Welcome Tanja,
I'm one of those itchy rash MCers. All I can say is don't ignore what your skin is trying to tell you. It's a window to the turmoil inside. I itched for months and it got so bad I ended up on steroids and anti-malarials with a dx of Dermatomyositis. And the more I learn about DM, the more I see themes of IBS, gluten intolerance, intestinal permeability, and all the things we tslk about here. I also have a celiac gene.
Long term effects of untreated MC
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Not to freak anyone out, but I think untreated MC (any untreated condition) leads to all sorts of issues. When the body's systems are out of balance, regardless of which systems are involved, dis-ease can result. Many on this forum have multiple autoimmune conditions. The improper management of the first one may have allowed others to develop. And a body attacking itself is not a recipe for long term vitality. It's important that to manage this condition as much as possible and ultimately work to address the root cause whatever that may be. I'm sorry, but it's hard for me to swallow the idea that the answer is to eliminate most foods to be healthy. A person should be able to eat food that comes from the earth without the body attacking itself. Removing gluten, dairy, corn, soy, nuts, beans, sugar, alcohol, coffee, etc. might provide relief and give time to breath but it does not represent the solution in my opinion.
This thread has started to touch on autoimmune issues and their cause which is a beast of an issue to address. We know genes play a part and we're learning a lot more about the gene that influences food allergies, asthma and eczema. The increased prevelance of IBD and other autoimmune conditions is complicated (increased knowledge/awareness, better diagnostic tools, etc.) but, in my opinion, speaks to something happening in our environment. The quality of our food (additives, preservatives, artifical colors/flavors), pesticides, fertilizers, exposure to air/water toxins, heavy metals, etc. is finally catching up to us. Not to mention modern medicine is allowing those with genetic predispositions to autoimmune conditions to produce offspring that retain that characteristic within the gene pool.
One thing I would mention, especially since the autoimmune connection you identified is with your mother, is that we "inherit" our intial gut flora from our mothers during birth. This can create the appearance of a condition being genetic even though it's not. It's possible that your mother's gut fora was compromised for one reason or another which has translated into you having similar immune deficiencies. This could be a long shot but it's my preferred soapbox recently. (Warning, I tend to project whatever I'm researching to those around me; at various times I have assumed the entire world had thyroid disease, celiac disease, lyme disease, and now, gut dysbiosis ;)
Sorry for the lengthy rant; I'll try to rein it in a little.
This thread has started to touch on autoimmune issues and their cause which is a beast of an issue to address. We know genes play a part and we're learning a lot more about the gene that influences food allergies, asthma and eczema. The increased prevelance of IBD and other autoimmune conditions is complicated (increased knowledge/awareness, better diagnostic tools, etc.) but, in my opinion, speaks to something happening in our environment. The quality of our food (additives, preservatives, artifical colors/flavors), pesticides, fertilizers, exposure to air/water toxins, heavy metals, etc. is finally catching up to us. Not to mention modern medicine is allowing those with genetic predispositions to autoimmune conditions to produce offspring that retain that characteristic within the gene pool.
One thing I would mention, especially since the autoimmune connection you identified is with your mother, is that we "inherit" our intial gut flora from our mothers during birth. This can create the appearance of a condition being genetic even though it's not. It's possible that your mother's gut fora was compromised for one reason or another which has translated into you having similar immune deficiencies. This could be a long shot but it's my preferred soapbox recently. (Warning, I tend to project whatever I'm researching to those around me; at various times I have assumed the entire world had thyroid disease, celiac disease, lyme disease, and now, gut dysbiosis ;)
Sorry for the lengthy rant; I'll try to rein it in a little.
Hi Eric,
I'm with you on most of what you've said. A couple of quibbles:
I'm with you on most of what you've said. A couple of quibbles:
I don't see this as a result of modern medicine, unless you are referring to people with active diseases going through hoops to have a baby. The reality is that genes that predispose to autoimmune diseases are largely genes of European origin (HLADQ2 is the biggie). We know these genes persist not because of modern medicine, but because of natural selection. Back in the day, these genes gave our ancestors robust immune systems capable of fighting off flu pandemics and infectious diseases that killed off many others. Robust immune response was a huge advantage, until the last 40 years or so, as sanitation improved, communicable diseases decreased, and our exposure to microbial biodiversity in cities and towns decreased (hygiene hypothesis). Now our immune systems are primed with nothing to do, and the chemicals and environmental insults are probably causing them to misfire.modern medicine is allowing those with genetic predispositions to autoimmune conditions to produce offspring that retain that characteristic within the gene pool.
