Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Crohn's disease (regional ileitis, regional enteritis), ulcerative colitis, leaky gut syndrome, diverticulosis, diverticulitis, dysbiosis, esophageal reflux, spastic colon, malabsorption syndrome (coeliac disease), etc.
Excerpted from The ABC's of Disease
by Phillip Day

Profile
More and more, people over the past fifty years have been suffering from a number of complaints affecting the entire length of the digestive system, from mouth and throat ailments, down to the stomach, and all the way through that serpentine piping to haemorrhoids around your afterburner. Some of these disorders are mild; others are extremely serious and will need addressing without delay.

I am lumping a group of conditions together here as Inflammatory Bowel Disease, since the remedies for them are essentially the same. Once the reader appreciates what these conditions are and how they are caused, the answer to most of the problems becomes straightforward enough to implement.

Crohn's Disease (Regional enteritis): Pain in the lower right abdomen, malabsorption of nutrients, low-grade fever, weight-loss, flatulence. Crohn's is a condition where segments of the colon (large intestine) become inflamed, thickened and ulcerated. Traditional treatments will include corticosteroids, antibiotics, immunosuppressive drugs and dietary changes. Crohn's can cause partial blockage of the large intestine, causing pain and bouts of diarrhoea. The same condition occurring in the small intestine is known as regional enteritis, the chronic form of which may also create fistulae (unnatural joinings) between adjacent loops of the intestines or between bowel tissue and the bladder, vagina or skin.
Ulcerative colitis: Inflammation of the colon lining. Symptoms are pain, with blood and/or mucus in the faeces.
Leaky gut syndrome: Where damage to the small intestine wall can increase gut permeability to undigested food particles which enter the bloodstream and begin causing 'allergic' reactions. Dr Leo Galland, Director of Medicine at the Foundation for Integrated Medicine, states: "Leaky gut syndrome is a group of clinical disorders associated with increased intestinal permeability. They include inflammatory and infectious bowel diseases, chronic inflammatory arthritides, cryptogenic skin conditions like acne, psoriasis and dermatitis herpetiformis, many diseases triggered by food allergy or specific food intolerance, including eczema, urticaria, and irritable bowel syndrome, AIDS, chronic fatigue syndromes, chronic hepatitis, chronic pancreatitis, cystic fibrosis and pancreatic carcinoma. Hyper-permeability may play a primary, etiologic role in the evolution of each disease, or may be a secondary consequence of it which causes immune activation, hepatic dysfunction, and pancreatic insufficiency, creating a vicious cycle. Unless specifically investigated, the role of altered intestinal permeability in patients with leaky gut syndrome often goes unrecognised."
Diverticulosis, diverticulitis: Sacs may appear in weak sections of the intestinal tract, caused by pressure from the inner lining (pulsion diverticula) or from pressure exerted without (traction diverticula). Diverticulosis describes the passive existence of diverticula. Diverticulitis describes the condition when these sacs become perforated, inflamed or impacted.
Dysbiosis: The human digestive system contains over four hundred species of microflora (bacteria, yeast, fungi, protozoa, etc.) weighing over three pounds. Usually, in a properly pH-adjusted, harmonious alimentary tract, they live together in peace and balance (homeostasis). When, through our choices of food and lifestyle, we upset this balance, dysbiosis occurs, a term, coined by Russian scientist Elie Metchnikoff, who maintained that toxic compounds produced by the aberrant breakdown of food by these bacteria caused many of the degenerative conditions, especially since this toxicity was carried to other parts of the body via the bloodstream and lymph (see Arthritis, Cancer, Multiple Sclerosis, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, etc.)
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS): A general condition, thought to affect over 15% of the western populations, describing generalised abdominal pain, usually accompanied by diarrhoea and constipation, that leads to dysfunctional contractions in the intestine. Officially, according to orthodox medicine, unwilling to accept the existence of this as a separate disorder, the cause of IBS is unknown. Unofficially, it is yet another physical manifestation of humans trying to put diesel into a gasoline-driven automobile, if you get my drift. We'll give the food industry a proper panning as we proceed.
Coeliac disease (malabsorption syndrome): A condition in which the small intestine fails to digest and absorb food. Usually due to gluten/gliaden damage, which atrophies the lining of the intestine. Symptoms include stunted growth, distended abdomen and pale, frothy, foul-smelling stools.

