THE WESTERN DIET KILLS US YET AGAIN…Inflammatory bowel disease is when your body attacks its own gut. Ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s are the biggies. Not only are these diseases bad enough all on their own, but these conditions are associated with much higher rates of colorectal cancer. This particular study implicates the Western Diet (high in processed foods, animal saturated fats, artificial stuff, low in fruits and veggies, healthy oils, phytonutrients) in this progression from IBD to cancer. Adding more doom to the picture, it seems that the rates of IBD are going up in our children. This is likely a result of messing with the immune system too early with wanton use of antibiotics and vaccination (both of which skew the immune system towards autoimmunity). This makes it even more important to avoid antibiotics in children except in the most dire of circumstances, view each immunization with a magnifying glass and make sure they grow up knowing what fruits and veggies and olive oil look like and have no idea that you’re supposed to eat that brilliantly colored food looking product that comes in a box or plastic wrap.
Diarrhea / Constipation / Irritable Bowel
Wrist Pain Chiropractor Mesa AZ :
Catecholamine-Producing Cells in the Synovial Tissue During Arthritis
CAN STRESS DESTROY OUR JOINTS? Catecholamines are hormones released by the adrenal glands, the most recognized of which is adrenaline. Looking at the article, it suggests that catecholamines might have some pretty potent anti-inflammatory effects and may always be at work controlling inflammation within a joint. However, in the initial stages of joint degeneration there is a loss of the signals from the sympathetic (fight or flight) nervous system and the body tries to adapt local production of catecholamines in the joint itself. Basically, the nerves fail and then the cells in the joint themselves try to pick up the slack. This likely fails with time and leads to exhaustion of these local cells. To me, it would suggest that, once you’re late in the process of arthritis, nothing’s likely to help. BUT, early on, adrenal support might be a very good thing. This also suggests that stress, which depletes the adrenal glands, may directly affect the process of osteoarthritis. Could adrenal support supplements help in the early stages of arthritis?? Good question… Read More…
Iron Supplements and Your Health: Good or Bad? 3 Tips to Know
Iron plays a tricky role in your health. On the deficiency side, anemia creates all sorts of problems. But the other end has a dark side as well.
Iron’s principle role in the body is to form the anchor to which oxygen binds in the hemoglobin molecule inside of your red blood cells. It also serves much the same function in the myoglobin molecule within skeletal muscle. Lastly, iron plays a role in certain enzymes that help with energy production and detoxification (namely the cytochrome family of enzymes). When iron functions the way it is supposed to all is good.
However, there is a dark side to iron. Iron is a strong oxidizing agent when it is set free in your body. After head trauma, for instance, the damaged tissue leaks blood into the surrounding brain cells, releasing free iron in the process. Being an oxidizing agent, the iron goes on to do what iron does–oxidize and damage the uninjured tissue surrounding the damaged tissue. This sets up the process of oxidative stress, jeopardizing the ability of brain cells to safely generate the energy they need to function properly. Fast-forward 5, 10 or even 20 years later and seizures can develop. This is one of the reasons why head trauma can be a later risk factor for seizures–because of the free iron.
Another little tidbit about iron–it can cause bacteria to reproduce like wildfire. This is one of the reasons why iron is protected and held on to tightly by your body–so that invading bacteria cannot use the iron to reproduce and do nasty things like kill you. When it’s not doing its work inside of cytochrome enzymes or hemoglobin, extra iron sits idly by inside of your cells in a storage protein called ferritin. When your body decides it needs to move iron around from one place to another it uses a different protein called transferrin. All this means is that iron is not supposed to be running around wild wreaking havoc on your long term health.
But this is iron that is working properly inside of your body, kept away from the mean, bad bacteria wishing to rise up and conquer your immune system. What about the iron in your gut that is present before it is absorbed?
Turns out this may be a problem.
This particular study looks at the use of two different formulas in two different studies (one study with a formula containing a maize porridge with and without 2.5 mg of iron as NaFeEDTA and the other with the same porridge with and without 12.5 mg iron as ferrous fumurate) in a group of 115 six-month-old Kenyan infants followed for 4 months. Here’s what happened:
- At the beginning of the study, a large chunk (63%) of the bacteria present were Bifidobacteriaceae.
- Iron increased the class of bacteria called enterobacteria, which included the dangerous E. coli strains and Shigella while decrease the amount of friendly bifidobacteria.
- Iron also increased the inflammation in the gut (as measured by fecal calprotectin).
- During the trial, 27.3% of the infants who got the 12.5 mg of iron required treatment for diarrhea versus 8.3% in the group that didn’t get the iron.
We are still learning more about the microbiome every single day. I have recently begun to believe that, while probiotic supplementation is a good idea, it is rarely the only thing needed to combat the ills that come with a bad bunch of bacteria in your microbiome. Avoidance of antibiotics (unless TRULY life-threatening) and attention to diet are critical. Stress management. Strong soluble and insoluble fiber intake.
