Other Boards.....

nerdhume · Post by **nerdhume** » Sun Nov 09, 2014 4:55 pm

These kinds of stories are frequent on the other boards....surgery is the fix.
http://www.youcaring.com/medical-fundra ... 0.facebook

This is also why I am so thankful to have found this board.

Deb · Post by **Deb** » Sun Nov 09, 2014 5:01 pm

Wow, Theresa! This is so sad. I hope you directed her here. Better late than never! Deb

Marcia K · Post by **Marcia K** » Sun Nov 09, 2014 6:20 pm

How sad for her. I am so grateful to have found this board as well. When I read a story like hers I realize that journey has not been so bad after all.

Marcia

nerdhume · Post by **nerdhume** » Mon Nov 10, 2014 4:15 am

Deb wrote:Wow, Theresa! This is so sad. I hope you directed her here. Better late than never! Deb

I really wanted to, but she is committed to surgery and is already financially ruined. Many seem to believe that surgery is the cure.

I couldn't figure out how to tell her without depressing her further that it all might not have been necessary.

UkuleleLady · Post by **UkuleleLady** » Mon Nov 10, 2014 7:40 am

I think it's kind of you to decide not to intervene, Nerdhume.

My sister is undergoing cancer treatment, again, and her lifestyle and food choices at times leave me very frustrated. But I have to remind myself I don't actually know what is best for her, her life, and I'm not experiencing her journey.

JFR · Post by **JFR** » Mon Nov 10, 2014 8:22 am

I find it hard to understand how people can ignore the connection between bowel disease and food, or any disease and food for that matter. Even if it is not the entire answer to any given medical problem, certainly eliminating potentially harmful foods can't do any harm. One thing I have noticed is that people often feel like dietary changes are for minor diseases but real diseases require real treatment, pills and surgery ordered by a doctor. They also often believe that people who endorse things like gluten and dairy free are wacky and annoying. And it certainly doesn't help that doctors tend not to endorse dietary changes and many suggest that they might even be harmful. I too have come to the conclusion that it is counterproductive to offer people advice or even information about how diet relates to health and illness. Many years ago my daughter-in-law responded to my endorsement of a paleo diet that "everybody thinks the way they eat is the best way". That might have been when I realized that I simply needed to do what I needed to do for myself and not interfere with others except upon request.

Jean

nerdhume · Post by **nerdhume** » Mon Nov 10, 2014 9:12 am

Jean,
I have friends that smoke, are alcoholic, weigh twice what they should, weigh less than they should, etc, etc.
I try to walk my own path IRL. Here among a group of PP I feel free to say what I have found that worked. Then I do what I suggest to everyone else here...take what you can use and let the rest go. There is no need to try to prove what's right, because that is different for each of us.

I was on a stop smoking support group once and it always amazed me how much arguing there was about the 'right' way. The ONLY way to quit is to NOT smoke. Everything else each of us did was to achieve that goal. I especially remember one guy's sig line that said 'Somewhere NOT smoking and enjoying life'....I am somewhere not eating any of the foods that tried to take my life away, and taking it one day at a time. I have achieved not smoking for 13 years now. ODAT

Polly · Post by **Polly** » Mon Nov 10, 2014 10:26 am

Another reason people refuse to make dietary changes - they actually believe that a lifestyle change is more difficult than surgery/meds/etc. So they either can't or won't try to change what they eat. A case in point.....I know a nurse who has a positive celiac blood test (her mother has longstanding celiac disease) who absolutely refuses to avoid gluten. Says she could NEVER give up her usual bread. As you might guess, she now has some kind of painful joint problem that is being treated with longterm prednisone. And now she is worried about cataracts, osteoporosis, etc. But, don't ask her to give up her bread, please. Sigh.

Polly

lisaw · Post by **lisaw** » Mon Nov 10, 2014 10:37 am

Wow Polly, it is one thing to have the sad story of the woman in this article, and maybe she has never been given advice that their could be something else for her other than surgery. But to be diagnosed Celiac, and intentionally continue to have gluten, I don't get that! And a nurse, yet!

Unfortunately as you've said, many people find it extremely hard to make dietary changes, especially when there is not a doctor advising that, and look at medication as an easier way, ignoring all the potential issues with that. I have so many friends with various ailments, and I look at what they eat, and would love to give some advice to at least try and modify their diet, however I've learned most people are not receptive and only resent the effort.

