City Councilman Busted with Weed - Cites Medical Marijuana for Crohn's

Seems like either using marijuana to treat Crohn's Disease or using Crohn's Disease as an excuse to spark up a fattie is catching on!

An city councilman in Everly, Iowa who was arrested on marijuana charges has resigned.

47 year old Stephen Rank submitted his resigation from the council on Monday. In a letter to city officials, Rank says the May 11 search of his home and his arrest have brought an inordinate amount of attention to the council.

Rank was charged with possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia after investigators with the Clay County sheriff's office found what they described as a significant amount of marijuana in Rank's home in the small northwest Iowa town.

Rank was in the middle of his second term on the council when he was arrested.

He claims he has Crohn's disease and uses marijuana to treat the condition.

In Other Crohn's and Marijuana News: Judging by the picture Grandma SEVERE flare up of Crohn's Disease.

Chron's Patient Inspired by Crohn's Disease Experience Finds Career

Julie Katrichis lay on the bathroom floor in her parents' West Allis house and screamed in pain.
It was December 2004. She was a junior at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, about to start finals week. Her Crohn's disease had been causing her immense pain for two months, but she'd tried to stick it out at school.
Katrichis went to the emergency room. She wouldn't return to UWM for two years - after months-long stays in the hospital, multiple surgeries and various complications.
When she graduates Sunday with a bachelor's degree in nursing, her diploma will represent just one piece of her wrenching and enlightening education in health care.
Her story is one of many that will play out Sunday and this week, as many area colleges and universities host commencement exercises.
Katrichis, now 24, was in her late teens when she was diagnosed with Crohn's disease - a type of bowel disease that inflames the digestive tract, causing severe diarrhea and abdominal pain.
"It's like you're being ripped apart from the inside," she said. "You feel embarrassed, you feel weak, and you hope it goes away."
When it came time for Katrichis to attend college, UWM made the most sense - she could live at home and manage her health with the support of family. At first, she wasn't sure what she wanted to study.
Life would intervene to help her decide.
After her December 2004 visit to the emergency room, Katrichis needed a colectomy - surgery to remove her colon. Complications in the surgery led her to contract pancreatitis. Her life for the next two years was a chaotic and painful series of procedures. Each step seemed to lead to another problem requiring another procedure, another specialist or unit.
"It was so chaotic, and I was still pretty shy about advocating for myself," she said.
The people who provided most of Katrichis' care and spent the most time with her were nurses. Her best nurses at Froedtert Hospital were "saints" who became part of a second family. They were genuine. They let her make decisions about her care.
Katrichis said good nurses are "ones who are willing to listen. You think that's a given, but it wasn't."
The bad nurses - and she had some of them - are task-oriented, just trying to get things done without speaking to the patient.
"It's really scary when a nurse comes into a room and rushes and does not clue you in to what's going on," Katrichis said.
By fall 2006, Katrichis was ready to go back to school, but she faced challenges. She was still physically weak. Just taking a shower exhausted her. Hospital bills had left her family with a heavy financial burden, particularly because her father had been laid off not long before she had her first major surgery. The application process for the nursing program was intimidating and complex.
With the help of her mentor, Nigel Rothfels of the office of undergraduate research, Katrichis navigated the system. She got into the program and won a $10,000 scholarship for students with Crohn's from biopharmaceutical company UCB.
As she embarked on her clinical placement, Katrichis found herself sharing her experience with her cohort of classmates in the program. She has already started exercising her power as a patient advocate before she officially becomes a nurse.
"She just really treated all the patients individually," said Theresa Grotkiewicz, a clinical instructor at UWM. "She never made assumptions and really listened to what they were saying."
Katrichis is graduating with a bachelor's degree in nursing. She'll soon start a job as a cardiac care nurse at Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare-Elmbrook Memorial.
In the run-up to the big day, her father left her a voice mail message every day with a commencement countdown.
"It's definitely this huge accomplishment - it's not just 'I'm graduating.' This was my goal," she said. "To make it just feels incredible."

Great Story on a High School Athlete with Crohn's Disease

As most of you know, I love stories about athletes with Crohn's. I personally remain very involved with sports and was diagnosed with Crohn's while playing Collegiate Soccer for Castleton in Vermont. Enjoy this article about a Beaumont, Texas high school athlete with Crohn's Disease.

There's no stammering or stuttering. There's no "I need time to think about that one" kind of statement. Hamshire-Fannett senior outfielder Jeremy Pinder and his father, Lee, remember exactly what happened Oct. 12, 2007. That's the day Pinder, now 18, was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease, a life-altering stomach illness with no cure that destroys the small intestine.

"As a parent I broke down, it was hard," Lee Pinder said. "He'll have it for the rest of his life and the doctors said he may not able to play sports. I am a single dad and it's tough because I love my son. Still, it was amazing that six days later he was begging to play sports. It was amazing that he got sick and he never gave up."

Six days after being diagnosed Pinder played in H-F's final football game of the season.
In the nineteen months since being diagnosed, Pinder lettered in baseball, basketball, football and track and did not miss a single game during his senior season. And if you think this story can't get any better, it does.

That's because Pinder signed a National Letter of Intent to play baseball at Southland Conference school Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

"Hard work gets you to where you to where you want to be," Pinder said. "It's pretty much what I've done. I've made sure everything was still OK. I don't know how to put it other than to say that it just takes hard work and dedication."

One of 140,000
Nearly 1.4 million Americans are affected by inflammatory bowel diseases and 140,000 of them are children under the age of 18, according to the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America.
Pinder became one of those 140,000 just hours after he was taken to the hospital.
During football season, Pinder started getting sick and his stomach started giving him problems.
He sat out a week and started playing again.

"The day before we played Silsbee I went to the doctor and I was supposed to have some tests for that Friday," Pinder said. "I told him that I have a football game and that I couldn't let down my team."

Twenty-four hours later, he knew something was up. After all, this was a guy who was flying around a football field making catches and blocking cornerbacks.

Now, he could barely walk around his home because the stomach pain was so great.
"The day I went to the doctor's office before I found out I had it, I weighed around 175 pounds," he said. "And that Sunday, when they told me I had Crohn's, they told me that I had lost 12 to 15 pounds. That came as a shock to me because I didn't realize that it had happened."

