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Excellent article. I'm just an ignorant old country boy, but if you ask me, the following quotes (from your quote) pose a very strong argument (in addition to all the other risks) against using immune system suppressants. Doctors love to play with fire, as long as it is only the patients who are likely to be burned when things go wrong.
or if the host for whatever reason is immunocompromised, the virus may inadvertently cause disease.
and occasionally we need to subdue the system in connection with various treatments. Thus, harmful consequences of these viruses are likely to occur at some point in life.
Thanks for the link.
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.
Doctors love to play with fire, as long as it is only the patients who are likely to be burned when things go wrong.
Tex,
I totally agree. I'm amazed that my rheumy thinks it's advisable that I battle my skin rash with methotrexate, a drug that could easily reactivate my Epstein Barr Virus and cause cancer, or worse. Yes, if my lungs or vital organs were at risk, I could understand, but I'm not interested in treating symptoms at the expense of my overall health, or life, especially since there is no true healing taking place on the immunosuppressant med.
Zizzle wrote:especially since there is no true healing taking place on the immunosuppressant med
Good point. Doctors are well aware that immunosuppressants pretty much disable the immune system, but I really wonder if many of them actually realize that the immune system controls the healing process, and/or I wonder if they realize that disabling the immune system will also disable the healing process. Immunosuppressants don't promote cancer per se, they simply allow it to develop and propagate, because without the ability to heal damaged/corrupt cells, those cells are free to thrive, and become malignant.
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.
Hi Zizzle, I thought you would find this interesting. This is written by Dr David L. Watts, Ph.D, Director of Research, Trace Elements. " The exact mechanism behind viral latency or viral replication is not totally known. However a group of researchers expored this phenomenon in relation to the Epstein Barr virus, and their findings were reported in Science in 1986. Lymphoid cells were infected with the Epstein Barr genome. The EPV would either replicate slowly or remain dormant. Dormancy of the virus could be overcome a number a ways such as-super-imposing a super virus or by introducing tumor producing agents. The tumor producing agents that activated the EPV also activated a cellular calcium concentration on the lymphatic cells. They found that calcium modulation was of primary importance in activating the EP genome. Other studies have been reported that implicate calcium in regulating the infection of human B lymphocytes by EPV. When calcium entry into the cells was blocked, the EPV transformation was inhibited. Another article is "Viruses as Endocrine Inhibitors" Generally speaking, viruses often produce symptons of depression and extreme fatigue. The mechanism could be due to indirect endocrine suppression as a result of increased viral activity. Calcium is known to suppress thyroid activity and secondary adrenal activity. Therefore chronic viral conditions could lead to thyroid and adrenal insufficiency. It is problably not coincidental that the incidence of CFS "chronic fatigue syndrone" and EPV infections has risen simultaneously with the increased fervor of calcium supplementation for the prevention of osteoporosis." This information was published in Dr. Watts newsletter. Jon
Hmmm, very interesting. I've never supplemented with nearly enough calcium, even while on prednisone. Makes me feel guilty, but I just can't remember all those pills. Despite my previous history of mono, I've never experienced the extreme fatigue that people with autoimmune diseases describe. But I've certainly had symptoms of adrenal insufficiency.
the extreme fatigue, which we know Gluten ingestion can contribute to....
is there a relationship to the viral activity / Immune System / Adrenals that makes the body react more so (fatigue etc) when eating things like Gluten and Dairy?
The leaky gut is worse?
Liver is worse?
Gabes Ryan
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
I'd like to point out that calcium increases intestinal permeability (leaky gut), thus making calcium supplementation counterproductive for someone who has leaky gut (or someone who is vulnerable to the development of leaky gut, such as anyone who has an IBD).
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.
Well, calcium supplementation has grown because of the osteoporosis epidemic, which of course is due to gluten sensitivity plus vitamin D deficiency. But yes, calcium absorption is poor without adequate vitamin D, so the vitamin D deficiency epidemic is actually the root cause of the whole mess, I suppose.
Gabes wrote:If Vit D levels are managed well from a young age, and you dont need to supplement calcium, IBD's, Viral stuff will not start? or be so chronic?
That's an interesting observation (see what I mean about you being perceptive). You may well be right on target, because as I recall, calcium ions (and their balance across endothelial cells) determine whether or not all sorts of exchanges can/will take place across cellular walls. It's definitely bad news when calcium in circulation gets out of whack
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.
gabes wrote:Could one of the elements for IBD's, Auto immune issues be something that simple??
It probably has some effect, but I doubt that it's a major problem for everyone. Similar to the cardiovascular risk, calcium probably only has a significant adverse effect on intestinal permeability when supplemented in large amounts, and the greatest risk is probably for individuals who already have increased intestinal permeability. In those cases, calcium supplements would probably tend to exacerbate the problem.
Sunny wrote:Didn't realize calcium supplementation was contra-indicated for MC! I learn something new every day here!
That's just my opinion, based on the research, and it should only be a problem with large doses (1,000 mg/day or more). For anyone who feels obligated to take significant amounts of calcium supplements, it should only be taken in multiple, smaller doses at regular intervals during the day, to minimize the risk of elevated blood levels.
There is also a cardiovascular risk with larger doses, but I assume that your doctors have warned you about that. If not, you might want to read the Medscape articles at the following links. If you're not already a Medscape member, you will have to register to read the articles, but that only involves entering your email address, and I'll guarantee that they won't spam you or sell your email address. These articles are written for doctors (and your doctors should be reading them), but they're not difficult to read, since they're written in plain English (rather than doctorspeak).
Conclusion. High intakes of calcium in women are associated with higher death rates from all causes and cardiovascular disease but not from stroke.
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.
Lean meat, fish, and poultry are good sources of calcium. Almond milk and coconut milk contain 50 % more calcium than cow's milk. A cup of 2 % cow's milk contains 30 % of the "daily value" for calcium. A cup of either almond milk or coconut milk contains 45 % of the "daily value" of calcium. I use Silk brand, but I have a hunch that the other brands surely contain a similar amount of calcium.
If you feel that you need to take a calcium supplement, it's probably safe to take reasonable amounts — it's the larger dosages that lead to problems. A few years ago, several members posted that Caltrate 600 + D, for example, had helped them to achieve and/or maintain remission.
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.
Lean meat, fish, and poultry are good sources of calcium. Almond milk and coconut milk contain 50 % more calcium than cow's milk. A cup of 2 % cow's milk contains 30 % of the "daily value" for calcium. A cup of either almond milk or coconut milk contains 45 % of the "daily value" of calcium. I use Silk brand, but I have a hunch that the other brands surely contain a similar amount of calcium.
If you feel that you need to take a calcium supplement, it's probably safe to take reasonable amounts — it's the larger dosages that lead to problems. A few years ago, several members posted that Caltrate 600 + D, for example, had helped them to achieve and/or maintain remission.
Tex
Tex,
Silk coconut milk has calcium added. Whole coconut milk with nothing added has only 4% of the daily value for calcium.
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