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Crohn’s disease is a condition in which the immune system
attacks its own cells, most commonly those that line sections
of the walls of both the small and large intestines. This
painful inflammation causes chronic diarrhea, abdominal cramping,
fever, weight loss, and loss of appetite. It can lead to the
development of bowel obstructions and abscesses. When the
large intestine is affected, rectal bleeding is common; after
prolonged periods, the risk of cancer is increased. Individuals
who suffer from the most severe form of the disease are often
unable to work or participate in normal activities.
This disabling bowel disorder affects as many as 500,000
Americans and is considered medically incurable. Although
its cause is unknown, a weakened immune system, infection,
and diet are the most common suspects. While a few people
recover completely after a single attack of Crohn’s disease,
most find themselves experiencing regular flare-ups.
The favored treatments for Crohn’s disease are steroids
and antibiotics, but both are only marginally effective and
sometimes cause severe side effects. Surgical removal of the
most severely affected areas of the intestines is often the
last resort, but even this is not a sure cure and symptoms
inevitably return.
A 1996 research study at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center offers
a small glimmer of hope for victims of Crohn’s disease.
It has been determined that the affected cells contain large
quantities of cytokines (proteins) produced by the immune
system. One such cytokine, called tumor necrosis factor (TNF),
has been implicated in cancer and a variety of other diseases,
as well as in Crohn’s disease.
The scientists at Cedars-Sinai are using special antibodies
(monoclonal) that bind specifically to TNF and remove it from
the bloodstream. The theory is that removing this cytokine
from the blood before it reaches the intestines may be the
best hope of eliminating Crohn’s disease. About 65 percent
of the patients who received the anti-TNF antibodies showed
a dramatic reduction of symptoms, while the remaining patients
had no response. These results indicate that there may be
several different cytokines that cause Crohn’s disease.
Currently, the research team is analyzing the cytokines in
the patients who did not respond to the anti-TNF antibody
in the hope of designing new antibodies that can target other
cytokines.
In 1994, Dr. Michael L. McCann and colleagues published a
paper entitled, "Recolonization Therapy with Nonadhesive
Escherichia coli for Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease,"
in the Journal of the New York Academy of Sciences. This work
reported on a process called "reflorastation" and
a three-year study that focused on normalizing the bowel bacteria
using L. acidophilus (DDS-1 strain), B. bifidum
(Malyoth strain), and benign E. coli bacteria (Nissel 1917
strain). Remember, E. coli is a common bowel bacteria that
we all carry. With the exception of the lethal H:0157 strain,
which contaminates the food chain, most strains of E. coli
are harmless. Because they are normal bowel residents they
can even be considered beneficial.
Dr. McCann’s study involved patients who suffered from
an inflammatory bowel disease, either Crohn’s disease
or ulcerative colitis. His reflorastation protocol began with
the use of heavy-duty antibiotics and antifungals to completely
rid the body of all bacteria—the good as well as the
bad. Once the intestines had been thoroughly denuded, the
normal bacteria were reintroduced, both orally and via retention
enemas. As a result, each patient so treated went into remission,
and those who continued with the bacterial supplementation
remain disease-free at the time of this writing.
The paper concludes, "A subset of patients with inflammatory
bowel disease who are successfully recolonized with nonadhesive
E. coli [and the friendly bacteria] achieved complete, sustained,
drug-free remissions. . . . Reflorastation is not only a method
that has the potential to identify putative etiologic antigens,
but is also a clinical method to induce long-term remissions
without the use of toxic drugs."
RECOMMENDED PROBIOTIC REGIMEN
Take 1/2 teaspoon L. bulgaricus powder mixed in 8 ounces unchilled filtered water, three times daily. May add 1/2 teaspoon each of L. acidophilus
and B. bifidum powders (or 1 capsule each).
In addition to the above regimen, for increased strength,
take 1 combination capsule that contains all three super strains
in an oil-matrix carrier, two to three times daily.
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