Road to Recovery
It's a simple routine for Pinder these days.
Wake up. Go to school. Take eight pills a day for the rest of his life. Go to practice. Go home and eat a dinner that's a far cry from what he was eating two or three years ago.
"He's probably more selective in what he eats," said Dr. Joseph Holland, of the Southeast Texas Gastroenology Associates in Beaumont. "With most people it affects primarily their small intestine and that is important for absorption especially when it comes to food and so forth."
While getting adjusted to that routine, Pinder found time to travel south to a baseball showcase at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

It was at the showcase where he impressed the team's coaching staff.
"Those coaches said he ran fastest time in 60-yard dash they ever saw. They were really interested," Lee Pinder recalled. "Lamar called him right after they saw him talking to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi after a game at Vincent-Beck Stadium and offered him a red shirt season next year."

Pinder said he chose A&M-Corpus Christi because he liked the coaching staff and its laid back way of life reminded him of home. Pinder said he told the coaches about his condition and they respected him for his honesty. But before he goes south, he wants to help H-F, which placed second in District 21-3A, go far in the playoffs.

"You can't let things get you down and stay positive at all times. At first, I was scared because I thought I wouldn't be able to play any more sports," Pinder said. "But I have been keeping my body healthy and have stayed positive about everything. You can't let your dream's go to waste."

*********************
Hamshire-Fannett senior Jeremy Pinder has excelled at baseball well enough to earn a scholarship to play next season at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi despite the rigors of living with Crohn's Disease, a life-altering stomach illness with no cure that destroys the small intestine.

A list of professional athletes with Crohn's and other inflammatory bowel diseases:
u David Garrard, quarterback, Jacksonville Jaguars
u Theoren Fleury, retired hockey player who played with the Calgary Flames
u Kevin Dineen, retired hockey player who played 18 years in the National Hockey League
u Shayne Corson, retired hockey player who played 15 years in the NHL
u Al Geiberger, professional golfer who won the 1966 PGA Championship
u Chris Gedney, retired tight end who played with the Arizona Cardinals and Chicago Bears
u Steve Redgrave, won five consecutive Olympic gold medals for rowing
u Rolf Benirschke, retired kicker who played for the San Diego Chargers
u George Steele, retired wrestler

Living With Crohn's - Liz Elliot's Story

Talking about inflammatory bowel disease is tough.

Living with the chronic, painful and unpredictable condition of the digestive system is even tougher.

Kitchener's Liz Elliott suffered with the illness for decades before she had drastic surgery to remove the diseased part of her large bowel.

"Half of my life I spent trying to struggle with inflammatory bowel disease," said the 56-year-old. "After surgery it was like I had to learn how to be healthy again."

Elliott was finishing her first year of university when she first started having trouble.
She was overwhelmed with flu-like symptoms -- vomiting, nausea, abdominal cramping and diarrhea -- but she chalked it up to exam stress.

But the symptoms lingered for weeks, then began worsening and Elliott's weight dropped.
She was admitted to hospital with a high fever and a gastrointestinal specialist diagnosed her with inflammatory bowel disease -- a condition Elliott and her family had never heard of before.
"Once the diagnosis was made, that kind of scared me," Elliott said.

She heard only two things the doctor told her: there is no known cause and no cure.
"I was terrified that I was going to die."

There are two types of inflammatory bowel disease: Crohn's disease which can affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract, and ulcerative colitis which is in the large bowel.
Elliott was diagnosed with Crohn's colitis, which is Crohn's disease in her large bowel.
Immediately she was put on heavy doses of steroids and anti-inflammatories.

"I had been really healthy up until then," Elliott said.
That changed with Elliott's diagnosis. Suddenly socializing was tough for the teenager, and she felt different from everyone else her age.

"You can't eat the same things as your peers and I was always looking for washrooms," said Elliott, who later trained as a nurse and now works as a clinical manager.

For many years, Elliott did her best to cope with the disease. Medication helped, along with a careful diet to avoid foods that aggravated the condition.

She was careful about doing too much because that could cause symptoms to flare up.
And people weren't always understanding or sympathetic. Some thought the problem was in her head, and Elliott had to explain the disease wasn't imagined.

"On the outside the person looks normal, but on the inside the pain is real," Elliott said.
Tired of the chronic illness, Elliott decided to have surgery about 14 years ago to take out her entire large colon.

Such an extensive surgery is uncommon for the condition, but only removing a bit may have worsened things for her.

"They removed it all, so the symptoms are gone," she said.
Elliott does have to always wear an ileostomy bag, which collects waste material from the small intestine.

But she has gained so much -- both health and freedom.
Suddenly she was able to eat what she liked, go out without worrying about accidents, travel and enjoy being active. Even something as simple as taking her two dogs for a long walk was no longer impossible.

And now she has the energy to volunteer with the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of Canada, helping to raise money for research to find a cure for the debilitating disease.

Stem Cell And Crohn's - IBD Wound Healing CD24 Molecule

Hey guys, many of you (Scott Roy included) have been through stem cell treatments for Crohn's. Here is some new info I just found on Genetic Engineering and BioTechonolgy News:

Scientists at The University of Nottingham are investigating whether stem cell markers could have a role to play in speeding up wound healing in patients suffering from inflammatory bowel disease's (IBD) such as Crohn's Disease.

The study could eventually lead to the development of new drugs which use natural molecules to spark the recovery of patients suffering from ulcerative colitis and Chron's disease, reducing their risk of associated complications such as scarring, bowel obstructions and tumour growth.
Funded with a 118,500 grant from the National Association for Colitis and Crohn's Disease (NACC), the two-year project is being led by Professor Mohammad Ilyas in the University's Division of Pathology.

He said: "The study will focus on the molecule CD24 which is a stem cell marker and which plays a key role in cell proliferation and the migration of healthy cells to a damaged area to restore normal tissue.

"CD24 is a small molecule attached to the cell membrane which has been recently reported as a marker of stem cells in the colon. It occurred to us that CD24 might have a role to play in IBD and during further studies we found that it was indeed present in sections of diseased bowel."
IBD affects around one in 400 people in the UK. Common symptoms include inflammation and ulceration of the intestine and colon, pain, severe diarrhoea, tiredness and weight loss. The cause of the disease is yet to be definitively identified, although scientists believe it could be due to a combination of genetic predisposition and environmental factors. Currently, there is no cure and patients manage their condition with a mixture of lifestyle changes, anti-inflammatory drugs and, in severe cases, surgery.

Professor Ilyas added: "The power of the gut to heal the damage caused by acute episodes of inflammation is remarkable and frequently the gut lining reverts to normal. Anti-inflammatory drugs help this process along and allow the wound healing to begin earlier than it would naturally.

"In the future, it may be possible to use a variety of therapies (possibly including gene therapy) to manipulate the expression of the CD24 molecules on cells to promote even more rapid healing. This may mean less scarring, bowel obstruction and fistulation and less chance of developing tumours resulting from persistent inflammation. As a result of this, it may also reduce the chance of needing surgery further down the line."

