“Treatment of Severe Crohn’s Disease with Antibiotics – a Cure?”
Posted by David on Mar 21, 2012
BACKGROUND: Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis is probably the best candidate for a microbial cause of Crohn’s disease although arguments to the contrary can be equally convincing. Growing evidence suggests that prolonged antimycobacterial combination therapy can improve Crohn’s disease in some patients.
AIM: To report long-term observations in patients with severe Crohn’s disease treated with triple macrolide-based antimycobacterial therapy.
PATIENTS: A series of 12 patients (7 male, 5 female; aged 15-42 years) with severe, obstructive or penetrating Crohn’s disease were recruited.
METHODS: Patients failing maximal therapy were commenced prospectively on a combination of rifabutin (450 mg/d), clarithromycin (750 mg/d) and clofazimine (2 mg/kg/d). Progress was monitored through colonoscopy, histology, clinical response and Harvey-Bradshaw activity index.
RESULTS: Follow-up data were available for up to 54 months of therapy Six out of 12 patients experienced a full response to the antiMycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis combination achieving complete clinical, colonoscopic and histologic remission of Crohn’s disease. Four of these patients were able to cease treatment after 24-46 months, 3 of whom remained in total remission without treatment for up to 26 months and one patient relapsed after six months off treatment. A partial response to the anti-Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis combination was seen in 2 patients showing complete clinical remission with mild histologic inflammation. Return to normal of terminal ileal strictures occurred in 5 patients. Harvey-Bradshaw activity index in patients showing a full or partial response to therapy fell from an initial 13.4 +/- 1. 91 to 0. 5 +/- 0. 47 [n = 8, p < 0. 001) after 52-54 months.
CONCLUSIONS: Reversal of severe Crohn's disease has been achieved in 6/12 patients using prolonged combination anti-Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis therapy alone. Three patients remain in long-term remission with no detectable Crohn's disease off all therapy These results support a causal role for Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis in Crohn's disease while also suggesting that a cure may become possible.
Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11926571
“Where Are The Cures?”
Posted by David on Mar 21, 2012
While our nation’s investments in basic medical research often yield promising results, there is no direct path for moving these discoveries into commercial development and patient treatments or cures. As a result, thousands of relevant discoveries published in academic journals each year never reach their full potential.
Help us tell others about this “Valley of Death” between basic science and commercial drug development that is slowing and sometimes preventing the development of critically needed treatments and cures.
You can help us make accelerating treatments for all patients a priority. Let your voice be heard. Sign the Patient’s Manifesto now! Signing and asking others to sign the Patient’s Manifesto today will help raise the visibility of this problem within your personal and professional networks and more broadly through the media.
Let your voice be heard. Someone in your world needs this help today.
The Patient’s Manifesto
•I believe that patients are not getting an adequate return on the billions of government, non-profit and industry dollars being spent on the research and development of new patient treatments.
•I believe that academic scientists, government funding and regulatory agencies, non-profit disease research foundations, commercial biotech and pharmaceutical companies, and entrepreneurs should aggressively seek new ways to accelerate the pace of medical research and the development of new patient treatments for the billions living with diseases who can’t afford to wait.
Source: http://wherearethecures.org/
It’s no secret that the process of taking discovery biology and turning it into a treatment for any disease, like Parkinson’s or multiple sclerosis, is broken. It takes too long and it costs too much money. However, as with most questions we ask these days, there may be a search engine out there that has the answer. Or at least one of the brains behind the search engine does.
Sergey Brin, one of the master mathematical minds behind Google, is using his knowledge of large data sets and the information they can provide, as well as his large wallet (he’s worth about $15 billion) to do two unthinkable things: significatly fund research for a disease he does not have and rethink the entire way scientists conduct that research.
In a recent article by Thomas Goetz, Senior Editor at Wired Magazine, Sergey Brin exposes the Parkinson’s predicament he has found himself in. Learning that his genetic code contained LRRK2, a gene that has been associated with an increased likelihood of developing Parkinson’s, Brin has begun the process of decreasing his potential to incur for the devastating disease bit by bit.
Goetz writes about how Brin is making adjustments to the environmental factors that affect his life, such as his exercise routine and caffeine consumption. But these changes, to Brin, are not enough to lower his potential of developing Parkinson’s to the nearly impossible level he’d like. So instead, Brin decided to take matters into his own hands, by not only funding research for a disease he has yet to, or may never, develop but also taking the time to hypothesize how one might fix the broken system of medical research.
