Friday, December 20, 2013

#Vedolizumab - Favorable Among FDA for Ulcerative #Colitis & #Crohns

Good News!!  The FDA supports the approval of Vedolizumab for the treatment of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.  The treatment looks extremely promising with a safety profile to be recognized.  
Hey, If I would consider the treatment, it has to have minimal/low risks in regard to serious side effects that a lot of biologics have.  Vedolizumab is looking good in the safety department.
The FDA will make the decision to either approve or deny treatment for use among ulcerative colitis (UC) patients by Feb. 18.  The decision for Crohn’s disease (CD) patients will be several months later around June. 




SILVER SPRING, Md. -- Most members of an FDA advisory committee support approval of the investigational biologic agent vedolizumab for Crohn's disease, as well as supporting an additional indication for ulcerative colitis.

Thursday, December 19, 2013

Borody-His Innovative Discoveries on Digestive Disease - #FMT & #RHB104

This is another great article.  I knew that Dr. Borody, a doctor and professor out of Australia, developed FMT's (Fecal Matter Transplants) and was 1st to use the transplants to treat c-diff.  Interesting enough he is also considering FMT's for other digestive problems and even neurological conditions.  It will be interesting to see what illnesses are helped with this procedure.  

Here in the US doesn't even have a billing code for FMT's AND the FDA have only permitted transplants for difficult cases of c-diff, patients who do not respond to the antibiotic, that only around 30% of the patients respond to.  FMT's have a 90% recovery rate.  The question again is why not go with the treatment that has a higher success rate rather than lower.  Very sad that the US is so slow to adopt new and smarter treatments that will get people well.   I won't even go there today. It is an issue that probably raises my blood pressure if I think about it too long.  Not even joking.  

Anyway, after reading this article, I found out that Dr Borody also was the innovator for RHB-104 that is currently in the trial stages at this time. If you have Crohn's and don't know what RHB-104, read up on the treatment.  I have some blog posts that will give a good amount of information about the therapy.  It will make you smile and give you a boost of hope for something that may actually be able to eradicate Crohn's all together.  That is exciting!  

Professor Thomas Borody gets it!  He seems to understand the nature of digestive diseases very well.  He is certainly the man who is making some progress with developing real solutions to treat the actual condition and not just remedy the symptoms of a disease.  His name is one to remember and follow as he implements treatments that seem to be successful so far.  
Part of this article gives a little in depth look at his life and how he chose to dedicate his direction to gastrointestinal diseases.   

Note: I have underlined parts of the article that I felt were things to take note of.

He has the stomach for it | JPost | Israel News:

''Prof. Thomas Borody
Prof. Thomas Borody Photo: Courtesy
It’s amazing when in medicine, ideas that had seemed ridiculous – such as a chronic infection instead of an annoying boss causing ulcers – eventually become accepted truisms. Even though stools are considered dirty and something to get rid of, gastroenterologists have discovered that they can transplant feces from healthy donors into patients and very often relieve their chronic bacterial infections, irritable bowel disease (IBD), colitis, constipation and even some neurological conditions.

Prof. Thomas Borody, the founder and current medical director of the Center for Digestive Diseases (CDD) in Sydney, Australia, is a major innovator in these surprising treatments.

The CDD is considered a unique medical institution offering novel approaches in researching, diagnosing and treating gastrointestinal conditions. CDD offers a range of services in the day-procedure unit and houses a research and innovation department for conducting clinical trials in collaboration with universities, pharmaceutical companies and medical societies – all focusing on gastroenterology.


Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Identifying & Destroying the Cause of Crohn's Disease #ibd #MAP

Encouraging and hopeful article!  



'UCF College of Medicine professor Dr. Saleh Naser soon will participate in a clinical trial to test whether a new antibiotic therapy acquired by RedHill Biopharma can be used to treat Crohn’s disease patients.
The FDA-approved phase III trial is expected to commence within weeks by RedHill Biopharma, which licensed Naser’s DNA technology for detecting Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis, known as MAP. It is believed to be associated with Crohn’s disease. RedHill Biopharma developed the anti-MAP antibiotic regimen known as RHB 104. Crohn’s disease is a chronic inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract characterized by cramping and diarrhea.
Naser developed and patented a way to detect MAP from milk, blood and tissue clinical samples. The bacterium is known to cause inflammation in the intestines of cows. It is also linked to Crohn’s disease, although its role has been debated for more than a century. Naser believes MAP is an underlying cause of the disease.
“Crohn’s disease affects more than 750,000 Americans, yet traditional treatments only address the symptoms of inflammation and not the cause,” Naser said. “I have seen case studies where patients’ lives have been restored following treatment, which removes MAP. I have high hopes that this clinical trial may lead to finding a cure.”
RedHill will be enrolling 240 subjects from the United States, Canada and Israel in this double blind clinical trial in which blood and intestinal biopsy specimens from Crohn’s patients will be tested for MAP before, during and following the one-year treatment with the antibiotic RHB 104.
“Since we acquired the license to Dr. Saleh Naser’s MAP detection technique in 2011, we have had an excellent collaboration with UCF,” said RedHill’s CEO Dror Ben-Asher. “The UCF team of researchers… is at the forefront of global academic research on MAP and its detection.”
Naser is looking forward to the trial and hopes this will end the academic debate regarding MAP and Crohn’s disease.
“I am ecstatic to be part of a team, which will help determine whether or not MAP is associated with Crohn’s disease; certainly a final answer to a one hundred-year old controversy,” Naser said.
Naser joined UCF in 1995 and has been a faculty member in the medical college since its foundation. He teaches clinical chemistry and infectious processes in the Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences within the medical school. He also serves as the graduate coordinator for three masters programs in the College of Medicine.