In the early stages of the project, the pathologists will be using cell lines in the lab to study CD24 at a cellular and molecular level to discover the mechanisms by which it operates and encourages cell migration and other associated molecules that are co-expressed.

They will then examine diseased IBD tissue to establish whether what they have observed in the lab is occurring in reality.

It is hoped the findings will lead to further clinical work to look at the possible benefits of CD24 in allowing IBD patients to more effectively manage their disease.

The CEO of NACC, Richard Driscoll, explains, "Since 1984, NACC members have raised over 4.5 million and more than 100 research awards have been made to hospitals and universities throughout the United Kingdom. This year our Medical Research Committee selected three studies to receive NACC research awards which we hope will contribute to finding improved treatments and ultimately a cure for IBD. We welcome Professor Ilyas' work on CD24 in seeking a better understanding of the gut healing process and how it may be enhanced in inflammatory bowel disease."

Turmeric - Magic Spice for Crohn's?

Interesting Research from New Zealend Regarding the Spice Turmeric. Anyone tried Turmeric for Crohn's?

The spice turmeric might be the magic ingredient to bring relief to people suffering from irritable bowel disease.

Researchers at Nutrigenomics New Zealand have found that curcumin, the major yellow component of the turmeric spice, reduces inflammation for those suffering from irritable bowels.
They said the discovery could help in the development of diet-based treatments for people suffering from the disease.

The results of the study were published in the British Journal of Nutrition.
"Crohn's disease, a form of inflammatory bowel, can be aggravated or relieved by the sufferer's diet," Plant and Food Research researcher Christine Butts said.

"However, due to the number of genes involved, different people with different disease genotypes can be affected by different foods, so there isn't a `one size fits all' solution.
"Only by systematically linking particular components to effects on the specific genotype can we get a true understanding of the disease and how to treat it."

The finding could mean some people with Crohn's disease might benefit from eating turmeric, but it was dependent on their genetic makeup, Ms Butts (HAHA, - Scottie) said.

"Others may not get any benefit, or may even have a severe reaction. However, we are one step closer to understanding this disease and how to best control it with diet."

Crohn's Disease and Pregnacy - Great Article for Women with Crohn's Disease

Ladies - Found this article that contains freat info for women as it relates to Crohn's Disease and pregnacy. Good info on what meds to avoid while pregnant with Crohn's as well as other potential risks.

CHROHN'S AND PREGNANCY: In the past, women with Crohn's were counseled against pregnancy. However, current medical management strategies have made childbearing safer for both mother and baby. Some medications are best avoided during pregnancy, but others are considered safe because of their long history of safe use by patients.

Resarch studies have shown that some drugs commonly used for both maintenance therapy and acute flare-ups of Crohn's are safe for pregnant women to use. They include sulfasalazine (Azulfidine), forms of mesalamine (Asacol, Pentasa, Rowasa) and corticosteroids (Prednisone). Other drugs like azathioprine (Imuran, Azasan), adalimumab (Humira), certolizumab (Cimzia) and infliximab (Remicade) appear to be safe to take during pregnancy.

Methotrexate and thalidomide are two immunosuppressive drugs that should not be used during pregnancy as they have an effect on an unborn child. Methotrexate can cause abortion and skeletal abnormalities, and it should be discontinued at least three months before conception. Thalidomide is well known for causing limb defects as well as other major organ complications in a fetus.

The severity of Crohn's symptoms that are present at conception often continue throughout pregnancy. Women are encouraged to get their disease under control and in remission before conception. They can also get their bodies prepared for a pregnancy by increasing intake of folic acid, quitting smoking, getting more exercise and eating healthier.

For women with Crohn's, the biggest factor influencing a healthy pregnancy is the state of disease activity. A planned pregnancy when Crohn's is in remission has the greatest chance for a favorable outcome. To best manage all aspects of your care during and after pregnancy, work carefully with the doctor you're seeing for Crohn's disease as well as your obstetrician and your baby's pediatrician.
BACKGROUND: Crohn's disease is a chronic, long-term illness in which the intestine, or bowel, becomes inflamed. It is part of a group of diseases known as inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD.
Chrones disease can affect any area of the GI tract, but it most commonly affects the lower part of the small intestine, called the ileum.
The swelling extends deep into the lining of the affected organ and can cause pain, fever and diarrhea.

The disease can surface at any age, but it is most common between the ages of 15 and 30. People with Chron's disease experience periods of severe symptoms, followed by weeks or years of remission.

Treatment may include drugs, nutrition supplements, surgery or a combination of these options. The goal is to control inflammation and relieve the symptoms. Treatment can help control the disease by lowering the number of times a person experiences a recurrence, but there is no cure.

For More Information, Contact:Dana Wirth Sparks
Department of Public Affairs
The Mayo Clinic
Rochester, MN(507) 538-0844
Sparks.dana@mayo.edu
http://www.mayoclinic.org

Woman Seeks Compensation that Working Conditions Worsened her Crohn's

I may be a bit out of the loop, but air conditioning worsening Crohn's? Reeealy??? Hmm. Thoughts anyone?

A woman who claims that a condition she suffers from was made worse by her working conditions is seeking a payout.

Elizabeth Andrews had to take over a year off work after her Crohn's disease worsened. The 40-year-old was transferred from her role at Tate Britain in Millbank to the Tate Modern. She claims that she made the move only reluctantly and because she felt she had no choice. According to Ms Andrews, the size of the Tate Modern and its air conditioning system caused her Crohn's disease to flare up.She said: "It became clear that it was not suitable for me. It is a much bigger and colder building than Tate Britain.

The air conditioning from the CCTV room where I worked from time to time made my [Crohn's] worse."A condition that causes inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, Crohn's disease usually starts between the ages of 15 and 40 and is slightly more common in women than men.

Osiris Stops Enrollment in Prochymal Stem Cell Study!

Whoah, huge news here. Anyone else participated in this Osiris Prochymal Stem Cell Study (I did, but with mixed results).

Stem cell research firm Osiris Therapeutics Inc (OSIR.O) said it stopped enrolling patients in a late-stage trial to test its lead drug candidate, Prochymal, in Crohn's disease due to design flaws in the study.

The company would continue the trial with patients already enrolled and use data from the trial to redesign future studies. However, it does not expect to get Prochymal approved for Crohn's disease through this trial.

