Crohn's Disease Relief

Klebsiella Bacteria Studied in Relation to Colic and Crohn's

A new study published in the Journal of Pediatrics, by J Marc Rhoads, MD, and colleagues has identified Klebsiella bacterium as a possible suspect in colic in babies. 

Klebsiella are a common bacteria, but a study of 36 babies, half of whom were colicky, only those with colic were found to have Klebsiella in their intestines.  In the small study non colicky babies had more bacteria in their instestines, but not Klebsiella.

Klebsiella has been discussed in relation to Crohn's disease as well as ankylosing spondylitis.  Ankylosing spondylitis is a chronic, inflammatory arthritis and autoimmune disease that many Crohn's patients have an an ancillary disease and which shares some treatments with Crohn's such as immunosupressents and anti-TNF drugs.

According to the study, there may be some possibility of treating colic with probiotics, the idea being that if you populate the digestive tract with good bacteria it will force out the inflammation causing klesiella.

This extract from the European Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology which discusses the role of klebsiella bacteria in Crohn's and Ankylosing Spondylitis mentions  that the role of this bacteria might explain why some patients get relief from a low starch and lactose free diet.  Here is a quote from the abstract:

A link exists between high dietary starch intake and the growth of intestinal microflora, involving especially Klebsiella microbes. Increased exposure to Klebsiella in the gut as the result of high starch intake would lead to high production of antiKlebsiella antibodies as well as autoantibodies to the cross-reactive self-antigens with the resultant inflammation at the pathological sites. Eradication of these microbes from the gut in patients with Crohn's disease with the use of low-starch diet and antibacterial agents as well as immunomodulatory measures could be beneficial in the management of this disease.

Klebsiella is a lactose eating bacteria, so it makes sense that it you don't give it the food it likes it could lower the concentration of the bacteria in the colon.  It seems to make sense to me as well, that taking strong probiotics would also force out the other bacterias and replace the flora with the bacterias that don't cause inflammation.  This actually makes a great case for the Specific Carbohydrate diet, and Makers Diet plans which many IBD patients find work for them.

Here is a link to the Probiotic I personally take.  The Primadophilus Reuteri is one of the strains that has been shown to help IBD, and these pearls from Nature's Way do not need refrigeration which helps me remember to take them.  If I keep them in the fridge I tend to forget to take them but if they are with my other medications I remember.

9 New Superfoods and How They Stack Up for Crohn's

Health.com has a nice list of 9 new superfoods for women.  I have no idea why these are specifically for women - LOL.  They seem like good foods for anyone.  But how do they stack up from the perspective of a Crohnie?  Remember, we like to avoid stuff that is hard to digest, has seeds, etc. 

So what's on the trendy healthy food list today?

1.  If you like oranges, try kiwifruit.  Well - I hate to break it to you but they struck out on this first one at least for me.  First of all kiwi has wickid seeds in it.  (Although you could certainly cut out the seeds.)  Anyway, its off my list because I am allergic to it.  Tastes yummy though.  I will sneak a piece or two sometimes.

2.  If you like broccoli, try mushrooms.  Great idea. Mushrooms are yummy - I like the plain old moonlight mushrooms sauteed in butter, in beef stroganoff, or stuffed with tasty stuffing and broiled in the toaster oven.  Yum. According to the article mushrooms have tons of "phytochemicals, natural compounds that may help prevent cancer."

3.  If you love blueberries, try raspberries.  Again, for the Crohn's patient those seeds in the raspberries are problematic.  I think if you cooked them and strained out the seeds, as if for jelly, it would be great, though. I wonder if there is any health benefit in Peperidge Farms Raspberry Turnovers.  No, I didn't think so.  They are so buttery they pretty much kill your daily calorie requirements all by themselves.  I am not admitting to anything here on the grounds that I may incriminate myself.  Hey, we all need a comfort food every once in a while, right.  