Source: http://wherearethecures.org/join-the-conversation-2/
2 Year Trial (1997): Crohn’s Treated with Anti-MAP Antibiotics
Posted by David on Mar 20, 2012
While the cause of Crohn’s disease remains controversial, evidence for the involvement of Mycobacterium paratu – berculosis has been accumulating from both long-term culture1–8 and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests on diseased tissue.9–15 M. paratuberculosis is a specific chronic enteric pathogen capable of affecting many animal species including primates.16,17 Recent evidence suggests that this organism may be conveyed to humans in pasteurized cows’ milk.18 Although case reports and a small open study using antituberculous drugs to treat Crohn’s disease have shown promising results,19,20 the efficacy of this approach has never been confirmed in randomized controlled trials.21–23 M. paratuberculosis, like other Mycobacterium avium, is generally resistant to standard antituberculous drugs, and in-vivo infections are known to be difficult to eradicate..24 Rifabutin, clarithromycin and azithromycin are a new generation of antibiotics which may have enhanced activity against M. paratuberculosis.25–28 This paper presents an outcomes analysis of the efficacy of these drugs used in combination
for the treatment of Crohn’s disease.These data suggest that treatment with rifabutin and clarithromycin or azithromycin may result in a substantial clinical improvement in Crohn’s disease and justify the conduct of a randomized controlled trial.
Source: http://jac.oxfordjournals.org/content/39/3/393.full.pdf
New Diagnostic Test for MAP in Development
Posted by David on Mar 19, 2012
The UCF Research Foundation has licensed a promising diagnostic test for the detection of the mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis, also known as MAP, bacterium in humans to an international biopharmaceutical company that is developing a treatment for Crohn’s disease.
The diagnostic technology is able to diagnose MAP infection in humans using DNA testing based on nested PCR molecular technology. MAP is present in roughly 50 percent of people who suffer from Crohn’s disease and could be a leading cause of the disease.
Dr. Saleh Naser, a professor in the Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences in the College of Medicine, patented the diagnostic technology in 2009 with hopes of using it to help cure Crohn’s disease patients who are positive for the MAP bacterium.
Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory disorder of the gastrointestinal tract affecting about 700,000 people in the United States alone, with no cure.
“Our goal with this technology is to help speed the process of diagnosing, treating patients with the correct antibiotics and helping the patient begin remission as soon as possible,” Naser said. “We want to see a change in these patients’ lives.”
Now that RedHill Biopharma Ltd., an emerging international biopharmaceutical company, has licensed Naser’s diagnostic technology, Naser is closer to achieving his goal of diagnosing and treating Crohn’s disease patients.
RedHill Biopharma Ltd. is currently developing an oral drug called RHB-104, which is intended to treat and possibly cure Crohn’s patients with MAP bacterium, but without a way to detect MAP, the use of the drug has been limited. Partnered with the UCF Research Foundation, RedHill Biopharma Ltd. is able to use Naser’s diagnostic test to detect MAP DNA in the patient’s blood and finally allow physicians to prescribe RHB-104 to Crohn’s disease patients.
“Our findings in our lab since 2000 is instrumental evidence showing that MAP is a significant part of this disease, and therefore the technology to detect such pathogens is extremely useful for diagnosis and ultimately treating this disease; and with that, our partnership with RedHill is sure to be valuable,” Naser said.
Source: http://www.centralfloridafuture.com/news/professor-patents-test-for-possible-crohn-s-disease-cure-1.2646645
“MAP and Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Major Public Health Problem”
Posted by David on Mar 18, 2012
New evidence (related to DNA fingerprinting technology) suggests that IBS may actually be a mild, early form of Crohn’s – that eventually progresses to Crohn’s in later life. This hypthesis is based on three separate lines of research.
The first relates to epidemiological studies showing high numbers of Crohn’s cases from age 13 to 30 and between age 50 to 70 – with very low numbers in between. The only explanation epidemiologists can find for such an unusual age distribution is that people between 30 and 50 are being given some other diagnosis – either IBS or a related condition called microscopic colitis – only to be later diagnosed with Crohn’s in later life as the illness progresses.
The second line of evidence pertains to studies revealing that Mycobacterium Avium Paratuberculosis (MAP) can be isolated from the intestines of IBS patients at almost equal rates as Crohn’s patients.
