Posts Tagged ‘crohn’s disease’

An aspirin a day is cause for concern for a few reasons.

People who take aspirin regularly for a year or more may be at an increased risk of developing Crohn’s disease, according to a new study by the University of East Anglia (UEA).The study led by Dr. Andrew Hart of UEA’s School of Medicine.

An Aspirin Is A Drug

Aspirins are so common that they are thought of a benign addition to a health plan. I am surprised that they are not included as a food group.

Aspirin is in a group of drugs called salicylates. Aspirin is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) effective in treating fever, pain, and inflammation in the body.

As a group, NSAIDs are non-narcotic relievers of mild to moderate pain of many causes, including injury, menstrual cramps, arthritis, and other musculoskeletal conditions. Since the response to different NSAIDs varies from patient to patient, it is not unusual for a doctor to try different NSAIDs for any given condition.

Aspirin Crohn’s Disease Connection

There seems to be an aspirin Crohn’s disease connection. Crohn’s disease is characterized by inflammation and swelling by parts of the digestive system. It can put patients at risk for bowel cancer. There is some research that has shown that aspirin can have a harmful effect on the bowel. To investigate this potential link further, the UEA team followed 200,000 volunteers aged 30-74 in the Uk, Sweden, Denmark, Germany and Italy. The volunteers had been recruited for the EPIC study (European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition) between 1993 and 1997.

The volunteers were all initially well, but by 2004 a small number had developed Crohn’s disease. When looking for differences in aspirin use between those who developed the disease, the researches discovered that those who took aspirin on a regular basis for a year or more were about five times more likely to develop Crohn’s disease.

Aspirin Causes Numerous Problems

Regular daily aspirin use has been linked to an increase in macular degeneration, a condition that causes blindness in older people. The long term use of aspirin this means 10 years or longer in associated with a 44% increase in a disabling form of cataracts, known as posterior subcapsular cataracts.

The North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology found that GERD was a growing problem in children, especially teenagers. NSAIDS, which include aspirin, showed up as one of the primary factors leading to reflux problems. Half of those with GERD problems, also reported a higher incidence of Asthma symptoms. Acid reflux can trigger attacks that mimic Asthma.

Researchers at Tel Aviv Medical Center found that daily aspirin, in doses of 75 – 325 mg could have a significant adverse effect on renal (kidney) function in elderly adults. After only two weeks in a study of 100 elderly patients were placed on daily aspirin, researchers began to document decreased kidney function. In 72% of the patients, the urinary excretion of creatinine decreased and in 65% of the patients, uric acid excretion decreased. Both decreases are known signs of kidney impairment. After the aspirin was discontinued in these patients, kidney function began to improve but 48% of the patients experienced some residual impairment as much as three weeks later.

Taking aspirin has been associated with increased loss of vitamin C in urine and has been linked to depletion of vitamin C.

Aspirin

Aspirins are at best a short term solution for an acute problem. When taken for a chronic condition they are not a long term solution. Aspirins are not something you pop in your mouth for a health condition. They aren’t a substitute for a sound lifestyle; just because they give immediate relief doesn’t mean they solved the problem. On the contrary they could be the long term problem.

Standard Medical Treatment

Standard medical treatment for Crohn’s disease includes drug therapy such as anti-inflammation drugs. Most patients are given drugs that contain mesalamine, to control inflammation. The possible side effects can be nausea, vomiting, heart burn, diarrhea, and headache.

Then there are Cortisone drugs and steroids know as corticosteiods. Prednisone is the common name of one of these drugs. When the disease is at its worst, Prednisone is often prescribed in a large dose. This is a drug with very serious side effects.

Next we move on to immune system suppressors. Wow, just what a person with a debilitating condition needs. The side effects are nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, while it lowers immunity.

Also, antibiotics are used to treat bacterial over in the small intestines. One or more of these can be prescribed: ampicillin, sulfonamide, cephalosporin, and tetracycline.

Medication for diarrhea and abdominal pain may be necessary.

After all the medication two-thirds to three-quarters of patients with Crohn’s disease will require surgery at some point. Surgery removes part of the intestine to help people with the symptoms. It is not a cure. Many times people have more than one operation, as inflammation tends to return to another area.

Some people need to have their entire colon removed. The operation is called a colostomy. This means that all wastes that exits the body will be collected in a pouch worn over the opening, near the beltline. The majority (not all) of patients can live a normal life.

Another Story

Study

A new study found that Vitamin D, which is found in supplements such as cod liver oil, counters the effect of Crohn’s disease. John White, an endocrinologist at the Research Institute of the McGill University and the Universite de Montreal who presented their findings about the inflammatory bowel disease in the latest Journal of Biological Chemistry.

“Our data suggests, for the first time, that D deficiency can contribute of Crohn’s disease,” states Dr. White a professor in McGill’s Department of Physiology, noting that people who live in northern countries, and receive less sunlight then is necessary for the formation of Vitamin D in the body, are more vulnerable to Crohn’s disease.

What is important to note is that Dr. White’s interest in vitamin D is that it mitigates cancer. All of his results point to vitamin D’s effect on the immune system. The body’s innate immune system is the body’s first line of defense against microbial invaders. In Crohn’s disease Dr. White stated “It’s a defect in innate immune handling of intestinal bacteria that leads to an inflammatory response that may lead to an autoimmune condition.”

Connecting the dots will tell you that if one natural nutrient helps it means that there are multiple benefits from a healthy diet. Most of these nutrients will exceed your expectations, offering you a compete array of what you need for sustainable good health.

Find out more about the other story, and the people who healed themselves, by using natural methods. We will continue this article with the websites and information that you need in our newsletter “The Healing zone.”

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