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Old July 17th, 2012 #1
Alex Linder
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Default #1 Ulcerative Colitis Thread

Had planned to do an entire blog on UC at some point, but I'll just start with a sticky thread. I will post in here things, factoids, studies, stuff I come across, and which people send me. And a little about my personal findings too.

First up is this:

wheatgrass

While wheatgrass is generally considered to be safe, and may be considered a good way to add variety to your diet, there are no significant research studies that support the claims made by proponents of wheatgrass and wheatgrass diets as to its numerous health benefits, according to Cancer.org. However, a small study published in the "Scandanavian Journal of Gastroenterology" reports that wheatgrass juice appeared to be effective and safe as a treatment for ulcerative colitis.

I'm drinking some wheatgrass right now. To say it is tasty or even neutral would be a complete and utter lie. It's not disgusting or intolerable but it is mildly unpleasant. Will it have any good effects? I don't know. Probably can't hurt. Might help a little. I mean, if the internationally celebrated "Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology" is behind it, does it really matter what's in front?

Join me, Danny Swellshut*, as we celebrate the life colonic, and peruse giddily all manner of relevant fecalia.

[wheatgrass link: http://www.livestrong.com/article/32...-good-for-you/ ]


*Pronounced Swellzhoot, it's a Swabian name

Last edited by Alex Linder; July 17th, 2012 at 12:00 PM.
 
Old July 17th, 2012 #2
Alex Linder
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Thing about medicine to me is...when I take it, I want a zap! bam! pow! reaction. This is partly due to a childish inability to delay gratification, combined with a peasant's boorish suspiciousness that everybody is trying to steal my underwear.

If you have bad breathing, asthma or lungswell due to plant reaction (like me as a child), an inhaler brings close to instant relief. I mean, it works right away. Huge difference.

If you take a claritin, say to avoid reacting to ragweed or summer fields or someone's cats and dogs, you notice an effect in maybe an hour or two, and you feel confident if you took it before you stepped foot in the fields or house.

But if you take a multivitamin or 'natural' remedies, you never really trace any direct health benefit from it, at least I never have. You take it. It doesn't bother you. But you don't really notice any difference. So is there a point to taking it?

Last edited by Alex Linder; July 17th, 2012 at 11:55 AM.
 
Old July 17th, 2012 #3
Alex Linder
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All natural health healing is like this: you can use (X) (leaf) to treat (Y) (disease). uh...ok...treat it...does it fucking DO ANYTHING?

Yeah, i'm using stewed dandelions to treat my hemorrhoids. I can't really say if it's WORKING or not, but...I haven't died yet, and my yard looks better. So I'm calling it a win-win?

Last edited by Alex Linder; July 21st, 2012 at 05:38 PM.
 
Old July 19th, 2012 #4
Alex Linder
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One thing I have seen in no literature on the subject: temperature differential as cause of peristaltic completion (eh erm that's my pseudo-scientific euphemism). Never seen this mentioned once. Have lived it in real life many times. Just saying...for now.
 
Old July 19th, 2012 #5
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One thing I know you can do to help yourself is to cease eating processed food if you're still eating processed food. Anything that comes in a plastic container I would not eat.

Prepare your food yourself. Eat foods without high fructose corn syrup and anything that has "natural flavors" in the ingredients list. Of the juices, I've found only orange juice and grape juice to be pure juice without other additives.

If you eat potatoes then start with a raw potato and go from there. Same with all other fruits and vegetables. Avoid canned fruits and vegetables when possible. There may be foods that don't work well for you but onions are supposed to be a good cancer preventative if eaten 3-4 times a week.

Fruits and vegetables from the farmers market and meat from a local farmer or venison you harvest are best. Certified organic foods would be better but are more expensive.

I just bought a new blender\food processor and am making smoothies hoping to put some weight back on that I've lost.

Hope this has been helpful. I'm sure you've done the research and are far better versed than I am on the subject.

Last edited by OTPTT; July 19th, 2012 at 04:23 PM.
 
Old July 20th, 2012 #6
Alex Linder
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Quote:
Originally Posted by OTPTT View Post
One thing I know you can do to help yourself is to cease eating processed food if you're still eating processed food. Anything that comes in a plastic container I would not eat.
Yeah...my strategy is to try to minimize sugar and breads.

Quote:
Prepare your food yourself. Eat foods without high fructose corn syrup and anything that has "natural flavors" in the ingredients list. Of the juices, I've found only orange juice and grape juice to be pure juice without other additives.

