  I do think it is possible to both admire and criticize someone.

What is Normal Anyway?

Today there was a discussion on a web forum where a Fibro patient was talking about how she missed having normal energy levels and wondered if she would ever feel again like she used to before Fibro hit.

I don't think I have ever had a normal energy level.  I first remember debilitating fatigue at age 16 years old.  But who knows.  I have no idea what anyone else's energy level is.

I have a theory that everyone has some sort of trials to their lives that no one else can ever really know about.  Self esteem, pain, bad things that happened to them in the past, whatever.  You just can't judge people.  Who is normal anyway.

I just know that when I have my good days I try to be thankful for them.  I guess you just have to do the best you can with what you've got.

Can a Protien Drink Help People with Crohn's?

Let's face it, there are a lot of times when you need to eat something but don't have time for a meal and reach for a smoothie or protein drink.  For me, breakfast is the perfect time.  When I am running out the door to get one kid ready for the bus, drop the other off at daycare, then race to work on time, a convenient and tasty drink is just perfect.

There are of course also times for a "Crohnie" that you just can't eat regular food.  Flaring up is no fun and protein drinks and supplements come in handy to get the nutrition you need.  We've all been there and had one too many bowls of broth, Gatorade, and jello to last a lifetime.  No offense to broth, but simply refuse to drink it after my hospitalization where I couldn't eat solid food for something like 8 days.  Broth is totally off my list. Had too much of it.

Anyway, the nice people at Mix1 emailed me and asked me if I would like to try their Protein and Antioxidant drink.  (If you want to try it too, join their Facebook group and they will contact you to send a sample)  Mix1 Group on Facebook  Of course being a freebie-loving American I said sure send me some tasty drinks!  I will blog about them.

I got a big box delivered by FedEx just now, and since I had just got back from the grocery store and was hungry I cracked open a bottle of the Blueberry Vanilla.  It was really tasty!  Very blueberry flavored, and very fresh tasting.  It is a light frothy drink with a good taste.

According to the literature they sent along, Mix1 has been reported to help people with Crohn's so they were actively searching out Crohn's bloggers to try it.  Because it has anti-inflammatory ingrednients such as green tea (like 4 cups worth per serving), heart healthy fat from olive oil, and whey protien isolate, it is designed to be easy to digest and healthy.

Mix1 is also free from a lot of the things that many Crohn's disease sufferers can't tolerate such as lactose, gluten, soy, casein, and caffeine. 

It's available at Kroger, and other retailers.  A great Nutritional Supplement for Crohn's.

Study Shows Promise of Curcumin as a Disease Fighter

I have previously written about Curcumin, the active ingredient in Turmeric, and how it appears to have some anti-inflammatory properties.

Try Some Tumeric

Now, a new study done at the University of Western Ontario in Canada has shown results that  "the key ingredient in tumeric prevented diabetes-related damage to kidneys in rats"  See more here from The National Post.

To get your minds working on how to incorporate Turmeric into your meals here is an idea:

Curried Chicken Salad from Epicurious

(Crohnie's who require mild spices should go easy on the Curry powder.  Buy a mild curry powder and use just a little.)

Curried chicken salad:

• 1 medium onion, chopped (1 cup)
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon minced peeled ginger
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped (1 cup)
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 2 tablespoons cilantro
• 1 rotisserie chicken, meat coarsely shredded (3 to 4 cups)
• 1 cup red grapes, halved

To Prepare: 

Cook onion, garlic, and ginger in oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add curry, cumin, and 1 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, 2 minutes.

Add tomatoes and cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and stir in yogurt, cilantro, and chicken. Cool to room temperature.

Is Osiris a Growth Stock Waiting to Happen?

People are talking about Osiris Therapeutics (OSIR) as a potential biotech stock for investment.  Here is a blog post I did about the company and its estimated market for the drug in 2010.  By the way, as a company with a high R and D costs and the big product in the future, it has an astoundingly high PE ration - PE (forward) 94.74.

235 Million Market for Prochymal estimated for 2017

Here is another post about some controversy over how they are running the double blind studies.  Patients who assume they got the placebo are asking for the actual drug.

Is the FDA Killing Crohn's Patients?