Sunday, December 08, 2013

*Audio* WSJ's- What to Know About #Obamacare & Your #Chronic Illness #ibd #ra #ms #aids

Audio about what you should know regarding health care reform Obamacare and your chronic illness.  *Listen* Be prepared.




Saturday, December 07, 2013

Anorectal Sinuses, Fistulae/ #Fistula #Fissure, Rectal Bleeding

I was searching for some information and happened to run across this "different" online manual that almost explains how you would treat and perform certain surgeries for various gastrointestinal problems. They write it up in laymans terms maybe in order to understand the material.  They give minimal instruction on how to actually do each procedure/surgery (as this is probably a good thing, some of the broad details are difficult to read)  

When I was done reading the Proctology section, I went to the Home page which is states the following about this manual  The manual contains the collective views of an international group of experts. The methods and techniques described correspond to the state of the art with regard to their feasibility in rural hospitals, where sophisticated technical equipment may not be available. These manuals cannot, however, replace personal instruction by a qualified expert. Neither the editors, nor the publisher may be held responsible for any damage resulting from the application of the described methods. Any liability in this respect is excluded.:  http://www.meb.uni-bonn.de/dtc/primsurg/index.html

Volume One: Non-trauma

Nelson AworiAnne BayleyAlan BeasleyJames BolandMichael CrawfordFrits DriessenAllen FosterWendy GrahamBrian HancockBranwen HancockGerald HankinsNeville HarrisonIan KennedyJulius KyambiSamiran NundyJoe SheperdJohn StewartGrace WarrenMichael Wood 
Edited by Maurice King, Peter C. Bewes, James Cairns, Jim Thornton
Online Edition on special wish of the editors Maurice King and Peter C. Bewes expressed on the 8th. DTC Symposium in Jena 1999;
realisation by : Bernd Michael Schneider, Gustav Quade, Jürgen Quade, H. Woltering, P. Sommer, and B.D. Domres

The production of this manual on Surgery was sponsored by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Co-operation within the scope of the Technical Co-operation Agreement with the Republic of Kenya, under project number 78.2048.3-01.100. It was compiled by Maurice King Peter Bewes, James Cairns, and Jim Thornton in close collaboration with Kenyan and other experts. 
The manual contains the collective views of an international group of experts. The methods and techniques described correspond to the state of the art with regard to their feasibility in rural hospitals, where sophisticated technical equipment may not be available. These manuals cannot, however, replace personal instruction by a qualified expert. Neither the editors, nor the publisher may be held responsible for any damage resulting from the application of the described methods. Any liability in this respect is excluded.

Das Copyright © und alle Rechte für 'Primary Surgery' liegen bei der Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH und bleiben unberührt.

"GTZ does not accept any liability or give any guarantee for the validity, accuracy and completeness of the information provided in this title. GTZ assumes no legal liabilities for damages, material or immaterial in kind, caused by the use ore non-use of provided information or the use of erronenous or incomplete information."
we thank GTZ for giving us the revocable rigth for distributing this information for non-profit purpose according to the above mentioned wishes of the editors M. King and P.Bewes as expressed on the general assembly of the 8th DTC Symposium in Jena on 13th 11.1999 and thank the team of AGKM Uni Tuebingen; for the support during the implementation and G. Quade for the technical support provided during the realisation of this online - project.

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

FMT & How This Treatment Will Evolve

Another report on poop that's not that shitty.  The only stuff that smells in this article is the way the AMA and FDA have responded (or lack thereof) to FMT's.  This post is about good ol' FMT's or otherwise known as - Fecal Matter Transplant's, if you're not familiar with the abbreviation. I prefer FMT when talking about this.  
So yeah, this is an article that I found on a local CA online publication. It provided a lot of information, so I decided to do a blog on this.  I read a lot of articles about FMT's, with some that have produced study data and some that do not. There's not much data out there to be found, that's probably why.  All of the articles that I have read however, have been on the positive side in regards to the results with FMT's. This is the first article that I have read to date that reports an extensive {if you want to even go that far as to call it "extensive"} follow-up with patients who had received a FMT.  This information is super important in order to show the effectiveness of the procedure and to give people the confidence to consider such a treatment.  People get grossed, they just do. It's the way our culture handles stuff like this. The point I want to make here is that because of the lack of testing and trials for FMT's, being able to know if this procedure is effective and safe, is to follow-up with patients that have been treated with FMTs. Those patients, in a sense, will provide helpful and needed information that cannot be found in clinical trial data because the data doesn't exist.   This procedure is so new {well,to us Westerners that like to deny and refuse anything "natural"} and not tradition, the patients receiving this treatment are essentially the trial subjects. Seriously, there should be a consent that patients must sign before they receive this treatment that allows the doctors to use their information anonamously, especially follow up data, so it can be published for learning purposes.  To have that information available is crucial.  We are talking about working with US FDA here! As we have seen and continue to see, the FDA doesn't always make the most logical/reasonable decisions in the best interest of the people.  To be able to show data that makes a difference, will make this life saving treatment available to people that would otherwise die. There is no reason why there should be  hundred of thousands of people suffering from c-diff, thousands who end up dying and BILLIONS of dollars spent on ineffective treatments!  That's insanity when there's a treatment that has shown to be 90% effective.  
A patient that suffered from c-diff states the following -  "It's a beast that keeps storming back," he said. "It affects the mind and emotions, too — 90 percent of serotonin is in the gut. You worry quite a lot."  The doctors in this article state that the infection disrupts a person's life.  Doctor Stollman states that FMT's are "the most patient-driven treatment he's encountered in his twenty-plus years of practicing medicine".  It's not surprising that when you have a condition that won't go away, no matter how many rounds of treatment you take, that people end up seeking out the strange and unusual if it means being healthy again.  
The AMA needs to make a billing code !  Doctors need to get paid for treating people AND  doctors need to consider offering FMT's as an option that they know they will get paid for.  After all, the FDA has allowed people with a difficult case of c-diff to get treated with this procedure.  Which means = if you're most likely going to die from c-diff, THEN you can receive the treatment. *smh* Yup, only if you have suffered long, spent a lot and have no more fight in you, will you be able to get an effective treatment.  Does this make any sense whatsoever?  
One last point.  The 4 patients out of the 77 that were followed up with after the FMT who had developed one of the health issues listed (I highlighted the paragraph in purple), in my opinion probably has no relationship to the FMT.  People could have other health issues brewing that just happen to appear after this procedure.  The 4 health conditions are all very different from each other which also leads me to believe that these illnesses weren't brought on by the FMT.  I just feel that as long as the sample donor is screened and cleared for all the diseases that could make a donor  not qualified, then the chances of something negative happening is probably very low.  It's like receiving blood.  The benefit of getting it is high (because if you're getting a blood transfusion, there's a need for it) and the risk is low. Whether it's in a form of transplant or pill, if  it makes people better, this should start to be considered THE most effective treatment rather than the alternative when all else fails.  That's my take on it. 

