what causes lymphocytic colitis?

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Mags
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Post by Mags »

Katy & Sara--

At least to me, I don't think age has much to do with rebellion! It took me years to finally eliminate gluten, and I was fortunate enough to have dramatic results almost instantly. My stepmom is in her late 50's and has celiac disease, but has refused to change her diet, despite the risks. She refuses to cook, eats mac-n-cheese all the time, and tells me constantly how impossible it is. It has put a huge strain on our relationship. I worry about how her unheathy eating habits affect her and my father, who is diabetic and has high blood pressure. We used to be very close when I was sick so much, but as I eliminated gluten, she has pulled back.

It seems you can rebel at any age!

Love,

Mags
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sarkin
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Post by sarkin »

Wow, Mags. I think a lot of people are threatened by the very idea of not eating (or not being able to eat) gluten grains. It seems to me that my friends who are most freaked out by my current dietary restrictions are the ones at highest risk... given their reported symptoms. Before I got sick, I never had alka-seltzer or pepto in the house - I didn't have gastro symptoms. My friends who live on those OTC digestive relievers (some of them plus PPIs or other GERD meds are also) All About The Cupcakes. And they're the ones who keep asking me, Are you sure? I'm now saying, "I'm 100% sure I feel better."

It's quite addictive, apparently! I'm sorry this has distanced your from your parents - that's tough. It's hard worrying about the health of loved ones!

People think it's so virtuous to restrain eating (that's probably a symptom of gluten addiction, lol). But it's pretty straightforward - not feeling awful is its own reward. Wild animals are pretty smart about this (they approach new foods very 'methodically' - and even use foods that give them gastro troubles to rid themselves of certain parasites).

Oops, tangent again!

Sara
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mbeezie
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Post by mbeezie »

Gabes and Sara,

Tex has already addressed your question . . . . sorry for my delayed response but I was busy all weekend. Here is a brief explanation of TH1 and cytokine response that may help you understand the article a bit more.
Cytokines are the hormonal messengers responsible for most of the biological effects in the immune system, such as cell mediated immunity and allergic type responses. Although they are numerous, cytokines can be functionally divided into two groups: those that are proinflammatory and those that are essentially anti-inflammatory but that promote allergic responses.

T lymphocytes are a major source of cytokines. These cells bear antigen specific receptors on their cell surface to allow recognition of foreign pathogens. They can also recognise normal tissue during episodes of autoimmune diseases. There are two main subsets of T lymphocytes, distinguished by the presence of cell surface molecules known as CD4 and CD8. T lymphocytes expressing CD4 are also known as helper T cells, and these are regarded as being the most prolific cytokine producers. This subset can be further subdivided into Th1 and Th2, and the cytokines they produce are known as Th1-type cytokines and Th2-type cytokines.

Th1-type cytokines tend to produce the proinflammatory responses responsible for killing intracellular parasites and for perpetuating autoimmune responses. Interferon gamma is the main Th1 cytokine. Excessive proinflammatory responses can lead to uncontrolled tissue damage, so there needs to be a mechanism to counteract this. The Th2-type cytokines include interleukins 4, 5, and 13, which are associated with the promotion of IgE and eosinophilic responses in atopy, and also interleukin-10, which has more of an anti-inflammatory response. In excess, Th2 responses will counteract the Th1 mediated microbicidal action. The optimal scenario would therefore seem to be that humans should produce a well balanced Th1 and Th2 response, suited to the immune challenge.
Mary Beth
"If you believe it will work out, you'll see opportunities. If you believe it won't you will see obstacles." - Dr. Wayne Dyer
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sarkin
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Post by sarkin »

Thanks, Mary Beth. I have been reading so many things "above my grade level" that I was able to track that ;)

I hope your weekend busy-ness was delightful, and wish you a great week,

Sara
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