Leerink Swann analyst William Tanner, who had expected the trial to end without difficulties, said he expects the Crohn's disease trial to get pushed by a couple of years. Tanner does not expect the enrollment halt and design flaws to impact other indications in which the drug is being tested.

Osiris, which developed Prochymal from adult stem cells, is studying the drug in several other indications like graft versus host disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), myocardial infarction and diabetes.

However, Lazard Capital Markets analyst Joel Sendek is very sceptical of the drug in any indication. "I don't think the drug works very well, and I have not seen any evidence that the drug works in Crohn's disease," said Sendek, who has a "sell" rating on the company.
"The company has moved too fast in the late-stage studies. They had very few early- and mid-stage data," Sendek said.

Osiris halted enrollment after the final interim analysis showed that one of the two Prochymal dose arms was unlikely to achieve the main goal of the study due to high response rate seen in the arm that was on dummy drug.

"After careful discussion with the FDA, we elected to discontinue enrollment rather than attempt to re-power the trial," Chief Executive Randal Mills said in a statement. Osiris has a commercial collaboration with Genzyme Corp on Prochymal. However, according to the terms, Osiris would have to bear the full costs of a new late-stage Crohn's disease study.
Shares of Osiris were down about 23 percent at $14.05 in morning trade Friday on Nasdaq. They had touched a low of $12.62 earlier. (Editing by Anil D'Silva, Ratul Ray Chaudhuri)

Stress, Life Work and Crohn's

So my Crohn's has actually been doing a bit better lately, but I still deal with stress related flare ups. Stressing over finances, work and life in general aren't good for Crohn's Disease. Combine the fact that I have been away from my wife 5 days a week since we got married and it makes for some rough days. Lately the pain has been pretty intense, but a lot of things feel like they are turning the corner. Work looks like it will take off soon and Sarah will be here full time. WOOOHOOO!!!

Here is to Beach Life!

New Genetic Targets for Drugs to Treat Crohn's Disease

THURSDAY, Feb. 26 (HealthDay News) -- An international team of researchers has pinpointed new genetic targets for drugs to treat Crohn's disease, a chronic and painful condition caused by inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract.

The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia-led group used a new gene-searching method, combining a statistical tool that identifies genes interacting on the same biological pathways with highly automated gene-hunting techniques that scan the whole genome.

An initial analysis was performed on DNA from 1,758 Crohn's patients and 1,480 people without the disease. All of them were of European ancestry. The analysis was repeated in three more groups, of both European and African ancestry.

"Among hundreds of known biological pathways, the one that surfaced from the analysis as being most significant included genes already known to be relevant to the biology of Crohn's disease," study leader Dr. Hakon Hakonarson, director of the Center for Applied Genomics at Children's Hospital, said in a news release from the hospital.

The interleukin 12 (IL12) pathway governs cell receptors involved in the developed of Crohn's disease. Previous research has found that monoclonal antibodies that block the IL12 receptor show some clinical success in treating Crohn's disease.

The study was published online and in the March 13 print issue of The American Journal of Human Genetics.

"As we better understand the gene pathways operating in Crohn's disease, we are uncovering more potential targets for effective drug treatments," study co-author Dr. Robert Baldassano, a pediatric gastroenterologist and director of the Center for Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease at Children's Hospital, said in the same news release.

Developing targeted therapies based on gene pathways might enable doctors to tailor treatments to a patient's genetic profile, he added.

Crohn's Condition Update

So after spending a month or two uninsured, I have health insurance back. My Crohn's disease is in a mild flare up and it is currently goinggn untreated and unmedicated. I hope everyone out there is doing well. Drop me a line sometime and let me know how you guys are doing. I will be getting back into updating my Crohn's Disease Blog over the next couple of weeks. Thanks for all of your support!

Crohn's Disease and Cycling - More Crohn's and Sports info

Crohn's disease and cycling

From Cycling News.com Article

I'm a 28-year-old recreational rider who likes to ride four to five times a week, I start by building up easily and when I'm in shape, my longest rides are about 160 km (ore about 100 miles). I also like climbing the French mountains, but also at a recreational pace. As you notice, I'm not exactly a pro, but I always like to get in better shape.
I've been recently diagnosed with Crohn's disease, which is also a cause of anaemia (lowest hematocrit ever measured was 27, most of the time it's about 35). This of course doesn't help my riding. The doctors at the hospital were very helpful and gave me all the medicines I need to control my disease, but they couldn't give me much info about Crohn's and sports.

There are two big issues:
My body refuses to absorb iron. I take iron supplements (each day I take 3 times the dose a normal person should take and extra vitamin C, because it helps the iron absorption (both on doctors prescription), but my hematocrit and haemoglobin levels stay low
Because of the disease, my body doesn't absorb much proteins either. I take protein supplements after hard trainings, but would it help if I would drink protein drinks on a more regular (daily) basis?
S
o, apart from more training, what could help me to get in a better shape? Proteins? More iron supplements? Any other training tips for Crohn's patients?
Bram

Pam Hinton replies:

As you are well aware, Crohn's disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease. Although the inflammation and scarring can affect any region of the gastrointestinal tract, typically the ileum (part of the small intestine) and colon are affected. The inflammation caused by Crohn's disease damages the mucosa, where nutrient absorption occurs. As a result, the ability of the intestine to do its job is severely compromised.

Weight loss is common due to reduced intake because of abdominal pain, cramping, and diarrhoea. In addition, the ability of the intestine to absorb the energy-yielding macronutrients, in particular, protein and fat, may be reduced. Special liquid diet formulations are available that provide partially digested proteins, as amino acids (elemental diet) or small peptides (polymeric diet). These require a physician's prescription, but you can also buy liquid supplements with partially hydrolysed proteins that may increase the amount of protein you absorb. Consumption of small amounts of protein at higher frequency may also increase the amount absorbed.

Iron deficiency is common in individuals with Crohn's disease due to poor intake and blood losses via the gastrointestinal tract. Deficiency of vitamin B12 is also common, as it is absorbed in the ileum. Anaemia can result from deficiency of iron and/or vitamin B12. Both B12 and iron can be administered via injection if needed. Individuals with Crohn's are at risk for osteoporosis (loss of bone) because of both the disease and the corticosteroids that are used to treat the disease. Therefore, most individuals take supplemental calcium and vitamin D.
If you haven't already done so, you might talk to a dietitian who specialises in inflammatory bowel disease. Good luck!

Crohn's Disease Patient Claims Marijuana was to Treat Crohn's

Ok, so I want to use this as a serious article, but it's impossible. This buffoon gets caught growing 54 plants (Obiously not for personal use), has methamphetamines in his system and cocaine in his pocket. So much for using this to stimulate discussion regarding medical marijuana and Crohn's Disease!! Article Below:

Police who raided the home of chronically sick Christopher Hazelwood found 54 cannabis plants which he claimed he was growing to use as pain relief for his condition.