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Qing Dai, A Chinese #Herb & #Acupuncture Clear Ulcerative #Colitis - Good Read

This is good news for people looking for an alternative therapy option for hard to treat cases of ulcerative colitis (UC).  Read the case about the man with UC under the Clinical Highlight section of this article.  It's hopeful in my opinion.  

My $0.02 - It's nice to see herbal forms of medicine being tested clinically and seeing the results published in known journals.  I'd like to see a larger study though.  The 1st thing a skeptic would point out about this research is the size of the study.  It's way too small, but not small enough to say that the results don't show significance.  There just needs to be larger clinical studies being conducted to make an impact.  The more participants that have a beneficial result, the more noteworthy the findings will be.  Size matters in this case, especially since TCM and naturopathic medicine are not recognized as effective in the medical community........ still.  You would think that by now alternative approaches of treating diseases would be accepted more than they are.  Unfortunately the pharmaceutical presence is all we can see and hear because the industry's ability to market their drugs.  

When we are faced with a choice in respects to treatment (alternative approach vs. conventional), we have to take into consideration the two types of areas of medicine and the facts surrounding them.  This part is simple.  Large markets get more exposure.  More exposure leads to something being talked about more, used more, and becoming the popular choice that is opted for the masses. Who has never heard of Cymbalta, Humira, Lunesta?  If you have a tv, you've heard of at least one of these drugs.  Are the drugs that we hear about on a constant basis a better choice than the little guy that doesn't have the multimillion dollar advertising budget? You make that decision.   Research and figure it out.


New research finds a very powerful Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) herb effective in resolving ulcerative colitis. The patients examined in the study published in the World Journal of Gastroenterology suffered from intractable ulcerative colitis and were unresponsive to conventional drug therapy. After use of the herbal medicine, 6 of the 7 patients in the study were able to completely discontinue the use of anti-inflammatory medications. This included the use of aminosalicylates, corticosteroids and azathioprine. Endoscopy and symptomatic responses showed everything from significant clinical improvements to a complete resolution of the condition.
Herbal Powder
The patients orally self-administered 1 gram of Qing Dai (Indigo Naturalis) powder, 2 times per day for 4 months. The results of the herbal program demonstrated significant clinical and objective improvements such that 6 of the 7 patients completely discontinued the use of prednisolone, a corticosteroid used to control ulcerative colitis. The researchers examined Qing Dai to learn more about its effective mechanisms of action. Using electron spin resonance, they discovered that Qing Dai has potent hydroxl radical scavenging activity. This discovery prompted the researchers to recommend further investigation into the mechanisms of Qing Dai’s anti-inflammatory effects.

Sunday, October 06, 2013

REDHILL BIOPHARM - News -> RHB-104 - Possible Breakthrough Treatment for Crohn's Disease


I get so excited when I read about this possible treatment, RHB-104, for Crohn's!  I've been watching this drug for over a year now.  This is a  treatment that if approved by the FDA, I will be jumping on it as soon as it becomes available.  No doubt!  This is the kind of treatment we need.  Everything else just treats symptoms.
So, why is this so exciting?  If you read current research about what causes Crohn's disease, you will see that researchers are leaning away from considering Crohn's disease an autoimmune condition.  They have found that there is an underlying cause for the immune response to activate.  Crohn's is said to be caused by a combo of 3 factors - Immune system abnormalities, environmental influences and bacteria.  I just wiki'd Crohn's disease and this is what is said about what is believed to be the cause - "Crohn's disease is caused by interactions between environmental, immunological and bacterial factors in genetically susceptible individuals.[4][5][6] This results in a chronic inflammatory disorder, in which the body's immune system attacks the gastrointestinal tract possibly directed at microbial antigens.[5][7] While Crohn's is an immune related disease, it does not appear to be an autoimmune disease (in that the immune system is not being triggered by the body itself)."
What this means is that people that have Crohn's disease do not have the immune system capabilities to destroy a form of bacteria that have been introduced into the body at some point in time.  As research has indicated, a large number of people with Crohn's disease happen to have the MAP bacteria in their body somewhere.  The exact location of the bacteria is not known at this time.  Who cares where it is, as long as a treatment is available that will destroy it is my opinion.
See why this makes me super hopeful?  If Crohn's is caused by this MAP bacteria & if this new combination antibiotic eradicates the MAP bacteria from people with Crohn's disease, this could be the answer to the Crohn's disease epidemic!  Can someone say CURE :)
Wouldn't that be glorious?  