Commentary
Causes: Gluten/gliaden damage from wheat, barley, rye and oat products; bacterial and/or mycoplasmic infections; small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), brought on by low digestive enzyme output; processed diet; too much refined sugar and grains; too little fibre; generally acidic, anaerobic internal environment, resulting in an inadequate immune system response; antibiotic abuse; general drug abuse; poor water intake. Phew!

Bacteria, yeasts and fungi are generally quite sparse in the upper intestinal tract, but when overgrowths allow them to proliferate in the duodenum and jejunum (the majority portion of the small intestine), they can compete for nutrition with the host. This is where the problems begin. Symptoms describing overgrowths of these critters are well known: abdominal pain and cramps, constipation, diarrhoea, fatigue, fever, flatulence, foul-smelling faeces, skin rashes and hives, leaky gut, indigestion, reflux, low back pain, malabsorption and weight loss. They can cause a corruption and putrefaction of the food chyme (food leaving the stomach for the intestine).

Enzymes ejected from these organisms (known as decarboxylases) work on the chyme, converting the amino acids histadine to histamine (hence 'allergic' reactions sometimes treated with 'anti-histamines'), ornithine to putrescine and lysine to cadaverine. Actions of these products, known as vasoactive amines, will stir up a host of the problems we are examining in this chapter. These fungi and yeasts are responsible for many apparent food allergies. Proteins, such gluten from wheat and barley and casein from cow's milk, may also damage intestinal structure, bringing on some conditions.

Take action
This regime should be followed very strictly. Ensure regular food intakes, but small amounts, often.

· DIET: COMMENCE THE ANTI-CANDIDA DIETARY REGIMEN
· DIET: Follow also the Foods to avoid section of THE FOOD FOR THOUGHT LIFESTYLE REGIMEN
· DIET: AVOID ALL SUGAR AND YEAST
· DIET: Avoid all products that readily break down into glucose or have a yeast component: e.g. bread, pasta, pastries, sweets, pies, alcoholic beverages (esp. beers!) and some fruits and vegetables (see diet above)
· DIET: Drink at least four pints of clean, still mineral water a day (not out of plastic bottles and please avoid distilled water)
· PREVENTION: Don't smoke and avoid second-hand smoke
· PREVENTION: Avoid behavioural and dietary problems that have caused the condition
· DETOXIFICATION: Conduct a two-week bowel cleanse with magnesium oxide
· DETOXIFICATION: Cancer patients should also consider colon hydrotherapy for extra internal cleanliness
· RESTORING NUTRIENT BALANCE: COMMENCE THE BASIC SUPPLEMENT PROGRAM, including THE ANTI-CANDIDA/FUNGAL SUPPLEMENT-ATION, ensuring:
· A probiotic supplement to install beneficial flora
· Vitamin C complex (ascorbates plus bioflavonoids), 5 g per day. This amounts to one heaped teaspoon of C-complex powder per day. Take half of it in a bland juice, such as pear, every morning and the rest at night
· Take 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed (linseed) meal or oil daily
· Pancreatic (digestive) enzyme capsules, two, three times daily away from food
· BOOSTING IMMUNITY: Astragalus and echinacea, (herbs), two capsules each, three times a day
· BOOSTING IMMUNITY: Indulge in regular and vigorous exercise (unless health problems prevent this) to exercise and pump the lymphatic system, rid the body of waste products and draw in oxygen
· BOOSTING IMMUNITY: Get plenty of rest
· TIP: Be consistent!
· TIP: Do not fall prey to sugar cravings. Who really wants to splurge and feed inside you?

Herxheimer's reaction
During the critter-killing process, the body may become clogged with catabolic debris, dead beasties and their resultant toxaemia, including ammonia. You may feel ill as your symptoms apparently worsen. This is known as Herxheimer's reaction, after the venerable German dermatologist of the same name. It is temporary and will be experienced in proportion to the vehemence with which you apply your attack strategies. Symptoms may be alleviated by commencing the ANTI-CANDIDA DIETARY REGIMEN a full two weeks prior to starting on the anti-fungal/yeast supplements.

Further Resources
The ABC's of Disease by Phillip Day

Available through www.credence.org