Sunday, May 30, 2010

Foods That Fight Diarrhea

Since diarrhea is a big part of having Crohn's Disease, I get a lot of traffic to this blog from people looking for foods that are ok for IBD, and specifically combat diarrhea. This information is all over the web but I thought I would reproduce it here.

The BRATTY Diet - Foods That Fight Diarrhea

Bananas - Healthy and rich in soluble fiber.
Rice - Plain cooked rice helps soothe the digestive system. Also acts as a bulking agent.
Applesauce - Make it without the peel. Unsweetened is best.
Toast - Easier to digest than bread. Helps neutralize stomach acid. Try eating it plain.
Tea - Green tea is best. Unsweetened decaf.
Yogurt - Plain yogurt is the best for this. It also helps replenish healthy gut bacteria.

And there you have it. Foods rich in soluble fiber are generally a good bet. I have also found Cream of Wheat to be a good option when my stomach is troubled. Also switching to rice milk rather than dairy can also help. Keep in mind you don't want to eat only these foods for a long period of time - you will not be getting proper nutrition.

Anyone have foods that they have found helpful?

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Helminthic Therapy Follow-Up

For I while I've been wondering what ever happened to the research that I read in Mental Floss magazine about which was being done by Dr. J. Weinstock. This therapy uses Helminthic worms introduced into the gut which give the immune system something else to attack, rather than your digestive tract. The research sounded promising and I was hoping that it did not drop off of the medical world's radar. I tracked down Dr. Weinstock's contact information and wrote him a (regular mail) letter asking about the current status of his research.

Recently, he kindly replied to me by email:
Dear ******,

I am sorry to hear about your Crohn's disease. Thank you for writing. The agent that we developed is working its way through both the US and European food and drug administrations. The agent is made by one of the pharmaceutical companies making the agent for the various clinical studies under way or planned for the near future. Ovamed is this company. Their web site could contain more information. I wish I could help you more. Best wishes to you and your family.

Regards,
Joel Weinstock
So there you have it, you can find out more about this research at: Ovamed.org, they even have a forum although it's kind of empty.

Here is another website with information about this therapy: http://opensourcehelminththerapy.org