Clinical trial for a new antibiotic therapy for Crohn’s treatment started:
Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory bowel disease which may affect gastrointestinal tract from mouth to anus, and has a wide variety of symptoms. Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) is believed to be associated with Cronh’s disease. Professor Dr. Saleh Naser, UFC College of Medicine, believes that MAP is the cause of the disease. He said, "Crohn's disease affects more than 750,000 Americans, yet traditional treatments only address the symptoms of inflammation and not the cause." He further added, "I have seen case studies where patients' lives have been restored following treatment, which removes MAP. I have high hopes that this clinical trial may lead to finding a cure." Dr. Saleh Naser will soon conduct clinical trials on a new antibiotic therapy acquired by RedHill Biopharma for curing the disease. 240 participants will be recruited for this double blind clinical trial.
http://health-beauty-2468.blogspot.com/2013/09/clinical-trial-for-new-antibiotic.html

Wednesday, October 02, 2013

Post-Diverticulitis Irritable Bowel Syndrome - New form of IBS Found by UCLA Researchers

This is interesting...  UCLA researchers have found that a form of IBS may be developed after a period where a person is diagnosed with diverticulitis.  The new condition is called post-diverticulitis irritable bowel syndrome (PDV-IBS).  The research also found that an increase in mood disorders was highly likely for people that suffer from IBS.  Read the article for the details.


UCLA researchers have described a new form of irritable bowel syndrome that occurs after an acute bout of diverticulitis, a finding that may help lead to better management of symptoms and relief for patients.

The discovery of this new condition, called post-diverticulitis irritable bowel syndrome (PDV–IBS), validates the irritable bowel symptoms that many patients report long after suffering a bout of diverticulitis but that many physicians have waved off as being part of the original condition, said Dr. Brennan Spiegel, an associate professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and senior author of the research.

"We've known for a long time that after some people develop diverticulitis, they're a different person. They experience recurrent abdominal pains, cramping and diarrhea that they didn't have before," Spiegel said. "The prevailing wisdom has been that once diverticulitis is treated, it's gone. But we've shown that IBS symptoms occur after the diverticulitis, and they may result from an inflammatory process, like a bomb going off in the body and leaving residual damage."

Tuesday, October 01, 2013

Vedolizumab, A New Treatment for Ulcerative Colitis & Crohn's Disease Looks Promising - Info & Clinical Trial Included

Vedolizumab, a potentially new treatment for UC and Crohn's disease is being fast tracked for review by the FDA.  The BLA (biologics license application) will give priority review to the ulcerative colitis application and standard review to the Crohn's disease application.
The part of the clinical trial that is most important to me is the said adverse effects that were found in the patients who participated in the study.  Based on the concluding trial results, the adverse effects of the drug is said to be the same as the placebo.  That's great news.  I'm going to continue to watch this drug for new updates and news pertaining to safety. So far, this new treatment by Takeda Pharmaceuticals looks promising.
I have also included the clinical trial abstract below.  

On Sept. 4, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd., announced that it received priority review status from the FDA for its drug vedolizumab, an investigational antibody for the treatment of adults with moderately to severely active Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). Takeda submitted a biologics license application (BLA) to the FDA in June for the treatment of CD and UC; the UC application will receive priority review, and the application for CD will be reviewed under the standard timeline.

Monday, September 23, 2013

NEW TREATMENT OPTION - SIMPONI® Receives Approval in UK for the Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis/ #UC

I just read that today Simponi was approved for the treatment of ulcerative colitis in the UK.  This may be a successful treatment option for people that have not been able to obtain remission with mainstream treatments for the disease.  Some people, like myself, have tried them all with no improvement.  It's very frustrating to hit that wall and run out of effective treatments..... actually, safe effective treatments.  If you just can't seem to get the inflammation and toll taking symptoms under control and you've taken into consideration the risks vs. the benefits, some people may find relief with this new drug.  This particular article does include the potential health risks from TNF-blocking therapies, toward the end of the article.  

If you are considering Simponi (or any immunesuppressing drug), please know everything about it before agreeing to the treatment.   Everyone should know what the risks are versus the benefits before beginning any kind of treatment like this.  Your doctor will not tell you everything about these drugs and from personal experience, most doctors down play the risks and don't even look at  family history/genetics when deciding if these treatments are appropriate.   It's disturbing when you know that the information you completed for your file, (providing family history) and screams *HIGH RISK*, and the doctor recommends the treatment anyway.   Sadly, it's probably because the doctor didn't even scan over this little piece of information that says a lot.  Another reason is because TNF-blocking therapies have become the conventional prescribing treatments for IBD now, despite their high side-effect profile.   

Personally, I would never consider being treated with an immune suppressing drug of this potency because of the numerous possible health problems that could result.  It's not worth it to me to put my entire body at risk of developing something life altering (conditions worse than what I'm treating) with the awareness that there are life changes that I can make that will encourage healing and repair of my digestive tract.  It takes determination to make the changes that are necessary and it takes longer to heal, but in my opinion, it's my overall health that I care about.  You will get there, I did.

Most doctors will say that diet is not a big contributor to IBD however,  it infact makes a huge difference in respects to your success with reaching remission. What foods you choose to eat WILL affect your health negatively or positively, it's a decision that you can control that will have a significance on your overall quality of life.  If you struggle with diet and need some guidance, send me an email.  Years ago I was clueless about what to eat and what not to eat.   I was blessed to have connected with a few very knowledgeable people that helped me in the area of diet.  I'm always willing to help people that need some support and suggestions, so feel free to contact me if you need some support.     