Inheriting mom's flora during birth is important, but as you also point out, may come with dangers. What we don't know is whether mom's pathogenic flora ends up as life-long inhabitants of baby. I'm not aware of any studies demontrating, for example, that a mom who carries C.diff has babies that also carry C.diff. My best friend has Crohn's (now Lupus too) and often turns up positive for C.diff. None of her 4 kids born vaginally have digestive issues, or related health issues, so go figure. I do think the genetic predispositions you inherit are the more likely reason for these issues running in families (especially after all the antibiotics kids get in childhood).It's possible that your mother's gut fora was compromised for one reason or another which has translated into you having similar immune deficiencies
It seems so logical that fresh, properly raised food should not cause us trouble, but the fact is, human digestion is complex, and food proteins are complex. Breadowns in the digestive process can lead to permeable intestines, then food proteins of any type (even the healthiest ones) can be presented to the immune system, and voila, that food protein is your body's enemy and a source of chronic inflammation. Of course the healthy food proteins didn't cause the initial trouble...medications, antibiotics, processed foods, gluten, lectins, toxins, etc. caused the permeable intestines. The good food proteins just get swept up in the process. It's a crying shame. The good news is some people can regain tolerance to some of these foods once their intestines have a chance to heal and they've been off them for a while. So some intolerances are not forever.A person should be able to eat food that comes from the earth without the body attacking itself. Removing gluten, dairy, corn, soy, nuts, beans, sugar, alcohol, coffee, etc. might provide relief and give us time to breath but it does not represent the solution in my opinion.
1987 Mononucleosis (EBV)
2004 Hypomyopathic Dermatomyositis
2009 Lymphocytic Colitis
2010 GF/DF/SF Diet
2014 Low Dose Naltrexone
2004 Hypomyopathic Dermatomyositis
2009 Lymphocytic Colitis
2010 GF/DF/SF Diet
2014 Low Dose Naltrexone
I would caution about leaving MC untreated- I did out of stubbornness/ignorance and I have many more issues that I believe are caused by it. When I was first diagnosed I went the pepto, immodium, asacol, cholestyramine ,steroid route. Nothing helped. I became frustrated with my doctors and stopped taking everything. I left my MC untreated for about three years and my health spiraled into a near-death experience. I'm not exaggerating in the least because it was slow and painful. I wanted to find an alternate treatment from drugs but didn't have the knowledge. I tried supplements, the blood type diet, what I thought was a healthy diet that contained soy, dairy, and eggs (which I cannot eat), trips across the state to what my husband and I now call the witch doctor, and my list Goes on and on. I developed skin & rash issues, joint & muscle issues, and my biggest problem at the moment- eye burning/ache issues. I went from an active, happy person into someone who moved from bed to couch sitting the day away with no interest in life. I eventually went back on prednisone which helped but created more problems with all the side effects and finally lost some effectiveness. It was while on prednisone that I found this site and learned so much. I have been GF since november of 2011 and I did not notice any immediate effects, even after 6 & 8 weeks I seriously doubted its helpfulness. For some, it takes more time- I'm one of them. You're first step is your diet and know you may not get immediate satisfaction but it works. Stick with it knowing it is what you have to do and find your support here because there are so many knowledgable & caring people here who can help.
Great post Zizzle. The hygiene hypothesis makes a lot of sense and your context for keeping strong immunity around via natural selection is definitely a more thought-out position. Maybe MC folks are a super-advanced race and just have the bad luck of being born in a time of toxins and pollution! Hundreds of years ago, we would've been the healthy ones!Zizzle wrote:Hi Eric,
I'm with you on most of what you've said. A couple of quibbles:
Maybe we are still the healthy ones.Eric wrote:Hundreds of years ago, WE would've been the healthy ones!
Even though it's hard to tell by looking. 
It's just not obvious, because we are still in the process of recovering from the folly of eating the same unhealthy diet that everyone else continues to eat. As we recover, we tend to eat a healthier diet than probably 95% of the population. Perhaps everyone else is a health disaster waiting to happen, because their immune system doesn't recognize the dangers in their diet. And because of that, they will go on to develop cancer, cardiovascular disease, and other terminal illnesses.Mainstream health recommendations discourage the consumption of red meat, eggs, animal fats, etc., and promotes replacing them with toxic soy protein and soy oil. And then there's the "whole grains" fiasco.
There's nothing inherently healthy about whole grains — humans did not evolve to eat grain. The archaeological records show that cancer did not exist prior to the addition of grains to the human diet.Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
MC and NH Lymphoma
I was diagnosed with Lymphocytic colitis last year...right after my mother died of NH- Lymphoma. She had stomach trouble throughout her life....