And, as we begin to find out other aspects of what affects the bacterial balance in your gut, using these new findings to your advantage. In this case avoiding iron supplementation unless you are sure that it is needed. A few tips when it comes to iron:
- The best way to get iron is from foods (organic, grass-fed beef, organic chicken, lentils, beans, chickpeas, green leafies)
- The ferrous form of iron is a much better absorbed form. If you absorb the iron, it can’t help feed the growth of undesirables lower in the gut.
- Adding vitamin C to your iron can help you absorb the iron better.
Follow these tips and you are adding another positive piece to the puzzle that is the bacterial microbiome in your gut.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome Found to Be Underdiagnosed – (11-23-00)
Irritable Bowel Syndrome Found to Be Underdiagnosed
Symptoms of IBS have been present for quite a long time, but it seems that national attention to the syndrome has been increasing over the past 2 years. Some may say that that is because there is a new drug out to treat IBS. Of course, it’s not very effective and has caused some deaths…
(article) Patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) have a significantly lower quality of life than patients without IBS, according to researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. The research findings were released at the 65th Annual Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) in New York City. The data indicate that primary care physicians underdiagnose IBS. “We were somewhat surprised to learn that of the 94 patients who met the Rome criteria for IBS, only four had been diagnosed by a physician during the past year,” said Dr. Eisen. “This finding may indicate a need for greater diligence on the part of primary care physicians to diagnose these patients and commence appropriate treatment.” These data also imply that gastroenterologists need to educate primary care physicians about both the diagnosis and management of IBS in order to maximize patient satisfaction for these IBS patients. IBS is a common medical disorder usually involving abdominal pain, bloating and constipation, and/or diarrhea in alternating patterns that is diagnosed when a patient has a cluster of symptoms that cannot be attributed to a specific disease for which diagnostic tests exist.
Clinical audit of the effects of low-fibre diet on irritable bowel syndrome – (10-26-00)
Clinical audit of the effects of low-fibre diet on irritable bowel syndrome
This study shows a benefit of low fibre diets on IBS. However, the authors did not investigate any factors that may increase discomfort from a higher fiber diet. These would include improper digestion and abnormal flora creating increased gas with digestion of carbohydrates. Lowering the fiber in the diet may just allow the patient and doctor to ignore the true cause of the symptoms.
Journal of Human nutrition & Dietetics 13 (4), 249-253 High-fibre diets are frequently advocated for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) although there is little scientific evidence to support this. Experience of patients on low-fibre diets suggests that this may be an effective treatment for IBS, warranting investigation. Seventy-four per cent of questionnaires were returned. A significant improvement (60–100% improvement in overall well-being) was recorded by 49% of patients. This preliminary study suggests that low-fibre diets may be an effective treatment for some IBS patients and justifies further investigation as a full clinical trial.
Normalization of lactulose breath testing correlates with symptom improvement in irritable bowel syndrome – (03-10-03)
Normalization of lactulose breath testing correlates with symptom improvement in irritable bowel syndrome.
While antibiotics would not be my treatment of choice, it is wonderful for researchers to begin to focus on abnormal intestinal flora as a contributor to IBS. Unfortunately, antibiotics as a sole approach to treatment is sorely missing the boat. Elimination of pathogenic bacteria, restoration of healthy flora and avoidance of lifestyle factors leading to dysbiosis (alcohol use, refined carbs, saturated fats, low fruits and veggies….) I feel are much better approaches.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome–A Potentially New Treatment at Last? – (06-28-00)
Irritable Bowel Syndrome–A Potentially New Treatment at Last?
They need to rephrase the title. The authors mean a new PHARMACEUTICAL treatment, because there have been many ways to treat IBS from a natural medicine standpoint using probiotics and diet as a start.
These studies provide encouraging news that tegaserod, by accelerating orocecal transit and especially colonic transit, may prove to be a benefit in patients with constipation-predominant IBS. It is obvious that further clinical studies on intestinal transit and secretion as well as the overall clinical efficacy of tegaserod in IBS are necessary. Nevertheless, this drug seems to have promise for patients with IBS.
Easy on the Antioxidants – (06-26-00)
Easy on the Antioxidants
This editorial suggests dangerous side effects of high levels of antioxidants. Such as diarrhea with more than 2000 mg of Vit C. First of all, how “dangerous” is diarrhea (which is purely from osmotic pressure holding water in the colon and stops once the Vit C is removed) compared to the some 98,000 deaths from prescription drugs?? We need to keep things in perspective here. Herbs and vitamins are held to a much, much higher standard than pharmaceutical agents. And besides, it is a very rare occurrence to get diarrhea from a dosage of Vit C as low as 2000 mg. Granted, care needs to be taken with high levels of anything, but the medical profession is notoriously uninformed about what these levels are.