If you eat potatoes then start with a raw potato and go from there. Same with all other fruits and vegetables. Avoid canned fruits and vegetables when possible. There may be foods that don't work well for you but onions are supposed to be a good cancer preventative if eaten 3-4 times a week.

Fruits and vegetables from the farmers market and meat from a local farmer or venison you harvest are best. Certified organic foods would be better but are more expensive.
I get local venison from my friends. The prices on produce are ridiculous anywhere but Aldi, unfortunately. I grew two pots of tomatoes from seeds, but the damn things, altho the plants have done well, will not bloom. I've chopped some limbs off to encourage them, but so far nothing. The street vendors are hardly better than the standing stores when it comes to prices.

Quote:
I just bought a new blender\food processor and am making smoothies hoping to put some weight back on that I've lost.

Hope this has been helpful. I'm sure you've done the research and are far better versed than I am on the subject.
No, I doubt I know more than you. I just know what to stay away from. As far as the positive stuff re minerals and such, it's a labyrinth to me. I walk around a lot, and lift weights if I have energy. And get enough sun to get a good tan and get some Vitamin D, just in case the people who think it's lack of D that causes lots of auto-immune and other health problems are right.
 
Old July 21st, 2012 #7
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I take 15,000 IU of Vitamin D daily along with other vitamins and minerals. I believe it does have preventative effects for a variety of chronic and long-term illnesses and diseases. Just be sure to make sure that no supplement you take will create an adverse reaction with any prescribed medication or other supplements.

For example, grape fruit juice will increase the effects of blood thinners which could be deadly if one's prothrombin time (PT) and partial thromboplastin time (PTT) are insufficient for blood coagulation. This could lead to one bleeding out which isn't pretty.

Search "Vitamin D benefits" on Youtube and watch some of the better videos on the subject. There are several professional lectures by and for physicians and researchers loaded with positive evidence that Vitamin D may, in fact, be a miracle hormone. (It's actually a hormone and not a vitamin.)
 
Old July 25th, 2012 #8
Solskeniskyn
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Regarding juice: opt for the ones without the pulp. It is purely for industrial reasons that they have started "leaving it in" again, which in reality is adding it back, and it is has no health benefits despite that being the pitch. In fact, it is quite the opposite. The enzyme that goes in to dissolving the fiber before remixing it with the juice is a potential irritant, as well as the denatured fiber. If the best option that you have available is the pulp variety, it can be strained through a cheesecloth.

Irritant number two: carrageenan, that is finding its way not only into pre-packed food, but increasingly also into yoghurts, cheeses and other dairy (especially the low fat ones, as it adds to the texture).

Quote:
... Carrageenan enters even the intact, uninflamed gut, and damages both chemical defenses and immunological defenses. When it has produced inflammatory bowel damage, the amount absorbed will be greater, as will the absorption of bacterial endotoxin. Carra-geenan and endotoxin synergize in many ways, including their effects on nitric oxide, prostaglandins, toxic free radicals, and the defensive enzyme systems.

The continuing efficient production of energy is a basic aspect of metabolic defense, and this is interrupted by carrageenan and endotoxin. The energy failure becomes part of a vicious circle, in which permeability of the intestine is increased by the very factors that it should exclude.

Once the protective barrier-functions of the intestine and liver have been damaged, allergens and many materials with specific biological effects can enter the tissues. The polysaccharide components of connective tissue constitute a major part of our regulatory system for maintaining differentiated cell functioning, and absorbed starches act as “false signals,” with a great capacity for deranging cellular functioning. Several types of research indicate that carrageenan changes cellular function in complex ways, imitating changes seen in cancer, for example.
http://raypeat.com/articles/nutrition/carrageenan.shtml
 
Old July 27th, 2012 #9
Brian Stone2
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Default I hope this helps Alex

Alex

I would avoid all gluten if I were you. The gliadin molecule, found in gluten, is the culprit here. This peptide will trigger an autoimmune response in the body's of people who are susceptible. The immune system will attack tissues that harbor this peptide.

What happens in the intestine is that the epithelial tissues become inflamed and this causes Leaky Gut syndrome,sores, bleeding, nausea, headaches, diarrhea, and general malaise; which have tended to be grouped under the heading of Celiac disease.

Cut out the gluten products, wheat, barely, rye and substitute things like Quinoa, and rice. Stay away from all corn (it's all BT corn now) and white potatoes.

You should take 30,000 IU of vitamin D for a week, then pull back to 10,000 - 15,000 IU. Also, be absolutely sure that you take a vitamin K tab (100 mcg) with your Vit. D.