-- First and Only Subcutaneous Biologic Treatment Administered Every Four Weeks Approved for Ulcerative Colitis

Sunday, August 11, 2013

Co-pay Assistance Programs List | UCERIS & Other Prescriptions

When I first heard of Uceris, it reminded me of the drug Entocort.  Both treatments are very similar - same active ingredient and both are time-released.  The only difference is that Uceris is released in the colon vs Entocort, which is released in the small intestine.  That explains why Entocort wasn't effective when I tried it years ago. Most of my inflammation at that time was located in the large intestine and part of the small intestine (terminal ileum - the last area of the small intestine connecting to the large intestine). 
People with Ulcerative Colitis experience inflammation specific to the large intestine/colon.  
Hopefully this medication will help with healing the lowest part of my colon - the most difficult area to heal from what I have read.   Maybe this could be an option that some of you may want to try as a safer treatment option .  


  • IMPORTANT NOTE TO MENTION - This form of steroid does not produce the horrible side-effects that come with oral prednisone (aka - satans tic-tacs).  We all know what those side effects are if we have ever taken prednisone.  Due to the time-release of the drug at it's target location, very little of the medication is released into the bloodstream.  This is a very good thing!! 


What it says about Uceris @ www.uceris.com

About UCERIS

UCERIS (u-SAIR-us) is a medicine used to treat active, mild to moderate ulcerative colitis (UC). It's for people experiencing UC symptoms or a flare-up who are trying to reach remission, a period of time without symptoms.
UCERIS is a different kind of steroid designed specifically to treat UC. It decreases inflammation throughout the colon with a targeted delivery of medicine throughout the full length of the colon, where the disease is located.
Because of the way UCERIS is absorbed and processed in the body, most of it does not enter the bloodstream, and therefore it has a safety profile similar to placebo (sugar pill). UCERIS also helps heal the lining of the colon. UCERIS decreases the severity of inflammation in the colon, thereby helping to eliminate UC symptoms.
UCERIS is a single pill taken once a day by mouth for up to 8 weeks. Additional 8-week courses can be given for patients whose UC remains active. 


What happens after taking UCERIS? Unlike typical steroids, which act on the whole body, UCERIS targets the area where the disease is located. The medicine travels through the digestive system and stays intact until it reaches the colon. Once it dissolves, UCERIS forms a type of gel and slowly releases medicine to the full length of the colon.How UCERIS Works
Ok, so I just filled my prescription of Uceris and it's a pretty expensive drug for the time being (too new for a generic form to be available).  People with GI conditions and autoimmune disorders spend a lot of money on maintaining their health, from doctor co-pays to specialty food to the various medications one must take.  The monthly cost of this disease can be devastating.  I wanted to share the different savings offers that are available for qualified individuals.  


  • Here is the list -  Please note:  I have not checked SCBN.org or goodrx.com about the offers.  I just did the searching and posting for you.  Offers status at this time on specific drug is unknown, as i didn't read each sites qualifying info andterms of offer.

$25 Co-pay Program | UCERIS (budesonide) Extended Release Tablets: - Manufacturer offer*


http://medicinecoupons.net/Medicine-UCERIS-coupon

http://www.internetdrugcoupons.com/Uceris-Coupon *This site gives people with no drug coverage an option to save.  The manufacturer does not have an offer for cash paying individuals (I have no idea why. Makes no sense when these would be the people that would need the most help paying for medication).

http://www.goodrx.com/uceris

https://www.pparx.org/ The Partnership for Prescription Assistance helps qualifying patients without prescription drug coverage get the medicines they need through the program that is right for them. Many will get their medications free or nearly free.

http://www.needymeds.org/ NeedyMeds is a 501(c)(3) non-profit information resource devoted to helping people in need find assistance programs to help them afford their medications and costs related to health care. 

http://healthfinder.gov/FindServices/SearchContext.aspx?topic=696 US Dept of Health Resource Page

http://www.scbn.org/  





Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Another Study Reveals Benefits of Medicinal Marijuana -Crohn's Remission

I have read dozens of articles, studies, reports, etc. that read similar to this article!  How many more studies are necessary for people to realize pot is not harmful and isn't going to kill anyone? It's actually almost funny that this herb is still looked at as a dangerous drug.  It's a plant... and it's shown to provide more benefits than harm.   The research always results in a significant benefit when studies are conducted.  I don't ever remember reading anything negative about marijuana, or it causing serious problems for the people that smoke it.  We would definitely know by now if weed were harmful.  Even if there were terrible outcomes from smoking pot, we do not hear these reports because of all the legality issues surrounding the word "marijuana".  It's ridiculous that the plant is still illegal and considered harmful here in the US!  Wake Up America!
Eventually, pot will be legal in all US states, but it's going to take a long time for all of them to adopt legislation (NY will probably be one of the last states to legalize it).  Turtle pace.... because that's how the US of A rolls.  Nice and s loooooooooooowwww. 