4.  If you love almonds, try walnuts.  Well, walnuts and other nuts are not going to be a a good list if you are flaring, but for people in remission they may be ok.  They do not seem to bother me - actually, living in Georgia, I can get really fresh pecans and I like to use those instead of walnuts in cookies, etc.  Pecans don't have that bitter walnut taste, so I prefer them.  Quote from the article: "walnuts are brimming with alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), the plant-based omega-3 fat that not only helps prevent heart disease but may boost brain function, memory, and mood. One serving, about 14 shelled walnut halves, provides 2.5 grams of omega-3s—a smart amount for daily intake."

5.  If you love black beans, try red beans. Yeah, here we go with things that are hard to digest. :::shakes head::: I would go careful with beans because if you already have problems with gas from the Crohn's beans are going to be risky.

6.  If you love spinach, try swiss chard. It has lutien, b vitamins, and good phytonutrients.  They recommend trying it this way: "Chop chard, and sauté it in olive oil. Or add finely chopped Swiss chard to soups or omelets."  I think the trick with chard, spinach, and other greens such as my favorite collard greens is to cook the heck out of them.  Try them southern style cooked with chopped onion and maybe some panchetta (smoked pork) and cook for a long long time.  Go with a test here, as greens are not possible for some people with Crohn's.  

7.  If you love salmon, try sardines. High in rich in omega-3s, and low in mercury.  Sardines are a sustainable choice as salmon is becoming over-fished. I don't have any recommendations here.  My mom eats sardines canned in tomatoes and I have tasted them - they are ok.  But they just look gross to me.  I may have to figure out a recipe to use these.  I bet you could make a yummy spread for toast.

8.  If you like tomatoes, try watermelon.  Great idea, and watermelon is in season right now.  I would go easy on the fruit, though, as I know it can cause diahhrea for some people.  (It does for my 6 year old son, anyway.) According to the article: "one cup of juicy, sweet watermelon serves up more than twice the lycopene (7.8 milligrams) of a fresh tomato."  I have heard that tomatoe is a no go for some Crohn's patients, so if they can eat watermelon it might be a good alternative to get lutien.

9.  If you like dark chocolate, try pumpkin seeds.  Again with the nuts and seeds!  Anyone in a flare needs to avoid seeds, so this is not going to work for them.  Here's an idea, though - ground pumkin seeds can be added to foods and would not be as hard to digest.  I would grind them in a food proccessor or coffee/herb grinder. 

Canadian Health System from the Point of View of a Crohn's Patient

Writer Ruth Farquhar, of Manitoulin Island in Canada, discusses a Crohn's patient's take on the Canadian Health System in response to the rhetoric and claims being thrown around in the political battle in the US over Obamas proposed health care reform.

I think that persons with a chronic condition have a unique relationship and understanding of their health care system.  Crohn's patients tend to go through flares requiring hospitalization, and according to the CCFA, "Two-thirds to three-quarters of patients with Crohn's disease will require surgery at some point during their lives."  We give a lot of blood up to blood tests, take a lot of medications, and require expensive diagnostic tests.

Myself alone, I have had such tests as multiple colonoscopies, small bowel series, CAT scans, and a capsule endoscopie.  I hope to beat the odds and not require surgery or further hospitalizations, but the possibility looms like a specter over my life.  I cannot imagine going through this without health insurance.  I am cutting back on everything I can just to be able to afford the COBRA payments for myself and my family of four as my husband and I have now both been laid off.

My mother in law is one of the many in the US with no health insurance.  She lives on social security after a long career as a pro cleaner.  Her last job was cleaning medical offices, in fact.  She cannot afford health insurance.  She pays her doctor directly when she goes, asks for generic and low priced prescriptions, and took years to pay off the bill from her last emergency room visit.

I sure hope the US House of Representatives understand that they have a clear mandate from the American people who voted for Obama.  We need an improved health care system with availability of affordable coverage for all our citizens.

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Questions about Medical Marijuana for Crohn's Disease

Medical marijuana has been legalized (from a State's point of view, the Federal government is another story) in a number of US states, and Crohn's disease is listed among the illnesses that are treatable with this prescription.