The vitamin D will help to regulate your immune system and bring it back into equilibrium. I'm sorry to say that there is no quick fix. Even if you start this now, it will take 60-90 days to see any relief, and more like a year for you to get back to normal.

Beyond that, I would recommend that you follow a program based on the Primal Diet ( or something like that). Different peoples respond to different diets (a WN precept really) and those of us with a northern European background don't do as well on the sort of grain/fruit/carb heavy diets that certain peoples who evolved in other areas are more familiar with.

Here are a couple of sites I recommend:

www.bulletproofexec.com
www.marksdailyapple.com/primal-blueprint-101

One other thing: I am not a doctor, so take this advice for whatever you think it's worth. Personally, I stay the hell away from doctors. The 3rd leading cause of death in this country is "iatragenic" causes (misdiagnoses, bad drug reactions, botched procedures, etc) (JAMA, 2001).

Doctors do a wonderful job at trauma care and a terrible job of helping with lifestyle and chronic diseases. Witness the increases, across the board, of increases in just about every chronic disease under the Sun, even as money spent allegedly trying to solve those problems has skyrocketed.

Put simply: When it comes to nutrition and lifestyle, most doctors have no idea what they are doing. They continue to push the grain heavy "Food Pyramid" and this is a huge part of the problem.

My background is in the physical sciences (math, physics and chemistry) and I paid little attention to biological or health sciences until I took a couple of courses in BioChem on my way to a chemistry degree. That, combined with a tendency to get fat (I'm big boned) if I don't watch out, caused me to start studying this issue in more detail.

The best information on this today comes from the internet. "Crowd Sourcing" from then internet has made us all 100X smarter than we would be otherwise, if we just take advantage of it.

So look at those sites I recommended. I follow the Primal philosophy as laid out by Dave Asprey. I also recommend "Body By Science" by Dr. Doug McGuff, and "Why We Get Fat" by Gary Taubes. You can also find a video of Gary Taubes on YouTube giving a lecture to a Google audience, which I recommend.

I hope this helps man.

-Brian
 
Old July 27th, 2012 #10
Alex Linder
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Thanks, Brian.
 
Old July 27th, 2012 #11
Breanna
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Have you tried dandelion, Alex? The wise and all-knowing Ray Bateson of this very forum suggested it to me when I had issues with my gall bladder at 28 weeks gestation. For me it was a life saver. I would have likely gotten surgery otherwise. Collard greens also. Eating a lot of green roughage is wonderful for the health in general, raw or lightly steamed.
 
Old July 28th, 2012 #12
Alex Linder
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Breanna View Post
Have you tried dandelion, Alex? The wise and all-knowing Ray Bateson of this very forum suggested it to me when I had issues with my gall bladder at 28 weeks gestation. For me it was a life saver. I would have likely gotten surgery otherwise. Collard greens also. Eating a lot of green roughage is wonderful for the health in general, raw or lightly steamed.
Well, they generally advise against roughage for digestive-tract problems, but I have not had any particular problems eating stern stuff like broccoli. Wheatgrass, sediment mixed in water, has a somewhat soothing effect. I don't know if it solves anything but it does soothe a little.

Yeah as Brian says, one way to go is the no-gluten route. I may try this eventually, but I already don't eat much of what you're supposed to avoid.
 
Old July 28th, 2012 #13
Breanna
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Alex Linder View Post
Well, they generally advise against roughage for digestive-tract problems, but I have not had any particular problems eating stern stuff like broccoli. Wheatgrass, sediment mixed in water, has a somewhat soothing effect. I don't know if it solves anything but it does soothe a little.

Yeah as Brian says, one way to go is the no-gluten route. I may try this eventually, but I already don't eat much of what you're supposed to avoid.
I have always found green roughage soothing to the stomach. What about thistles such as artichokes? Are you able to eat those? And perhaps if you can't eat the leaves of the dandelion you can eat the root, or use it to make tea.
 
Old July 28th, 2012 #14
Alex Linder
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Breanna View Post
I have always found green roughage soothing to the stomach. What about thistles such as artichokes? Are you able to eat those? And perhaps if you can't eat the leaves of the dandelion you can eat the root, or use it to make tea.
I really don't like tea, unfortunately. I've eaten dandelions before, they're limp and bitter. Artichokes, haven't tried them in years.
 
Old July 28th, 2012 #15
Squarehead Chris
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I don't know anything about medical issues, I'm not a doctor.
But I'm pretty sure that mental and physical strain reflects a lot on your overall heatlh. (UC etc.)

You Alex, have chosen to take the high road against the jews.
And they are well orginized to tear you down and make your life miserable for it.
 