Crohn's Disease has long been a fickle illness that requires meticulous attention to treat and live with. Researchers at the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Meir Medical Center in Israel, however, may have found relief for patients of the disease in medical marijuana. The study split 21 patients who received a high Crohn's disease activity index and were not responding to other treatments into two groups. One group was given a joint to smoke twice a day while the other group were given placebos lacking cannabinoids for the duration of eight weeks.
The study found complete remission for 45 percent of the group that smoked cannabis, or 5 out of 11 patients, as compared to the control group, which only experienced a 1 in 10 remission rate, the Huffington Post reported. It is speculated that cannabinoids with their anti-inflammatory properties are likely the cause of relief for the disease, which causes inflamation of the bowels. This inflammation can lead to extreme discomfort, diarhrea that may contain blood, weight loss, vomiting, rashes, inflammation of other parts of the body and tiredness among other symptoms, SF Gate reported. Others in the cannabis group reported lessened strength in their usual symptoms without the side effects caused by steroids often used to treat the illness.
"THC-rich cannabis produced significant clinical, steroid-free benefits to 11 patients with active Crohn's disease, compared with placebo, without side effects," the researchers wrote in the study. "Subjects receiving cannabis reported improved appetite and sleep, with no significant side effects."
The study, the authors conceded, was not a complete success as it was hypothesized that induced remission would occur for all or most of the patients. Still, researchers say that the relative success of this study is worth noting. The results have indeed produced a need for further investigation, the study says.
Crohn's disease is highly prevalent for whites, with 43.6 percent of every 100,000 being affected by the disease, one study by the Department of Family Medicine in San Bernardino, Calif. found. Latinos, by contrast, have the lowest rate of the disease with only 4.1 percent in every group of 100,000 being affected. Latinos, especially immigrants to the U.S., however, have notably higher rates of ulcerative colitis than most whites, VOXXI reported. A study in the American Journal of Gastroenterology, the urgency of treatment also contrasted non-Hispanics. Whites needed surgery at a much higher rate than Hispanics. Access to care may influence how often the disease is actually diagnosed, but researchers said that it does not explain the difference between U.S.-born and foreign-born Hispanics in terms of the prevalence of the disease.
"It is unclear what is responsible for this observation, but possibilities include changes in the environment with migration, diet and other factors related to acculturation," Daniel Sussman, assistant professor of clinical medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology, Jackson Memorial Hospital and University of Miami, said. "Our research did not measure the incidence or prevalence of IBD in Hispanics. Available population-based studies show that the incidence of IBD in some Latin American countries is higher than anticipated; this may be a result of the "westernization" of many Latin-American countries. As the Hispanic population continues to grow in the U.S., we expect that the number of Hispanic patients with IBD will also rise."



Friday, June 28, 2013

New Law -> Regulates Antibiotic Use On Farm Animals

The FDA should have taken action a long time ago with regulating the use of antibiotics for farm animals, especially the healthy animals that don't need them.  Of course, everytime we eat non-organic meat (sometimes I even wonder about the quality of "organic" meat in the US) we are pretty much swallowing antibiotics and most people don't even recognize this or think about it... OR they just don't care.  As the article says:  
"The over-use of these antibiotics contributes to the development of so-called ’superbugs,’ or infections that cannot be treated with existing medicines.
I recently read that C-Diff has now developed a strain being a superbug.  When I read that 300 people a day die from C-diff... A DAY, my jaw dropped.  I thought the words after 300 would be something more like "people per month".  That sounds about right in my opinion, but things have gotten out of control in this country.  The use of drugs for everything and the medical field's lack of knowledge of NATURAL, more healthy ways of eradicating a pathogen/illness is now biting us in the ass.    
"A recent study published in the medical journal, Clinical Infectious Diseases, found that nearly 50 per cent of grocery store meat was contaminated with antibiotic resistant pathogens, according to the Senator. Approximately 25 per cent of this meat was contaminated with pathogens that were resistant to three or more type of antibiotics." 
Mmmmm yummy!  Makes you want to have a nice steak huh?! Yeah right... ORGANIC ONLY.  The standards that certified organic follow should be the normal standards for all farms and all the food that is allowed into the grocery store for human consumption.  That 50% of meat that is full of pathogens is not even fit for an animal to consume and people are eating it everyday.      Y  U  C  K!    







New Law Introduced to Safeguard Use of Antibiotics in Agriculture

28 June 2013
US - Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-California) has introduced legislation to combat antibiotic resistant superbugs that develop when antibiotics are misused in animal agriculture.
The Preventing Antibiotic Resistance Act of 2013 directs the Food and Drug Administration to prohibit the use of human antibiotics in the feed and water of healthy farm animals if they jeopardize human health.
The bill requires drug companies and agriculture producers to demonstrate that antibiotics are used to treat clinically diagnosable diseases - not just to fatten livestock. The over-use of these antibiotics contributes to the development of so-called ’superbugs,’ or infections that cannot be treated with existing medicines.
“Antibiotics are the closest thing to a ‘silver bullet’ in human medicine given their ability to wipe out a wide variety of bacterial infections, but we are in danger of losing this weapon in the fight against infectious diseases,” said Senator Feinstein. “When antibiotics are fed in low doses to animals, only the strongest, most resistant bacteria are left behind to reproduce. By the time these resistant pathogens make their way from the animals into our communities, the infections can be costly to treat or untreatable all together.”
A recent study published in the medical journal, Clinical Infectious Diseases, found that nearly 50 per cent of grocery store meat was contaminated with antibiotic resistant pathogens, according to the Senator. Approximately 25 per cent of this meat was contaminated with pathogens that were resistant to three or more type of antibiotics.
“The irresponsible use of antibiotics is dangerous, and tens of thousands of people in the US die each year from antibiotic resistant infections,” Senator Feinstein added. “We must preserve the efficacy of these life-saving drugs by carefully restricting their overuse in our agriculture products.”
The Preventing Antibiotic Resistance Act of 2013:
  • directs the Food and Drug Administration to prohibit the use of antibiotics in ways that accelerate antibiotic resistance
  • requires drug companies and producers to demonstrate they are using antibiotics to treat clinically diagnosable diseases—not just to fatten their livestock
  • applies restrictions to only the limited number of antibiotics that are critical to human health. Any drug not used in human medicine is left untouched by this legislation, and
  • preserves the ability of farmers to use all available antibiotics to treat sick animals. If a veterinarian identifies a sick animal, or a herd of animals that are likely to become sick, there are no restrictions on what drugs can be used.
More than 375 public, consumer and environmental health groups, including the American Medical Association, the American Public Health Association, and the Infectious Diseases Society of America, support the legislation.
Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine), Jack Reed (D-Rhode Island), Maria Cantwell (D-Washington), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-New York) and Barbara Boxer (D-California) are co-sponsors of the legislation.
ThePigSite News Desk

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Don't Eat The Sausage - Sick Pigs = Your Food. #PEDV Is Effecting The US #Pork Industry

So basically all the pork in our grocery stores is from pigs that have this swine PEDV.  Yeah OKAYYYY!! Like we should really put diseased pork into our bodies.... sounds real healthy (sarcasm)! There is just something about this sentence below that sounds a loud effing horn that says .... THEY ARE IDIOTS...... DON'T LISTEN TO THEM... I REPEAT... DO NOT LISTEN TO THEM.    I like how they begin the article with this too..