I have a few questions about this treatment option.  The main question is this: I understand that smoking exacerbates Crohn's disease.  Is this specifically smoking tobacco, or any type of smoking?  If smoking is bad for Crohn's why would smoking medical marijuana be good? 

I have heard of methods for vaporizing the herb so that the patient doesn't have to burn anything.  Is this safer for the lungs?  You wouldn't want to end up with lung cancer from smoking or inhaling, right?

According to this interesting  Science Daily article on Vaporizers for Marijuana

"Using CO as an indicator, there was virtually no exposure to harmful combustion products using the vaporizing device. Since it replicates smoking's efficiency at producing the desired THC effect using smaller amounts of the active ingredient as opposed to pill forms, this device has great potential for improving the therapeutic utility of THC," said study co-author Neal L. Benowitz, MD, UCSF professor of medicine, psychiatry and biopharmaceutical sciences. He added that pills tend to provide patients with more THC than they need for optimal therapeutic effect and increase side effects.

This is definitely food for thought.  I do not think medical marijuana will be a viable treatment option for most Crohn's patients until such time as the Federal government allows the use.  What good is it having your State grant you a right that the Feds can arrest you for?

Which states allow medical marijuana

Page listing some studies and findings regarding marijuana and Crohn's

More info re: medical marijuana vaporizers

Free Sample of Total Blueberry Pomegranite Cereal

This is obviously a "Your Mileage May Vary."  If your Crohn's is severe or in flare up mode you will not want to eat dried fruit.  But if you are in a good place, digestively speaking, the anti-oxidants in the dried fruit are healthy in theory.  Blueberries and Pomegranate are both on the list of anti-inflammatory foods.

Free Sample of Total Blueberry Pomegranate Cereal

Trying Curamin Curcumin Supplement

A few weeks ago I signed up for a free Sample of Curamin Curcumin dietary supplement.  Yesterday I received two sample packs with 3 pills in each - they say take 2 a day.  I will take them for three days and let you know how I feel.

I hope I don't start smelling like curry. :-)

Here's a recap of that Time article by an MD trying Curcumin.

 

Does NOD2 gene mutation interact with mycobacteria to cause Crohn's?

A study by Dr. Marcel Behr, of the Research Institute of the MUHC and McGill Universit, seems to come one step further towards a possible understanding of what causes Crohn's disease.

According to a synopsis in Science Daily 25% of Crohn's patients have a mutation in what is called the NOD2 gene.  (Yes, isn't it great to be a mutant - where are the other X-Men?)  What has not been understood is what this gene does and how a change to it could cause Crohn's. 

This new study shows that the NOD2 gene allows cells to recognize harmful bacteria and trigger an immune response.  The gene in particular identifies "N-glycolyl-MDP, which is only found in a specific family of bacteria called mycobacteria."  Ah, I see your ears perking up.  Mycobacteria has been implicated in Johnne's disease in cattle and long suspected to be a trigger for Crohn's disease. 

Here is a quote from Dr. Behr that sums up the findings:

"Now that we have a better understanding of the normal role of NOD2, we think that a mutation in this gene prevents mycobacteria from being properly recognized by the immune system," explained Dr. Behr. "If mycobacteria are not recognized, the body cannot effectively fight them off and then becomes persistently infected."

Tasty Low Residue Recipes

I found out that there is an entire collection of over 400 low residue recipes on the Recipezaar web site.  I have used Recipezaar before to look up how to cook certain things, but never realized you could find all the low residue recipes all together.  You can even use their recipe sorter feature to remove gluten, make things diabetic friendly, 5 ingredients or less, and more.

What a great resource for free recipes.

Little Known Signs of Crohn's Disease

I found a really cool blog called Life After Crohn's.  I can't believe I never saw this site before - it has a ton of good information and informative essays/posts.

This post lists some of the (many) odd, unheralded, symptoms of Crohn's.

Some of the weird Crohn's symptoms I have had include mouth sores, iritis (inflammation of the iris), and anemia.  Blech.