The third relates to similarities in the underlying pathophysiology (in other words how MAP causes the intestine to malfunction) of the three illnesses. There is clear evidence of dysfunction of the enteric nervous system (the complex web of nerves that regulate the passage of undigested food through the intestine). This seems to involve a problem with neurotransmitter receptors. In fact several drugs targeting serotonin receptors (the same neurotransmitter implicated in depression) have been patented for treatment of both IBS and microscopic colitis (and subsequently withdrawn from the market for dangerous side effects.
The potential link between IBS and MAP is very exciting because it raises the possibility that early treatment of IBS patients with evidence of MAP infection could prevent the development of full blown Crohn’s and severe intestinal damage that can only be corrected by surgical removal.
Source: http://stuartbramhall.aegauthorblogs.com/2010/06/09/map-and-irritable-bowel-syndrome-a-major-public-health-problem/
Kids’ Crohn’s Epidemic in Scotland
Posted by David on Mar 18, 2012
The incidence of juvenile-onset Crohn’s disease continues to rise in Scotland and the prevalence has increased by 30% since 1983. Unlike the previous report from Scotland, the incidence of juvenile-onset ulcerative colitis also is apparently rising. Whether this represents a real rise in incidence, or merely the inclusion of milder cases which were not previously hospitalized remains uncertain.
Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11742192
Dr Daniel Gaya, a specialist in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) at Glasgow Royal Infirmary, said Crohn’s disease was on the increase in Scotland. “It’s almost reached epidemic proportions,” he said. “At Yorkhill children’s hospital they’re diagnosing one new case of Crohn’s disease every week, which has major implications.”
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/8684337.stm
A leading medical researcher today warned that the incidence of Crohn’s disease in Scotland could be among the highest in the world. Professor John Hermon-Taylor, who has been funded by leading medical research charity Action Research, states “Scottish incidence of Crohn’s disease is likely to be equal or more than rates recorded elsewhere in the world. A whole range of remedial measures are needed, and for which the Scottish government should take prompt action”.
Source: http://www.action.org.uk/press_release/crohns_disease_warning_scotland
Unsurprisingly, kids eat way too much sugar in Scotland
Children in Scotland are eating too much sugar, according to a Food Standards Agency Scotland (FSAS) survey published today. The report shows that the main sources of sugar in youngsters’ diets were soft drinks, confectionery, biscuits and cakes.
The survey looked at the sugar intake of 1,700 Scottish children aged between three and 16 years old.
It tracked progress towards the Scottish Dietary Target, which stipulates that less than 10% of the total calories consumed should be Non Milk Extrinsic Sugars (NMES), which are sugars added to food and drink, table sugar and those present in fruit juices.
Source: http://www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2008/mar/sugar
Incidence of Johne’s disease in Scotland has doubled in the last 10 years!
New data shows that the reported incidence in Johne’s disease in cattle in Scotland has nearly doubled in 10 years.
Thousands of cattle have died over the past decade after being infected by the intestinal disease. Figures obtained by The Herald show that in Scotland since 2000, when there were just over 400 reported diagnoses in cattle alone, the numbers have almost doubled in the past few years.
Veterinary agencies also report 52 diagnoses in sheep in Scotland in the first nine months of last year.
But there is concern that, in parallels with the mad cow disease outbreak 20 years ago, infected sheep and cattle are slipping through the net because it can be several years before any signs of the disease become obvious.
The disease is not notifiable, so many more deaths may not have been reported.
Cases of Crohn’s disease have been rising in the UK and it is estimated to affect more than 100,000 people, with between 3000 and 6000 new cases diagnosed each year. A study in Scotland found there had been a 50% rise over 10 years among under-16s.
Source: http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/fears-humans-could-catch-fatal-cow-virus
“How can Crohn’s be Diet Related When its Your Body’s Own Immune System Attacking the Intestines”
Posted by David on Mar 17, 2012
Interesting forum thread here: http://curezone.com/forums/am.asp?i=57920
I have never seen any relief from crohn’s through diet! How can it be diet related when its your body’s own immune system that is attacking the lining of the intestines. Come on people,it does not matter what you eat with crohn’s it is still going to come right out because you body thinks there is bacteria or a foreign invader in your intestines. I would like to add that if you have a genuine food allery (like celiac) eating a special diet would help, but not with crohn’s! I think because we are so desperate, any idea about what would help, is something we grasp with both hands!Good luck!
Lori asks a great question: “How can it [Crohn's] be diet related when its your body’s own immune system that is attacking the lining of the intestines”?