Here is a quote from Zacks.com.

Here Come the Stem Cells

Finding the next big thing is certainly something biotech investors are always in searching for. Above we discussed our enthusiasm for antisense technology as powerful drug discovery engine. Perhaps the only other discovery platform that provides as much enthusiasm as antisense is stem cells. The leading stem cell company is Osiris Therapeutics (OSIR).

Osiris is developing Prochymal, an adult stem cell product currently in 3 phase III trials for steroid refractory graft-vs-host disease (GvHD), acute GvHD and Crohn’s disease. Prochymal is also in a slew of earlier-stage clinical programs for diabetes, myocardial infarction, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and acute radiation syndrome. It’s a potential wonder-drug built on a the premise that viable adult mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can engraft and selectively differentiate, based on the tissue environment, to such lineages as muscle, bone, cartilage, marrow stroma, tendon and fat.

Research shows that MSCs offer anti-inflammatory, anti-fibrotic and regenerative properties that make this platform an exciting disease modulator treatment engine for discovering new drugs. Investors can pick up one share of Osiris for just over $17 per share.

is the company that is doing those adult stem cell trials for Crohn's diseaseI have heard that many people who participated in the trials reported excellent results.  The people who had no improvement assumed they were on the placebo.  All the Crohnie's are looking forward to furthing testing and availability of this treatment.  The alternative for serious Crohn's is biologic treatments like Humira, and they appear to have a cancer risk associated with them.

5 Organ Transplant for Crohn's Patient

Wow - I just read the story of Bill Cutting, who needed 5 organs transplanted due to a body ravaged by Crohn's disease.  When they found a donor he rushed to the hospital within 10 minutes for the operation, which was successful.  Here is the article in the Sarasota Florida Herald Tribune about Bill and his 5 organ transplant.

The first thing this makes me think is that I am far luckier than a lot of people with this disease.  Bill had pneumonia after the operations, and was in the hospital for 2 months.  I imagine he will take a lot of medications for the rest of his life now with the transplanted organs.

The second thing I think of is that I am glad my drivers license says I will be an organ donor.  (Although I am not so sure anyone wants my guts, that's for sure!)  At least its an option.  I won't need them after I am gone, so they may as well be of use to someone.  Everyone should be an organ donor.  Its a very sad situation when someone passes away suddenly and the only silver lining possible in that cloud would be to be able to donate organs and save a life.  My brother's father in law is on the waiting list for a new kidney, by the way, so please make sure you have your organ donor card on you and talk to your loved ones about your wish so they know about it.  Knock on wood and please to the greater powers that we will all live a long life until all our organs are worn out and useless.  And that medical science will figure out how to cure more diseases.

Free Mix1 sample

The folks who make the gentle to digest protein drink Mix1 are giving away some free samples to the first 200 people who join ther Facebook group here: Mix1 Group on Facebook.  They are actually sending a case of the drink to me so I can try it and blog about it.  I hope its tasty.  I am always looking for an easy breakfast drink, and I know when you're stomach is really messed up its nice to have a nutritional supplement on hand so you can get your energy back.

Here's some info I copied from their message on Facebook:

mix1 protein & antioxidant drink has 100mg of green tea polyphenols (equivalent to 4 cups of green tea) and 2.5 grams of heart healthy fat (from extra light olive oil), and can therefore assist in managing pain and inflammation. It also contains 15 grams of whey protein isolate, 23 vitamins & minerals, and 3 servings of fruits and veggies providing a quick and convenient way to get much needed nutrition. All mix1 products are all-natural and free of lactose, gluten, soy, casein and caffeine.

Funny for the Day

LOLCats from icanhascheezburger.com can always make me laugh.  Here's a great one for those of us suffering from allergies.  Here's the direct link: I'z in ur tishoos aggrivatin ur alurgeez.

Edmonton Oilers Hockey Player Shoots and Scores for Crohn's

In the same way that David Garrard made $5,000 a touchdown for Crohn's disease this past football season, Edmonton Oilers hockey player Fernando Pisani will be making $5,000 per goal in the NHL season.

Drug manufacturer Centocor will donate the money to the CCFA for every goal scored by Pisani, who took time off from the game in 2007 due to Crohn's.