Is it Post-Infectious IBS, MC or Celiac?

[Fiona]

I know I keep saying this, but...wow. That's a fascinating and logical theory, and it just reminds me of how much I don't know about all of this. It's funny (and a little eerie, come to think of it), I finally decided to stop harassing my father to quit smoking when he said to me, "Honey, I think the smokes are keeping me alive." He actually said that, nutty as it sounds. Of course I dismissed it as a ridiculous thing to say at the time, but now I wonder. He was never one to quit and start up again. He would cut down from time to time, but he didn't give them up completely until he was hospitalized, which was only a few months before he died.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and theory!

Fiona

[Zizzle]

To add to Tex's theory... there is a lab in Florida (Rock Creek Pharmaceuticals) doing everything they can to cash in on a tobacco-based extract which claims to stop autoimmune disease and inflammatory conditions in their tracks. You may have seen ads promoting it in your spam. They pay trolls to join online support groups and extoll the virtues of Anatabloc. It sounds promising, but I'm not volunteering to join the nationwide human experiment, especially at the high prices charged by GNC for the supplement. For now, I believe they are selling false hope. They cite "pre-clinical" studies. Huh? What's that?

IF they are on to something, this Anatabine substance may be what keeps smokers healthy, rather than the nicotine.

http://www.gnc.com/product/index.jsp?pr ... cp=3703232

http://anatabloc.com/how-anatabloc-works/

Anatabine is a naturally-occurring alkaloid, found in eggplant, peppers, green tomatoes, potatoes, and a variety of other plants and vegetables in the Solanaceae family. Anatabloc® stimulates a natural body process to promote a healthy inflammatory response.

Interesting that it's found in nightshade vegetables, which we are generally taught to avoid, becuase they are inflammatory.

[gluten]

Hi, I have read many of the studies about smoking and UC. There are some studies about smoking and MC but no positive conclusions. They did explain the protective mechanism that smoking provides for UC. Tex, I like your explanation about the connection between smoking and G.I distress and how it was promoted by the Army to relieve stress. I wonder if there are any studies done with the war veterans from the lastest conflicts. Jon