Good Bacteria Relieve Ulcerative Colitis

[Guest guest]

http://www.mercola.com/2005/aug/11/bacteria.htm

 

Good Bacteria Relieve Ulcerative Colitis

 

 

Researchers from the University of Bologna in Italy and the University

of North Carolina found that ulcerative colitis was improved in the

majority of patients taking a probiotic mixture of eight bacteria for

six weeks.

 

What are Probiotics?

 

Probiotics are preparations of living microbial cells that, when

ingested, are thought to positively influence the composition of

microbes in the gut, and improve the health of the intestine.

 

Remission of Ulcerative Colitis

 

In this clinical trial, 77 percent of those treated with a probiotic

bacteria mixture experienced relief of their mild to moderate

ulcerative colitis.

 

Of the 34 patients treated, 26 demonstrated improvement in their

condition, with most of those experiencing a complete remission. Only

three patients found their condition worsened after the treatment.

 

How Does it Work?

 

The mixture of eight lactic acid bacterial species is believed to work by:

 

* Reducing the number of " bad " bacteria

* Reducing the amount of inflammation

* Increasing the mucus layer in the gut

* Increasing the amount of anti-inflammatory molecules in the

intestine

 

American Journal of Gastroenterology July 2005; 100(7):1539-46

 

Dr. Mercola's Comment:

 

Ulcerative colitis is a type of inflammatory bowel disease that is an

autoimmune disease affecting the colon -- it can devastate people's

lives. This is most unfortunate as this is a relatively easy problem

to treat. Yet nearly every conventional physician I know is virtually

100-percent clueless about how to treat this disease.

 

The ulcerative colitis patients I have seen frequently come in on

dangerous immune-suppressing drugs like prednisone. These drugs

non-specifically suppress the person's immune system and provide

temporary relief, but at an enormous cost to the patient. They wind up

exchanging symptom relief for an authentic solution that will not only

address their bowel disease but also help them regain their health.

 

As the above article suggests, one of the easiest and simplest

approaches would be to add some high-quality beneficial bacteria. This

approach is actually beneficial for nearly everyone. Most of you know

that I am not a major believer in supplements, but this is one that I

advise nearly 100 percent of my patients to start until their bowels

are normalized.

 

Nearly everyone seems to benefit from this, and if you search for

" good bacteria " in the search engine on my site you will find hundreds

of articles that review many of the other well-documented benefits

that these good bacteria have.

 

They happen to be one of the BEST solutions for acute diarrhea,

especially when you are traveling. To treat this you will need very

large doses. Typically it will require an entire bottle taken in one

day, divided in doses every 30 minutes until you are better. This is a

sure-fire solution that has rarely failed the patents I have

recommended it to.

 

There are many different types of beneficial bacteria. I have used

dozens of different ones in my practice and have reached one

consistent conclusion over the years. There just doesn't seem to be

one " magic bullet, " outstanding brand that is good for nearly

everyone. I suspect that this has quite a bit to do with everyone's

unique biochemical individuality.

 

There has been another consistent observation, though, and that is

that most people with inflammatory bowel disease (either Crohn's or

ulcerative colitis) seem to respond favorably to the probiotic Primal

Defense. The developer of the product is Jordan Rubin, and he has a

very compelling story of how this product helped him recover from

Crohn's disease. Jordan used many other approaches, though, and he did

not rely on Primal Defense as a magic bullet.

 

You can also obtain plenty of beneficial bacteria by consuming

fermented foods like kefir. This is the way many traditional cultures

received their bacteria. I can assure you that they didn't run down to

their local health food store and purchase a bottle of probiotics.

 

The good bacteria will help normalize your gut flora and help to

address potential infections in the colon that might actually be

causing the colitis. Some researchers actually use powerful

antibiotics like clindamycin and metronidazole to treat this disease.

 

Some of the other important factors that are absolutely crucial to

recovering from inflammatory bowel disease are:

 

*

 

Animal-based omega-3 fats. Previous studies done at the

Cleveland Clinic showed this to be a powerful tool to beat

inflammatory bowel disease.

*

 

Make sure your vitamin D levels are optimized. Vitamin D appears

to be nearly as effective as the omega-3 fats. It is my belief that it

is gross malpractice for a physician to take care of a person with

this problem and not regularly monitor their vitamin D levels. The

best way to get vitamin D is regular sun exposure so make sure you

have a healthy tan this summer. If you have a healthy tan there is

little reason to measure your D levels as they will likely be near ideal.

*

 

Avoid sugar, as it will increase inflammation by increasing your

insulin levels. You will need to restrict the use of carbs to " slow

carbs " of mostly vegetables.

*

 

Avoid grains until symptoms are under control. Many with

inflammatory bowel disease have gluten sensitivities. Additionally,

the grains tend to increase insulin levels in most.

 

Related Articles:

 

Seven Ways to Beat Inflammatory Bowel Disease

 

Good Bacteria Work Even When They are Dead

 

Bacteria May Be The Cause Of Irritable Bowel Syndrome