Posts Tagged ‘crohn’s’

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.

Colitis is literally a gut reaction to stress, bacteria, inflammatory response to food, drink, smoking, or other lifestyle factors. The immune system depends on the effectiveness of gastrointestinal health, specially the integrity of the lining of the gut.

Digestive System

The intestines are home to the second brain. What that means is what you think effects your digestion system. This is not a novel idea.  

The gut and brain have a very close relationship. The hidden brain in the gut is known as the enteric nervous system. Every time someone has felt butterflies in the stomach they have experienced the actions of the dual nervous systems.

Colon

Colon health is dependent to a certain extent by what you think. The connection between the two brains helps account for physical aliments such as anxiety, irritable bowel syndrome, colitis, diverticulitis, and crohn’s disease.

“The majority of patients with anxiety and depression will also have alterations of their GI function,” stated Dr. Emeran Mayer, professor of medicine, physiology and psychiatry at the University of California, Los Angeles.

The role of the enteric nervous system is to manage every aspect of digestion, from the esophagus to the stomach, small intestine and colon. The brain in your gut has stored a variety of behavior programs to call on for every operation.

Serotonin

There is research that points in the direction of serotonin playing a role in regulating mobility in the colon. That means transit time, or the speed that the colon empties. Serotonin ensures that the neurons up and down the colon communicate to see that there is coordinated constriction and relaxation to move waste down.

In patients who take Prozac, a drug that increases serotonin levels, frequently have gastrointestinal dysfunctions, including diarrhea or constipation. Any drug that increases serotonin is going to affect the bowel.

The majority of the body’s serotonin is produced in the small intestine. Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride author of the Gut and Psychology Syndrome said. “99% of all the serotonin produced in the body is produced in the gut Wall.”

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a perfect example of this concept. People have called it a nervous stomach. Researches have found that the colon muscles in people with IBS contracts more readily than in people without this condition. A number of factors may be involved including foods, medication, and emotional stress.

However, foods and medication may lend a hand, but anyone with this condition knows that stress is the tie breaker.

Colitis

Colitis is a label that gives a description of the changes that occur in the gastrointestinal track. Discovering the true cause is not the same as giving a description of the condition.

The focus in medicine is to name something and find a drug to fix the symptoms. Unique solutions will not come from dispensing pharmaceuticals.

The first impression of colitis is that the symptoms are dependent on physical factors. It’s time to take a second look, and realize it is a condition that comes as a story of what is going on in the patient’s world.