https://crohns.org.uk/blog/ Articles on Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis and inflammatory bowel disease. en-gb https://crohns.org.uk/blog/the-value-of-curcumin/ https://crohns.org.uk/blog/the-value-of-curcumin/ The August edition of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology contains a report on the value of Curcumin in mild to moderate Ulcerative colitis. Curcumin is a natural chemical derived from the Indian spice turmeric. It has been widely used in traditional Chinese medicine (and ayurvedic practice) to… https://crohns.org.uk/blog/infliximab-working-not-working/ https://crohns.org.uk/blog/infliximab-working-not-working/ Infliximab has been found to be effective in some cases of Crohn’s disease for many years but its use in ulcerative colitis is more recent. A significant number of patients with both conditions fail to respond to treatment. One of the reasons for this may be explained by a recent study from the… https://crohns.org.uk/blog/vaccination-and-the-risk-of-inflammatory-bowel-disease-ibd/ https://crohns.org.uk/blog/vaccination-and-the-risk-of-inflammatory-bowel-disease-ibd/ A few years ago it was suggested that Crohn’s disease (CD) was possibly brought on by vaccination – in particular the MMR vaccine conferring immunity to measles, mumps and rubella. This lead to many mothers refusing to allow their children to be immunised so that in recent years measles, a… https://crohns.org.uk/blog/faecal-bacterial-transplantation-in-ulcerative-colitis/ https://crohns.org.uk/blog/faecal-bacterial-transplantation-in-ulcerative-colitis/ The latest edition of Gastroenterology July 2015 contains 2 reports on the use of faecal transplantation in the treatment of ulcerative colitis. This has been a technique which has been rumbling on for many years now. Reports of dramatic improvements in UC first appeared at the end of the last… https://crohns.org.uk/blog/the-link-between-ibd-and-stress/ https://crohns.org.uk/blog/the-link-between-ibd-and-stress/ Many people wonder about the link between IBD and stress. Many have noticed that their symptoms are ‘worse’ when they are anxious or depressed. Indeed this connection has been such that some eminent physicians have suggested that IBD is entirely psychosomatic! We now know of course that this is not… https://crohns.org.uk/blog/dietary-deficiencies-during-pregnancy/ https://crohns.org.uk/blog/dietary-deficiencies-during-pregnancy/ Dietary therapy presents a cheap and safe way of managing Crohn’s disease, but has the disadvantage that patients need to avoid certain irritant foods if they are to prevent the disease recurring. There was therefore some concern that this could lead to dietary deficiencies during pregnancy, despite… https://crohns.org.uk/blog/crohns-disease-and-iron-deficiency-anaemia/ https://crohns.org.uk/blog/crohns-disease-and-iron-deficiency-anaemia/ Crohn’s disease frequently causes iron deficiency anaemia which provides a frustrating problem with patients being treated by diet. Most forms of oral iron cause patients to have symptoms and frequently intravenous iron infusions are necessary to correct anaemia. This problem does not loom as large… https://crohns.org.uk/blog/the-potential-danger-of-immunosuppressant-drugs-in-the-treatment-of-ibd/ https://crohns.org.uk/blog/the-potential-danger-of-immunosuppressant-drugs-in-the-treatment-of-ibd/ The November issue of the American Journal of Gastroenterology contains a paper which once again stresses the potential danger of immunosuppressant drugs in the treatment of IBD. Steroid use predisposes to infections and this effect is greater in elderly patients. In this study from Canada, the… https://crohns.org.uk/blog/ibd-and-genetics/ https://crohns.org.uk/blog/ibd-and-genetics/ It has been known for many years that inflammatory bowel disease tends to run in families and the risk of contracting this disorder is increased if one has a first degree relative suffering from the condition. More recently considerable effort has been made to discover genes which predispose to the… https://crohns.org.uk/blog/ibd-risk-of-bowel-cancer-and-lymphoma/ https://crohns.org.uk/blog/ibd-risk-of-bowel-cancer-and-lymphoma/ Sufferers from IBD have long been well aware that they run an increased risk of bowel cancer and that the risk of lymphoma is increased by certain immunosuppressant drugs. Two recent studies one from Denmark and one from the Mayo clinic suggests that there may be an increased risk of skin cancers as… https://crohns.org.uk/blog/azathioprine-and-the-long-term-treatment-of-ibd/ https://crohns.org.uk/blog/azathioprine-and-the-long-term-treatment-of-ibd/ Azathioprine is an invaluable drug for the long term treatment of IBD. Many patients enjoy prolonged remissions. Its metabolite 6-mercaptopurine has similarly beneficial effects. One of the main anxieties in the use of azathioprine is the incidence of side effects. Patients are familiar with the… https://crohns.org.uk/blog/cannabis-smoking-to-treat-crohns/ https://crohns.org.uk/blog/cannabis-smoking-to-treat-crohns/ My old Professor of surgery once told me that if several treatments were available for a disease, it meant that non of them worked very well! However, the latest suggestion for the treatment of Crohn’s disease may come as a pleasant surprise to some patients. In a paper in the October issue of… https://crohns.org.uk/blog/contraceptive-pill-for-women-and-ibd/ https://crohns.org.uk/blog/contraceptive-pill-for-women-and-ibd/ Many young women with IBD worry whether or not it is safe to go on the contraceptive pill. A recent study from Boston Massachusett s examines the importance of oral contraceptives as a cause of IBD. 232,452 women were followed up for a number of years from 1976 to present day. 315 developed CD and… https://crohns.org.uk/blog/azathioprine-and-photosensitivity/ https://crohns.org.uk/blog/azathioprine-and-photosensitivity/Thu, 12 Oct 2023 00:00:00 GMT At long last the dismal winter and the long cold spring are behind us and Wimbledon was bathed in glorious sunshine. Delight at the arrival of the summer must, however, be tempered by a note of caution. People taking azathioprine should remember that this drug causes photosensitivity – that is, it… https://crohns.org.uk/blog/medication-and-dietary-therapy/ https://crohns.org.uk/blog/medication-and-dietary-therapy/ Many patients with Crohn’s disease ask what they should do about the medication they are taking when they start dietary therapy. Should they stop it straight away? Or should they reduce the dose? The best advice is to continue on the current drug therapy until symptoms have settled on diet. Most… https://crohns.org.uk/blog/diet-and-crohns-disease/ https://crohns.org.uk/blog/diet-and-crohns-disease/ As many of you will know my favourite treatment of Crohn’s disease is DIET. I very rarely use Infliximab, in fact only 2 patients in the last 5 years have needed a course. This was initially because of anxiety over its propensity to cause infection and also because of the cost. Further experience… https://crohns.org.uk/blog/bacterial-and-faecal-transplants/ https://crohns.org.uk/blog/bacterial-and-faecal-transplants/ Many patients have wondered whether it might be possible to improve IBD by implanting new bacteria in their bowels by means of enemas of faeces from healthy individuals. Vets have been employing similar techniques in horses for many years with apparent success. Occasional reports have appeared in… https://crohns.org.uk/blog/ibd-osteoporosis-and-osteopaenia/ https://crohns.org.uk/blog/ibd-osteoporosis-and-osteopaenia/ It is well known that patients with IBD are more likely to suffer from osteoporosis and osteopaenia (a less severe reduction in the density and strength of the bones). There has been long discussion as to whether this is caused by the IBD itself, or by its treatment. Corticosteroids such as… https://crohns.org.uk/blog/psychological-problems-crohns-disease-and-ulcerative-colitis/ https://crohns.org.uk/blog/psychological-problems-crohns-disease-and-ulcerative-colitis/ For many years people have wondered if psychological problems have a role in causing Crohn’s disease (CD) and Ulcerative Colitis (UC). This has always been difficult to prove although sometimes events are very suggestive. There was once a young woman for example, who had very well controlled UC and… https://crohns.org.uk/blog/surprise-how-crohns-affects-fertility/ https://crohns.org.uk/blog/surprise-how-crohns-affects-fertility/ The dramatic effects that dietary treatment may have on the health of a patient with Crohn’s disease has been brought home to me today. A young woman was referred because for months she had been chronically unwell, responding to no medication, even Infliximab, and her local physician thought that… https://crohns.org.uk/blog/worms/ https://crohns.org.uk/blog/worms/ There has been lots of interest recently in reports of using worms to treat Crohn’s disease. Not earthworms like you find in the garden, but worms which live in the intestine. The first to be used was a pig whipworm, which cannot live for more than a few weeks in humans, and therefore is not…