Mendip magistrates were told that tattoo artist Hazelwood had suffered Crohn's disease for many years and had to be fed through a tube in his stomach because he could not take food through his mouth. The court heard that 48-year-old Hazelwood also had brittle bones and the disease osteoporosis had already set in.

His solicitor, Gwen Browne, told the court at Frome that Hazelwood used the drugs both as pain relief and an appetite stimulant and that the small amount of amphetamines that were found were to give him a decent standard of life.

Hazelwood, of Sunny- mead, Oakhill, pleaded guilty to producing a quantity of cannabis on December 16, possession of cannabis and possession of cocaine.

Magistrates adjourned the case until Wednesday, February 25, and asked for a pre-sentence report. They told Hazelwood they were looking at all sentencing options and had not ruled out sending the case to crown court for sentencing.

Jill Macnamara, prosecuting, said that when police raided the house they found six plants in the shed and more plants in a bedroom, while in the kitchen they found some small bags containing the amphetamines and cannabis. She said that cannabis plants were of various sizes with seven of the smallest plants and 10 large plants.

Miss Macnamara said that the plants were growing in soil and officers found a timer, thermostat, a boxed fan and lights, which were a set up for growing the drug. "The defendant fully admitted that he was growing the plants and explained that while it was for a significant medical condition he was not putting forward his medical reason as an excuse."
Miss Browne said it was an unsophisticated growing system.

"At their biggest they were 44cms tall and 25 of them were 34cms tall. The plants would last him three weeks." "These plants were for medical uses. He has extremely distressing long-term health problems. The cannabis is both for pain relief and an appetite stimulant."

She said that Hazelwood had 3.58g of amphetamines in his possession and that his condition was so drastic that it prevented him from going out most of the time.

My Quick Crohn's Disease Update

Haven't really talked about my Crohn's in a while. My life has been nuts lately. I've been under a ton of financial stress, and dealing with my past relationships...well one of them anyways. An utter nightmare that I am so glad to have behind me. No idea how I made it through the past 9 months without a major Crohn's flareup.

Now I am dealing with getting a new company off the ground, all while trying to keep my house and pay my unworldy, huge child support payments. Fortunately I have found someone that gives me so much support, I wonder how I even deserve it.

Anyways, I am pretty much not on any medication right now. Supposed to be on Entocort, but I never really got its started. I've been leading a healthier lifestyle, and the overall hapiness negates the "small stuff" stress. I still deal with cramping and all the other fun stuff, but it seems more manageable. Maybe the Prochymal did help?!

I've gotten alot of very inspirational emails and comments from my fellow chronies. You guys amaze me....your Crohn's Disease makes mine look like a hangnail, but you remain positive. Keep your head up guys. God has a plan for us all. Keep fighting, and continue to inspire those around you.

Why is he talking about Merchant Processing on a Crohn's Blog?

Ok, so in 3 years I have never really pushed one product or service on this site. But my friend started this company and it is really cool. I thought of my Chronies because you can pretty much set your own hours and work from home. This is NOT a home based business scam where you have to pay to sign up...not multi-level....just an awesome commission based job with no quotas, etc.

In the simplest terms, FlashBanc is a national merchant processing provider - They provide businesses with the ability to accept credit cards (or pay less fees on transactions in their store or website). They are hiring Account Executives as independent contractors. Essentially you would be going into businesses (small and large) and offering them merchant processing solutions.

A lot of people start with companies they personally frequent.
Basically they are saying "Oh hey, Mrs. Smith (that owns the salon or gym or whatever), do you know what rates you are paying your merchant processor?"
Mrs. Smith says "no, or x.x%"
Rep: "Well my company does that....can i get a copy of your statement and see if I can save you some money"
Mrs Smith: Yeah, sure I guess
Rep: Ok, well if I can save you a decent amount of money can I earn your business?
Mrs Smith: says yes...you send the statement, they analyze and beat the rates and you go back to Mrs. Smtih a hero.

You get their statement and then Flashbanc reviews it and offers a better package, saving the businesses a good deal of money. You bring the proposal back and are the hero. The biz doesn't pay and the switch is painless and done by Flashbanc. Then comes the best part...you earn a % of every singe credit card transaction your client's make.

It really is a great opportunity. Most companies are getting raped by their merchant processor and don't really understand the charges....so you are helping them get a better, fair deal. Email me at wwwchachi@gmail.com if you want to know more.

Actor John J. York's Recoreds Crohn's and Colitis PSA's

Actor John J. York's Public Service Announcements Highlight Community-Based Fundraising through Crohn's & Colitis Foundation Take Steps Walks
Television and screen celebrity John J. York, best known for his role as Mac Scorpio on ABC's daytime soap opera General Hospital, recently donated his time to create a radio public service announcement (PSA) series on behalf of the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation.

The 60, 30, and 15 second PSAs will encourage Americans to register for one of over 80 Take Steps Walks in communities around the country in spring and summer 2009. Walkers will raise much-needed awareness of and dollars for research into Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, chronic, painful, and often debilitating digestive diseases collectively known as inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) that afflict millions of Americans.

York understands the ups-and-downs of living with a chronic digestive disease. Diagnosed with ulcerative colitis at age 15, York has quietly coped with a mild case of IBD for decades. Playing General Hospital's police chief since 1991, and most recently joining the daytime soap opera's spin-off, Nightline, York has been able to live out his dream of being a soap opera star. But he's unlike most patients who go day-to-day not knowing when they will wind up in the hospital or miss days or weeks of work at a time.

After learning that his daughter could have inherited a gene that would put her at risk for inheriting ulcerative colitis, York decided to use his recognition to make a difference in patients' lives. "It was impossible for me to sit back and think that my child and thousands of other children could become the victims of this disease," says York. "I hope that my work not only advances the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation's mission to find a cure, but helps the estimated 1.4 million Americans impacted win back their lives."

The number of people with newly diagnosed IBD has exploded in recent years and there is no known cure. The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation has defined the field of IBD research for nearly a half-century, enabling the best scientists to discover better therapies and ultimately, a cure.

"The opportunity to take research to the next level has never been greater than right now," says Richard J. Geswell, President of the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation. "The funds raised by the thousands of people around the country who sign-up to participate in a Take Steps for Crohn's & Colitis Walk in 2009 will help us achieve this vision."
Last year, over 30,000 Americans participated in Take Steps for Crohn's & Colitis, raising a total of $6 million for the Foundation to invest in research, education, and support. Visit www.cctakesteps.org today to find a Take Steps Walk in your community.

About Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis
Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are painful, medically incurable illnesses that attack the digestive system. Crohn's disease may attack anywhere from the mouth to the anus, while ulcerative colitis inflames only the large intestine (colon). Symptoms may include abdominal pain, persistent diarrhea, rectal bleeding, fever and weight loss. Many patients require hospitalization and surgery. These illnesses can cause severe complications, including colon cancer in patients with long-term disease. Some 1.4 million American adults and children suffer from Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis, with as many as 150,000 under the age of 18. Most people develop the diseases between the ages of 15 and 35.

Osiris Prochymal Wins Even More FDA Approval

Thursday, Columbia-based stem cell therapeutic company, Osiris Therapeutics Inc. , said that it has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, to broaden its expanded access program for Prochymal, thereby making the investigational stem cell product available to adults with life-threatening Graft vs. Host Disease or GvHD.Prochymal is currently in its Phase III clinical trials for GvHD and Crohn's disease. Expanded access to Prochymal was initially restricted to only pediatric patients suffering from steroid refractory GvHD until patient enrollment in the Phase III pivotal trial was completed.

Osiris noted that under the expanded access program, patients from two months to 70 years of age, inclusive, who have been diagnosed with GvHD that is unresponsive to steroid therapy, are eligible to receive Prochymal. Additionally, for expanded access, the FDA must determine that the available scientific evidence, taken as a whole, demonstrates that the drug may be effective and would not expose the patients to unreasonable risks.

Researchers Discover DNA Variations that Increase Chances of developeing Crohn's

Hmm, interesting article exploring a new potential genetic link to Crohn's....

Researchers at McGill University, the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre and the McGill University and Génome Québec Innovation Centre, along with colleagues at other Canadian and Belgian institutions, have discovered DNA variations in a gene that increases susceptibility to developing Crohn's disease. Their study was published in the January issue of the journal Nature Genetics.

The study was led by McGill PhD candidate Alexandra-Chloé Villani under the supervision of Dr. Denis Franchimont and Dr. Thomas Hudson. Dr. Franchimont, now with the Erasme Hospital in Brussels, Belgium, was a Canada Research Chair formerly affiliated with the Gastroenterology Dept. of the MUHC. Dr. Hudson, former Director of the McGill University and Génome Québec Innovation Centre, is now the President and Scientific Director of the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR), located in Toronto.

The researchers pinpointed DNA sequence variants in a gene region called NLRP3 that are associated with increased susceptibility to Crohn's disease. Crohn's is a chronic relapsing inflammatory disease of the digestive system that can affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract. Patients can suffer from a number of different symptoms in various combinations, including abdominal pain, bloody diarrhea, fever, vomiting and weight loss. Rarer complications include skin manifestations, arthritis and eye inflammation.

"Although the exact cause of Crohn's disease is still unknown, both environmental and genetic factors are known to play a critical role in the pathogenesis of the disease," Dr. Franchimont said.
Crohn's disease is found throughout the world. However, it appears to be most common in North America and northern Europe, and Canada has one of the highest incidence rates in the world. Crohn's affects between 400,000 and 600,000 people in North America.
The 400 square metres of the intestinal absorptive area is the largest single surface in or on the human body, and it is covered by billions of bacteria of the intestinal microflora living in the gastrointestinal tract.

"The single layer of cells lining your intestinal digestive tract is thus constantly exposed to high levels of bacteria and pathogens," Villani explained. "These cells must recognize and respond appropriately to the harmful bacteria while maintaining tolerance to the non-pathogenic 'good' bacteria that make up your intestinal microbial flora. This is the central challenge of the digestive immune system, which needs to balance defence versus tolerance."

"The protein encoded by the Crohn's disease susceptibility gene NLRP3, cryopyrin, is an intracellular bacteria sensor that plays a key role in initiating immune response," explained Villani. Based on their results, researchers theorize the bacterial sensor cryopyrin is probably defective in some patients, and doesn't correctly recognize the presence of harmful bacteria.

"When the digestive immune system's counter-attack is insufficient to clear the threat," Ms. Villani continued, "there is a bacterial infiltration in the intestinal wall through the first line of defence mechanisms. The digestive immune system will again try to repel the threat, but the effort may not be sufficient, and this usually leads to a vicious cycle that results in chronic inflammation in the intestinal wall. And that is Crohn's disease."

"This gene also plays a central role in the regulation of fever, which is one of the most primitive defence mechanisms that exists in humans to fight the surrounding pathogenic bacteria," Dr. Hudson added. "DNA sequence variations in the NLRP3 gene are also known to be responsible for hereditary periodic fever syndromes."

"Previously published genome-wide association studies have already detected more than 30 distinct Crohn's genetic factors, but these only explain about one-fifth of Crohn's disease heritability", said Dr. Franchimont.

Though these results will not lead to any new short-term treatments for Crohn's, Dr. Franchimont is confident that in the longer term it will benefit patient care. "Studies like this one give us a better understanding of key pathways and pathogenic mechanisms involved in Crohn's disease," he said. "Now that we are aware of the role of bacterial sensors in the disease, steps can be taken to develop a new treatment strategy."

Awesome Opinion on FDA, Crohn's and Osiris

Written by Gideon J. Sofer- University of California, Berkley student - from WSJ

Right now there are millions of individuals whose lives are directly dependent on the rate at which new drugs come to market. I'm one of them. I'm fighting for my life.

To date, half of my intestine has been removed to manage Crohn's disease. Last year, at age 23, I enrolled in a clinical trial for a treatment that could save my life: an adult stem-cell therapy that helps damaged intestinal tissue regenerate from the relentless inflammation and scarring caused by Crohn's.

The sponsor, Osiris Therapeutics, reported that Crohn's patients in the therapy's Phase II trial all experienced clinical improvement after receiving the cells. A Phase III trial for the treatment is now nearing completion, but Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval could be years away, despite its FDA "fast track" designation.

In accordance with antiquated FDA policies, the Phase III trial is randomized with three groups of patients, and double-blinded, which means neither the doctors nor patients are told what treatment is being administered. One group received full-strength stem cells, another received half-strength, and a third got a placebo (the proverbial "sugar pill"). It appears I got the placebo.

Foregoing all other treatments, I received the four scheduled infusions, and yet my disease progressed with a vengeance. In a matter of weeks, I became dangerously malnourished. I've since been readmitted to the hospital countless times, as my doctors continue to plead with Osiris for information. But Osiris has refused, citing adherence to FDA protocol.

