Posted on 05/16/2002 10:01:00 PM PDT by Buffalo Bob
What is the empirical evidence?
What is your opinion based upon?
Many things but for argument's sake we'll start with Crohns Disease.
Crohns Disease.
Unfortunately I know little about Crohn's Disease. Still I did some search in the herbal books and on Internet and it seems that you can look the stuff below. (Remember that most of remedies work on some people better than on others, so one can try different ones before you find one that works for you). I selected some short texts that seem reasonable.
It seems to me that the proper diet (no junk food) and some herbal and natural remedies can help.
From: daveh@eskimo.com (daveh@eskimo.com) Subject: Those sweet things... Newsgroups: alt.support.crohns-colitis Date: 1996/08/15
In article 4uslfd$5o7@groa.uct.ac.za, Shamiel esssha08@centlivres.uct.ac.za writes:
Is there anyone out there who cannot tolerate normal and refined sugar.?
Because if I consume sugar in sweets or the granule form, I suffer pains in my upper back and abdominal cramps.
Hi there,
I've noticed some correlations between sugar intake and my symptoms as well. As a rule, I now do not take in more than about 65 grams of sugar per day. This includes all sugars, whether from the sugar bowl, orange juice, a banana, whatever. I notice that the less I eat or drink with regards to sugars, the better I feel (within limits).
This correlation isn't necessarily a new or unknown thing. Researchers have found linkages between CD and refined sugars. For example, several studies have analyzed the pre-illness diet of patients with CD and found that people who developed CD habitually ate more refined sugar and less raw fruit and vegetables and dietary fiber than healthy individuals (1-5). In one of those studies, the pre-illness intake of refined sugar in CD patients was nearly twice that of control groups, 122 grams/day vs. 65 grams/day respectively (5). In contrast to CD, UC patients did not show markedly high rates of processed carbohydrate consumption when compared to controls...
One of the problems in making this linkage is that pre-illness diet assessment must be accomplished through diagnostic interviews. Studies where the interview has taken place within the first six months of diagnosis tend to be more supportive of this conclusion than studies done more than seven months after diagnosis. As for myself, I was a textbook case for all of the "diet causes Crohn's" hypotheses floating around out there, so draw your own conclusions. In any event, it probably wouldn't hurt most of us to cut back on junk food (those of us who can eat junk food, that is =) that has lots of sugar in it, although I could sure stand gaining some weight about now!
Dave Haas SMTP: daveh@eskimo.com Island Computer Solutions URL: http://www.eskimo.com/~daveh 4565 Point White Drive Phone: 206.780.9759 Bainbridge Island, WA 98110 Fax: 206.780.0586
Papers cited...
(1)Levi, A. J. "Diet in the Management of Crohn's disease", *Gut*, 1985, 26, pp.985-988
(2) Jarnerot, J., Jarnmark, I. and Nilsson, K. "Consumption of refined sugar by patients with Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, or irritable bowel syndrome", *Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology*, 1983, 18, pp.999-1002
(3) Mayberry, J.F., Rhodes, J. and Newcombe, R.G. "Increased sugar consumption in Crohn's disease", *Digestion*, 1980, 20, pp.323-326
(4) Grimes, D.S. "Refined carbohydrate, smooth-muscle spasm and diseases of the colon", *Lancet*, 1976, i, pp.395-397
(5) Thornton, J.R., Emmett, P.M. and Heaton, K.W. "Diet and Crohn's disease: characteristics of the pre-illness diet", *British Medical Journal*, 1979, 279, pp. 764-766
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From: FireThorn (firethorn@sonic.net) Subject: Re: Herbs for Crohn's Disease Newsgroups: alt.folklore.herbs Date: 1997/08/16
On 15 Aug 1997 04:23:50 GMT, dkay719@aol.com (DKAY719) wrote:
Two years ago my daughter was diagnosed with Crohn's disease. One of the symptoms is an exzema type rash the right buttock. Does anyone know of an herb to clear this up and/or prevent it from recurring?
Well for severe excema primrose oil works well (injested). You can also try anything with natural plant oils in it like flax seed, black currant or olive oil. It has to do with those omega fatty acids. Your body also makes oils into cholestrol - the cholestrol into hormones and helps your body do its thing. I also like A&D ointment after a shower but the lanolin in it irritates some people.
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From: Brad Bishop (be@ix.netcom.com) Subject: Re: Crohn's Disease (Request for relevant information) Newsgroups: sci.med.nutrition Date: 1995/10/15
Alan, I suggest the book "Prescription for Nutritional Healing" by James Balch,MD and Phyllis Balch,CNC (page 147)
This publication has not only herbal recommendations but vitamins and diet suggestions.
Some helpful herbs are: Echinacea,garlic,goldenseal root, Pau d'arc,Rose hips and YerbaMate. (page 148) Hope this helps you.
You state that The alternative health practices are almost entirely composed of thieves who know absolutely nothing about the medicinal worth of the garbage they're peddling. A strong statement. However, your oblique reference to Crohn's disease is hardly compelling evidence for your assertion. Moreover, your use of the terms "almost entirely" and "absolutely nothing" leave you a very challenging burden of proof -- but only if you actually intended to be taken seriously.
When I was first diagnosed with Crohns I explored every avenue I could, including some alternative health specialists as well as standard medicine.