"The swine-only virus, the Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus (PEDV), poses no danger to humans or other animals, and the meat from infected pigs is safe for people to eat."    - F YOU!!!   

I would like to make a BLT for the person who said this and watch them eat it...Yummy BACON!!! Not just any old bacon... DISEASED BACONNNN!!



ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS

  • "Like everything else, we screw up from time to time," said Ronald L. Plain, professor of agricultural economics at University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri. "We know so little about the transmittal of this virus. We can't be sure if it's happening because of something we're supposed to do right and didn't - or by some mechanism we don't know that we're supposed to do differently."  This statement says a lot... they know so little about the virus.  I don't think it's just a lack of knowledge on how it's spread, but a lack of knowledge about the in's & out's of the virus.  It's never been a problem, so there's been no real research done on PEDV.  So, with that said, how can they be certain that this virus poses no risk to humans?  Just because someone  eats some diseased meat and doesn't initially show signs of sickness, doesn't mean that the person will never be effected (years from now). It just can't be a good idea to eat diseased meat; any kind of meat.

  • "But the food shield is not impermeable. "If it becomes clear that this is not a novel way for to be transmitted, and that there had to be physical contact, that's going to be a major concern," said William Marler, a leading food-safety attorney. "It means that there was a failure in the system."  the system fails us all the time... that's not new news.  They know nothing about this virus. 

  •  "Initial reporting about the virus may have been delayed, say sources, because its symptoms can be confused with a more common malady, transmissible gastroenteritis (TGE)"  It's actually sad that there are all these animals that are sick and suffering and just loaded up with antibiotics to stay alive until they are slaughtered.  It's just not right.


  • "Also, states are not required to report cases of PEDV to the federal government, and farmers are not required to report to state veterinarians."  Why the hell not?? That's just not wise.  Any sick animal(s) that will be going into the food supply should have to report these conditions.  But wait... now that I think about it, the majority of farm animals are sick. There would be an overload of cases and not enough man power to investigate.  I just answered my question

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

HUGE #IBD STUDY - New Light on Genetic Basis of #UC & #CD

I have no idea how I forgot to publish this post. I just found this and a few other posts that I saved as drafts and never published to my blog... Ooops*  



News number: 9107116502
15:12 | 2012-11-02
New Light on Genetic Basis of Inflammatory Diseases
TEHRAN (FNA)- In one of the largest studies of its kind ever conducted, an international team of scientists has thrown new light on the genetic basis of the inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD).


Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, the two most common forms of IBD, are chronic inflammatory digestive disorders.

Dr. John Rioux, researcher at the Montreal Heart Institute and Associate Professor of Medicine at the Universite de Montreal, is one of the researchers who have identified 71 genetic regions newly associated with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), increasing the total number discovered to date to 163, in one of the largest studies of its kind.

Also, the study points out that these regions showed a striking overlap with those implicated in autoimmune diseases and in immune deficiencies. Even more surprising was the observation of a significant overlap with genetic regions controlling our response to microbial infections such as in the case of tuberculosis.

Moreover, these findings suggest that IBD results from overactive immune defence systems that evolved to fight off serious bacterial infections. In IBD, the body's immune system produces an ongoing inflammatory reaction in the intestinal tract that injures the intestinal wall, leading to diarrhea and abdominal pain. IBD patients typically require lifelong treatment with drug therapy, and often need surgery to repair tissue damage caused by the disease.

Up until this point, researchers have been studying Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis separately. This study was based on the fact that there seems to be a vast amount of genetic overlap between the two disorders.

In the first step of the study, the researchers conducted a "meta-analysis" of 15 previous genomic studies of either Crohn's disease (CD) or ulcerative colitis (UC), the two most common forms of IBD, creating a large dataset that combined genetic information from some 34,000 individuals who took part in those studies.

The results then formed part of a second meta-analysis that included data from new genome-wide scans of more than 41,000 DNA samples from CD/UC patients and healthy comparison subjects collected at 11 centers around the world by the International IBD Genetics Consortium.

"We have greatly expanded the map of genetic regions that are associated with IBD," agreed Dr. John Rioux, co-lead author of this study and chair of the Consortium, with Jeffrey Barrett of the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in Cambridge, England, lead author of the study. "Each of these regions only increases a person's chance of developing IBD by a fraction of a per cent and even taken together they cannot tell us who will or will not develop the disease. But they each tell a small story about the biology of this disorder, and by combining them we find biological pathways that, if disrupted, can lead to IBD."

Dr. Rioux and the international team of researchers also studied the activity of genes in their IBD regions in hundreds of different types of cells involved in the immune system. They found that certain cells tended to produce more of these IBD genes, including many that are involved in the body's first line defense against invasion. This illustrates that an immune response seems to be a major factor in IBD: when a bacterium is detected, these cells are not just activated, but become overactive.

"We see a genetic balancing act between defending against bacterial infection and attacking the body's own cells," said Dr. Barrett. "Many of the regions we found are involved in sending out signals and responses to defend against bad bacteria. If these responses are over-activated, we found it can contribute to the inflammation that leads to IBD."

Nearly 100 scientists in 15 countries contributed to the new work, which "highlights the incredible power that working together in a large team can have," said Barrett. "This would not have been possible without the thousands of DNA samples from patients with these conditions assembled by the International IBD Genetics Consortium. Collectively, our findings have begun to uncover the biological mechanisms behind this disease."