Old August 6th, 2012 #16
Alex Linder
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Been eating a raw carrot a day last few days.

Wilde said:

A cigarette is the perfect type of a perfect pleasure. It is exquisite, and it leaves one unsatisfied. What more can one want?

No connection except the thought that carrots certainly leave one unsatisfied. It is a veritable job to overcome one.
 
Old August 6th, 2012 #17
Solskeniskyn
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Alex Linder View Post
Been eating a raw carrot a day last few days.

Wilde said:

A cigarette is the perfect type of a perfect pleasure. It is exquisite, and it leaves one unsatisfied. What more can one want?

No connection except the thought that carrots certainly leave one unsatisfied. It is a veritable job to overcome one.

Hah, all that tedious chewing probably makes it a net-loss energy-wise. Expecting food, all you got was bland, crispy, orange ruffage- hence the dissatisfaction. (It just happens to function as an intestinal broom.)

Or did you grate it? asks carrot-peddler Solskeniskyn.

Try adding lemon, olive oil and salt.
 
Old August 7th, 2012 #18
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Propionyl L-Carnitine Dispatches Ulcerative Colitis

PLC may be sequestered from circulating in ulcerative colitis
to serve as a source of L-carnitine and propionyl-coenzyme-A in the colon

By Will Block



Inflammatory bowel disease is thought to be caused by the chronic or recurring immune response and inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract.

The most common inflammatory bowel diseases are Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis (UC). Colitis is inflammation of the colon. It is also called colonitis. No matter what you call it, it’s a miserable condition, and it’s likely to hang on unless you do something about it. Colitis should not be confused with irritable bowel syndrome (spastic colon), a different and much less serious condition that is aggravating and a disorder that affects the motility (muscle contractions) of the colon. But it does not entail inflammation. In colitis, furthermore, inflammation is typically accompanied by ulceration, which damages or destroys patches of the mucosal lining of the colon or rectum. UC—the standard term for the most common form of the disease—causes bloody diarrhea, and stools may contain mucus and pus. There may also be fever and abdominal pain. One thing more—patients with UC are at increased risk of colon cancer.


Prevalence and Toll

Inflammatory bowel disease is one of the five most prevalent gastrointestinal disease burdens in the United States, with an overall health care cost exceeding $1.7 billion. Currently, there is no medical cure. Thus care is commonly a life-long endeavor. Every year in the United States, inflammatory bowel disease accounts for more than 700,000 physician visits, 100,000 hospitalizations, and disability in 119,000 patients.1 Up to 75% of patients with Crohn’s disease and 25% of those with UC will require surgery.

Ulcerative colitis is regarded as an
impaired fatty-acid oxidation disease.

The Many Adversities of Drugs

So what can you do about all this? Well, there are the drugs of course, and they can be quite effective, although you may have to pay a price beyond mere money to obtain their benefits (see the sidebar “Drug Side Effects—A Cascade of Adversities”). If the condition affects just the rectum and lower part of the colon, the drugs of choice are aminosalicylates or corticosteroids, administered rectally. But if the condition goes farther up the pipeline, so to speak, oral medication is indicated, and the drug of first choice is usually a thio*purine (both drugs are in the sidebar).

Drug Side Effects—A Cascade of Adversities

Aminosalicylate and thiopurine are two of the drugs used to treat the inflammatory bowel disease ulcerative colitis. Aminosalicylate belongs to the family of medicines called anti-infectives. Thiopurine is an immune system suppressant.

The common side effects of aminosalicylate include gastrointestinal problems (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain) Then, by category: Cardiovascular; Central Nervous System [including headache (35%), dizziness (8%), asthenia (7%), weakness (6%); hypertonia (5%)]; Dermatologic; Eye-Ear-Nose-Throat; GI [including abdominal pain (18%); eructation (16%); nausea (13%); abdominal cramps/discomfort (8%); diarrhea (7%); dyspepsia, flatulence (6%); vomiting (5%)]; Genito*urinary; Hematologic-Lymphatic; Hepatic; Lab Tests; Local; Metabolic-Nutritional; Musculoskeletal; Respiratory; Dyspnea; Miscellaneous [Pain (14%); fever (6%); flu syndrome (5%)]. In each category, only those adverse effects greater than 5% are listed. There are a great many more, and some are quite serious.