As I’ve mentioned on this blog, Crohn’s is NOT an autoimmune disease. And many doctors’ sheer arrogance and ego prevents them from considering otherwise. From my experience, never put your life/health in the hands of a single doctor! Always get second and third opinions and more. Do your own research if you can. Don’t be afraid to question medical advice.
Check out some of the replies to Lori’s post:
Lorri,
I very, very respectfully disagree very strongly with what you’ve posted. I want to emphasize the respect, because it sounds as if you’ve been struggling with this illness for a long time.
Did you get a chance to scroll down and read the medical report and statistical breakdown of Dr. Wolfgang Lutz’s work with Crohn’s patients?
It can be read at: http://www.scdiet.org/7archives/lutz/lutz7.html
His conclusion: “I am convinced that we would spare many of our patients the need of undergoing surgery if we were to put them on a low-carbohydrate diet. An operation is, after all, only a form of mutilation leaving the root of the trouble untouched.”The evidence is mounting that a dietary approach to Crohn’s reduces and then eliminates the symptoms. But it demands a very strict adherence to the diet — no dairy, no grains, no complex sugar.
Seth’s Crohn’s Experience and Low Carb Diet
Posted by David on Mar 17, 2012
In the Fall of 1986, I became severely ill. It started with several months of unshakable diarrhea, followed by wrenching gut pain. It was so extreme, that I could not eat any food without vomiting it back up. I went from an overweight (180 lbs), healthy twelve year old, to an emaciated, underweight (110 lbs), thirteen year old. I could barely make it through my classes at school and then I’d go home and collapse with exhaustion and pain. My best friends no longer came over, my mother was worried sick, and my father thought I was anorexic. When my symptoms began, doctors could find nothing wrong except for “perhaps some allergies”. And then when my symptoms grew worse I was shuffled back and forth between doctors and specialists, each speculating on tumors, liver disease, and other life threatening diseases. I was subjected to many many different tests: MRI, ultrasounds, upper/lower GI’s, blood tests, stool samples, urine tests, X-rays, throat scopes, and others. It took nine months for a diagnosis of Crohn’s disease. I was given large doses of Prednisone and scheduled to have a portion of my bowels surgically removed. Within days of the steroids, I felt much better and the surgery was cancelled. Within weeks I was outside mowing the lawn, and eating more in a day than I had eaten previously in a month. At the time, prednisone was a miracle cure.
In a few months the side effects of prednisone were overwhelming. For one, it was causing me to over eat. By Christmas I had regained all of my weight back and them some. I was bloated and my joints ached. Megadoses of prednisone can create all kinds of havoc on a body. As a result of taking this drug, my growth was stunted. I am only 5’8″, but according to X-rays on my wrists, doctors predicted I should be at least 6’2″. When my doctors tried to lower my medication, my symptoms would return. I was medically labeled as steroid dependent. Other medications were prescribed to get me off of the Prednisone: 6-MP, Flagyl, and Asacol. All of these medications alleviated the symptoms but none treated the underlying disease.
When questioning doctors, I was given unhelpful bits of data: Crohn’s disease is genetic, it runs in families, Crohn’s disease may be caused by a virus or bacterium, it is not contagious, and we do not know what causes this disease. Every specialist I saw did agree that Crohn’s is not diet related; I now believe this to be dead wrong and I’ll tell you why in a bit.
The medications helped me deal with the pain. I survived my high school years and enrolled in the Chemical Engineering program at Clarkson University in Potsdam, NY. My health slowly deteriorated and I developed peri-anal fistulas. When I graduated from Clarkson with my B.S. in Chemical Engineering I decided to switch careers. I wanted to receive training in scientific research so that one day I might learn more about my affliction. I joined a Ph.D. program in Biochemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I was determined to find a cure for Crohn’s disease, since doctors seemed to know so little. The medications I was taking kept me quasi-healthy. However, I slowly became dependent on over-the-counter painkillers (ie ibuprofen, aspirin, and acetaminophen). Pain killers, especially ibuprofen and aspirin, can be very damaging to the digestive tract. I used these medications to treat my pain until my stomach could no longer stand the damage they were causing. Eventually, my Crohn’s came back with a vengeance. In the fall of 1997 I became violently ill and my girlfriend forced me to the emergency room. Much to my dismay, I was told to start taking prednisone again.