I am now a lab rat. I have no right to know what happened to me in the study, nor do I have a right to try the promising treatment as my health deteriorates. It doesn't have to be this way.
Under the Fifth Amendment's guarantee that "No person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law," a critically ill patient should have access to a potentially lifesaving drug that has been deemed safe for human consumption, if the patient agrees to bear the risks involved. But earlier this year, the Supreme Court refused to hear a case on the issue, denying countless patients their right to pursue life.

Thankfully, some members of Congress have stepped in to ensure our rights as patients. In May, Sen. Sam Brownback (R., Kan.) and Rep. Diane Watson (D., Calif.) introduced the Access, Compassion, Care and Ethics for Seriously Ill Patients Act. If passed, this bipartisan legislation will begin to restore the rights of millions of patients by widening access to promising investigational drugs.

Human clinical research is an intricate scientific and moral process, but it does not justify taking immoral advantage of patients. Tragically, FDA and Osiris think it does.

Typical approval protocols almost always guarantee patients taking the placebo access to the actual drug -- at the very least -- after the study has ended. But in what appears to me a deliberate act of cruelty, Osiris hung its patients out to dry without any recourse, refusing to confirm which patient got what. The FDA has endorsed Osiris's decision by enabling it to proceed with the study.

Withholding a potential cure is just as bad -- if not worse -- than the potential death sentence of a serious illness. If patients like myself have the audacity to put their lives on the line for the betterment of science and those in their predicament, their decision should not only be embraced, it should be rewarded.

Furthermore, trials without ethical recourse can lead to inadequate and incomplete data, compromising the integrity of the study. If trial patients are treated like lab rats, they won't feel obliged to cooperate unconditionally and report accurate data -- something the FDA and the drug industry rely on heavily, but have failed to consider.

Everyone agrees it is a fundamental right for patients to dictate their course of treatment with FDA-approved drugs. So why do the rules evaporate at the most critical moment, when the only life-preserving options are highly promising investigational drugs?

Crohn's Disease, Stress and Losing your job!

Yeah, so how is this for a recipe for a Crohn's Disease Flare Up:
Holidays + Financial Issues + Ending Stem Cell Study Due to Ineffectiveness + Losing your job 3 days before Christmas. So yeah, I will be again testing the theory of stress causing a Crohn's Flair up!

Awesome, yes my stress level just rose again. I just lost my job 3 days before Christmas. Anyways, should give me some more time to write some informative and entertaining posts for my Crohn's Disease Blog! Update coming soon. Merry Chistmas to you all. God bless and say healthy.

Oh, and if anyone needs any website work or online marketing, let me know and I can send you a portfolio or we can chat!

Done with Osiris Prochymal Stem Cell Experiment

So yeah, my round 2 of my Osiris Prochymal infusions didn't go so well. My Crohn's has been flaring even worse since the second phase started. Literally hours after the infusion I started flaring and haven't been right all week. Tremendous pressure in my stomach and gas (signs of a potential blockage). So I am abandoning the final infusion and assuming this round I got rerandomized as a placebo. It happens with trials, but not worth a couple more hours of sugar water. Got a script for Entocort steroids to try to quell the Crohn's flare up. I should be frustrated, but I honestly am not. It's all part of God's plan and I am just gonna keep rollin on. Back to the drawing board when I visit Dr. Shafran on Monday.

Osiris Prochymal Round 2, Treatment 2

Going back to Dr. Shafran today for my second treatment in round 2 of my Osiris Prochymal stem cell treatment for Crohn's. I don't feel so hot after the one I had Monday so we'll see what happens. I guess when you get a few million stem cells you are bound to feel a bit different. Keep your fingers crossed and thanks for the support!

New David Garrard Crohn's Interview

From Bob Sansevere of TwinCities.com
Jaguars quarterback David Garrard has learned to live and play pro football with Crohn's disease

It was the offseason, and he was losing weight. He didn't know what was wrong. It was 2004 and, even after being told he had Crohn's disease, Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback David Garrard wasn't sure what that entailed. He learned soon enough he was dealing with a bowel disease in which the lining of one's digestive tract becomes inflamed, causing severe diarrhea and abdominal pain.

This season, Garrard is taking part in the "In the Zone For Crohn's" program, which involves a $10,000 donation to the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America for every touchdown he scores or TD pass he throws. I talked Tuesday with Garrard about living with Crohn's.

BS: How is your life affected by the disease?
DG: Right now, I'm doing great. I don't have any signs or symptoms or anything. I can pretty much lead a normal life. The medication I'm on and the surgery I had four years ago have helped keep me symptom free.

BS: How would you deal with Crohn's if it acts up during a game?
DG: It's been four years now, and I go in and get a wonderful colonoscopy every year. It's been clear every year. I don't worry about it anymore. I'm not going to let it have control over my life. If it comes back, I'll have to do something else about it.

BS: Did you ever worry the disease could keep you from playing in the NFL?
DG: When I first heard about it, I didn't know it was anything. I thought the doctor would give me some pills and I'd be done with it. I learned it was more severe. After me and my wife started researching it, and people heard I had it and started sending me information. I started to get concerned. It's not something you can play with if you deal with it on a day-to-day basis. I lost about 40 pounds. I said I want to do whatever it takes to heal myself and get the disease out of me. Having surgery and medication helped.

BS: What was involved in the surgery?
DG: They removed about a foot of my intestines. There's no cure for Crohn's. Crohn's can come back. After six months, Crohn's was coming right back. I went on a medication, Remicade, and I haven't had anything since. I've been normal.

BS: You were losing a lot of weight. Before you knew what the problem was, were you afraid you were dying?
DG: Definitely. When I lost all that weight was when I was just trying medicine to heal it. It was so far advanced. The body has disease on the inside of the intestines.

BS: Is Crohn's a disease that people need to learn not to be embarrassed about?
DG: That's why I feel the Lord has blessed me with it. I'm not afraid about it. I'm not shy about it. But a lot of people are shy about it. It's tough being in middle school and high school and having to go to the bathroom a lot or vomiting a lot. Kids are not comfortable with that. Adults are not comfortable, either. If you say cancer or AIDS, everybody knows what you're talking about. If you say Crohn's, people don't know what you're talking about. I've met a lot of kids who are dealing with it. I met a kid last week from Make-A-Wish, and he wanted to come down from New York to meet me.