Thiopurine drugs can also cause side effects. The most common side effects are stomach related problems (such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain) and bone marrow problems. Also there may be severe allergic reactions (rash; itching; hives; difficulty breathing; tightness in the chest; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue); chest pain or tightness; dizziness; fatty stools; fever, chills, or persistent sore throat; increased or painful urination; muscle pain or aches; painful, red bumps or blisters on the arms, face, neck, or back; severe or persistent nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea; shortness of breath; stomach pain; symptoms of liver problems (e.g., dark urine, loss of appetite, pale stools, right-sided stomach pain, yellowing of the eyes or skin); unusual bleeding or bruising; unusual growths or lumps; unusual weakness or tiredness. And this is not a complete list. Either way, this is one rough road to travel, so any new prospects of treatment should be welcome, especially when there is virtually no adversity.

References

Drugs.com http://www.drugs.com/ppa/mesalamine-...cid-5-asa.html. Accessed February 19, 2012.
Drugs.com www.drugs.com/sfx/azathioprine-side-effects.htm . Accessed February 19, 2012.
A Disease of Fatty Acid Oxidation

UC is regarded as an impaired fatty-acid oxidation disease. Short-chain fatty acids are produced in the lumen of the colon by bacterial fermentation of consumed complex carbohydrates. These fatty acids—and butyrate in particular—are the primary metabolic fuel of colonocytes (epithelial cells of the colon). As well, short-chain fatty acids affect colonic blood flow, motility, and mucus secretion. And while the pathogenesis (cause) of UC is not yet fully understood, there is a growing amount of evidence suggesting that a deficiency of these short-chain fatty acids in the colon lining’s colonocytes may provide an answer.



In fact, several studies suggest that impaired beta-oxidation of short-chain fatty acids may lead to colonic mucosal damage due to an energy deficiency that can only partly be compensated for by the oxidation of other substrates.2–4 Unfortunately, treatment of UC with fatty acid enemas has not produced definitive results.
Carnitine Helps Feed Mitochondria

L-Carnitine is needed for the transport of activated fatty acids into the mitochondria for beta-oxidation in order to generate Acetyl-CoA, the entry molecule for the citric acid cycle. As at least one study has shown, while plasma levels of free L-carnitine are similar in patients with UC and matched healthy controls, plasma levels of the ester propionyl L-carnitine (PLC) are lower in patients with UC.5 This suggests that PLC may be sequestered from circulating in UC patients, thus inhibiting its service as a source of L-carnitine and propionyl-coenzyme-A in the colon.

Higher L-carnitine levels, in turn, facilitate energy release through beta-oxidation of fatty acids, while propionyl-coenzyme-A—an efficient energy source—enters the citric acid cycle as succinate.6 PLC supplementation has the potential to improve cellular energy levels, and is able to stimulate energy production in ischemic skeletal muscles, and increases maximum walking distance in patients with peripheral arterial obstructive disease.7

New Study Finds PLC Can Co-Treat Mild UC

Taking the above into consideration, a team of multinational researchers set out to evaluate efficacy and safety of PLC in patients with mild-to-moderate UC who were employing oral aminosalicylate or thiopurine therapy.8 In a multicenter study, straddling five European nations, the study was double-blinded, placebo-controlled, and randomized. Each of three different groups of 40, 41, and 40 patients respectively received PLC at 1 g/day, PLC at 2 g/day, or placebo.

In the PLC 1 g/day group,
30 of 40 (75%) patients had a
clinical/endoscopic response and
27 of 39 (69%) in the
PLC 2 g/day group.

All of the patients were between the ages of 18–75 with disease activity index (DAI) scores of 3–10 (mild UC is 3–6 and moderate UC is 6–10). Of the 121 patients who were randomized, 57 of 79 (72%) receiving PLC (combined 1 g and 2 g cohort) had a clinical/endoscopic response vs. 20 of 40 (50%) compared to a clinical/endoscopic response for those receiving placebo. Clinical/endoscopic response was defined as a decrease in DAI score = 3 points or as remission, defined as a DAI score = 2. Clinical/endoscopic response findings for the stratum of patients in the combined PLC cohort who had mild disease were also significantly different from placebo. Due to the small number of patients with moderate disease, no statistical conclusions can be made for this stratum.

The patients were not permitted to change their stable oral concomitant aminosalicylate or thiopurine therapy during the trial. Very few patients (n = 4) received stable oral thiopurine therapy; and thus stratification was limited to disease severity only (rather than for the drug used). Furthermore, the use of systemic or topical cortico*steroids, rectal therapies, NSAIDs, probiotics or antibiotics was not allowed.