During the following winter and spring, I became steroid dependent again and gained 20 pounds. I weighed 224 pounds (for a man at 5’8″, this is a lot of weight). I was disgusted with my weight and started a series of diets. I tried a low fat, complex carbohydrate diet for a few months and lost 2 lbs. I was disappointed at this meager loss because I was not cheating and I was biking over 14 miles a day. Furthermore, the diet seemed to be making my Crohn’s worse. I decided to try a different diet, one that might help me lose weight and help out my stomach. I did some internet searching and found a page about the Fruitarian Diet. I even found one testimonial about the Fruitarian Diet curing Crohn’s disease. I quickly switched diets, eating only fruits and nuts. I became dizzy, giddy, and my Crohn’s symptoms became much worse. The diet only lasted a week. I was still determined to lose weight.
While in the diet section at Barnes and Noble, I met a friendly old woman who suggested I read Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution. I was skeptical about a low carbohydrate diet. The principles are in direct conflict with the mainstream view of dieting: cut out fat, eat fewer calories, and exercise. I was driven by the scientist in me to test the book’s ideas upon myself. The premise of the diet is that you can eat all you want while you restrict carbohydrate intake. I was skeptical and tried my damnedest to disprove this diet by eating everything in sight (approx 5,000 calories/day). Much to my amazement I lost 7 pounds that first week. My biochemical education was being challenged. Furthermore, my Crohn’s disease symptoms were better. After a few more weeks of overeating fat and protein-rich foods, and losing weight, my girlfriend urged me to do a literature search on low carbohydrate diets and Crohn’s disease (she was worried about my health). She said something like, ” All that fat and meat can’t be good for you. You better make sure it is not hurting your Crohn’s.” Prodded by this, I did some research. The information I found has changed my life.
I found papers written by Dr. Wolfgang Lutz, a European clinician who had treated and cured patients with Crohn’s disease by using a restrictive, low carbohydrate diet for over 20 years. Unfortunately, he is a European doctor and his science is not regarded highly by American scientists. I also found a website dedicated to a book written by Elaine Gottschall entitled, Breaking the Vicious Cycle: Intestinal Health through Diet . Elaine is an advocate of a Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) that has helped many people (including her daughter) with Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative Colitis to become symptom free or even cured. In short, I quickly switched to the SCD and was off all my medication within a month. I was overjoyed and once again felt alive. I never knew how depressed I had become during those years with Crohn’s until I was healthy again. My illness, even when treated with medication, had overtaken every aspect of my life. I cannot convey the feeling of ecstacy that arrives when this burden is lifted.
Subsequently, I have done further research into diet therapies and autoimmune diseases and have found a connection. The most effective diets resemble a Paleolithic diet, consisting of foods that our caveman ancestors thrived upon. The underlying principles of these diets make biochemical sense, but also challenge the mainstream view of diets and health. For this reason and others doctors are resisting them or waiting for a double blind study to further evaluate their effectiveness. For years my doctors told me that diet had no connection with Crohn’s disease. I now know that diet is related to Crohn’s disease and many other diseases traditionally labeled as “autoimmune”. I am a living example of how drastic changes in lifestyle (through diet or otherwise) can and does affect your health. It takes a strong mind and determination to change your eating habits. However, these changes can bring you a better life and better health, without the nasty side affects of drugs.
I have founded The Healing Crow Incorported to spread this knowledge to other sufferers of chronic illness. My only wish is that I had found these diets sooner. I now follow a low carbohydrate version of the SCD and have been medication free for over 24 months. I currently weigh 173 pounds, 51 pounds less than when I started the diets. I hope that you find the information published by The Healing Crow stimulating and health rewarding. If you have any specific questions please do not hesitate to contact me or our staff at the email link below.
Thank you for supporting The Healing Crow and may you go in good health.”
Sincerely,
Seth Barrows B.S., M.S.
Some interesting comments from Seth:
“Every specialist I saw did agree that Crohn’s is not diet related; I now believe this to be dead wrong and I’ll tell you why in a bit.”
“For years my doctors told me that diet had no connection with Crohn’s disease. I now know that diet is related to Crohn’s disease…”
“I tried a low fat, complex carbohydrate diet for a few months and lost 2 lbs. I was disappointed at this meager loss because I was not cheating and I was biking over 14 miles a day. Furthermore, the diet seemed to be making my Crohn’s worse.”
“I found papers written by Dr. Wolfgang Lutz, a European clinician who had treated and cured patients with Crohn’s disease by using a restrictive, low carbohydrate diet for over 20 years. Unfortunately, he is a European doctor and his science is not regarded highly by American scientists.”