IBD results from inflammation in the digestive system and affects 2.5 million people worldwide. With over 230,000 cases, Canada has among the highest frequency of people with IBD in the world. Although it can affect any age group IBD is more likely to develop in teens and adults between 15 and 30 years of age. IBD is a lifelong debilitating condition. It can have a devastating impact on the physical and social lives of those affected. 

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Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Higher Risk of Melanoma in IBD Patients

Gee great!! I'm just gonna die.. my God.  Melanoma was the cancer that killed my mother, making the % higher for me.  I didn't even read the article.  The title says enough.  Maybe one day i'll decide to scan my eyes over the words, but for now I don't feel like going there.  Click the link to go to the original article if you'd like to read it. 




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Sunday, May 19, 2013

Researchers in #Edinburgh Seek to Identify #Biomarkers in #IBD Patients Using Advanced Techniques

I had no idea the rates of IBD in Scotland were that high.  It seems like researchers and scientists everywhere are looking for the cause and a cure for this horrible chronic illness, but no one has found either.  There are many suggested theories as to the cause of Crohn's and ulcerative colitis that involve the combination of environmental, immune system and bacterial factors effect the person/people that have genetic susceptibility.  We are in desperate need to determine the cause of IBD.  At least if the main cause is identified, scientific studies can be lead in the appropriate direction, with hopes that an effective cure would soon be developed.  
It's frustrating to read all this literature on the studies being done (I'm sort of obsessed with researching this disease). I believe that scientists all over the world are not just twiddling their thumbs in the lab.  I think there are some hard working, determined scientists all over the world, especially in countries that are seeing a growing population of people with this life changing disease, that are committed to finding the true & actual cause.  The frustration, that I'm sure a lot of  these people experience when they think they are on to something and feel confident in the results that were found, to just have those findings tossed in the trash because followup studies confirm something different.  Oh, and not to mention the millions of dollars in research costs that is spent to conduct these studies. 
I'd imagine this has happened thousands of times.  It wasn't just yesterday that they started researching IBD. 
I have hope though..Even although the cause has not been determined as of yet.  I know that someone, sometime soon, will find those golden results that everyone has been anxiously waiting for.  I pray that  God would take any discouragement that may fester in the minds of these people, who have dedicated their lives to helping people get well.  Let that passion to help people only increase and drive these brilliant people to find the answer.  I pray that God would lead these researchers to that answer that will result in millions and millions of people getting better and having the life that was intended for them =  HEALTH & COMPLETE WHOLENESS OF THE BODY!


Article Highlights
  • "(IBD) – are common causes of chronic ill-health, especially in Scottish children, where the incidence of Crohn’s has increased by 500 per cent in the past 50 years."
  • ".... Edin­burgh University will work with two international teams of clinicians and scientists in the £15 million programme, to help identify tell-tale signs in the blood or bowels of patients that point towards the two diseases and could help early diagnosis."
  • "...... mole­cules or proteins – known as bio­markers – that are specifically associated with the development of bowel diseases, .... to track how the illnesses progress in patients over time. In this way, the team hopes to spot the most markers for predicting progression of the disease."
  • "The scientists will use ­cutting-edge scientific techniques – including DNA, protein and microbiological analysis."
  • ".... biomarkers could also make it easier to predict how serious a patient’s illness could become, .. predict their response to treatment,... clues about the possible causes of IBD, .....  pinpoint new targets for better treatments."
  • "Scotland has among the ­highest rates of IBD in the world"



Scientists develop warning system for bowel disease

Picture: Getty
Picture: Getty
Scottish researchers are ­moving closer to finding new ways of diagnosing and treating patients with debilitating bowel conditions.
Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis – together known as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) – are common causes of chronic ill-health, especially in Scottish children, where the incidence of Crohn’s has increased by 500 per cent in the past 50 years.
Researchers in Edinburgh are now taking part in studies to identify early changes in the bowels and blood of patients which would lead to earlier dia­gnosis, better treatment and more information on the potential causes of the conditions.
Symptoms of IBD include stomach pain, weight loss, ­diarrhoea and extreme ­tiredness. Drugs can be used to treat the symptoms, but often patients require major surgery to relieve their suffering.
Now researchers from Edin­burgh University will work with two international teams of clinicians and scientists in the £15 million programme, to help identify tell-tale signs in the blood or bowels of patients that point towards the two diseases and could help early diagnosis.
They hope to identify mole­cules or proteins – known as bio­markers – that are specifically associated with the development of bowel diseases, and to track how the illnesses progress in patients over time. In this way, the team hopes to spot the most markers for predicting progression of the disease.
The scientists will use ­cutting-edge scientific techniques – including DNA, protein and microbiological analysis.
These biomarkers could also make it easier to predict how serious a patient’s illness could become, and to predict their response to treatment. As well as providing clues about the possible causes of IBD, the researchers hope to pinpoint new targets for better treatments.
Scotland has among the ­highest rates of IBD in the world, though the reasons behind this remain unclear.
It is thought environmental factors, such as diet or levels of vitamin D, may play a part in causing conditions which affect one in every 100 to 200 people.
Professor Jack Satsangi, professor of gastroenterology at Edinburgh University, said: “Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are now common causes of chronic ill-health throughout the world, and in Scotland incidences are increasing rapidly.
“The fact the EC has chosen to support two studies involving Scottish patients highlights the fact that the impact of diseases in this country is recognised to be high, and that current therapies are often not successful.”
Thousands of newly-diagnosed patients across Europe and North America are to be recruited for two research trials, which will be run by scientists and clinicians from the UK, Sweden, Belgium, Spain and Norway.