In the PLC 1 g/day group, 30 of 40 (75%) patients had a clinical/endoscopic response and in the PLC 2 g/day group the response was 27 of 39 (69%). PLC 1 g/ day treatment was significantly superior compared with placebo. Results for the stratum of patients in the PLC 1 g / day arm with mild disease were similarly significant compared to placebo. Results for the PLC 2 g / day arm were not statistically significantly different to the placebo arm.

Remission Analysis

Rates of disease absence (remission) were 22/40 (55%), 19/39 (49%), 14/40 (35%) in the PLC 1 g, PLC 2 g, and placebo groups, respectively [41 / 79 (52%) patients in the combined PLC cohort]. However, none of the remission rates for patients receiving PLC were significantly greater than that for patients receiving placebo. When considering data stratified by disease severity, only PLC 1 g/day in patients with mild disease significantly increased the probability of remission compared to corresponding placebo.

When the response rates for each of the four items (rectal bleeding, stool frequency, mucosal appearance and physician global assessment) of the DAI was analyzed—for each item, response was defined as a lowering of at least 1 point of the score over baseline—the group receiving PLC 1 g /day had a rate of response for rectal bleeding that was significantly improved compared to the group receiving placebo.

PLC, as a group, had a similar safety profile to placebo; the most common adverse events were gastrointestinal. This phase II trial confirmed that PLC is a potential treatment for the management of mild-to-moderate UC. Patients receiving PLC were more likely to have a clinical/endoscopic response than those receiving placebo.

As there is no statistically significant clinical difference between the two PLC doses investigated, the lower dose of PLC 1 g/day should be used in future studies. When separated into layers for disease severity, clinical/endoscopic response rates for the combined PLC cohort and the PLC 1 g/ day arm were statistically significant vs. placebo in patients with mild UC.

When considering data
stratified by disease severity,
only PLC 1 g/day in patients with
mild disease significantly increased
the probability of remission
compared to corresponding placebo.

Patients with mild disease receiving PLC 1 g /day were more likely to achieve remission than those taking placebo. Because there were a relatively small number of patients with moderate UC, no conclusions could be drawn. Further studies are therefore needed to confirm the effectiveness of PLC in patients with moderate and severe UC.

Maximizing Colonocyte Uptake Through PLC

PLC was administered in an oral colon-release formulation that allows the active ingredient to be released directly into the colon lumen, facilitating maximum uptake by colonocytes. This may explain why a low 1 g /day dose is effective and that the lack of additional benefit with a 2 g/day dose may be due to saturation at the site of uptake.

As there is no statistically significant
clinical difference between the two
PLC doses investigated,
the lower dose of PLC 1 g/day
should be used in future studies.

Assessment of remission induction did not yield significant data. But future studies with more patients or of longer duration may further clarify the positive remission trends shown for PLC treatment in this trial and even evaluate the role of PLC in maintaining remission.

PLC could provide an alternative treatment for patients with aminosalicylate or thiopurine intolerance, or for those wanting to avoid their adverse effects (see sidebar) and corticosteroids. Certainly, data from this trial, where patients were already receiving stable oral treatment, suggest a role for PLC as an adjunctive therapy for the induction of remission.

As PLC was well tolerated, long-term therapy for remission maintenance is plausible, and might reduce the risk of colon cancer, which is the case with regular aminosalicylate treatment. In conclusion, this trial has provided proof of concept for the use of PLC in the treatment of mild-to-moderate UC. PLC 1 g /day appears to be well tolerated with a favorable safety profile and should be further investigated as a treatment for mild-to-moderate UC.

Carnitines for Energy, Muscle Strength, and Sex

Recent findings have shown that acetyl-L-carnitine (ALC) and PLC are beneficial in other ways. ALC is thought to proffer benefits for memory and for various neurological disorders: such as Alzheimer’s dementia, depression in the elderly, chronic fatigue syndrome, peripheral neuropathies, ischemia and reperfusion of the brain, and cognitive impairment associated with various conditions.

PLC has also been shown to replenish the intermediates of the citric acid cycle via propionyl-CoA moiety (boosting energy levels), strengthen muscle cells, and assist peripheral vasodilator activity, including the enhancement of sexual prowess. As well, PLC has been found to help prevent and treat ischemic heart disease, congestive heart failure, hypertrophic heart disease, and peripheral arterial disease. It might be a good idea to add this supplement to your program, if you are not already taking it.

Possible Parkinson’s Neuroprotection

Lastly, there is new evidence to indicate that ALC, along with α-lipoic acid, may inhibit bradykinesia (slowed ability to start and continue movement) and motor impairment in rats when given at a human dose equivalent of 1215 mg/day of ALC and 608 mg/day of α-lipoic acid.9 In this study, ALC also enhanced ATP production. According to the researchers, “Taken together, our study reinforces the view that acetyl-L-carnitine and α-lipoic acid are promising candidates for neuroprotection in Parkinson’s disease.”