“While in the diet section at Barnes and Noble, I met a friendly old woman who suggested I read Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution… In short, I quickly switched to the SCD and was off all my medication within a month. I was overjoyed and once again felt alive. I never knew how depressed I had become during those years with Crohn’s until I was healthy again.”
Dr. Wolfgang Lut’z book, Life Without Bread: http://www.amazon.com/Life-Without-Bread-Low-Carbohydrate-Diet/dp/0658001701
Tiffany Beats Crohn’s Disease – SCD Testimonial
Posted by David on Mar 16, 2012
Tiffany’s success story of using the Specific Carbohydrate Diet to beat Crohn’s.
Source: http://scdlifestyle.com/2011/01/scd-lifestyle-solution-podcast-15-an-inspiring-crohns-story/
As mentioned in my last post, if you ask any doctor why carbohydrate restriction improves Crohn’s (and IBS) you won’t get a scientific answer, because they simply don’t know!
Over a decade ago, I asked myself that same question and began a quest to find the answer. After many years of research, I came across a bug called MAP (Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis). MAP causes Johne’s disease – a severe inflammatory disorder found in numerous animals. MAP is also in the guts of Crohn’s and IBS sufferers. But no-one knew how this bug caused disease.
After researching Crohn’s for years, I had a hunch. If carbohydrate restriction improves Crohn’s disease, could carbohydrate restriction improve Johne’s disease? Eighteen months ago we tested that theory! We swapped the diet of a dairy cow with Johne’s disease from high-carb animal feed to grass (a natural diet). Within 2 months, the cow was in clinical remission. This was a major breakthrough. We had proven the link between MAP and carbohydrates.
But how exactly was MAP using carbohydrates to cause disease? After more research, we came to the conclusion that MAP functions in a similar way to Streptococcus mutans. Strep causes disease by fermenting carbohydrates to produce lactic that demineralises teeth – which is tooth decay. We believe the evidence supporting the idea that MAP produces acid is overwhelming, from the inflammatory response, bowel-wall thickening, stricture, fistula, and ulcer formation, and more.
Eric’s SCD Story
Posted by David on Mar 15, 2012
At about this same time my sister, while researching treatments for Crohn’s, discovered the book; Breaking the Vicious Cycle; Intestinal Health Through Diet by Elaine Gottschall. The book said after one month on the diet (which is generically called the Specific Carbohydrate Diet – SCD), you would know if it was going to help. On New Year’s Day 1999, with my wife’s support, I decided to commit to a month on the diet.
After only two weeks, I felt much better! I no longer had indigestion! No abdominal pain! No fever! No rapid pulse! My bowel movements were no longer painful, nor my stool bloody! After one month, I had gained about 10 pounds back and the only symptom remaining was the fistula! At six weeks, the fistula was gone, too! At 2 months I was back to my old 180 pound energetic self! At my request the doctor at Shands Hospital allowed me to gradually taper off all medications; and still no symptoms. He was interested in the “remarkable” recovery, but he said that I was anecdotal evidence that the diet works. I stuck to the diet strictly for one year after all symptoms had subsided. After that I began cheating some. To this day, I generally eat according to the diet but not strictly. I am in excellent health, with no sign of any chronic disease! A couple times, when I have cheated too much for too long, I have noticed the swelling begin (the original symptom when it all started). I jumped back to the diet strictly and the swelling disappeared.
It seems some of us just cannot tolerate the modern Western diet; high in refined flours and sugars. The diet we must follow, generically called the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, is much healthier anyway! I make an effort to openly discuss that “I have Crohn’s disease”. It is amazing how many people respond with, “I have a friend [or relative] with that”. I tell them about the diet and suggest they let their friend know about the www.scdiet.org website, or contact me, to find out more.
Source: http://nomorecrohns.com/Documents/Eric%27sStory.pdf
Note from Eric’s testimonial that as soon as he started “cheating” (consuming higher carb/sugary foods) his symptoms returned. Also note is doctor stated that is recovery was “anecdotal evidence that the diet works”! Essentially, all doctors dismiss carbohydrate consumption as a primary factor in Crohn’s disease because they can’t explain why it would cause inflammation. But, we have proof that carbohydrates play a role in Johne’s disease, and the same bug (MAP) that causes Johne’s disease is found in the guts of Crohn’s disease sufferers. So, logically, it would play a role on Crohn’s too!