BS: A little football talk: There was talk that last week's game against Tennessee was a make-or-break game for the Jaguars. You lost that game. So what does that make Sunday's game against the Vikings?
DG: We're pretty much in playoff mode right now. We've got to win every game from here on out to give ourselves a shot to go to the playoffs

BS: As you know, your assistant head coach/tight ends used to be the Vikings' coach. How is Mike Tice to work with?
DG: He's great. He really understands the game. He knows exactly what he's talking about. He's a fun guy. He's very, very helpful. He wants to help every position.

BS: What helpful advice has Mike Tice given you?
DG: Just be myself and play my game. Not try to go outside of what I normally do. He had Daunte Culpepper, a quarterback he loves to death. He always talks about him. He said Daunte would do what he could do and not try to please everybody. Just get the job done.

7 Natural Solutions to Contolling Crohn's Disease - Living with Crohn's

7 Steps to Controlling Crohn's Disease

For people with digestive issues, life tends to revolve around what you can and can't eat and how far away from the nearest bathroom you dare to venture. That's certainly the case with Crohn's disease, which along with ulcerative colitis is one of the two most common forms of inflammatory bowel disease. Symptoms include wrenching stomach pain soon after eating (typically in the lower right side) and relentless diarrhea. It's relatively rare, but a new research finding suggests that people with Crohn's are seven times more apt to carry bacteria that cause a related gastrointestinal disease in cattle. The bacteria -- Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis or MAP -- has been found in milk in American supermarkets, and some studies have found it in meat and cheese, raising the possibility that it may be passed up the food chain to people.

IT'S GUT WRENCHING
Whether or not bacteria such as MAP cause disease in the intestinal tract is largely a matter of threshold, explains Daily Health News contributing editor Andrew L. Rubman, ND. A person with a healthy, intact digestive tract will likely be able to resist infectious bacteria. But the large intestine is the body's center of immunity, and when the digestive tissue becomes damaged and inflamed, it becomes more susceptible to invasive microorganisms, be it MAP or the increasingly infectious species of E. coli, Salmonella, and other causes of food poisoning. If the balance of healthy versus harmful bacteria is disrupted and/or tissue is damaged, people become less able to resist disease and it becomes more difficult to treat. Dr. Rubman and I talked more about Crohn's disease in general, and about natural support for people with this problem. What causes Crohn's Little is known about the causes of Crohn's disease, although family history, an overactive immune system and inflammation response, and environmental triggers are all believed to play a role.

It differs from ulcerative colitis (which causes similar symptoms) because inflammation is deeper in the intestinal wall and also potentially affects the entire gastrointestinal tract from mouth to anus. Ulcerative colitis primarily affects the colon and small intestine. There's no known cure for Crohn's and remedies offered by conventional medicine are riddled with problems. In September 2008, the FDA ordered stronger warnings for common Crohn's drugs -- infliximab (Remicade), adalimumab (Humira) and certolizumab pegol (Cimzia) -- after an association with the risk of developing fungal and yeast infections such as Candidiasis was found. Because conventional treatments have significant side effects -- even when they work, and they don't always -- more than half of people with Crohn's disease turn to natural therapies.

NATURAL SOLUTIONS

Since Crohn's disease affects different people in different ways, Dr. Rubman individualizes treatment for each patient, working in collaboration with his/her gastroenterologist -- a strategy he suggests for all Crohn's patients since a combination of natural and mainstream treatments seems to be most effective. Dr. Rubman's natural solutions include...

1. Probiotics.
Health requires maintaining a balance between good and bad bacteria in the digestive tract. Poor diet, stress or a digestive disorder such as Crohn's can result in a takeover of the system by "bad" bacteria, resulting in symptoms such as diarrhea and gas. To restore a proper floral balance, Dr. Rubman frequently prescribes a seven- to 10-day course of a probiotic supplement composed of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium bifidus. However, he notes that it is important to have a stool test before treatment, in order to ensure the proper probiotic formula is administered.

2. Fish oil.
A small British study found that fish oil taken with antioxidants may help reduce the inflammation associated with Crohn's disease. Eat fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel or sardines two or three times a week. In addition, Dr. Rubman often prescribes one or more grams of an EPA-DHA fish oil capsule or liquid daily.

3. Vitamin B-12.
When the bowel has been damaged by Chron's disease, it may no longer effectively absorb B-12. If you are tired and rundown, ask your doctor to test you. Dr. Rubman prefers to prescribe sublingual B-12 rather than B-12 shots. "It's as effective, less expensive and certainly more comfortable," he notes.

4. Acupuncture.
Acupuncture has traditionally been used to treat inflammatory bowel disease in China and is meeting with increasing mainstream acceptance in the US. A small German study suggests that acupuncture may help improve quality of life and general well-being in people with Crohn's disease by modulating symptoms and may even result in a small decrease in inflammatory markers in the blood. Find an acupuncturist in your area at the Web site of the American Association of Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine at http://www.aaaomonline.org/45000.asp.

5. Focus on whole foods, fresh fruits and vegetables.
A diet that contains lots of processed and fast foods -- like white bread, sugary desserts, etc. -- stresses the bowel and may trigger inflammation and worsen symptoms of Crohn's disease. Disease-causing microorganisms thrive on foods like these. Many people with Crohn's report that they feel better when they eliminate or significantly cut back on processed foods and place a greater emphasis on whole foods, fresh fruits and vegetables and moderate amounts of protein. Avoid milk and dairy products as well as trans fats, as they can also irritate the intestinal track.

6. Decompress.
Many people with Crohn's find that their symptoms worsen during stressful periods. If you find this to be the case, take steps to effectively manage stress. Do whatever works best for you -- whether that is yoga or meditation or dancing or tennis.

7. Stay away from colonics.
Many people are tempted to turn to this "quick fix," but Dr. Rubman warns that colonics can backfire and worsen symptoms. The large intestine requires a healthy balance of microorganisms to function properly, and colonics indiscriminately wipe out the good with the bad under the thinly supported premise of detoxification. To feel more in control of your disease and your life, learn more about Crohn's and connect with others who are going through the same things you are. Join message boards, chats, blogs and support groups (online or offline) at Web sites such as http://www.ccfa.org/, or those listed at http://www.crohns-disease-and-stress.com/support.html and http://ibdcrohns.about.com/od/onlinesupport/a/supportgroups.htm. Acknowledging that a diagnosis of Crohn's disease is never good news, Dr. Rubman urges those who have the problem to be optimistic -- it can often be controlled without drastic drugs or a draconian diet, and quality of life need not suffer.
Source(s):
Andrew L. Rubman, ND, director, Southbury Clinic for Traditional Medicines, Southbury, Connecticut.
American Society for Microbiology, http://www.asm.org/