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Inflammatory bowel disease. http://www.cdc.gov/ibd/. Updated July 15, 2011. Accessed February 20, 2012.
Chapman MA, Grahn MF, Boyle MA, et al. Butyrate oxidation is impaired in the colonic mucosa of sufferers of quiescent ulcerative colitis. Gut 1994;35:73–6.
Ahmad MS, Krishnan S, Ramakrishna BS, et al. Butyrate and glucose metabolism by colonocytes in experimental colitis in mice. Gut 2000;46:493–9.
Roediger WE. The colonic epithelium in ulcerative colitis: an energy-deficiency disease? Lancet 1980;2:712–5.
Bene J, Komlosi K, Havasi V, et al. Changes of plasma fasting carnitine ester profile in patients with ulcerative colitis. World J Gastroenterol 2006;12:110–3.
Ferrari R, Merli E, Cicchitelli G, et al. Therapeutic effects of L-carnitine and propionyl-L-carnitine on cardiovascular diseases: a review. Ann NY Acad Sci 2004;1033:79–91.
Wiseman LR, Brogden RN. Propionyl-L-carnitine. Drugs Aging 1998;12:243–8.
Mikhailova TL, Sishkova E, Poniewierka E, et al. Randomised clinical trial: the efficacy and safety of propionyl-L-carnitine therapy in patients with ulcerative colitis receiving stable oral treatment. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2011 Nov;34(9):1088-97.
Zaitone SA, Abo-Elmatty DM, Shaalan AA.Acetyl-L-carnitine and a-lipoic acid affect rotenone-induced damage in nigral dopaminergic neurons of rat brain, implication for Parkinson’s disease therapy. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2012 Jan;100(3):347-60.

http://www.life-enhancement.com/article.aspx?id=2594

Alex- This is a good company. I get Super Radical Shield (anti-oxidants) from them (formulated by D. Pearson, author of Life Extension [1982])

The stuff is generically called GPLC and should be available cheaper.

I gram per day. Vitamins have no adverse effects.

https://www.google.com/webhp?source=...w=1280&bih=662
 
Old August 7th, 2012 #19
Solskeniskyn
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A friend of mine went for the stomi-bag after years of battle with UC. Had it for approximately a year, after which things have healed up to such a point that they could reconnected the colon again, and since, he has been able to return to a normal life with next to normal functioning.

Being totally unfamiliar with the Kwa health care system, and how coverage, insurance and everything works: have that alternative been discussed with your doctors? Is it an option you are considering at this point?
 
Old August 7th, 2012 #20
Alex Linder
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Solskeniskyn View Post
A friend of mine went for the stomi-bag after years of battle with UC. Had it for approximately a year, after which things have healed up to such a point that they could reconnected the colon again, and since, he has been able to return to a normal life with next to normal functioning.
That's great. It was the same with the woman in the NYT article I posted a few weeks ago.

Quote:
Being totally unfamiliar with the Kwa health care system, and how coverage, insurance and everything works: have that alternative been discussed with your doctors? Is it an option you are considering at this point?
I have no car, no insurance, not much money. I have paid everything out of pocket til now. I have not seen a doctor in years. The specialist I did see is located 90 miles away. Right now I do not take any pills, but I drink lots of water, get lots of sun, exercise as much as my strength allows. If I'm posting a lot on here, that means I have enough energy to do what I need to do. Right now I'm stabilized at a lowish level. The problem is bad, but I have the energy to do what I need to do. For now that's good enough.

I will probably reenter the formal fray at some point. If the problem is the same, I will definitely be investigating options for the surgery, as I have never had remission and am not interested in being a test victim for the seemingly thousands of drugs they have to try to induce it. As the US is getting increasingly socialist (don't believe anyone who says we have a free-market health-care system, it is the farthest thing from it), I could probably slip in under some poverty program. If you pay cash within 30 days, you can usually get about 40% off your bill. It is ridiculous the way our system is set up now - if you visit a specialist at a clinic, you pay 50 at the door, you then receive three separate bills, from the doctor, the clinic, the unversity, the lab, it's just a complete clusterfuck. And that's WITHOUT insurance. That's PAYING CASH (or writing check).