After a lot of research I came upon a fellow who was supposed to be the number one guy on the subject in the NYC area. I went to see him. 200 dollars for the visit. He told me that it was all about nutrition and that if I followed his diet and bought a water filter that he wanted to sell me I would be cured.
I asked him if he had ever cured anyone of Crohns before. He told me that he had cured approximately 10 people so far and that one of them was a very famous person in New York government. I got hopeful and asked him for their names so I could talk to them.
He grew indignant and told me that they all wished to remain anonymous. I said that that makes no sense. If I had been cured by someone I'd contact every media outlet and person I could and spread the good word. He didn't agree and seemed uncomfortable. When I continued to press him on the matter he told me to get out. It was then I told him he was full of it and left. I wasn't very civil about it.
I've had a few other encounters since then with alternative med types in regards to Crohns. They all end the same way. They tell me they've cured Crohns. When I ask to speak to one of those that they've cured, they mock me and disappear.
I'm not saying these people don't serve some functions but for serious diseases they're no different than the people who used to go around selling magic potions.
It is not exactly so. I review number of sources and used my insight into getting some plausible and coherent selection.
I've had a few other encounters since then with alternative med types in regards to Crohns. They all end the same way. They tell me they've cured Crohns. When I ask to speak to one of those that they've cured, they mock me and disappear.
You spoke with the wrong type of people. I will not mock you or disapear. The sad fact is that every person is different and not every disease in every person can be cured (by natural remedies, scientific chemistry or else). Still we can look more into it.
Let me summarise the general suggestions in the materials I found and selected with some added by me.
First is to reduce amount of sugar in you diet first the refined sugar (pay attention it is often added even to things like bread and in different forms like honey or mollasses or juices). Skip the sweet fruits also. If you must have some sugar, decide on a limited amount and form (for example you might allow yourself only once a day in you cap of coffee and balance it whith a non sweet snack).
Second, have eat more non-sweet fruits and vegetables with fiber. Eat natural whole grain brad without ANY additives, find the one made from unprocessed whole flour, yeast or leaven, water and salt. (nothing else belongs to true bread). Avoid junk food and things fried outside of your home (the vegetarian fats used in restaurants are of the wrong processed type). If you want fries do it at home, make fries yourself, cat potatoes and use good unprocessed oil, like soy or sunflower, (you might try lard too and see how it works for you). Eat fatty fish from the ocean, mackerel, herring and salmon.
Three - no margarine, no processed fats, no fat substitutes.
Four - try patiently for a prolonged periods by itself or in limited combinations the primrose oil (injested), flax seed, black currant, olive oil, echinacea,garlic,goldenseal root, pau d'arc,rose hips and YerbaMate.
Fifth - Eat at home, simple not processed food, get lunches made at home.
Six - avoid antibiotics unless necessary, get differend brands of live cultures of beneficial microorganisms, use them as prescribed.
Seven - never eat carrageenan gums (most of ice cream brands have them with the exception of Breyers and Haagen Dazs).
Get this book - Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine by Michael Murray and Joseph Pizzorno ( $17 on Amazon) . Read this large chapter - Inflamatory Bowel Disease.
Find a sympathetic physician (who likes natural medicine, maybe the one educated outside of America) so you will be able to combine and add various approaches in a optimal way.
Be patient, inquisitive, innovative and do not lose hope.
Everything posted here is opinion yet they do not begin with "In my opinion..."
2. Some of your advice is just incredibly wrong. Raw fruits and vegetables get caught in your intestines and cause blockages that can lead to death in Crohns patients.
Did you find a "mainstream" "med person who says they can cure Crohns"? Every case is individual.
Some of your advice is just incredibly wrong. Raw fruits and vegetables get caught in your intestines and cause blockages that can lead to death in Crohns patients.
WHERE did I "advised" RAW fruits and vegetables? I said to avoid sweet fruits and to have more vegetables with a lot of fiber. Vegetables can be cooked. But if you Crohn's disease is so advanced that you cannot eat even that, the specific terapy would have to be designed. How advanced is the case you have in mind? Are you going to get the book I recommended?
If you want a good "alternative med person", I can try even something more appriopriate - to locate a "mainstream" physician with an open mind and knowledge of alternative medicine. Send me in personal mail your location and the history of the problem. If I am lucky I will find someone.
It had been built with several multi-million-dollar donations from wealthy cancer patients whose lives he had saved, extended, or whose quality of remaining life had been vastly improved. He had 175 patients (rich and poor) from literally around the globe.
His method? In layman's terms, he uses arthoscopic techniques to cut off the blood supply to and from tumors by mechanically closing the arteries and veins, or blocking them with various compounds. Then, he somehow injects the tumors with compounds he derives from snake venoms extracted at the hospital itself.
When I reported this to medical friends in the US, I was greeted with hoots of derision by all of them ...almost. Last year, one of the US doctors was kind enough (and intellectually honest enough) to send me an article about the NIH's research in this direction.
There is an awful lot of quackery out there ... but too many original "babies" are being thrown out with the bath water.
This Argentine doctor is also intellectually honest enough to admit his failures along with his successes. He also says he has NOT done the the double-blind studies required by researchers around the world, but has been working empirically. He is sharing his results with people around the world, hoping that they will back him up with the trials necessary to establish the true worth of the treatment.
Considering that many of his patients are already at Death's Door when they arrive, his results have been impressive, to say the least.
Nope. Not one. Therein lies the difference. I've found 3 alternative folk who claim they can but who have run when pressed on it.
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