NoahsMommy

Aww, you're so sweet to ask, thank you! :)

It went really well!! I'll copy what I wrote in my LJ here:

Quote:

Well, I went to my first meeting. It was really, really informative and was nice to meet people that have and deal with Crohn's like I do.

I'll update in the morning about everything I learned (left the stuff in the car and I'm in my PJs!)...but it was A LOT of good stuff! I'm going to use what I learned, so that makes it VERY good! :)

The guest speaker was a chiropractor/acupuncturist/nutritionist. Before you shut your mind...listen a bit further. ;) She does a ton of scientific research, including traveling to other countries, and blends Western Medicine with Eastern "medicine". She discussed a whole bunch of natural additions to the diet that will help the body heal itself.

She mentioned the diet that I'm considering. (The Specific Carbohydrate Diet - http://www.scdiet.org/ ) She explained how my small bowel is filled with bad bacteria due to the inflammation. Normally, we have good bacteria in our colons...to help food digest and nutrients absorb. Well, with IBD, the valve between the colon and small intestine doesn't work properly, so bacteria gets into the small intestine. The small intesting secretes a protective mucous, thus hindering disaceride digestion. That makes an ideal environment for the bad bacteria...which is happily giving off poison. YUMMY, huh? So...the basis of this diet is to starve the bad bacteria...no carbs with sugars...no refined anything...no sugar!!!

The cool part??? This is what the Nurse Practitioner/RN told me yesturday. Everything that was said by these two doctors was pretty much in agreement...and they're from pretty different places, educationally and vocationally.

Also!! I'm not sure if I said this in my LJ or not, but the RN/Nurse Prac. yesturday told me that she could look in my mouth at the canker sores (a VERY common part of crohn's to have like 5 or 10 at a time when active) and tell me how my bowels were!! So, tonight, this doctor looked at our tongues and said the same thing! Me, Susie, the guy next to me and another "active" person all had reddish purplish tounges...with a more defined line down the center. She could tell we were active without us telling her that we've all been sick/hospitalized!!!

I'm thinking of starting that diet soon. Maybe after the cruise...once you're on it, the bacteria is gone and you're well (if it works with your body, the only way to know is to try it). If you go off it, you can relapse...ick! Don't want that. I'm thinking of seeing if I can plan the surgery for after the cruise and then start the diet while I'm getting better.

The doctor that came to speak works at/owns an office that does yoga type stuff too. I think I'll go over there and check it out. Its really close to work...and she sells a few of the suppliments/vitamins she was talking about. The reason being that there are a lot of crappy vitamin/suppliment makers out there and she wanted to have a place for her patients to get stuff that works. For example, fish oil is AMAZING at regenerating the cell membranes...normal people don't have a huge issue with that, but people with chronic inflammation, do. Fish oil comes from cold water fish, like salmon...but mercury is a HUGE problem in that industry, so she only buys fish oil that is "mercury distilled". Stuff like that...and manufacturers that gaurantee their potency.

All in all, it was really, really great. I met a few people I'd like to hang out with, so that was cool too. :)

They are the last Tuesday of each month, so I'll start going from now on.

Hope you all enjoyed your education! ;) I'll add what suppliments tomorrow morning at work. Its really interesting...maybe some of it can help others with other issues.

And...

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Here's a few more things I learned about at the meeting last night:

Fish oil: helps rebuild the cell walls, helps stop inflammation. Only buy fish oil that is "mercury distilled" and that has a high EPA and DHA count.

Acidopholis/Bifidus: replenishes the body's GOOD bacteria. Never buy it if its in a "FOS Culture". This means it comes with its own food source for the bacteria...this is bad because it leads to overgrowth. Look for the word "Lacto" on the label if possible.

Pare D'arco: gets rid of bad bacteria, is an anti-nausea and anti-yeast

Alglutamine: an amino acid that helps in the production of the healthy mucosa that is created in the bowel. It helps heal the gut...take 3-5 grams per day...but not at first, slowly work up to that amount.

Folic Acid: Ilium is where this is absorbed, so with Crohn's, that's not happening. Because we're at a risk for cancer, this helps in the prevention of that. (Antioxidant)

B12: pretty much like the folic acid...our bodies loose a lot of this due to the inflammation. Doctors can do a blood panel to check if we're low and give monthly shots.

Coloital Silver: natural antibiotic/antiviral. Use this instead of traditional antibiotics so as not to wipe out the population of good bacteria. When purchasing, look for the most diluted amount.

Tumeric/Bromlaid/Quercetin: (all these come together) works as an anti-inflammatory for a histamine-active system. Use if your body reacts with its histamines...asthma, allergies.