The whole thing pisses me off, and as a natural fuck-you rebel, I basically think I'm smarter than everyone else, so after being a weak cunt and going in because I was bleeding shit for weeks on end and losing all my energy, I finally womaned up and went to the doctor, and of course, after cheap cipro anti-biotic type stuff checks that box, the next thing you HAVE to do is get a colonoscopy. Now, I was sure I didn't have cancer. And I didn't want a colonoscopy. But I did it. And that sucked away a few thousand out of pocket. I haven't had health insurance since I worked for myself years ago. I can't afford it doing this. But, I hadn't needed it till then, and I live extremely frugally. The doctor who performed the colonoscopy tried his best to get me to get an appendectomy the same day. No real reason. I was feeling no pain. I said, let's just wait and see. Five years later, no problem. I think he was just trying to make money. This is another reason I don't like socialist systems. They dictate to you. You can't choose. I can't go into a store and buy Cipro, I need a prescription. I can't say to the doctor, I don't want a colonoscopy, because I don't have cancer, I don't believe. Let's just go with the odds and guess that it's either crohn's or UC. Prescribe me some drugs.

That way I could have saved over 4k. But that isn't how the system works. They literally will not do it. And they will never mention surgery right off as the solution. They want you using their drugs. First month, doc prescribes me some nice name-brand drugs. Boom. 600 out of pocket for 1 month's cost. Next visit, 120 apiece these visits, not counting gas for 180 mile trip, I say, geez doc, I REALLY can't afford 600/month in drugs. Oh, ok. Here's a drug that's about 30 a month. Sulfasalazine. So I was taking that. But it had side effects I really did not like. Then a year after the disease onset, after I had tried stopping the drugs a couple times, I got hit with another wave that knocked out some of my head. Nothing they could do for me there. I restarted the drugs again. They do help with the problem, but they don't solve it, and they cost enough to be irritating, and they have bad side effects - itching, rashes - and other stuff you're just not sure of.

So I kind of don't feel that MDs or really anybody but me and people who give me advice here are on my side. And because we have a socialist system, I'm not allowed to take care of myself by my dealings with doctors or drug dealers. I have to be cut and ground to fit the System, like everybody else. Your only real option is the one I've taken - to completely opt out.

But you know, time passes. There may be at this point a GI back in my town. Would make things a lot easier. And at this point, I know a lot more about the disease, about my own body and its functioning under different circumstances, and I can better calculate the long-term odds of making a decision for this direction or that. It's just, when this stuff hits, it really scares you. But just maybe if I had held firm and not gone to the doctor, I would still have 4-5k, and maybe even my entire head. Because you just don't fucking know. You don't know if NOT using the drugs lets disease hit you, or if it's USING the drugs that's causing the problem. And even though it's a colon disease, it seems to be able to effect other parts of your body. That suggests it is the immune system attacking the body, I suppose. Because I did have 10 arthritis bouts. But again, you don't know for sure. And gee, I haven't taken drugs in over a year, and I haven't had a rheumatoid arthritis attack since a year ago February.

There's just a lot of unknowns. I've opted for the right path for me, given the type of person I am - cheap, self-trusting, and authority-opposing. But my position is not ideological nor absolute. I am not against medicine, doctors or hospitals. I'm not against paying for the services I get. I just think that one must be very careful to examine the incentives of every party involved, and when it comes to these conditions that can't be cured, they say, but can only be managed - well - that's great for them. They get endless money from me paying 120 a visit - which is basically half a day wasted for a ten-minute hurry-up interview. And drugs - another utility bill a month in exchange for a few less shits, but bad side effects and unknown long-term effects.

I do trust western MD surgery a lot more than I trust their use of pills. So eventually, assuming things stay the same, I will get around to consulting with a surgeon.

Yeah...I also forgot. When your ear is attacked, you get to pay for a nice head MRI, again to make sure no cancer, which they discounted from about 1000 or 1200 to maybe 6-700. Paid cash for that. And you get steroid shots to try to save your ear. I did a course of that, it helped not a bit. That cost maybe 4-500. Not everybody who goes to the doctor has cancer, but they all get cancer of the wallet, even if they have insurance.

It's never entirely clear what the right thing to do is in these situations, so I puzzle it out the best I can, do what seems reasonable, and don't worry about it beyond that. Here on the forum I can get advice or leads that could be more valuable than what I can get formally and medically. And it doesn't cost anything. I also take perverse pride in not being a pill-popping pussy, and solving my own problems my own way. These are not small things, they're big things. Maybe not to others, but to me. I don't blame others going their own way, because I don't know for sure my way is right. But I do believe that in general, avoiding doctors and pills is best for your finances and physical health.

Last edited by Alex Linder; August 7th, 2012 at 04:07 PM.
 
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