Lisa

Blueberry · Post by **Blueberry** » Mon Nov 10, 2014 10:56 am

I'm a believer in life style changes to help with conditions, improving health. Personally I didn't have a choice with my MC as medications prescribed didn't help me. Some supplements and diet ideas have been wonderful at improving my health. I'm not completely well and recovered, but have come a long ways from the dark days.

I'm not sure if UC can be helped with dietary ideas. At least this is what I read on Dr John Hunter's IBD sight and in his books. He's a UK based physician that is best known for conducting dietary studies on IBD conditions. He found in particular that Crohn's can often be treated with diet. UC was unresponsive to life style changes that he tested for. His web sight can be viewed at:

http://crohns.nutricia.co.uk

Post by **tex** » Mon Nov 10, 2014 12:46 pm

Blueberry,

Not to diminish Dr. Hunter's good work, but just because he has been unable to find a dietary treatment program that will work for UC, does not mean that it does not exist. He just hasn't tried the right diet changes (together).

For solid evidence that the diet works (for one of our very own members who has UC [not MC]), please read my post in the thread at the following link, and check out the links there to read Nathan's own posts in those threads.

http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=19934

Tex

nerdhume · Post by **nerdhume** » Mon Nov 10, 2014 1:57 pm

I have so far had good results from the restricted diet. I was concerned that UC seems to have more serious consequences than MC (bleeding is the major factor).
Here is a site I have used for a while for information, there are some interesting polls on there as well
http://www.ihaveuc.com/
I think this quote from the site hits the nail on the head!:

Many UC’ers who use diet are amazed that their doctors never said anything to them about it. But there’s no reason for you to be angry or upset with your doctors, (actually, feel free to be pissed at them if it makes you feel better). The reality is drug companies and most health care system can’t profit when colitis patients begin to feel better on their own. It’s simple math at that point. If you don’t control your UC with medications…you don’t purchase medications. No rocket science needed here right…

If there was a way for lots of money to be made, and for drug companies as well as doctors to profit from diet changes, you definitely would have heard about this a long time ago, probably at your first doctor visit. When I started treating my symptoms with diet, I didn’t need all this “help” from the medical world anymore. I didn’t need to constantly be re-filling my prescriptions every month. Drug companies hate people like me, they don’t make a dime off people like me. Pretty cool right!

But there’s more, by moving away from medications and on with diet, I finally stopped worrying about medication side effects. It really frustrates the hell out of me when other UC’ers email their long list of side effects that their medications are inflicting on their body. Prednisone/Prednisolone is probably the worst in terms of side effects, but there’s a bunch of others that can contribute to the side effects that are so unfortunate.

Blueberry · Post by **Blueberry** » Mon Nov 10, 2014 2:26 pm

Thanks Nerhume and Tex for the information! That's good to hear that UC can also respond to diet changes. I was under the impression that was largely not possible from what I read from Dr. Hunter's work and hearing from a few others with UC. It sound like the doctor needs to work out the kinks in his IBD program.

It is troubling, maybe better said disturbing, that diet ideas are often ignored by the main stream medical system. I guess to add further, not long ago I ran across video of Dr. Luc Montagnier . He is credited with discovering the HIV virus which some say causes AIDs. He won a Noble prize for his work I believe. Dr. Montagnier says that AIDs can be cured with diet changes, but this is ignored due to there not being profit in diet ideas. I was surprised at how many other respectable scientists in the AIDs community believe similar.

His short interview can be seen at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ET0cgvo7UnM

Post by **tex** » Mon Nov 10, 2014 3:06 pm

Theresa,

You're doing so well that I had forgotten that you also have UC. Thanks for quoting that post. IMO it does indeed accurately describe the problem. Despite the obvious benefits of our medical system (we couldn't do without it in many situations) it is driven by a profit motive that is surely at the top of the job description list for hospital administrators. And unfortunately, doctors are forced to work within the limitations imposed by those hospital administrators, the insurance companies, and of course the drug companies. And if they get out of line too far by trying to think for themselves, they run the risk of having to deal with the ambulance-chasing legal system.

The bottom line is, it ain't easy being a doctor these days.

Tex

nerdhume · Post by **nerdhume** » Mon Nov 10, 2014 3:11 pm

Considering how many different vitamins, minerals, hormones, etc our body needs to function. And also considering our bodies have to keep many these within very small ranges or we die. And also the only way our body has to do all this is with cravings and appetite, it is amazing we can function at all.
It's not rocket science to see that our nutrition plays a part in every ailment. Many illnesses could probably be cured by better nutrition, but there is no money to be made in that. (Well there's the money I paid for the ebook)